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BOSTON
PUBLIC
LIBRARY
THE VOYAGE
OF
THE 'DISCOVERY'
VOL. I
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
Boston Public Library
http://archive.org/details/voyageofdiscover001scot
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THE
VOYAGE OF
THE 'DISCOVERY'
BY W^
CAPTAIN ROBERT F; SCOTT
C.V.O., R.N.
WITH 260 FULL-PAGE AND SMALLER ILLUSTRATIONS BY DR. B. A.
WILSON AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION,
PHOTOGRA VURE FRONTISPIECES, 12 COLOURED
PLATES IN FACSIMILE FROM DR.
WILSON'S SKETCHES, PANORAMAS
AND MAPS
IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL. I
NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
LONDON : SMITH, ELDER, & CO.
1905
[All rights reserved]
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TO
SIR CLEMENTS MARKHAM, K.C.B., F.R.S.
THE FATHER OF THE EXPEDITION
AND ITS MOST CONSTANT FRIEND
PREFACE
Strange as it may seem, the greater part of this story-
had been enacted before I realised that it would devolve
on me to narrate it in book form.
When first I saw vaguely this unwelcome task before
me there was fresh in my mind not only the benefit
which we had derived from studying the records of former
Polar voyages, but the disappointment which we had
sometimes suffered from the insufficient detail which they
provided. It appeared to me in consequence that the
first object in writing an account of a Polar voyage was
the guidance of future voyagers ; the first duty of the
writer was to his successors.
I have done my best to keep this object in view, and
I give this explanation because I am conscious that it
has led me into descriptive detail which will probably
be tiresome to the ordinary reader. As, however, such
matter is more or less massed into certain portions of the
book, I take comfort from reflecting that the interested
reader will have no difficulty in avoiding such parts as he
may consider tedious.
I have endeavoured to avoid the use of technicalities,
but in all cases this has not been possible, as the English
viii THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY'
language is poor in words descriptive of conditions of ice
and snow. I take the opportunity, therefore, of defining
some technical words that I have used freely.
Neve* — the packed snow of a snow-field, an accumula-
tion of minute ice-crystals. This word is, of course, well
known to mountaineers.
Nunatak — an island of bare land in a snow-field;
Where an ice-sheet overlies the land, the summits of
hills thrust through the sheet present this appearance.
Sastrugus — an irregularity formed by the wind on a
snow-plain. ' Snow-wave ' is not completely descriptive,
as the sastrugus has often a fantastic shape unlike the
ordinary conception of a wave.
Ice-foot — properly applied to the low fringe of ice
formed about Polar lands by the sea-spray. I have used
the term much more widely, and perhaps improperly, in
referring to the banks of ice of varying height which
skirt many parts of the Antarctic shores, and which have
no connection with sea-spray. Mr. Ferrar gives some
description of these in his remarks on ice in Appendix I.
Beyond explaining these few words I make no
apology for the style or absence of style of this book ;
I have tried to tell my tale as simply as possible, and I
launch it with the confidence that my readers will be
sufficiently indulgent to its faults in remembering the
literary inexperience of its writer.
For me the compilation of these pages has been so
weighty a matter that I must always feel the keenest
gratitude to those who assisted me in the task. I cannot
think that the manuscript would ever have been com-
PREFACE ix
pleted but for the advice and encouragement I received
from its publisher, nor can I forget to thank Sir Clements
Markham and other friends for hints and criticisms by
which I profited, and Mr. Leonard Huxley for his
judicious provision of the ' hooks and eyes ' to many a
random sentence. How much I owe to the artist, Dr.
Wilson, and others of my comrades who are responsible
for the originals of the illustrations, will be evident.
R. F. S.
August 28tk, 1905.
CONTENTS
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME
CHAPTER I
HISTORICAL
PAGE
Attention first drawn to Antarctic Region by Delineation of Map
Makers — Earliest References to Climatic Conditions — Varthema —
Vasco da Gama — Drake — Quiros — Tasman — Kerguelen — Cook —
Bellingshausen — Weddell — Biscoe — Balleny — D'Urville — Wilkes —
Ross — Later Expeditions — 'Challenger' Expedition and Result —
Inception of National Antarctic Expedition — Sir Clements Mark-
ham — Action of Societies — Mr. Longstaff — Decision to build new
Ship — My own Appointment — Finance Committee — Naval Crew —
Purchase of Stores I
CHAPTER II
PREPARATION
Ships of former Polar Voyages — Ship Committee — Design of the
' Discovery ' — Choice of a Name — Description of the Ship — Mag-
netic Observatory — Living-spaces — Holds, &c. — Sails — Launch of
the Ship — The Officers appointed — The Warrant Officers — The
Men — Division of the Antarctic Regions — Prospect of Victoria
Quadrant — The Instructions — Acknowledgment of Assistance. . 43
CHAPTER III
VOYAGE TO NEW ZEALAND
Arrival at Cowes — Visit of the King — Sailing from Cowes — Madeira —
Crossing the Line — South Trinidad — Arrival at the Cape — Simon's
xii THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
PAGE
Bay — At Sea in the Westerlies — Alarm of Fire — First Encounter
with the Ice — Southern Birds — Macquarie Island— Lyttelton, New
Zealand — Preparations for Final Departure — Departure from
Lyttelton — Fatal Accident — Final Departure from Civilisation . 87
CHAPTER IV
SOUTHWARD HO !
Steering to the South — Fog — Icebergs — Entering Pack-ice — Life in
the Pack — Nature of Pack — Slow Progress — 'Watering Ship' —
Southern Edge of Pack — The Ross Sea — First Sight of Victoria
Land — Cape Adare — Danger in the Pack — Coulman Island —
Heavy Gale — Landing in Lady Newnes Bay — Killing Seals — Wood
Bay — Cape Washington — Coasting South — Landing in Granite
Harbour — A well-sheltered Spot — McMurdo Sound — Stopped by
the Pack — Turning to the East 116
CHAPTER V
ALONG THE GREAT BARRIER
Strange Footprints — Landing under Mount Terror — The Last Record
Left — Along the Great Barrier — New Land — Foggy Weather — Sur-
rounded by Bergs — We Lose our Bearings — Decision to Turn
Back — Good View of King Edward's Land — Landing on the
Barrier — Balloon Ascent — Return to Victoria Land . . .163
CHAPTER VI
FINDING WINTER QUARTERS : A FATAL ACCIDENT
In McMurdo Sound — A Glacier Tongue — Landing South of Erebus —
Selection of Winter Quarters — Prospects — Difficulty in Maintaining
our Station — Erection of Huts — Amusements — A Trip to White
Island — Sledge Party to the Cape Crozier Record — Accident to
Returning Sledge Party — Fatal Result to poor Vince — Results of
Search Parties — Frost-bites — Wonderful Escape of Hare — Visit to
Danger Slope . 205
CHAPTER VII
PREPARING FOR WINTER
Delay in Freezing-up of the Ship — Dog Troubles — Return of Royds —
Local Weather Conditions — Last Sledging Effort of the Season —
Advantage of Experience — Preparing for Winter — Winter Arriving
— Meteorological Screen — Tidal Observations — Magnetic Huts —
Capturing Crab-eaters — Emperor Penguin Hunt — Departure of the
Sun 254
CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME xiii
CHAPTER VIII
THE POLAR WINTER
PAGE
Winter Routine — Obtaining Water — Meals and Meal-hours — Pastimes
— Officers' Routine — Debates — Exercise — Work of the Officers —
Weather Conditions — Heavy Blizzard and its Effects — Incidents of
the Winter — Winter Clothing — Remarks on our Food — Sunday
Routine — Discomforts of the Living-quarters from Ice — Heating
and Ventilation — Mid-winter Day 292
CHAPTER IX
WINTER PASSING AWAY
Our Settlement in Winter — The Large Hut — Lighting Arrangements
on Board — Prevention of Fire — A Night on Duty — Smoking
Habits — -The ' South Polar Times ' — Aurora Australis — Mishap to
our Boats — Moonlight Effects — Lost in a Blizzard — Theatrical En-
tertainments— Nigger Minstrels — Increase of Light — New Arrivals
— Concerning the Dogs — Return of the Sun — View from our Hills —
Walks in Daylight — Preparations for Sledging — Ready to Start . 347
CHAPTER X
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF SLEDGE TRAVELLING
History of Polar Sledge Travelling — Early English Sledge Travellers —
Ross — McClintock — Peary — Nansen — Visit to Christiania — Diffi-
culties in Selecting Articles of Equipment — Comparison of Sledging
Conditions in the North and South Polar Regions — Objects of the
Sledge Traveller — Description of our Equipment — The Sledge —
The Tent — The Sleeping-bag — Sledging-food — Calculation of
Allowances — Packing — Cooking-apparatus — Cooking-lamp — Per-
manent Weights of a Sledge Party — Spare Clothing — Medical
Bag — Details concerning Clothing and General Equipment . . 403
CHAPTER XI
TYPICAL SLEDGING EXPERIENCES
Use of Dogs for Sledging — A Discussion of their Merits — History of
our Dog Team — Discomforts of Sledge-travelling — Typical Experi-
ences— The Ordinary Routine — Result of a Blizzard — Benefit of
Summer Temperatures — Disadvantages of Summer — The Fascina-
tion of Sledging 463
xiv THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
CHAPTER XII
THE SPRING JOURNEYS OF 1902
PAGE
Spring Sledging Plans — Start of Sledging Season — Parties Leave the
Ship — Submarine Ice — Start on Southern Reconnaissance— An
Inopportune Blizzard — Return to the Ship — Fresh Start — Journey
to the Bluff — Difficult Travelling — Placing the Depot — Rapid
Return — Report of Outbreak of Scurvy — Experiences of Western
Party — Steps taken to Combat the Disease — Some Remarks on the
Nature of Scurvy — Causes which may have Led to the Outbreak —
Impossibility of Determining its Exact Origin — Prospects of Future
South Polar Expeditions in this Respect . . . . . . 508
ILLUSTRATIONS
IN
THE FIRST VOLUME
PHOTOGRAVURE PLATE
DISCOVERY Frontispiece
From a Drawing by Dr. Edward A. Wilson.
COLOURED PLATES
From Water-colour Drawings by Dr. Edward A. Wilson
Sea Leopard and Emperor Penguin . . . Facing p. 122
King Edward VII.'s Land . . . „ 190
Mirage at Sunset . . . . . „ 218
Moonlight on a Frozen Sea „ 368
Sunrise-light on the Smoke of Mount Erebus . „ 398
Sledge-hauling on the Great Ice Barrier . . „ 492
Opalescent Clouds. — The 'Discovery5 in Winter
Quarters . . . . . . . „ 514
DOUBLE-PAGE PLATE
Our Winter Quarters from the Sea ^ „ , , ,
_ „_, X > Between pp. 214, 215
Our Winter Quarters from the Hills J
FULL-PAGE PLATES
Portrait of Sir Clements Markham
From a Photograph by Elliott & Fry.
Bow Taking the Ice ....
Pushing Through Ice .....
. Facing p.
27
11
54
• »
54
xvi THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
'Discovery' on Stocks:
Exterior View .
Interior View
Launch of 'Discovery5 .
From Photographs ; by kind permission of Valentine dj° Sons, Limited,
Group of Officers and Men ....
From a Photograph, by kind permission of Messrs. Thomson.
Bird-skinners at Work
Magnetic Observations at the Cape .
Improvised Studding Sails in the Westerlies
First Visit to the Ice ....
Scrambling for Scraps
A Good Capture : A Wandering Albatross .
'Scamp' ......
Deck Cargo ......
In Dock at Lyttelton
Leaving Port Chalmers ....
The Last Farewell ....
Typical Southern Iceberg
Ship in the Pack ....
Bringing a Specimen on Board .
Another Method ....
'Watering Ship' .....
Southern Edge of the Pack
First Sight of Victoria Land
Cape Adare (Hut and Penguins can be seen in
foreground) .
Mount Minto : Admiralty Range
The Penguins' Road .
Cape Wad worth : Coulman Island
Inlet Beyond Cape Jones
Mount Melbourne .
Coast South of Cape Washington
Granite Harbour .
Mysterious Footprints
North-Eastern Slopes of Terror
The Great Ice Barrier
Close View of Barrier .
Trawl Coming In
Ice Island off King Edward's Land
Highest Ice Wall Seen (280 ft. in height)
Part of Eastern Wall, showing indications
Rise Inland on right, detached Berg in middle
Ship in Balloon Inlet
Ready to Go Up
Facing p.
56
11
5.6
?j
64
66
33
96
» 33
96
• >'
IOI
• 33
1 01
33
102
"
104
33
104
33
112
33
112
33
114
3)
114
3)
Il8
33
I20
33
124
33
124
33
131
33
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33
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sr IK
'
33
135
33
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33
I46
33
I46
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148
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172
' 33
174
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180
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192
5 OF
)DLE
33
33
I94
196
.
33
196
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE FIRST VOLUME xvii
Edward A. Wilson
Balloon Ascending .....
View from Balloon ....
View from Balloon, showing Snow Waves
Nunatak of Rock near the
Table Ranges . . . j f^P^^J
The 'Belleisle5 Berg . . I
Whale Rising
Using the Small Dredge
Dry Water-courses on a Glacier
Winter Quarters. Bay clear of Ice
'Terror ' Party in Deep Snow
The Main Hut Completed
' Danger Slope ' . .
Looking for Return of Sledge Party
Erebus from the South
Landing on the Ice-foot
Ice-flowers .
First Attempt at a Tide-gauge
The Meteorological Screen as it Appeared
and our Meteorologist .
General View of Huts
Hut Point from the North
Food for the Winter .
Digging for Ice
The Water Supply
Off for Exercise
Our Home in Winter .
koettlitz at the outer thermometer
Wilson Reading Thermometer at the Top c
Hill .....
Our Biologist on his Daily Round
Wind and Drift
From a Drawing by Dr. Edward A. Wilson.
Final Wreck of the Windmill .
The Screen Snowed Up
After the Gale ....
Exercise while the Light Lasts
Moonlight Scene ....
From a Drawing by Dr. Edward A. Wilson.
1 We also Enjoy the Weather '
Not in his Element ....
Mid-winter Day on the Mess-deck .
Mid-winter Day in the Wardroom
The Magnetic Huts and their Custodian
VOL. I.
Facing
P-
198
33
198
>}
200
202
53
207
3)
207
33
208
33
221
33
237
33
242
33
242
33
258
33
260
33
264
33
268
3'
TT?T?
274
33
274
33
280
33
283
33
283
33
293
33
294
33
300
33
300
33
lTER
307
33
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318
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321
33
321
33
322
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325
33
' 326
33
336
33
336
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343
33
345
33
35o
xviii THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
from Drawings by Dr.
Edward A. Wilson
from Drawings
by Dr. Edward
A . Wilson
The Arms of the ' Discovery '
The Aurora Australis
The Buried Boats ....
Removing Snow from our Boats .
Caught in a Blizzard ....
From a Drawing by Dr. Edward A. Wilson.
Our Theatrical Party
The Nigger Minstrel Party
Ridges Beyond Pram Point
Wind-swept Snow
The Result of Ice Pressure from the South
* Nell ' as a Model Mother .
Enjoying a First Glimpse of the Sun .
A Weddell Seal Annoyed
Shackleton's Patent
View from Crater Hill . .\
Observation Hill and the Gap .
Castle Rock from Arrival Heights I
Extinct Craters about Winter
Quarters ....
Ship at the End of the Winter
Tent and Equipment for Three Men .
Sledge Packed for Three Men
Clothed for Sledging ....
A Heavy Drag at Starting .
Harnessing the Dogs ....
Two Cooking Apparatus with Two Pannikins
A Difference of Opinion
Spring Sledging Camp
Setting the Tent in a Blizzard
Under Favourable Conditions .
Ice Formed on Submerged Rope
Cracked Ice-mound .....
Dog Team on the March, ' Nigger ' Leading
Old Moraine Heaps, erroneously called
' Eskers '
Ancient Ice Covered with Morainic Material
A Seal Hole .....
Young Weddell Seal ....
First Crop of Mustard and Cress Grown on the
Soil of the Antarctic Regions
from Drawi?zgs by Dr
Edward A . Wilson
J Facing p.
V 55
362
364
11
367
11
367
ii
372
a
376
a
380
ii
380
. "
382
55
385
55
386
5 5
386
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390
55
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I
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»
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396
v
396
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402
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428
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450
• . 55
458
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462
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470
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55
472
Or. f „
I 55
475
475
15
501
55
516
55
516
55
518
55
538
55
538
55
544
55
544
546
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE FIRST VOLUME xix
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT
PAGE
Profile Drawing of 'Discovery.' Outline drawings of
'Discovery5 and 'Fram' . . . . 51
From Drawings by Dr. Ed-ward A. Wilson
Russian Felt Boots ....... 329
Ski Boots . . . . . . . 330
A Sledge . ...... . . . . 421
Sledge from above . . . . . . . 421
Sledge from one-side. . . . ; .421
Three in a Sleeping-bag . . • . . . . 431
A Sleeping-bag for Three . . . . . . 432
Diagram of Cooker Packed to go on a Sledge . . . 443
Cooker and Primus Lamp ...... 444
Sledging Pannikin and Spoon . . . . . 446
Ski and Ski-pole ....... 454
Finneskoes ......... 460
Glass-and-gauze Goggles . . . . . .461
Wooden Goggles . . . . . . . . 461
Sledging Harness ....... 462
MAPS
Ortelius's Map . .... Between pp. 2 and 3
Map of the Antarctic Regions at the End of the
Nineteenth Century . . . . . Facing p. 22
Chart of the Antarctic Ocean . In pocket at end of volume
ERR A TUM. — Coloured plate facing page 398.
For ' Sunset Light on the Smoke of Mount Erebus ' read ' Sunrise Light
on the Smoke of Mount Erebus.'
THE SHIP'S COMPANY.
Officers,
Albert B. Armitage, Lieut. R.N.R.
Charles W. R. Royds, Lieut. R.N.
Michael Barne, Lieut. R.N.
Ernest H. Shackleton, S. Lieut. R.N.R.
George F. A. Mulock, S. Lieut. R.N.
Reginald W. Skelton, Lieut. (E.) R.N.
Reginald Koettlitz, surgeon and botanist.
Edward A. Wilson, surgeon, artist, vertebrate zoologist.
Thomas V. Hodgson, biologist.
Hartley T. Ferrar, geologist.
Louis C. Bernacchi, physicist.
Warrant Officers {all R.N. ).
Thomas A. Feather, boatswain.
James H. Dellbridge, 2nd engineer.
Fred. E. Dailey, carpenter.
Charles R. Ford, ship's steward.
Petty Officers.
Jacob Cross, P.O. i, R.N.
Edgar Evans, P.O. 2, R.N.
William Smythe, P.O. I, R.N.
David Allan, P.O. 1, R.N.
Thomas Kennar, P.O. 2, R.N.
Marines.
Gilbert Scott, Private R. M.L.I.
A. H. Blissett, Private R. M.L.I.
Civilian.
Chas. Clarke, ship's cook.
Seamen.
Arthur Pilbeam, L.S. R.N.
William L. Heald, A.B. R.N.
James Dell, A.B. R.N.
Frank Wild, A.B. R.N.
Thomas S. Williamson, A.B. R.N.
George B. Croucher, A.B. R.N.
Ernest E. Joyce, A.B. R.N.
Thomas Crean, A.B. R.N.
Jesse Handsley, A.B. R.N.
William J. Weller, A.B.
Stokers.
William Lashly, Ig. stoker R.N.
Arthur L. Quartley, lg. stoker R.N.
Thomas Whitfield, lg. stoker R.N.
Frank Plumley, stoker R.N.
R. F. SCOTT, Captain.
CHAPTER I
HISTORICAL
Attention first drawn to Antarctic Region by Delineation of Map Makers —
Earliest References to Climatic Conditions — Varthema — Vasco da Gama
— Drake — Quiros — Tasman — Kerguelen — Cook — Bellingshausen —
Weddell — Biscoe — Balleny — D'Urville — Wilkes — Ross — Later Expedi-
tions— 'Challenger' Expedition and Result — Inception of National
Antarctic Expedition — Sir Clements Markham — Action of Societies — Mr.
LongstafF— Decision to build new Ship — My own Appointment — Finance
Committee — Naval Crew — Purchase of Stores.
Till then they had deemed that the Austral earth
With a long unbroken shore
Ran on to the Pole Antarctic,
For such was the old sea lore. — Rennell Rodd.
A bibliography of the Arctic Regions would occupy a
large volume ; that of the Antarctic Regions compiled
by Dr. H. R. Mill in 1901 contained 878 references, and
included all books, pamphlets, and maps even remotely
touching the subject that had been published in any
country. This great difference in the published matter
relating to the two ends of our globe justly represented
the relative knowledge concerning them in 1 901, to
whatever extent the disproportion has been modified
since that year.
The history of the Arctic Regions stretches back for
many centuries, to the adventurous voyage of Oht-here,
the friend of King Alfred, and to the exploits of the
vol. 1. B
2 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
Norsemen in Greenland ; the history of the Antarctic
Regions commences at a much later period, and atten-
tion was drawn to them, not so much by the voyages
of discoverers as by the persistent delineations of a great
Southern continent by the map makers. The idea of
this conjectural continent probably arose at a very early
date, and when there was much excuse for such a view ;
but it was retained with extraordinary pertinacity through-
out several centuries, being held long after the voyages
of many navigators had disproved the existence of parts
and thrown strong doubt on the accuracy of the whole
conception.
Ortelius, in his ' Typits orbis terrarum* published in
1570, boldly draws the coast of ' Terra australis nondum
cognita ' round the world and well to the north, even
crossing the Tropic of Capricorn in two places. The
editions of Mercator follow this delineation pretty exactly
down to the one published by Hondius in Amsterdam in
1623, and although the famous map of the world pre-
pared for Hakluyt in 1599 has the merit of omitting
the Southern continent as unauthenticated, the fictitious
coastline continued to appear in later maps and naturally
attracted the attention of enterprising navigators.
There are three legends on the Southern continent of
Ortelius's map : one is to the effect that it is named by
some the Magellanic Region ; the second tells us that the
Portuguese called the part south of the Cape ' Psitta-
corum regio ' (region of parrots), because of the incredible
number of these birds ; and the third, opposite to Java,
refers to Marco Polo and Varthema for statements of
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From the Map in Theatrum Orris Terrarum]
[A. ORTELll, Antwerpiae, 1595.
EARLY IDEAS OF THE SOUTH 3
very extensive land to the south. At this time a fanciful
idea prevailed among cartographers that there must be a
great mass of land to the south to balance the known
land to the north.
The earliest references to the climatic conditions of
the Antarctic Regions are perhaps to be found in the
statement of Amerigo Vespucci ; this famous person acted
as pilot of a Portuguese expedition which, after surveying
the coast of Brazil in 1501, is supposed to have sailed to
the south and to have sighted the land of South Georgia,
of which Vespucci remarks : * A rocky coast without any
port or inhabitants. I believe this was because the cold
was so great that no one in the fleet could endure it.'
Another curious indication of the same nature is to be
found in the conversation which the Italian traveller
Ludovico di Varthema, referred to by Ortelius, had
with the Malay captain who took him to Java in 1506.
The skipper knew how to steer by the compass and
by a certain star of the Southern hemisphere as
well as by the pole-star. He told Varthema of a
region far beyond Java where the day only lasted for
four hours, and said that it was colder than any other
part of the world. Varthema concludes his account
of the conversation by saying, ' We were pleased and
satisfied ' !
The manner in which the veil of mystery was first
lifted from the Southern hemisphere was naturally enough
by the extension of exploration along the coastlines of the
Northern land masses, but it was long before the facts
thus ascertained ceased to be distorted by cartographers.
B 2
4 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
The circumnavigation of the Cape by Vasco da Gama
in 1497 did not extend sufficiently far south to upset
calculations greatly, but when in 1520 Magellan dis-
covered the strait which bears his name, Tierra del
Fuego, to the south, was at once seized upon as an evident
part of the Terra australis, and its coasts were unhesi-
tatingly joined to the main outline of that continent.
And when Sir Francis Drake in 1577 'came finally to
the uttermost part of the land towards the South Pole ;
the extreme cape or cliff lying nearly under 5 6° S.,
beyond which neither continent nor island was to be
seen ; indeed the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans here
unite in the free and unconfined open,' his discovery
seems to have been completely misrepresented, and his
accounts were garbled in such a manner as to have taken
centuries to unravel.
How complete was the ignorance of Southern con-
ditions at the commencement of the seventeenth century
can be gathered from the voyage of Quiros. Pedro
Fernandez de Quiros was a Portuguese pilot in the
Spanish service; favoured by the Pope Clement VI I L,
he obtained an order from the King of Spain, Philip III.,
to prosecute a voyage to annex the South Polar con-
tinent and to convert its inhabitants to the true faith.
He sailed from Callao in 1605 and steered to the
W.S.W., but after proceeding a month on this course
his heart failed him, and in latitude 26 S. he turned to
the W.N.W. On this track he discovered the largest
of the New Hebrides group, named it ' Australia del
Espiritu Santo,' and, firmly believing it to be part of
EARLY VOYAGERS 5
the Southern continent, solemnly annexed it, with the
South Pole itself, to the crown of Spain !
Of the early voyages of the seventeenth century, that
of the Dutchmen Schouten and Le Maire in 1616 went
to establish Drake's discovery of the meeting of Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans south of Cape Horn, and to curtail
the extent of the Southern continent in this direction ;
but more important was the voyage of Tasman, who
actually set forth in search of the continent, and in 1642,
after crossing the Indian Ocean between the latitudes of
45 and 49 S., discovered Tasmania and the northern
island of New Zealand. This was a heavy blow to the
theory of a great Southern continent, because it was in
this region that its most northerly extension had been
suggested by the early cartographers, and Tasman showed
that it could not lie much beyond the 50th parallel either
in the Indian Ocean or to the south of Australia, then
known as New Holland. How slowly even important
information of this sort must have travelled in those
days is shown by the fact that in 1660, when Wells
published his 'new set of maps,' he says: ' New
Holland is esteemed to be part of the Southern
unknown continent.'
The result of these voyages was to give a great
impetus to others ; especially it encouraged ships to
venture to make the passage about Cape Horn, and this
in turn led to a considerable increase of knowledge in
this region. Voluntarily or involuntarily ships attained a
comparatively high latitude, reaching the 62nd or 63rd
parallel, and, for the first time encountering the great
6 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY'
Southern icebergs, obtained some idea of the severity
of the Southern Regions.
But the idea of a great and populous Southern conti-
nent, though weakened, was by no means dissipated,
and the eighteenth century saw several expeditions
despatched in search of it. Of these, some of the most
important were the French ventures under Bouvet,
Marion du Frezne, and De Kerguelen-Tremarec, which
led to the discovery of Bouvet Island, the Crozets, and
Kerguelen, and collected much further evidence to show
the great extent of the Southern Seas.
During the latter half of the eighteenth century there
came a marked change in the objects which were set
before the Southern voyagers. Hitherto men seemed
to have thought of little but the aggrandisement of
themselves or their State by the discovery of some new
America ; but now for the first time we find an eagerness
in exploration for its own sake. Science had made
rapid strides, and it was felt that its ends should be
furthered by a completer knowledge of the distribution of
land and water on our globe, and by an investigation of
natural phenomena in its less-known regions. This new
view of exploration was held most strongly in France
and England, and both Marion and Kerguelen in their
voyages in 177 1-2 were accompanied by a staff of
learned men whose sole object was to add to the
scientific knowledge of the regions visited. Curiously
enough, the last of these voyagers, starting as he did
under these more favourable conditions for exploration,
succeeded in retarding rather than in advancing the
JAMES COOK 7
cause of geography, for he interpreted the island which
bears his name as part of a larger land mass, and
boldly concluded that the great Southern continent had
at last been found.
But this error, with many another, was soon to be
rectified, and the whole mythical conception of the
Southern continent to be swept away once and for all,
when the great English navigator James Cook made
known the results of his famous voyages. To give
even a summary of the far-reaching effects of these
wonderful voyages is beyond the scope of this chapter,
but it may be briefly noted how each bore on the
Antarctic problem that is before us.
In his first voyage, in 1768, Cook circumnavigated
New Zealand and laid down the eastern coast of New
Holland, thus definitely cutting off these lands from any
connection with the Southern Regions ; this alone
cleared up great misconceptions, but speculative geo-
graphy continued to suggest that there was a continent
further to the south, and finally Cook undertook to set
the matter definitely at rest by a second voyage. This
voyage is the most important incident in the history of
Antarctic research, and may therefore be given in
outline.
Cook sailed from Deptford in 1772 with two ships,
the i Resolution,' 462 tons, and the 'Adventure,' 336
tons. From the Cape he steered due south, and in spite
of icebergs, fogs, and stormy weather, boldly pushed
on to the 58th parallel, where he turned to the S.E.
On January 17, 1773, he succeeded in crossing the
8 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY'
Antarctic circle for the first time, in longitude 38 E.
Finding his progress blocked by ice, he turned again to
the N.E., but not without giving us the impression that
he must have been the first to see that icy barrier which
appears to fringe the greater part of the Antarctic lands.
Passing to the south of Kerguelen, he showed the
very limited dimensions of that island, and reached the
62nd parallel in longitude 95 E. Thence he continued
more or less in the same high latitude to the 148th
meridian, where he turned towards New Zealand. In
November of the same year he again steered to the
south, and reached the 60th parallel in 1 74 W. ; con-
stantly repulsed by the ice, he fought his way on east
and south ; in longitude 142 W. he crossed the Antarctic
Circle a second time, but so arduous had been the labour
of working the ship continuously among the ice that he
was obliged to retreat to the north to give his crew some
rest. It was not for long, however, for towards the end
of January he was again on the Antarctic Circle in longi-
tude 109 W. This time he was able to push on still
further to the south, and it was not until he had reached
latitude 71.10 S. in longitude 107 W. that he was forced
to turn. What Cook actually saw in this advanced
position is a matter of great interest ; he describes a belt
of pack with an unbroken sheet of ice beyond, which
appeared to him to rise in level and in which he counted
ninety-seven ice-hills. He does not definitely state
that he saw ice-covered land, but many authorities have
believed that his description could mean nothing else ;
with some experience of the deceptive appearances of ice
VOYAGES OF COOK 9
masses, however, I am inclined to think that the evi-
dences are by no means sufficient to support this view.
After turning, Cook retreated to the north, and spent
the winter amongst the Pacific Islands ; in November he
once more turned south and made his way towards Cape
Horn between the parallels of 50 and 60 S., and thus for
the first time traversed the Pacific in a high southern
latitude. After doing much valuable surveying work
in the region of Cape Horn and South Georgia, he
again steered to the east, and now crossing the Atlantic
in a high latitude, between 58 and 60 S., he finally
returned to the Cape.
The importance of this voyage can scarcely be ex-
aggerated ; once and for all the idea of a populous
fertile Southern continent was proved to be a myth, and
it was clearly shown that whatever land might exist to
the south it must be a region of desolation hidden
beneath a mantle of ice and snow. The vast extent of
the tempestuous Southern Seas was revealed, and the
limits of the habitable globe were made known. Inci-
dentally it may be remarked that Cook was the first to
describe the peculiarities of the Antarctic icebergs and
floe-ice.
One might pause here to consider the extent of human
knowledge as regards the Antarctic Regions at the end of
the eighteenth century after Cook's voyages, because it
can be stated with brevity. The ocean was known
to encircle the world completely about the 60th parallel ;
beyond this lay a region of icebergs and intense cold ;
attempts to penetrate this inhospitable region had seemed
io THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
to show that in many places ships might force their way
to the Antarctic Circle, but at about this latitude they
were stopped by impenetrable obstacles ; if land lay
beyond this, it was, in Cook's words, as ' countries con-
demned to everlasting rigidity by nature, never to yield
to the warmth of the sun, for whose wild and desolate
aspect I find no words.' Generally speaking, therefore,
people had come to the conclusion that if land existed
beyond the 6oth parallel, it was not of much account.
After the return of Cook no important expedition was
sent to the Southern Seas until 1819, when Bellings-
hausen sailed from Kronstadt with two well-equipped
vessels. The object of this voyage was to emulate the
achievement of Cook in circumnavigating the globe in a
high southern latitude, and well was this mission fulfilled.
With wonderful pertinacity the intrepid Bellingshausen
again and again steered his ships to the south, and he
succeeded no fewer than six times in crossing the Antarctic
Circle. Although he did not reach such a high latitude
as his predecessor, on the whole his course lay to the
southward, and he still further narrowed the limits of the
Southern land which had been so greatly reduced by
Cook. Further, Bellingshausen was the first definitely to
discover land within the Antarctic Circle. In the longi-
tude of 90 W. he saw a small island which he named
Peter I. Island, whilst farther to the eastward he sighted
in the distance a more extensive coast which he called
Alexander I. Land. Unfortunately, little is known of
Bellingshausen's voyage, as the narrative was never
translated into English from the original Russian.
VOYAGE OF BELLINGSHAUSEN n
As regards the Southern Seas the early years of the
nineteenth century were memorable for the development
of the great whaling and sealing industries which flour-
ished for half a century, and passed away only with the
practical extermination of the animals on which they
depended. It is strange to think that regions which
before Cook's famous voyage were utterly unknown to
man should have so speedily become the scenes of great
activity, but no sooner was the existence of whales and
seals in the Southern Seas reported than hundreds of
English and American adventurers crowded in pursuit
of them, and as late as 1840 it was reported that there
were no fewer than 400 vessels occupied in this manner.
Amongst the owners of these vessels were men of
broad public spirit, and the captains who commanded
them included not a few of larger intelligence or
more liberal education, who were keenly interested in
the prosecution of geographical discovery. Conspicuous
amongst the former were the famous firm of Enderby,
who instructed the commanders of their ships never to
neglect an opportunity for discovery and exploration, and
who more than once sent forth an expedition largely for
that purpose ; whilst amongst the more enterprising com-
manders may be named Weddell, Biscoe, and Balleny.
The result of this enlightenment was to add considerably
to our knowledge of the Southern Regions.
The most important voyage made in these circum-
stances was that of James Weddell. After doing some
excellent surveying work among the Southern islands in
1823, Weddell, in his small brig the ' Jane,' and accom-
12 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY'
panied by the cutter ' Beaufoy,' crossed the Antarctic
Circle in longitude 32 W., and, passing innumerable bergs,
found himself in an open sea, through which he sailed,
and eventually reached a latitude of 74.15 S., more than
three degrees to the south of Cook's farthest point. In
this position, and when he could see nothing to the
south but the clear sea horizon, he was forced to turn on
account of the state of his crew and his provisions.
For nearly twenty years this remained the most southerly
point reached, and the extraordinarily open condition of
the sea as reported by Weddell has rendered the region
to this day one of the most fascinating to which pro-
spective explorers can turn their thoughts.
Biscoe was one of Enderby's officers, and had been a
mate in the Royal Navy. Like Weddell's$ his voyage
was made in a small brig, the ' Tula,' accompanied by a
tiny cutter, the ' Lively.' He crossed the Antarctic Circle
in longitude 2 E., and succeeded in running to the eastward
on an exceedingly high latitude. On February 25, 1831,
he discovered an ice-barrier which he likened in height
and appearance to the North Foreland. He added : ■ It
then ran away to the southward with a gradual ascent,
with a perfectly smooth surface, and I could trace it in
extent to at least 30 or 40 miles from the foretop with a
good telescope.' His ship at this time was in latitude
66.2 S., longitude 43 W., but apparently he again saw
this icy barrier farther to the eastward and observed
several indications which denoted the proximity of land.
It was this coast to which he gave the name of Enderby
Land. Biscoe wintered in New Zealand, and in the
WORK OF THE WHALERS AND SEALERS 13
following season he sailed to the south again, and con-
tinuing his circumnavigation of the earth in a high lati-
tude, discovered Graham Land, which, • although con-
nected with lands already known to the sealing com-
munity, gave a considerable extension to them.
Another voyage of great importance was made by
John Balleny, also under the auspices of the enterprising
firm of Enderby. Balleny started his voyage of dis-
covery from New Zealand, in 1839, sailing in a schooner,
the ' Eliza Scott,' in company with the cutter ' Sabrina.'
He crossed the Antarctic Circle in longitude 177 E.,
but, unlike former voyagers, directed his course to the
west instead of the east. On February 9 he discovered the
group of islands which bear his name, and which I shall
describe more fully in the course of my narrative. From
this region Balleny was obliged to steer to the N.W.,
but later he was able to turn to the south again, and on
March 2, when in latitude 64.58 S., longitude 121 E.,
he made the following laconic entry in his log : ' Saw
land to the southward, the vessel surrounded by drift-
ice.' On the following day he noted ' every appearance
of land,' and other entries tell of the large number of
birds seen. On such slender evidence rests Sabrina
Land, and yet after personally demonstrating the accu-
racy of Balleny's observations with reference to his
islands, I should be sorry to undertake to sail over the
spot where he ' saw land to the southward.' Balleny
was evidently a man of few words, but of his ability as a
navigator there can be no doubt.
This ends a brief retrospect of the discoveries made
14 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY5
in connection with the whaling and sealing industries of
the south, and shows that it is entirely honourable to
the commercial enterprise of our country ; for to the dis-
interested exertions of Mr. Charles Enderby and to the
zeal of his officers was due the discovery of Graham
Land, Enderby Land, Sabrina Land, Kemp Land,
and the Balleny Islands, whilst with an English sealer,
Weddell, rested the honour of having achieved the
highest southern latitude.
The necessarily bald outline of fact which it is alone
possible to give in these pages can convey no idea of
the extraordinary hardships and difficulties successfully
overcome by these men. In the smallest and craziest
ships they plunged boldly into stormy ice-strewn
seas ; again and again they narrowly missed disaster ;
their vessels were wracked and strained and leaked
badly, their crews were worn out with unceasing toil
and decimated by scurvy. Yet in spite of inconceivable
discomforts they struggled on, and it does not appear
that any one of them ever turned his course until he
was driven to do so by hard necessity. One cannot
read the simple, unaffected narratives of these voyages
without being assured of their veracity, and without
being struck with the wonderful pertinacity and courage
which they display.
In the light of subsequent events, it is convenient to
pause again at the close of Balleny 's voyage to consider
the further extent of Antarctic discovery. It must now
have appeared to men that, after all, the South Polar
area was occupied by land, and that the coast of this
TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM 15
land clung very persistently to the Antarctic Circle.
South of the Pacific, Cook and Bellingshausen had shown
a dip towards the Pole, and south of the Atlantic
Weddell had indicated another deep bay ; but south of
the Indian Ocean and of Australia it must have seemed
highly probable that the coastline followed the Circle
with little divergence. It can well be imagined, there-
fore, that explorers who were about to sail to the south
in this direction must have been strongly disposed to
expect land in that latitude.
At about this time there sprang up a new motive
to encourage polar exploration, in the shape of ter-
restrial magnetism. The development of this science
had gradually converted it into a subject of great in-
terest, its practical importance in connection with the
navigation of ships was now fully realised, and it was
known that no complete study could be made of its
phenomena without extensive observations in the Polar
Regions. Amongst the scientific men who devoted their
energies to achieve a more general recognition of these
facts were Humboldt and Sir Edward Sabine, and as
a result of their labours in 1838 the British Association
petitioned the Government to send a scientific expedi-
tion to the Antarctic Regions. The Government
responded nobly to this petition, and organised an
undertaking which was destined to achieve the most
brilliant results, and to open up the Antarctic Regions
in a manner which must have been wholly unexpected
by its promoters.
But whilst Captain James Ross, the commander of
16 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY'
this expedition, was diligently and carefully preparing
and equipping his ships for this great venture, two other
expeditions of importance had been despatched by other
countries. One of these had left the shores of France
in 1837. It consisted of two ships, ' L'Astrolabe ' and
( La Zelee,' under the command of Dumont D'Urville, an
experienced navigator. D'Urville first descended on the
Antarctic area in the region of Graham Land, with the
intent to follow Weddell's course and reach a higher
latitude ; but in this he was frustrated by the pack-ice,
and after making some minor discoveries in the neigh-
bourhood of Louis- Philippe Land and Joinville Island he
returned to pursue his investigations in milder climates.
In the end of 1839 D'Urville was at Hobart Town,
Tasmania, where for the moment we will leave him and
follow the fortunes of the other and more imposing ex-
pedition, consisting of five vessels, which left Chesapeake
Bay in 1837 under the command of Commodore Wilkes.
In relating the history of the voyages of Wilkes and
D'Urville I touch only on those parts which have a
relation to the Antarctic Regions, though it must be
understood that both these expeditions pursued scientific
investigations in other parts of the world.
On reaching the Southern waters Wilkes divided his
forces, and whilst he turned his attention to minuter sur-
veying work, he sent the ' Peacock ' and ' Flying Fish '
south-west towards Graham Land and Alexander Land.
These vessels, after much struggling with the ice, reached
the vicinity of Peter I. Island, but failed to attain a higher
latitude than Bellingshausen or Cook had previously done
D'URVILLE AND WILKES 17
in this region. The close of the season obliged them to
retreat and rejoin the squadron without the achieve-
ment of any important result.
Towards the close of 1839 Wilkes, like D'Urville,
had found shelter in Australian waters. By this time
news of the prospective British expedition had been
spread abroad, and it was known that, fully equipped
for magnetic work, it proposed to sail directly for
the position assigned to the magnetic pole by the
calculations of the great German magnetician Gauss;
this position was approximately in latitude 76 S., longi-
tude 146 E. It was known also that Ross could not be in
a position to attempt to reach it until the following year.
How far Wilkes and D'Urville were guided by this
information in their future actions it is impossible to
say ; that they must have received it is certain, and,
considering that neither expedition was completely
equipped for magnetic work, the fact that both imme-
diately set sail in the direction of the magnetic pole
must be regarded at least as showing questionable taste
on the part of the commanders.
D'Urville left Tasmania early in January 1840, and,
after a comparatively easy passage, on January 19, when
in latitude 66 S., longitude 140 E., sighted land to the
south. At first he seems to have seen nothing but the
long ice-barrier so typical of Antarctic coasts, but later
he found beneath the icy wall eight or ten small islets
on which his people were able to land and to collect
specimens of rock. He named this coast Adelie Land,
and, continuing his explorations to the west, again
vol. 1. c
18 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
sighted the ice-barrier somewhat more to the north, and
named it Cote Clarie. Satisfied with the result of his
voyage, D'Urville then turned to the north. Although
it is to be deplored that he did not take full advantage of
the season to continue his explorations, the discovery of
Adelie Land was an extremely important matter, and
possesses a definition which is sadly lacking in other
reports.
Wilkes with his five ships sailed from Sydney at the
end of December 1839. His ships took various tracks,
but he himself in the ' Vincennes ' reached latitude 66 S.,
longitude 158 E., on January 16, and at this point he
claimed to have first seen land to the south. Hence
he cruised to the westward, approximately on the
latitude of the Antarctic Circle, with a comparatively
open sea to the north and masses of pack-ice to the
south ; and beyond the latter he again and again claimed
the discovery of high mountainous land. He passed
close to Adelie Land and Cote Clarie only a few days
after their first discovery by D'Urville, and, continuing
his course, alleged the discovery of further extensive
lands to the westward.
On his return to civilisation Wilkes claimed a vast
discovery. The courses of his ships had practically
traversed an arc of the Antarctic Circle of no less than
700, and, although he did not assert that he had seen
land continuously south of this arc, he reported its
existence at such frequent intervals as to leave little
doubt that it was continuous.
At a later date a great controversy arose as to the
WILKES'S REPORT 19
accuracy of Wilkes's observations, and resulted in much
discredit being thrown on work which in many respects
was important. Whilst there can be no possible object in
attempting to revive such a controversy, it is evident that
the true geographical conditions should be known, and
therefore I make bold to give my opinion of the matter.
In the course of this narrative I shall show that the
mountainous lands reported by Wilkes to the eastward
of Adelie Land do not exist, and it must be recognised
that those to the west may be equally unsubstantial, but
it is not clear that Wilkes wilfully perverted the truth ;
only those who have been to these regions can realise
how constantly a false appearance of land is produced,
and no position could be more favourable to such an
illusion than that in which this expedition was placed
when it skirted the edge of a thick pack containing
innumerable icebergs. It must be supposed also, for
reasons which I have given, that Wilkes, in common
with other explorers, expected to find land about the
Antarctic Circle, and when after his return he learned
of D'Urville's discoveries, the position of Adelie Land
would naturally have tended to dispel any doubt which
he may have had as to what he or his people had seen.
Wilkes's ships were ill adapted for battling with the
ice, and, apart from their discoveries, the fact that they
continued so long in high latitudes reflects great credit
on their navigation. Had he been more circumspect in
his reports of land, all would have agreed that his voyage
was a fine performance.
Whilst Wilkes and D'Urville were pursuing their
C 2
20 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
explorations, Ross had sailed from England. James Ross
had taken part in the Northern voyages of Parry and of
his uncle John Ross ; in the course of these he had
spent no fewer than eight winters in the Arctic Regions,
and he therefore brought an unrivalled experience to the
task of fitting out his Southern command.
For the purposes of the expedition, two old bomb
vessels were chosen, the ' Erebus,' 370 tons, and the
'Terror,' 340 tons; though slow sailers, these vessels
had the advantage of great structural strength, and when
Ross had further fortified their bows he possessed two
ships capable of navigating amongst the pack-ice, the first
of such that had ever sailed for the Southern Regions.
Towards the end of the year 1840, Ross arrived in
Tasmania to learn that others had already explored the
route which he proposed to take. Whatever his feelings
may have been at the time, the incident proved exceed-
ingly fortunate, for it was this alone which decided him
to proceed south on a more easterly meridian, it being
1 inconsistent with the traditions of British exploration to
follow in the footsteps of other nations.'
Sailing from Hobart in November, Ross reached the
Antarctic Circle on New Year's Day in longitude 171 E.,
and at the same time found himself opposed by heavy
masses of pack-ice. Here was the critical point at which
the course taken by the expedition differed from that of
its predecessors. Up to this time such an obstacle would
have been deemed insuperable, and the older navigators
would have sailed their light ships along its edge ; Ross,
with his heavy ships, plunged directly into it and con-
VOYAGE OF ROSS 21
tinued to buffet his way to the south. Making all allow-
ance for the fortified condition of the ships, it was a
bold stroke, and it met with the most ample reward.
After pushing onward for five days through the closely
packed floes, the vessels burst forth to the south into an
open sea. Remembering the main object of his journey,
Ross steered to the west towards the magnetic pole, and
on January 8, 1841, discovered the glorious mountainous
country of Victoria Land.
Ross's discoveries are so closely connected with my
narrative, that it is unnecessary to refer to them in detail
here. Twice he visited this great open sea, and the
results of these extraordinarily interesting voyages may
be summed up as follows : The high mountain ranges
and the coastline of Victoria Land were laid down with
comparative accuracy from Cape North in latitude 71 to
Wood Bay in latitude 74, and their extension was indi-
cated less definitely to McMurdo Bay in latitude 77^.
In the same latitude, but slightly to the eastward, the
lofty volcanoes of Erebus and Terror were discovered,
and the former was found to be active. Stretching away
to the eastward for 400 miles beyond these, Ross ob-
served that great wall of ice which he named the Great
Barrier. At the eastern end of this wall he achieved his
highest latitude 78. 1 1 S., an advance of nearly four
degrees on his predecessor Weddell. Ross was not
able to disembark on this great mass of land which he
had discovered, but managed to reach the shore of
some off-lying islands which he named the Possession
Islands.
22 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
There are many reasons why Ross's wonderful
voyage should not have attracted the wide popular in-
terest which it deserved, but when the extent of our
knowledge before and after it is considered, all must
concede that it deserves to rank among the most brilliant
and famous that have been made. After all the ex-
periences and adventures in the Southern Seas which
I have briefly described, few things could have looked
more hopeless than an attack upon that great ice-
bound region which lay within the Antarctic Circle ;
yet out of this desolate prospect Ross wrested an open
sea, a vast mountain region, a smoking volcano, and
a hundred problems of great interest to the geographer ;
in this unique region he carried out scientific research
in every possible department, and by unremitted labour
succeeded in collecting material which until quite lately
has constituted almost the exclusive source of our
knowledge of magnetic conditions in the higher southern
latitudes. It might be said that it was James Cook who
defined the Antarctic Region, and James Ross who
discovered it.
This great expedition is brought curiously close to
our own time when it is remembered that of those who
took part in it there is yet one survivor. The young
assistant surgeon of the ' Erebus ' has become the re-
nowned botanist and traveller Sir Joseph Hooker, and
has lived not only to take a share in sending forth a
second expedition to the same region, but to welcome it
back to our shores nearly sixty years after his own return
from the far south.
MAP OF THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS AT THE END OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY,
SHOWING- POSITIONS REACHED BY VARIOUS NAVIGATORS.
RETURN OF ROSS 23
The ' Erebus ' and ' Terror ' reached the shores of
England in September 1843, an<^ f°r fifty years the map
of the Antarctic remained practically unaltered, though
during this period some important light was shed on the
general conditions of the region, and the advance of
science caused a gradual awakening of interest in it.
The results of the few voyages to the Antarctic area
during this long period, or indeed down to the close
of the nineteenth century, may be summed up in a very
few words.
Tempted by Sir James Ross's report of the large
number of whales seen during his voyage, in 1892 a
number of Scotch whalers set sail for the South, and
touching the Antarctic lands in the neighbourhood of
Joinville Island, threw some further light on that region ;
but as they found no sign of the whales which they
sought, the voyage was commercially a failure, and the
vessels soon turned to the north again. In the following
year, however, Captain Larsen, of the whaler 'Jason,'
bent on much the same errand, managed to sail down
the east coast of Graham Land, and to reach a latitude of
68.10 S. in longitude 60 W. This voyage has been very
little noticed, though from a geographical point of view
it is of great importance, as with Biscoe's discovery to the
west, it showed the attenuated form which Graham Land
possesses, at any rate until it is well south of the
Antarctic Circle. Looking over the whole Antarctic
area, I can scarcely see a place where geographical
discovery is more urgently needed than in the extension
of this bold effort of Larsen's.
24 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
Whilst Larsen pursued his investigations on the east
coast of Graham Land, his compatriot Evenson, in the
■ Hertha,' descended on the west side, and reached the
high latitude of 69.10 S. in longitude 76 W. He
sighted Alexander Land, but unfortunately does not
appear to have extended its coasts, though there can be
little doubt that it is connected with Graham Land.
A similar object, the hope of discovering a whale
fishery, induced the veteran shipowner, Svend Foyn, of
Tonsberg, to send one of his ships, the ' Antarctic,' to
the Ross Sea area. This resulted in the first landing on
Victoria Land, which was made by her captain, Chris-
tiansen, at Cape Adare in 1894. Three years later Sir
George Newnes sent an expedition to this spot, under
Mr. Borchgrevink ; the party landed safely, and spent a
winter in a hut which will be introduced to the reader in
the course of my narrative. Unfortunately this party did
not travel far from its base, and so was unable to throw
any light on the geographical conditions of the interior ;
but its scientific observations were of importance, and its
geological collection especially interesting. Before leav-
ing the South Mr. Borchgrevink landed from his vessel,
the * Southern Cross,' towards the eastern end of Ross's
Great Ice Barrier, and thus reached a higher latitude, by
a few miles, than that achieved by the great explorer.
Whilst Sir George Newness expedition was wintering
at Cape Adare, another band of explorers was living
beyond the Antarctic Circle in a widely different region.
The energies of M. de Gerlache had succeeded in equip-
ping a small vessel, the ' Belgica,' for a Polar voyage,
LATER NINETEENTH CENTURY VOYAGES 25
and this ship, passing down the west coast of Graham
Land through an unexplored channel, had become
beset in the ice to the south-west of Alexander Land.
Here, the first vessel to spend a winter beyond the
Antarctic Circle, she drifted to and fro throughout a long
imprisonment. Reaching at one time a latitude of
71.30, she was gradually carried to the westward, and
at length freed near the farthest point reached by Cook
in 1773. Equipped with modern apparatus and ideas,
this expedition, if it did not add greatly to geographical
knowledge, contributed much by its investigations in
other scientific departments to the general cause of
Antarctic discovery.
But by far the most important event in the history of
Antarctic research, after the great voyage of Ross and
before the close of the nineteenth century, remains yet
td be described. This was the crossing of the Antarctic
Circle by the famous ' Challenger' Expedition in 1874.
The ' Challenger,' under Sir George Nares, stood to
the south on the meridian of So E., and after crossing
the Circle turned to the north-east, and later to the east,
remaining altogether some three weeks in the region of
icebergs. During this time she pursued her customary
employment of sounding and dredging in the depths of
the ocean, and here, as elsewhere, this resulted in a
rich harvest of fresh information. Amongst the speci-
mens thus secured were numerous rocks of continental
origin ; there could be no doubt that these had been
borne by ice from some Southern land, and therefore
they showed that continental land must exist within the
26 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY '
Antarctic Circle almost as conclusively as if the land
itself had been seen.
But the importance of the * Challenger ' expedition as
regards the Antarctic Regions lay not so much in the
discoveries made as in the fact that they drew the atten-
tion of scientific men to the interest of the problems
which yet remained to be solved in that area. From
the return of this famous expedition and the publica-
tion of its results dates that revival of interest in
the Far South which, fostered by a few eminent men,
continued to spread and culminated in the despatch
of the various expeditions which co-operated with the
' Discovery.'
This desire for further Antarctic research arose prin-
cipally in Germany and England, but in both countries
it was equally slow in arriving at a practical result. In
Germany the repeated and energetic representations of
the great magnetician Georg Neumayer gradually bore
fruit, and resulted eventually in the despatch of our
German colleagues under Professor von Drygalski in
his good ship the ' Gauss.'
In England, whilst there were many Arctic explorers
and others who were keenly interested in the subject, it
was the written appeals of Sir John Murray that first
secured for it a wider appreciation. Soon after the com-
pletion of his labours on that monumental work the
'Challenger' publication, Sir John Murray exerted his
great abilities to stimulate a fresh interest in the Southern
Regions ; in 1886 he published an important treatise in
the ' Scottish Geographical Journal,' which led to the
INCEPTION OF THE EXPEDITION 27
despatch of the Dundee whalers to which I have alluded ;
this in turn tended to direct further attention to Southern
exploration, and in 1893 Sir John read a second paper
to the London Geographical Society which still more
clearly and ably advocated the cause.
Meanwhile other events had occurred which, although
unproductive, were significant of the tendency of public
thought. In 1885 an Antarctic Committee was appointed
by the British Association, which two years later made a
strong report in favour of further exploration. In 1887
the Victorian Government, through its agent Sir Graham
Barry, offered to join the Home Government in sending
out an expedition, but this scheme likewise fell through.
The actual birth of the ' Discovery ' Expedition may
be dated from July 1893, when Sir Clements Markham
resolved that an expedition should be sent. The extra-
ordinary strength and pertinacity of Sir Clements' cha-
racter were already well known to his intimates, and
they at least must have known that this resolve was
momentous and signified that by hook or by crook an ex-
pedition would go. In virtue of his position as President
of one of the greatest and richest societies in the world,
Sir Clements was favourably placed for carrying out his
determination, but few could deny that in the years of
struggle and difficulty which followed, however ably and
generously he was supported by his colleagues and others,
it was mainly through his own unique, unconquerable
personality that the expedition became a living fact.
As a result of the discussion on Sir John Murray's
paper in November 1893, lt was suggested that the
28 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
Government should be approached with a view to
sending out an expedition consisting of two ships. This
proposal was supported by many eminent men of science,
including the late Duke of Argyll, Sir Joseph Hooker,
and the late Sir William Flower, and by such naval
officers as Admirals McClintock, Vesey Hamilton,
Hoskins, Colomb, Markham, and Lord Charles Beres-
ford. It was on this occasion that the Duke of Argyll
remarked on the incongruity of the fact that we knew
more about the planet Mars than about a large area of
our own globe.
The Council of the Royal Geographical Society
therefore appointed a special Antarctic Committee. In a
lengthy report the Committee enumerated the objects to
be gained by such an expedition, and concluded with the
following words : ' Apart from the valuable scientific
results of an Antarctic expedition, great importance must
be attached to the excellent effect that all such under-
takings, in which our country has been prominent, have
invariably had on the Navy by maintaining the spirit of
enterprise.'
To the appeal which followed this report in 1896 the
Government opposed the existing state of public affairs,
which made it inconvenient for the Navy to undertake
such a task as was proposed ; but in a later letter the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty expressed their
sympathy with the objects desired, and signified their
willingness to assist any expedition that might be
despatched.
Failing Government assistance, in May 1897, & was
RAISING FUNDS 29
resolved by the Council of the Geographical Society that
every effort should be made to start an expedition on a
proper scale under its own auspices, but it was soon seen
that this was a task of such magnitude that the assist-
ance of all who were interested in the scheme would be
required.
During the early months of 1898 the Royal Society
was invited and agreed to co-operate ; henceforth the
undertaking was to be considered as under the auspices
of two great Societies instead of one, and was demon-
strably supported by the whole scientific opinion of the
country. An important report by a sub-committee of
the Royal Society clearly detailed the scientific objects
which were to be sought, and laid particular stress on
the extreme value of the magnetic work. Meanwhile
Sir Clements Markham commenced and continued his
indefatigable efforts to raise the necessary funds ; the
Geographical Society headed the subscription list with
5,000/., and circulars were issued to the public.
In March 1899 this appeal met with a noble response,
when Mr. Llewellyn Longstaff came forward with a
munificent donation of 25,000/. When the 'Discovery'
eventually sailed it was to act on a concerted plan be-
tween expeditions of various nationalities ; it is quite
certain that Britain would not have been represented in
this exploring effort had it not been for Mr. Longstaff' s
public-spirited and patriotic gift. But whilst our
countrymen complacently reflect that the British tradition
for exploration has been maintained, they appear en-
tirely to have forgotten the man who made it possible.
30 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
The position of the promoters of the enterprise was
now greatly strengthened, and was made yet stronger
when His Majesty the King, then Prince of Wales, gra-
ciously consented to become its patron, and the Duke of
York vice-patron. Later in the year it was decided to
make a further appeal to the Government ; a deputation
consisting of some of the most eminent men in both
Societies waited on Mr. Balfour and re-stated the objects
of the enterprise. Mr. Balfour expressed strong sym-
pathy with the objects and a lively interest in the under-
taking, and it was entirely owing to his generous attitude
that the Government eventually yielded and agreed to
contribute 45,000/., provided an equal sum could be
raised by private subscriptions.
Again Sir Clements Markham issued appeals for
money, and gradually the private fund crept up. After
Mr. Longstaff, amongst the largest and most generous
contributors were Sir Alfred Harmsworth with 5,000/.,
the Misses Dawson Lambton with 1,500/., the Royal
Society with 1,000/., and the Government of Queens-
land, Australia, with 1,000/ ; many others were equally
generous in accordance with their means, and with a
further sum of 3,000/. from the Geographical Society
the private subscriptions were raised to 47,000/., the
Government grant was secured, and the whole available
fund was carried to the adequate total of 92,000/.
Financially all was now comparatively plain sailing.
As soon as Mr. Longstaff's gift had placed the ex-
pedition within the bounds of practical politics, the ques-
tion of the vessel in which its members were to sail came
DECISION TO BUILD A NEW VESSEL 31
under consideration, and the appointment of a special
Ship Committee, consisting of several distinguished Ad-
mirals and Arctic explorers, was followed by the decision
to build a new ship for the purpose.
Mr. W. E. Smith, C.B., Chief Naval Constructor, was
invited and consented to prepare the plans and super-
vise the construction of this new vessel, and the Com-
mittee, in consultation with Mr. Smith, accepted the
tender of the Dundee Shipbuilding Company to build
her. In March 1900 the keel was laid in the Com-
pany's yard.
In the summer of this year the position of the
National Antarctic Expedition, as it was now called,
was briefly as follows : The money had been subscribed
for the venture, the control of which was vested in the
hands of a body named the Joint Committee, containing
sixteen members appointed by each of the two Societies.
The names which figured on the list of this Committee
were those of gentlemen eminent in many branches of
science, and of distinguished Admirals and explorers — in
fact, of all those who were best able to give advice con-
cerning the multifarious details of a scientific exploring
expedition. As, however, this body, as a whole, was
obviously too large to deal with matters of detail, it had
appointed nine sub-committees ; these were for the pur-
pose of considering the various branches of science which
were to be investigated, to supervise the construction of
the ship, &c. ; whilst one, the Executive Committee, was
to act for and report to the larger body.
Such was the position of affairs when I received my
32 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY'
appointment to command the expedition on June 10,
1900, and therefore, in making my bow to the public, I
will digress slightly to show how this had come about.
I may as well confess at once that I had no predilection
for Polar exploration, and that my story is exceedingly
tame, but such as it is it shows how curiously the course
of one's life may be turned. I suppose the tale really
starts in 1887, when Sir Clements Markham, then the
guest of his cousin, the Commodore of the Training
Squadron, made himself the personal friend of every
midshipman in the four ships which comprised it, and
when I became one of those midshipmen and first made
his acquaintance. But there is a long interregnum — until
1899, m fact; in that year I was serving as first lieu-
tenant of the * Majestic,' then flagship to the Channel
Squadron. Early in June I was spending my short
leave in London, and chancing one day to walk down
the Buckingham Palace Road, I espied Sir Clements on
the opposite pavement, and naturally crossed, and as
naturally turned and accompanied him to his house.
That afternoon I learned for the first time that there was
such a thing as a prospective Antarctic expedition ; two
days later I wrote applying to command it, and a year
after that I was officially appointed. On June 30, 1900,
I was promoted to the rank of commander, and a month
later my duties in the ' Majestic ' lapsed, and I was free
to undertake the work of the expedition. The year
which followed was in many respects the busiest I have
ever spent, and in view of the novelty and importance
of the work this cannot be considered surprising ; but,
APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDER 33
great as my difficulties were, I have to acknowledge that
they would have been much greater had it not been for
the numerous acts of kindness and the invariable courtesy
which I received from the many persons who were
directly or indirectly connected with the expedition.
The first month after my release from the Navy I
spent in endeavouring to collect the threads of what was
going forward, and in gaining some further instruction
in magnetism, which was to form so important a part
of our undertaking ; but early in October I met Sir
Clements Markham in Norway, and gathered a great
many practical suggestions from Dr. Nansen, to which I
shall refer later ; from Norway I went to Berlin to meet
the leader of the German expedition, Professor von
Drygalski, and here, again, I met with the greatest kind-
ness and consideration. The German expedition was
to sail from Europe at the same time as our own, but its
preparations were far more advanced. In Berlin I found
the work of equipment in full swing : provisions and
stores had already been ordered, clothing had been tried,
special instruments were being prepared, the staff of the
expedition had been appointed and was already at work,
and the ' Gauss ' was well on towards completion. I was
forced to realise that this was all in marked contrast
with the state of things in England, and I hastened
home in considerable alarm.
I found, as I had expected, that all the arrangements
which were being so busily pushed forward in Germany
were practically at a standstill in England ; many of
them, in fact, had not yet been considered. The con-
vol. 1. D
34 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
struction of the ship was the only task which showed
steady progress, and here there were many interruptions
from the want of someone who could give immediate
decisions on points of detail. It was clear that no time
must be wasted if the lost ground was to be regained.
I have already outlined the machinery by which the
expedition was now being guided. In spite of its in-
dividual efficiency it was necessarily ponderous : the
members of the various committees and sub-committees
were busy men ; each was deeply engaged in his own
work ; many lived out of London, and all found
it impossible to meet frequently and consistently.
It was evident that the prompt and vigorous action
which was necessary could not be expected from such
bodies, and that in some manner I must obtain the
power to act on their behalf. But here arose a con-
siderable difficulty : out of the thirty-two members who
constituted the Joint Committee I was personally known
to only four or five ; the responsibility vested in them
was a large one, and it was not to be supposed that they
would immediately place it in my hands without the
showing of a strong case and reasonable guarantees.
In this dilemma I have to acknowledge most gratefully
the advice and assistance of Sir Arthur Rticker, then
Secretary of the Royal Society, who, seeing my case,
clearly pointed out the difficulties and offered to support
me, provided I could produce a reasonable scheme by
which they could be overcome.
On November 4 the Joint Committee met to consider
such a scheme, and after some discussion passed it.
EXECUTIVE CONTROL 35
This resolution was of great importance ; it left me
practically with a free hand to push on the work in every
department under a given estimate of expenditure in
each, whilst to safeguard the interests of the Societies it
provided that this expenditure should be supervised by a
Finance Committee which should control the business
arrangements and sign the necessary cheques.
This plan has worked successfully down to the present
time ; that it has done so is mainly due to the generous
manner in which the members of the Finance Committee
have given their services to the business of the expedition,
and to the complete accord with which they have worked
together. It would be impossible to exaggerate the
importance of the vast amount of business transacted by
this Committee, and certainly no history of our expedi-
tion would be complete without a due acknowledgment
of the individual and collective services of its members.
It was originally arranged that it should consist of
the Presidents and Treasurers of the two Societies, but
the President of the Royal Society desired that his place
should be taken by an official from the Treasury, and
the constitution eventually became : Sir Clements Mark-
ham (Chairman); Mr. A. B. Kempe, K.C., Treasurer of
the Royal Society ; Mr. Chalmers, C.B., of the Treasury ;
and Mr. E. L. Somers Cocks, Treasurer of the Geo-
graphical Society ; whilst Mr. Cyril Longhurst, the
indefatigable Secretary of the Expedition, became also
the Secretary of this Committee.
The Joint Committee, after arranging for this new
order of things, proceeded to consider the instructions
D 2
36 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
which were to guide the movements of the expedition
and as there were many scientific interests to be served,
there was naturally considerable divergence of opinion
on points of detail, and it was many months before these
were finally decided.
In the meantime my first task was to collect, as far
as possible, the various members of the expedition. It
was evident that there was far more work than I could
hope to do single-handed, and the best assistance I could
have would be from those who were to take part in the
voyage. I shall give some account of the individual
officers and men in a future chapter, confining myself
here to the part they played in the work of prepara-
tion.
From a very early date I had set my mind on obtain-
ing a naval crew. I felt sure that their sense of discipline
would be an immense acquisition, and I had grave
doubts as to my own ability to deal with any other class
of men. Mr. Goschen had originally limited the Admi
ralty assistance in this respect to two officers, myself and
Mr. Royds, who was already at work in our service. At
a later date, however, the Admiralty extended this limit
to include Mr. Skelton, our engineer, a carpenter, and a
boatswain, and this gave us at any rate a small naval
nucleus. But beyond this for a long time the Admiralty
hesitated to assist us, . and before the tide turned I
was almost reduced to despair of a concession which
I thought so necessary.
In this matter and in many others I can never forget
the assistance which was given me by the late Sir
ADMIRALTY ASSISTANCE 37
Anthony Hoskins. Sir Anthony loved to do his good
deeds silently, and it was not until long after that I
learnt how frequently he had lent a helping hand to the
expedition. But any hesitation the Admiralty may have
had in granting naval seamen did not spring from cold-
ness towards the enterprise. The Sea Lords were at
this time Lord Walter Kerr, Sir Archibald Douglas, and
Admiral Durnford, and both individually and collectively
they never failed to evince an interest in it, so that at
length the active assistance of Sir Archibald Douglas
overcame objections of principle, and the men were
granted.
But this concession, perhaps the most important which
the expedition received, did not come until the spring of
1 90 1 ; and as, after this, steps had to be taken to select
the most fitting volunteers, the chosen men did not join
until very shortly before the sailing of the expedition.
Many of the officers, however, came on the scene
much earlier, and whilst our new vessel was yet a
skeleton the first lieutenant, the chief engineer, and the
carpenter were standing by her, and were able to look
into the numerous small difficulties that arose, and to
inform me of them during my flying visits to Dundee.
My own headquarters I was obliged to make in London,
and I fixed them in the University buildings of Bur-
lington House, where rooms were kindly placed at my
disposal by Lord Esher, then Secretary to His Majesty's
Office of Works.
It would not be possible for me to describe half the
work that went on in this office ; suffice it to say that it
38 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
kept me extremely busy for six days in the week. My
room soon became a veritable museum of curiosities :
sledges, ski, fur clothing and boots were crowded into
the corners, whilst tables and shelves were littered with
correspondence and innumerable samples of tinned foods.
In the midst of this confusion I worked steadily on with
all the ups and downs that such occasions will bring,
sometimes in high hope that all was going well, and
sometimes with the dreary feeling that by no possibility
could we be ready to start at the required date.
Luckily, throughout this busy, trying time I had
much assistance. Our indefatigable Secretary, Mr.
Longhurst, was always willing to take fresh troubles on
his already overburdened shoulders, and devoted his
whole energies to the work. Of Mr. Armitage's help in
matters of equipment I shall speak later on. At about
this time also Mr. George Murray, F.R.S., received his
appointment as temporary director of the scientific staff,
and many of the details of the scientific equipment passed
into his hands, where I soon became conscious they rested
with safety. Mr. Murray also undertook to edit that very
important publication the ' Antarctic Manual,' which pro-
vided us with a great deal of scientific and historical
instruction concerning the regions we were about to
visit.
But it was not all plain sailing with those who were
gathered around me at this important time ; not all were
such staunch supporters as those I have mentioned.
Amongst my most careful selections had been the person
who was to hold the responsible position of ship's steward.
WORK OF EQUIPMENT 39
At this time a good ship's steward would have been invalu-
able, but my choice proved unfortunate, and first and last
caused us a great deal of trouble, although I am glad to
say we were rid of him before the expedition sailed.
In this manner and with varying fortune the work of
equipment proceeded. First a lengthy provision list was
drawn up, the amounts being calculated for a three-years'
absence ; tinned meats, vegetables, flour, biscuit, butter,
sugar, and every other necessary article were ordered in
due proportion, and even such minor requirements as
dubbin and plate-powder were not forgotten. After this
came a consideration of the clothing, and with what an
assortment of this we were provided will be gathered
from the pages of this narrative ; for it will be seen
that we had need to be prepared for every variety
of climate, from the sultry heat of the tropics, through
the storms of the Southern Seas, to the intense cold of
the Far South. Next came the provision of the travelling
equipment — sledges, tents, furs, &c, had to be thought
of and selected with a care which I shall explain in a
future chapter.
But the above bv no means exhausts the list of
subjects for which arrangements had to be made in that
small office in Burlington House. Few people can
realise what an extraordinary variety of articles is
required on such an expedition as ours, where a ship
and its crew are to be banished from all sources of
supply for a lengthened period. For, besides the pro-
vision of food and clothing and such things as were
obviously necessary, it is possible to enumerate a host
I D 4
40 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
of articles which, whilst we were equally forced to
procure them, will probably not have occurred to the
ordinary reader.
For instance, there were boatswain's stores, with
rope, canvas, and everything necessary for the refitting
of the top-hamper of the ship ; carpenter's stores, with
all requisites for work in that department ; engineer's
stores, including a vast variety of articles ; ice imple-
ments of various kinds, explosives for destroying the
ice, guns and ammunition, and fireworks for signalling.
There were tobacco, soap, glass, crockery, furniture,
mattresses, and all such requisites for personal comfort ;
oil-lamps and candles for lighting, and stoves for heating ;
medicines and medical comforts ; a photographic outfit,
a library of many hundreds of volumes ; also a balloon
equipment ; canvas boats of various kinds, huts for our
shore station, instruments of many descriptions ; and so
on almost ad infinitum.
It may be imagined that, large as this list of require-
ments was, with the sum of 92,000/. there should have
been no financial difficulty, nor, indeed, was there ; but
it has to be remembered that of this large sum 51,000/.
went to the complete cost of building the new vessel,
and it was necessary to reserve more than 25,000/. for
the wages and the contingent expenses of the voyage.
The sum which remained was sufficient to equip the
expedition in the most thorough manner, but it had to
be administered with economy ; and though I am now
conscious of many mistakes which were made from
lack of experience, I think little money was wasted.
LIBERALITY OF BUSINESS FIRMS 41
On the whole the firms with which we dealt treated
us with great liberality, and supplied us with excellent
goods. Many took an especial interest in the expedition,
and made a very considerable reduction in the prices of
the articles they supplied. Whilst it is impossible to quote
all the instances of this nature, I take the opportunity of
most gratefully acknowledging three cases in which goods
were supplied as an absolutely free gift, and in which
the donors took exceptional care that the packing should
be in exact accordance with our requirements. These firms
were Messrs. Colman, Limited, who supplied us with
nine tons of flour and a quantity of mustard ; Messrs.
Cadbury, who gave 3,500 lbs. of excellent cocoa and
chocolate — all that we required of these articles, in fact ;
Messrs. Bird & Sons, who presented us with eight
hundredweight of baking and custard powders ; and
Messrs. Evans, Lescher & Webb, to whom we were
indebted for all our lime-juice.
During these busy months of preparation which I
have briefly described, the various important posts
in the expedition had been gradually filled up, and now
expeditionary work was being carried on in many places.
Some officers were in Dundee, superintending the build-
ing of our good ship ; others were working on their
especial subjects at the British Museum ; others were
preparing themselves at the Physical Laboratory at
Kew ; and others, again, were travelling in various direc-
tions, both at home and abroad. Of all these move-
ments and doings the central office was obliged to have
cognisance, and therefore, as can be imagined, there
were not many idle moments for its occupants.
42 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
Long ago it had been decided that the ' Discovery '
should be loaded with her valuable freight in London,
and on June 3 she was brought round from Dundee and
berthed in the East India Docks. The courtesy of the
London Docks Company had placed at our disposal a
large shed near this berth, and soon after the centre of
interest was transferred to this spot.
Here, therefore, during the two following months,
busiest of all, were gathered all those stores which were
to minister to our comfort and aid our work throughout
our long voyage ; and here also we loaded the staunch
vessel which, with her solid wooden walls, was to form
our home for more than three years.
43
CHAPTER II
PREPARATION
Ships of former Polar Voyages — Ship Committee — Design of the ' Dis-
covery'— Choice of a Name — Description of the Ship — Magnetic
Observatory — Living Spaces — Holds, &c. — Sails — Launch of the Ship —
The Officers appointed — The Warrant Officers — The Men — Division of
the Antarctic Regions — Prospect of Victoria Quadrant — The Instruc-
tions— Acknowledgment of Assistance.
Ere long we will launch
A vessel as goodly, strong, and staunch
As ever weathered a wintry sea. — Longfellow.
In deciding to build a vessel for the purposes of the
expedition, the Ship Committee made a new departure,
for the ' Discovery ' was the first vessel ever built in
England for scientific exploration.
Few details in the great voyages of the early adven-
turers are more interesting to a sailor than those concern-
ing the ships in which such voyages were accomplished.
If one is inclined to wonder at the deeds of those
mariners, wonderment must be greatly increased on
realising the extraordinary vessels in which they were
performed. Space does not permit me to touch on
such a subject, but it may be interesting to note some
of the vessels which have been used since the com-
mencement of the era of scientific exploration to which
I referred in the last chapter.
44 THE VOYAGE OF THE DISCOVERY'
All four ships, the ' Endeavour,' ' Resolution,' ' Ad-
venture,' and ' Discovery,' which took part in Cook's
famous voyages, had been built and used for the coal
trade ; they ranged from 300 to 462 tons, and Cook
expressed himself very well satisfied with them, deeming
them well suited for his purpose.
The 'Erebus' and 'Terror,' as I have noted before,
had been bomb vessels. They had been built in the old
French war, and were designed to carry mortars which
discharged shells at an angle of 450. It was these same
vessels which, after they had returned from their famous
Southern voyage, were lost with the ill-fated Franklin
Expedition in 1845. The * Hecla ' and 'Fury,' which
took part in Parry's famous voyages to the Arctic
Regions, were also bomb vessels of the same class, but
many of the early Arctic ventures were provided with
old whalers : it soon came to be recognised what a useful
type of vessel this was for ice- work.
The majority of ships employed in the Franklin
Search Expedition were ordinary merchant vessels
purchased into the navy and strengthened at consider-
able expense. Some of these which did good service,
such as the 'Enterprise' and ' Investigator,' were over
530 tons. Most of these early vessels were sailing ships ;
the first steamers used were the ' Pioneer ' and ' Intrepid ' ;
they were about 430 tons burden, and both had been
traders under different names.
In the latest Government Arctic Expedition of 1875,
the two vessels employed were, as is well known, the
'Alert' and the 'Discovery.' The 'Alert' was an old
FAMOUS POLAR SHIPS 45
17-gun sloop especially strengthened for the service, but
the ' Discovery,' though also strengthened at Portsmouth,
had been the whaler ' Bloodhound,' built at Dundee for
the Greenland whale trade. The contrast between these
two ships for ice-work was remarkable. The * Alert '
had a bluff straight bow, whilst the ' Discovery ' had
the more recently designed overhanging stem, and as a
result the ' Discovery ' had often to be sent ahead to
force a passage in order that the ' Alert ' might follow.
The lines of the ' Discovery ' represented the expe-
rience gained in the whaling trade ; this industry,
which had flourished for so many years, and which at
one time had employed more than a hundred vessels
sailing out of Hull, Peterhead, and Dundee, was slowly
dwindling, but then, and even much later, fresh ships
were launched from time to time to compete in it. The
whale, however, was growing timid, and had to be
sought in new waters ; the difficulties with the pack-ice
were ever increasing, and success lay more and more
with those ships which were capable of forcing their way
through it.
As a natural result of these conditions, a class of
vessels was evolved which, whilst capable of taking the
same hard knocks as the older ships, had a greatly
increased power for making progress through the pack-
ice, and to this class belonged the old ' Discovery.'
As regards lines, she probably reached the best form
for such a vessel ; for although others have been launched
since, they have achieved greater efficiency mainly by
increased engine-power. It was generally admitted by
46 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
those who witnessed her performances in 1875 that
the old ' Discovery ' was the best ship that had ever
been employed on Arctic service.
The Ship Committee which was appointed to con-
sider the design of the new vessel for the Antarctic
Expedition had all these facts vividly before it, since
some of its members had occupied the most impor-
tant positions in the expedition of 1875. Without giving
the names of all the members, as the Committee was a
large one, I may mention that amongst the most active
were Sir Leopold McClintock, Sir George Nares, Sir
Vesey Hamilton, Sir Albert Markham, Sir Anthony
Hoskins, and Captain E. W. Creak.
This Committee, therefore, after due deliberation,
decided that the new vessel should be built more or less
on the lines of the old ' Discovery ' ; and here it is neces-
sary to explain more exactly why this decision was made,
as it wholly rejected another and newer type of Arctic
vessel suggested by the ' Fram.'
I have so often been asked whether the * Discovery '
was like the ' Fram,' and if not, why not, that I wish to
make this point clear. The ' Fram ' was built for a
specific object, which was to remain in safety in the
North Polar pack in spite of the terrible pressures which
were to be expected in such a great extent of ice.
This object was achieved in the simplest manner by
inclining the sides of the vessel until her shape was
something like that of a saucer, and lateral pressure
merely tended to raise her above the surface. Simple as
this design was, it fulfilled so well the requirements of
TYPE OF VESSEL SELECTED 47
the situation that its conception was certainly a stroke of
genius. But what is generally overlooked is that this
quality was only got by the sacrifice of others, which,
though they might not be needed on that expedition,
might be very much required on future ones. In short,
the safety of the ' Fram ' was achieved at the expense of
her seaworthiness and powers of ice-penetration.
Hence it will be seen that since the advent of the
1 Fram ' there are two distinct types of Polar vessels, the
one founded essentially on the idea of passive security in
the ice, the other the old English whaler type, designed
to sail the high seas and push forcefully through the
looser ice-packs.
A very brief consideration of Southern conditions
will show which of these two types is better suited for
Antarctic exploration, for it is obvious that the exploring
ship must be prepared to navigate the most tempestuous
seas in the world, and then to force her way through the
ice-floes to the mysteries beyond. As yet the Southern
Regions have shown no uses for the type which achieves
safety at the expense of progress. It will be seen, there-
fore, that the Committee had a clear issue in deciding to
adopt good and well-tried English lines for its vessel,
and certainly in the excellent qualities which the
- Discovery ' showed, the decision was justified.
It is fair to add, however, that whilst this view com-
mended itself so clearly to the English Committee, it was
not adopted in Germany. Speaking at the Geographical
Congress at Berlin in 1899, Nansen strongly recom-
mended for South Polar work a vessel of the ' Fram '
48 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
type with fuller lines ; this was, in fact, an attempt to pro-
duce all qualities by a compromise, and those responsible
for the construction of the ' Gauss ' adopted the idea.
I am not in possession of any detailed information con-
cerning the performance of the ' Gauss ' as a sea-boat or
in pushing through the ice ; but with a knowledge of her
lines and her small engine-power, and my experience in
the Southern Regions, I cannot believe she was so efficient
an exploring vessel as the ' Discovery.'
The art of building wooden ships is now almost lost
to the United Kingdom ; probably in twenty or thirty
years' time a new ' Discovery ' will give more trouble
and cost more money than a moderate-sized war-ship.
This is natural enough : it is the day of steel, of the
puncher and the riveter ; the adze and the wood-plane
are passing away. It must become increasingly difficult
to find the contractors who will undertake to build a
wooden ship, or the seasoned wood and the skilled
workmen necessary for its construction.
The technicalities of the business may still remain in
the memories of the older constructors, but have grown
vague from disuse, and very few persons have cause to
refresh their memories. And so it is all passing away ;
even the quaint old Scotch foreman, John Smith, who
played so important a part in the building of the ' Dis-
covery,' has finished his work and vanished from the
scene. It is a strange ending to an industry which a
century ago produced those stout wooden walls that were
the main defence of the kingdom.
In October 1899, when tenders for the new ship were
THE BUILDING OF A WOODEN SHIP 49
invited, there were few replies, and only one from a firm
which had recent experience of such a task. This was the
Dundee Shipbuilding Company, the owners of a small
yard on the Tay, which had been better known in the
flourishing days of the whale trade as Stevens's Yard.
Stevens had been a very well-known character in Dundee,
the builder and owner of many a fine whaling ship.
Arrangements were therefore entered into with this
Company to build the new vessel, and in the meanwhile
the Committee's architect, Mr. W. E. Smith, had
thoroughly overhauled the plans of the old ' Discovery '
and drawn up a masterly specification for the new one.
In March 1900 the keel of the new vessel was laid,
and in a few months the massive oak frames had been
raised and the busy scene of construction was in full
swing.
I have spoken of this new ship as the * Discovery,'
but it was not until June that her name was selected.
Many names came up for discussion, and not a few
of these had already done service in the older English
expeditions. It was generally considered that the most
appropriate plan was to revive some old time-honoured
title, and as it was seen that few names carried a
greater record than * Discovery,' that name was
chosen. It is perhaps interesting, therefore, to give
some idea of its history. There have now been six
' Discoveries.' The first made no fewer than six Arctic
voyages from 1602 to 161 6 to the regions of Hudson
Bay and Baffin Bay, on one of which she was com-
manded by the famous navigator William Baffin. The
vol. 1. e
50 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
second also voyaged to Hudson Bay in 17 19. ' Dis-
covery' No. 3 took part in Cook's third voyage in 1776.
' Discovery ' No. 4 was Vancouver's ship when he dis-
covered the insularity of the land which is named after
him. 'Discovery' No. 5 took part in the 1875 ex-
pedition to the Arctic ; she was commanded by the
present Sir Henry F. Stevenson, and I have already
shown her fitness for the work. Our own ' Discoverv '
was therefore the sixth of that name and the heir
to a long record of honourable service, and, what was
equally important, of fortunate service, as the name
' Discovery ' seems never to have been associated with
shipwreck or disaster.
And here I should like to introduce the reader to
this good ship which was to carry us and our fortunes
through many adventures. I can do so without going
into technical details, as, thanks to the interest which
Mr. W. E. Smith took in his handiwork and the enter-
prise of the Institution of Naval Architects, a permanent
record of the vessel has been established. The ' Dis-
covery,' alas ! has passed away from the paths of ex-
ploration, but the future architect of such a ship will
find all the information he needs concerning her in the
'Proceedings' of the Institution I have named (April
1905).
The displacement of the ' Discovery ' was 1,620
tons, but her registered tonnage, by which her size can
be compared with other ships I have mentioned, was
485. Her length between perpendiculars was 172 feet,
and her breadth 34 feet.
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52 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
By consulting the profile drawing of the ship, the
reader will get some idea of the internal arrangements,
but he will scarcely realise the extraordinary solidity
of the structure. Most people who have voyaged in
modern ships know that between them and the sea
there has only interposed a steel plate the fraction of an
inch in thickness ; they may, therefore, be interested to
know what the side of the ' Discovery ' was like. The
frames, which were placed very close together, were
eleven inches thick and of solid English oak ; inside the
frames came the inner lining, a solid planking four inches
thick ; whilst the outside was covered with two layers of
planking, respectively six and five inches thick, so that,
in most places, to bore a hole in the side one would have
had to get through twenty-six inches of solid wood.
It will give some idea of the complexity of the con-
struction of such a ship to name the various woods that
were employed in the side, for in each place the most
suitable was chosen. The inner lining was of Riga fir,
the frames of English oak, the inner skin, according to
its position, of pitch pine, Honduras mahogany, or oak,
whilst the outer skin in the same way was of English
elm or greenheart. The massive side structure was
stiffened and strengthened by three tiers of beams
running from side to side, and at intervals with stout
transverse wooden bulkheads ; the beams in the lower
tiers were especially solid, being eleven inches by eleven
inches in section, and they were placed at intervals of
something less than three feet.
All this went to give the ship a frame capable of
STRENGTH OF THE 'DISCOVERY' 53
resisting immense side strains, but, strong as she was in
this respect, the rigid stiffness of the sides was as
nothing to that of the bows. Some idea of the fortifi-
cation of this part can be gathered from the drawing,
which shows the numerous and closely placed girders
and struts that went to support the forefoot. Such a
network of solid oak stiffeners gave to this portion of the
vessel a strength which almost amounted to solidity.
It will be seen, too, how the keel at the fore-end of the
ship gradually grew thicker till it rose in the enormous
mass of solid wood which constituted the stem. No
single tree could provide the wood for such a stem, but
the several that were employed were cunningly scarfed
to provide the equivalent of a solid block ; and, in addition
to the strong fastenings which held piece to piece, long
strengthening bolts were used which ran fore and aft
arid securely held all together. Some of these bolts,
running entirely through wood, were as much as 8^ feet
in length.
The bow of the ' Discovery ' was, therefore, a part
which ran little risk of damage, and a knowledge of its
strength was a pleasing possession when we came to
ramming the ice-floes. In further preparation for such
service the stem itself and the bow for three or four feet
on either side were protected with numerous steel plates,
so that when we got back to civilisation not a scratch
remained to show the many hard knocks which the bow
had received.
The shape of the stem was a very important con-
sideration. It will be seen how largely it overhangs, and
54 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
this was carried to a greater extent than in any former
Polar ship. The object with which this was fitted was
often very prettily fulfilled during our voyage. Many a
time on charging a large ice-floe the stem of the ship
glided upwards until the bows were raised two or three
feet, then the weight of the ship acting downwards
would crack the floe beneath, the bow would drop, and
the ship would gradually forge ahead to meet the next
obstruction. This is the principle on which the ice is
broken by all modern ice-breakers ; and here, perhaps, I
may be allowed to interpolate a remark. I have often
been asked why the now well-known ice-breakers are
not employed for such expeditions as ours. It is because
the ice-breaker is built of steel, and, except when break-
ing very thin ice, is in constant need of repair ; nothing
but a wooden structure has the elasticity and strength to
grapple with thick Polar ice without injury.
The ' Discovery's' greatest strength lay in her bows,
as I have just shown ; next to this, and as far aft as the
mainmast, the structure, supported by numerous beams
and bulkheads, still remained very strong ; but further
aft there was a distinct weakening, for although the sides
remained equally thick, the position of the engines and
boilers necessitated the omission of many of the cross-
beams.
Next to this came the stern, which, with the rudder
and screw, must always form the weakest and most
vulnerable part of a Polar ship. Nansen aptly defines it
as the Achilles' heel. Our screw was capable of being
detached and lifted up through the deck ; this is a
BOW TAKING THE ICE.
'DISCOVERY' PUSHING THROUGH ICE.
NEW FEATURES IN THE 'DISCOVERY' 55
common enough device, though, as I shall remark later,
the manner in which it was done in the ' Discovery '
was new.
But Mr. Smith made an entirely new departure in
providing us with a rudder which likewise lifted up
through the deck. This plan had the single disad-
vantage that the rudder possessed only one pintle and
brace instead of the several that are customary ; on the
other hand, its advantages in the facilities it offered for
shifting a damaged rudder were great and easily seen.
As I shall tell, we had occasion to be exceedingly
grateful for these advantages.
Protection for our keel was afforded, firstly, by making
every part as strong as possible ; the rudder-post was an
enormous piece of timber, and was secured to the keel
with extra strengthening-pieces placed beneath the pro-
peller ; it would have taken tremendous forces to have
strained or distorted these fixtures. But protection to
this part was given yet more by the overhanging stern,
an entirely new feature in this class of vessel. As can
be imagined, the building of the ' Discovery ' excited the
keenest interest in the whaling community of Dundee.
Few novelties passed unnoticed, and the peculiar shape
of our stern gave rise to the strongest criticism ; all sorts
of evils were predicted, the commonest being that we
should one day come down so heavily that it would be
broken off! As events showed, this stern was a distinctly
good feature : in a heavy seaway, as long as we were
travelling through the water, it tended to keep the ship
drier by causing her to lift more readily to the waves ;
56 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
to a certain extent it was a disadvantage if we happened
to be becalmed and stationary, as then the rounded
under-surface would come down with terrific violence,
shaking the ship throughout ; but these occasions were
rare, and when we got amongst the ice we reaped great
benefit from it, for then, as will be seen, it formed a
buffer which prevented the heavier pieces of ice from
coming into contact with the rudder.
On the whole, therefore, the hull of the ' Discovery '
was a splendidly strong and well-fortified structure, and
the machinery was in all respects equal to the hull.
The ship had two cylindrical boilers arranged to work
at a pressure of 150 lbs. per square inch, and a set of
triple expansion engines. The latter were designed to
give 450 indicated horse power, but actually on trial
gave over 500. Whilst there was nothing particularly
novel in these engines and boilers, many details in
connection with them had to be considered with especial
care in view of the service for which they were required ;
more particularly was this the case with regard to the
leads of steam pipes and the position of sea inlets.
In the shape of auxiliary machinery, besides that in
connection with the main engines, the ' Discovery ' pos-
sessed a small condenser for making fresh water, a small
dynamo for supplying electric light, a strong deck winch
amidships, and a very powerful capstan engine under the
forecastle. In connection with the last-named, and placed
close to it, there was also a small auxiliary boiler which
on one occasion at least did yeoman service. All these
various machines were supplied by different firms, but
Photo by Valentine.]
'DISCOVERY ' ON STOCKS— EXTERIOR VIEW.
Photo by Valentine
' DISCOVERY ' ON STOCKS— INTERIOR VIEW.
^THE ENGINES 57
our excellent set of main engines and boilers were built
and placed by Messrs. Gourlay Brothers, of Dundee,
and to the energetic manager of this firm, Mr. Lyon,
we owe the really novel feature which was embodied
in our arrangement for lifting the screw.
For the benefit of those who are interested in engi-
neering details I may briefly explain this device, as it is
certainly worthy of record. As I have said, a lifting
screw is a common fitting, but it has always had one dis-
advantage in the fact that the joint between the shaft
and the screw has tended to get loose, and this has
caused a very uncomfortable jarring when the engines
have been revolving. The fittings in the * Discovery '
entirely avoided this in the following manner : The tail
end of the shaft was made hollow, and inside it was
placed an inner shaft ; the outer shaft fitted into the boss
of the screw on a taper ; inside the boss beyond this
taper was a large nut in which the inner shaft could
engage ; the outer shaft and the screw were kept in close
connection by the inner shaft and nut, and therefore
there was no loose connection to jar. To disconnect
the screw, a small section of the main shaft, in front of
the tail shaft, could be lifted bodily, the inner tail shaft
could then be turned and freed from the nut, when both
inner and outer shafts could be withdrawn together, and
the screw was free for lifting. This fitting was naturally
expensive, but it is certainly the most efficient that has
been devised for a lifting propeller.
In the profile drawing which is reproduced, on the
middle of the upper deck will be seen a deck-house
58 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY'
marked ' Magnetic Observatory ' ; this was an important
place, both in the building and in the subsequent work of
the ' Discovery.' I have already given reason to show
why the greatest stress was laid on the accuracy of our
magnetic observations, and it will be clear that accurate
magnetic observations cannot be taken in a place closely
surrounded with iron. The enthusiasm of the magnetic
experts on the Ship Committee had at first led them to
request that there should be no iron or steel at all in the
' Discovery,' and when it was pointed out that this could
scarcely be, they demanded the exclusion of the metals
from the vicinity of the magnetic observatory. At last
a compromise was arrived at, which stipulated that no
magnetic materials should be employed within thirty feet
of the observatory. It is difficult to realise what im-
mense trouble and expense this decision involved. This
thirty-foot circle swept round, down by the foremast,
under the bottom of the ship, and up in front of the
mainmast ; everything within this radius had to be made
of brass or some other non-magnetic material, and when
all the fastenings of the hull and all the fittings and
furniture of the ship are considered, some idea may be
gathered of the difficulty ; even much of the rigging,
which would ordinarily have been of wire, had to be
made of hemp, of a size which is rarely, if ever, used in
these days. And yet when all these elaborate precautions
had been taken we could not banish magnetic objects from
the sacred ring, for as a critic might well have pointed
out in the first place, the provision-rooms within it could
not possibly have their contents preserved in brass.
MAGNETIC PRECAUTIONS 59
Nevertheless, this care in building was by no means
lost. The magnetic observations taken on board
throughout the voyage required astonishingly little correc-
tion, and though the condition of perfection looked for was
not achieved, it was certainly more nearly approached than
it would have been in an ordinary wooden steamship.
There were several curious results of this magnetic
ordinance. I might mention, for instance, that the
officers outside the circle slept on modern spring mat-
tresses, whilst those within had to content themselves
with wooden battens. There was quite a small stir, too,
when the buttons of some cushions were found to be
made of iron, and these were immediately ripped off and
replaced by leaden ones. Of course, also, the magnetic
regulations caused some amusement : at one time those
who lived within the circle were threatened with the
necessity of shaving with brass razors. The careful
rounds made by the navigator before he commenced his
observations were another subject of jest : knives and
all sorts of instruments had to be summarily confiscated
and placed beyond the pale, much to the annoyance of
their owners ; and on our way home from New Zealand I
remember one awful case where it was discovered that
throughout a whole set of observations a parrot had been
hanging on the mess-deck. It was not the inoffensive
bird that was objected to, but the iron wires of its cage.
The general distribution of ourselves and our stores
inside the ' Discovery ' can be seen in the plan. The
wardroom was a good-sized apartment, about thirty feet
long and nearly twenty feet across ; on each side were
60 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
comparatively roomy cabins for the officers, whilst at the
after-end, between it and the engine-room, lay my own
cabin and that of the navigating officer. This position
was by no means a catch, for in the tropics when steam
was up it had the doubtful benefit of the heat given off
by the boilers, whereas in the Polar winter, when we
had no steam, the engine-room naturally became the
coldest place in the ship, and the after-cabin suffered
accordingly. The crew-space was a little shorter than
the wardroom, but as it extended the full breadth of
the ship it was larger ; compared with other vessels it
gave ample room for its occupants. The galley-space
was narrowed by having compartments cut off on
each side ; however, it was quite big enough for our
requirements. Between the fore-end of the galley-
space and the after-end of my cabin were comprised
the living-spaces, and the ship was designed so that
this part might be kept especially warm in a Polar
climate. Concerning our advantages and difficulties in
this respect I shall speak more fully in the course of my
story, but whilst the plan of the ship is under discussion,
it may be as well to point out how we were situated.
Naturally, if one wants to keep warm one must exclude
the cold on every side. During our Polar winters, owing
to the insulation of the upper deck, and to the fact that we
piled snow on top of it, we had nothing to fear from that
direction. As regards the sides, we had small difficul-
ties which I shall mention, but the fact that cold might
creep up from beneath was overlooked in providing for
the comfort of our living-spaces.
THE INTERIOR 61
It will be seen that beneath the men's quarters were
the provision-rooms and holds ; these, owing to the
temperature of the sea outside and the space above,
never fell much below freezing point, and so the men
suffered little discomfort from below, but the coal-space
or bunker under the wardroom was a different matter.
This was only shut off from the engine-room by a steel
bulkhead, and consequently it became extremely cold
and communicated its temperature to the wardroom.
This difficulty would not have arisen had the decks of
the living-spaces been thoroughly well insulated.
Daylight was admitted to the living-spaces through
central skylights and small round decklights. There were
no portholes or sidelights in the ' Discovery/
Reference to the drawing will show the reader that
the space devoted to our provisions and stores was
divided into many compartments. It was very much
smaller than the drawing might lead one to suppose, as
a great deal of the room was taken up by the beams and
girders provided for the strengthening of the ship. I do
not know the exact weight of provisions and stores we
carried when fully loaded, but I believe it to have been
about 150 tons. And here I may add that the manner
in which provisions and other stores are packed is of
great importance in such an expedition as ours. The
tinning of foods has advanced greatly of late years, but
it is still necessary to exercise great care in selecting
tins ; the shape, the thickness, the care of manufacture,
and the paint or lacquer employed, are all points to be
observed, and as a general rule they give a good indica-
62 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
tion of the quality of the food within. Damp and rust
are enemies which can be resisted successfully only by
a well-made tin. The same care is necessary in select-
ing the cases in which these tins are stowed. For the
* Discovery,' we had them made to reduce bulk as much
as possible, while for convenience of handling we limited
the weight of each case to 50 or 60 lbs.
The position of our fresh-water tanks will be seen
on the drawing ; the full stowage of these tanks was
25 tons. As they lay within the magic circle they
also had to be subservient to the magnetic rule, and
were made of zinc. The zinc was too thin, and the
arrangement was not satisfactory ; however, as the tanks
were not used during the winter we did not suffer much
inconvenience.
Our coal supply was amongst our most precious
possessions, and I shall show how things went for us in
this respect. The outline of the problem can be gathered
from the following figures. The main bunker held 240
tons ; to this two small pocket bunkers added 53 tons,
and the deck cargo we took south was 42 tons. For
our Southern campaign we had therefore 335 tons in all.
At sea, steaming economically, we used between 5 and
6 tons a day, or with one boiler only, about 4 tons ; on
the occasions when we had to lie with banked fires the
consumption was about 1^ ton. It will be seen, there-
fore, that each day made a marked difference in our
stock of coal when fires were alight in the main boilers.
But of course throughout our long imprisonment in the
ice these fires were not lighted, and then our consumption
MASTS AND SAILS 63
was only such as was necessary for cooking and for
warming the ship, and during our second winter we
reduced this to the very moderate figure of 15 cwt. per
week.
A description of the ' Discovery ' would scarcely be
complete without a word or two about the spread of
canvas which assisted our voyage so greatly. The
ship was under-masted : the mainmast from truck to
keelson was only 1 1 2 feet, and this is extremely short
for such a vessel, while comparatively speaking for this
height of mast the yards were square (i.e. long), the
mainyard being 60 feet in length.
The ' Discovery ' was extraordinarily stiff, and could
have carried a much larger sail area with advantage.
As it was, the mainsail and jib were the only sails we
took off for a gale, and I think rarely, if ever, have top-
gallant sails been carried through such weather as ours.
For the non-nautical reader I may explain that in a
gale there comes a time when certain sails cannot be
furled : to relieve the ship they must be either cut or
blown away. That we allowed our top-gallant sails to
remain spread in such weather shows our confidence in
the ' Discovery's ' stability as well as in our canvas and
our boatswain.
But the comparatively small spread of sail was a
great drawback in light winds, and the ship was an ex-
tremely sluggish sailer. Matters were rendered much
worse also by the masts being placed in the wrong
position. They should have been put much nearer the
bows. When sailing ' on a wind ' in the * Discovery ' we
64 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
had to trim our sails so that everything forward was
clean full while the sails on the mainmast were almost
shivering. These details are somewhat technical, I fear,
but it is very necessary that they should be noted for the
guidance of future explorers. Masts, yards, and sails are
rapidly passing away from the seas, but where the saving
of coal is of such prime importance, as in the case of the
Polar exploring ship, they must long remain a useful
auxiliary. Although the ' Discovery ' was very slow
under sail alone, unless running before a strong breeze,
there were many occasions when the sails proved an
immense assistance to the engines.
In the foregoing pages I have endeavoured to give
some description of the ship which was built at Dundee,
1 900- 1, and which on March 21 of the latter year was
launched and named the ' Discovery ' by Lady Markham.
When, after gliding smoothly into the waters of the Tay,
she was brought back to the dock side, it was to be
invaded by a small army of workmen, to receive her
engines and boilers, to undergo her successful trials, and
generally to be prepared for that voyage to the Thames
in June which I have already mentioned.
From the brief manner in which I have dealt with the
' Discovery ' it will be seen that the initial labours of
the Ship Committee and the high intelligence of
Mr. W. E. Smith had provided us with the finest vessel
which was ever built for exploring purposes. If I had
little cause to complain concerning the instrument thus
put into my hands, I had equally little concerning
the officers and men who were to assist me in using
OFFICERS OF THE EXPEDITION 65
it. The manner in which they did their work and
the loyalty with which they supported me will appear
in these pages ; but here I would wish to introduce
the reader individually to that roll whose members faced
hardships and difficulties with invariable cheerfulness and
elected to remain at their posts whatever might betide.
Ten officers besides myself messed together in the
small wardroom of the ' Discovery.' The senior of
these was Lieutenant Albert B. Armitage, R. N.R.
Armitage had spent a great number of years at sea,
joining the training ship 'Worcester' in 1878. Fie had
passed through that ship with credit, and after an ex-
cellent practical seamanship training in sailing ships, had
been appointed to a position in the P. and O. Com-
pany's service. In this service he had remained nomi-
nally ever since, but in 1894 ne nad been granted leave
of absence to join the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition
to Franz-Josef Land. The expedition was absent for
four years, and on its return Armitage's services were
not only gratefully recognised by his employer, but were
acknowledged by the Royal Geographical Society, which
presented him with its Murchison Award. After this
he had returned to his ordinary duties as first mate on
one of the P. and O. Company's ships until January
1 90 1, when his services were again lent for Polar work,
and he joined our expedition as navigator and second
in command. Armitage was an excellent practical
navigator, and of the value of his Polar experience I
shall speak later on. He was thirty-seven when he
joined us.
vol. 1. f
66 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
Another member of our community who had seen
Arctic service was our senior doctor, Reginald Koettlitz.
Koettlitz was English in all but name, as his father, a
minister of the Reformed Lutheran Church, had married
an English lady and settled at Dover in the 'sixties.
He had been educated at Dover College, and thence
passed to Guy's Hospital. After qualifying he had
settled down in the quietest of country practices, where
he remained for nearly eight years, and might have re-
mained to the present time but for a sudden impulse to
volunteer his services as doctor to the Jackson- Harms-
worth Expedition. This act had made him a wanderer,
for after four years in the Arctic he accompanied expe-
ditions to Abyssinia, Somaliland, and Brazil ; and finally,
with experiences gathered in many parts of the globe,
he applied for and received his appointment as medical
officer to the Antarctic Expedition. As his medical
duties were expected to be light, he also acted as
botanist to the expedition. As far as the land flora was
concerned, this post was something of a sinecure, as the
Antarctic lands produce only some poor forms of mosses
and lichens, but Koettlitz had also to study and collect
the various marine forms of plant life which are known
to science under the name oi phy to -plankton.
Our biologist, Thomas V. Hodgson, was a native
of Birmingham. With a strong desire to qualify in
medicine and natural science, he had been obliged to
spend many years in business. His career shows well
the pertinacity which we all came to recognise in his
character, for during the years when he had been tied to
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OFFICERS OF THE EXPEDITION 67
a business which he disliked, he had devoted his spare
hours with ceaseless diligence to scientific study. At
last his chance had come, and he had been appointed to
a small post in the Plymouth Biological Laboratory.
From this time until he joined the expedition in August
1900 his life had been identified with Plymouth, at first
in work connected with the laboratory and with a
science lectureship, and later as curator of the Plymouth
Museum, of which, in one sense, he may be said to have
been the creator, as he guided its first tottering foot-
steps. Hodgson's task was to collect by hook or by
crook all the strange beasts that inhabit our Polar seas,
and of the manner in which he went about it these pages
will tell.
Koettlitz was forty years of age when he joined the
expedition, and Hodgson thirty-seven. The average
age of the remaining members of our wardroom mess
was little over twenty-four years, so that it may be said
they had most of their lives before them, and after my
experience of their services I have little doubt as to the
value of youth for Polar work.
Charles W. R. Royds was our first lieutenant, and
had all to do with the work of the men and the internal
economy of the ship in the way that is customary with
the first lieutenant of a man-of-war. He had passed
into the 'Britannia' from the ' Conway ' in 1890, and
so joining the Naval Service had reached the rank
of lieutenant in 1898. He joined us from H.M.S.
'Crescent,' then serving as flagship on the North
America station, and came with an excellent record
F 2
68 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
of service for so young an officer. Throughout our
voyage he acted as our meteorologist, and secured the
most valuable records in this important branch of science
in face of difficulties which this narrative will present.
Our second naval lieutenant was Michael Barne,
who had only recently been promoted to that rank. He
had been educated at Stubbington School in preparation
for the Navy, and had joined the 'Britannia' in 1891.
Later he had served with me in the ' Majestic,' and I
had thought him, as he proved to be, especially fitted
for a voyage where there were elements of danger and
difficulty.
The original idea in appointing two doctors to the
' Discovery ' was that one should be available for a
detached landing party ; but, although this idea was
practically abandoned, there were few things for which
we had greater cause to be thankful than that it had
originally existed, for the second doctor appointed to the
expedition was Edward A. Wilson. The reader may
gather some idea of the acquisition this officer was from
the illustrations that he has executed for this book, but
it will only be a small idea, for they tell nothing of his
activities in other directions. Wilson was a native of
Cheltenham, and had been educated at the college of
that name and at Caius College, Cambridge ; after
taking his degree he had qualified in medicine at
St. George's Hospital, London, but on leaving the
hospital ill health had obliged him to spend some years
abroad. His health was not wholly re-established when
he joined the ' Discovery,' but he was evidently on the
OFFICERS OF THE EXPEDITION 69
mend, .and his fitness for the post in other respects was
obvious. In addition to his medical duties, he was ap-
pointed vertebrate zoologist and artist ; in the first
capacity he dealt scientifically with the birds and seals,
and in a manner which his appendix to this work
indicates ; in the second he was perhaps still more
active, and it would take long even to number all the
pictures and sketches he has produced of the wild scenes
amongst which we lived.
I was still serving in the ' Majestic ' when I received
my appointment to the expedition, and it was at that
time I realised that among my messmates was just the
man for the post of chief engineer of the ' Discovery.'
This was Reginald W. Skelton. He was a Norfolk
man, and had joined the navy as an engineer-student
in 1887 ; subsequently he had served in various ships on
various stations until at last he had been appointed as
senior engineer of the ' Majestic,' where I first got to
know him well. One of my earliest acts on behalf of the
expedition was to apply for his services, and it was
certainly a very fortunate one : from first to last of our
voyage we never had serious difficulty with our machinery
or with anything concerning it. But Skelton's utility
extended far beyond his primary duties. I shall have
reason to tell of the many ways in which he assisted the
scientific work of the expedition, whilst, thanks to his
ability with the camera, in the course of his work as
photographer-in-chief he produced the most excellent
pictures that have ever been obtained by a polar expedi-
tion. Most of the photographs reproduced in this book
jo THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY '
are the results of his handiwork, though for others I must
acknowledge my indebtedness to Messrs. Bernacchi,
Royds, Ford, and others.
Our geologist, Hartley T. Ferrar, joined us only
shortly before the ' Discovery ' sailed. Though born in
Ireland, he had spent the early years of his life in South
Africa, but he had returned home to be educated at
Oundle School and at Sidney Sussex College, Cam-
bridge. Events went very rapidly for Ferrar at the end
of his university career ; in June 1901 he took honours
in the Natural Science Tripos, in July he was appointed
to the Antarctic Expedition, and in August he sailed for
the Far South. He had very little time, therefore, to
prepare himself for his important work, but he did his
best to make up this deficiency by a steady application
to his books and an increased activity when he arrived
at the scene of his work. As will be seen later, the result
of Ferrar's work was to throw considerable light on the
structure of a vast land mass, no inconsiderable portion
of the surface of the earth ; it was a result, therefore, that
cannot but be highly important to geological science, and
it was achieved by physical labour which might not have
been within the powers of a more experienced geologist.
Owing to the medical rejection of a former candidate
for the post, our physicist, Louis Bernacchi, did not
join us until we reached New Zealand. Bernacchi had
been born and educated in Tasmania ; in 1895 ne nacl
joined the Melbourne Observatory as a student, and had
there gained his knowledge of the special physical work
which he has since steadily pursued. In July 1898 he
OFFICERS OF THE EXPEDITION 71
had joined Sir George Newnes's Expedition to Cape
Adare, and the valuable magnetic observations which he
then made showed that he was capable of undertaking
the more extensive programme connected with this
science proposed for our shore station. The delicate
instruments which he manipulated, and the difficulties he
had with them, will be described in due course.
In the roll of the ' Discovery ' I have inscribed the
names of two officers who did not serve throughout the
whole term of the, voyage ; my reason will, I think, be
clear.
One of these, Ernest H. Shackleton, was forced to
leave us by ill health in 1903, when he was relieved by
the other, George F. A. Mulock, who remained with us
until the end of the voyage. Shackleton was born in
Ireland and educated at Dulwich College ; but at an
early age he had taken to the sea, and as a merchant-
service officer had drifted about to various parts of the
world. From casual and irregular voyages he had
passed to the more settled employment of the Union-
Castle Line, and had already begun to make steady pro-
gress in that service when he was appointed to the
' Discovery.' His experience was useful to us in many
ways, and as he was always brimful of enthusiasm and
good fellowship, it was to the regret of all that he left us
in 1903.
His successor, Mulock, was a sub-lieutenant in the
Navy when he joined us ; he was then only twenty-one
years of age, but having received some excellent in-
struction as a surveyor in H.M.S. ' Triton,' and having
72 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
a natural bent for this work, his services proved in-
valuable. Of this, however, I shall speak at a later date.
From what I have said of the individuals of our
wardroom mess, the reader will see that, taking them as
a whole, there were two rather noticeable features. The
first was youth, concerning the advantages of which for*
a Polar expedition I could write many pages ; the
second was diversity of experience : no two of us were
likely to look at a matter from precisely the same stand-
point. This, I think, was also an advantage : it gave us
larger interests, and generally encouraged that attitude
which is so necessary to the members of a small com-
munity—the determination to live and let live.
Be this as it may, we certainly had reason to con-
gratulate ourselves on the selection of our officers, for of
this there could be no clearer proof than the fact that we
lived together in complete harmony for three years.
It has been said in the Navy of that useful class of
individuals the warrant officers that they form the
backbone of a ship's company, and certainly on board
the ' Discovery ' the warrant officers played a highly
important part. They lived in a small berth occupy-
ing one corner of the mess-deck, and comprised
the boatswain, carpenter, second engineer, and ship's
steward. With one exception I had known nothing
personally of these men before they joined the expedi-
tion, but I had fully realised the importance of their
duties and had taken great pains to select them from
amongst other men who were recommended to me by
my friends. In no case could I have made a happier
OFFICERS OF THE EXPEDITION 73
choice ; it would be impossible to exaggerate the admir-
able manner in which they all did their duties throughout
the voyage.
Our boatswain, Thomas Feather, was a thorough
seaman, and took that intense pride in his charge which
was so well known in the old sailing days. A sailor will
understand well the merits of a boatswain who can make
the proud boast that the ' Discovery ' circumnavigated
the world without losing a rope or a sail. Our boatswain,
like the rest of us, under new conditions had to turn his
talents into fresh channels ; in the Far South all that
pertained to our sledge equipment was placed in his
charge, and with him rested the responsibility that every-
thing was in readiness when we started out on our sledge
journeys. And here, as before, he proved his excel-
lence, for I do not remember a single complaint or
breakdown that could have been obviated by more
careful preparation.
In his own department our carpenter, F. E. Dailey,
worked with the same zealous care as the boatswain.
He possessed the same 'eye' for defects and the
same determination that his charge should be beyond
reproach.
I speak feelingly in these matters ; anyone who has
been captain of a ship will know the countless things
that continually get out of order, and he will know, on
the one hand, how annoying it is to have constantly to
call attention to them, and, on the other, how pleasant
it is to feel that close supervision is not necessary.
I speak feelingly, therefore, because I was saved all
74 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
these minor worries. I knew that whatever was ' adrift '
with the rigging, the hull, or the machinery of the ■ Dis-
covery,' it would be put right in the shortest possible
space of time by the warrant officer in whose department
it lay.
J. H. Dellbridge was our chief engineer's right-hand
man. As the responsibilities of the carpenter and boat-
swain lay with the hull and rigging, so his lay in the
engine-room ; his duties implied that the engines must
never be found wanting, and in what manner they were
carried out this narrative will show.
A ship's steward is a specially important individual in
an exploring vessel ; he has to keep the most exact
account of the stores that are expended, and of those
that remain ; he has to see that provisions are properly
examined and properly served out, and that everything
is stowed below in such a manner that it is forthcoming
when required. I had difficulty in filling this post, to
which I have referred, but eventually I decided to give
it to C. R. Ford, who, although a very young man
without experience, showed himself to be well fitted for
it in other respects. He soon mastered every detail of
our stores, and kept his books with such accuracy that I
could rely implicitly on his statements. This also was no
small relief where it was impossible to hold a survey of
the stores which remained on board.
And now I pass on to that long list of petty officers
and men which completes the roll of honour of the
* Discovery.' I would that space permitted me to give to
each that notice which his services deserved. There is
PETTY OFFICERS AND MEN 75
not one name on the list that does not recall to me
a pleasant memory or does not add to the splendid
record of loyalty and devotion with which I was served.
But gladly as I would stay my pen to discuss indi-
vidual merits, I have to remember that to tell of the
things we did and the things we saw are the main
objects of this book, and reluctantly I leave the person-
alities of my sailor friends to emerge in a more casual
manner from its pages.
Yet I cannot pass on without some acknowledgment
of their collective efficiency and some explanation of the
manner in which such a fine body of men was brought
together. It will be remembered that I was serving in
the Channel Squadron before joining the expedition ;
consequently, when the Admiralty gave permission for
naval men to serve in the ' Discovery,' I had friends in
each ship of this fleet to whom I could write asking them
to select one or two men from those who volunteered for
the service. It was a simple plan, and relieved me of
the difficulty of picking out names from the very long-
list which would have resulted had volunteers been
generally called for. I knew well that amongst British
bluejackets there would be no lack of good men to
volunteer for a voyage that promised to be so adven-
turous. Our men, therefore, came to us singly or by
twos and threes from various ships ; Evans, Allan, and
Quartley came from my old ship the ' Majestic,' Cross
and Heald from the ' Jupiter,' Smythe from the ' St.
Vincent,' and so on.
All brought with them that sense of naval discipline
76 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
which they displayed so noticeably throughout the
voyage. It must be understood that the ' Discovery,'
not being in Government employment, had no more
stringent regulations to enforce discipline than those
which are contained in the Merchant Shipping Act,
and however adequate these may be for commercial
purposes, they fail to provide that guarantee for strict
obedience and good behaviour which I believe to be a
necessity for such exceptional conditions as exist in Polar
service. Throughout our three-years' voyage in the
' Discovery ' the routine of work, the relations between
officers and men, and the general ordering of matters
were, as far as circumstances would permit, precisely
such as are customary in His Majesty's ships. We lived
exactly as though the ship and all on board had been
under the Naval Discipline Act ; and as everyone must
have been aware that this pleasing state of affairs was a
fiction, the men deserve as much credit as the officers,
if not more, for the fact that it continued to be
observed.
Since the return of our expedition it has been
acknowledged that our labours met with a large measure
of success, and it has been recognised that each officer
in his particular department has added something to the
advancement of scientific knowledge ; and they, as well
as I, will be the last to forget how much they owed to
the rank and file. For my part I can but say that
success in such an expedition as ours is not due to
a single individual, or to a few individuals, but to the
loyal co-operation of all its members, and therefore I
CONCERNING OUR MISSION 77
must ever hold in grateful memory that small company
of petty officers and men who worked so cheerfully and
loyally for the general good.
I have now endeavoured to give the reader some
idea of the good ship * Discovery,' and of the gallant
crew which manned her ; it remains to give a clearer
account of the mission on which she was despatched.
It was Sir Clements Markham who first suggested
that for convenience of reference the Antarctic area
should be divided into four quadrants, to be named respec-
tively the Victoria, the Ross, the Weddell, and the
Enderby. Having given a brief outline of the history
of Antarctic research, I will pause here for a moment
to point out the prospects which each of these quadrants
offered for exploration.
The Victoria quadrant included that region which
had been investigated by Wilkes and D'Urville. Whilst
it offered an interesting problem in the discovery of the
true extension of Adelie Land, the prospect of getting to
a high latitude in it did not seem hopeful.
Very little was known of the Enderby quadrant, but
much attention had been called to it by the scientific
voyage of the ' Challenger,' and this, with certain evi-
dences connected with drifting ice, had caused some
people to believe that a high latitude might be reached
in this region. This opinion was especially held in
Germany, and it was therefore in this direction that the
1 Gauss ' was steered.
The Weddell quadrant I have already noticed as a
region of exceptional interest. More than once ships
78 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
had attempted to penetrate to the open sea reported by
Weddell, but they had invariably found it impossible to
do so. But these vessels had not possessed the power
of steam ; with a steamer there seemed little doubt that
Weddell's farthest point could be reached, and an ex-
plorer might determine what lay in the clear sea which
had been seen beyond.
In spite of the undoubted fascination of this region,
however, it appeared to the promoters of our enter-
prise that in the Ross quadrant lay even a fairer
prospect of important results. Though this was the
region of which most was known, the discoveries of
Ross, like those of all great explorers, had given rise
to a host of fresh problems. Here it was certain
that a high latitude could be reached, and that the
work of the expedition could be conducted in the heart
of the Antarctic area. Geography saw in this region
a prospect of the reproduction of those sledging journeys
which had done so much to complete the mapping of
the Far North ; meteorology grasped at a high latitude
for the fixed observation of climatic conditions ; magnetism
found in the Ross Sea that area which most nearly
approached the magnetic pole ; geology was attracted by
the unknown mountainous country which fringed its
shores. There was no branch of science, in fact, that did
not see in the Ross quadrant a more hopeful chance of
success than was promised by any other region. When,
therefore, Sir Clements Markham proposed that this
direction should be taken by the expedition, the proposi-
tion met with complete and unanimous assent from all
CONCERNING OUR MISSION 79
who were interested in the venture, and long before the
1 Discovery ' was built her prospective course had been
finally decided.
It might be thought that with an exploring expe-
dition such as ours, little more was necessary than to
indicate the direction in which it should go, and to leave
the uncertain future in the hands of those who con-
ducted it. There is much in this view, and there is no
doubt as to the wisdom of leaving to the commander of
an expedition the greatest possible freedom of action, so
that at no time may his decision be restricted by orders
which could not have been conceived with a full know-
ledge of the conditions.
But instructions for the conduct of an expedition
may serve a most useful purpose, both for the authorities
who issue them and the commander who receives them,
if, without hampering conditions, they contain a clear
statement of the relative importance of the various
objects for which the expedition is undertaken.
I need not recall the several branches of science
which it was proposed that our expedition should inves-
tigate, but I may point out that there were bound to be
innumerable instances in which their interests clashed.
The best-conducted expedition cannot serve two masters,
and in pursuance of one object is often obliged to
neglect others. Although circumstances will generally
determine the object which can be pursued most profit-
ably at the moment, where what may be described as
so many vested scientific interests are concerned, it is
obviously of advantage to the commander that he should
80 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
know in what light these interests are regarded by those
responsible for the expedition.
The value of instructions, then, is to place before the
leader a general review of the situation, a statement of
the order in which the objects of the expedition are held,
and as much information as can be given without preju-
dice as to the wishes of his chiefs. Of such a nature
were the instructions I received before sailing for the
South. The original draft had been prepared by Sir
Clements Markham at a very early date, and, as I have
already mentioned, it came subsequently under the
consideration of the Joint Committee of thirty-two
members.
The draft contained many clauses relating to matters
of opinion, and it was not to be expected that so large a
Committee, containing representatives of so many inte-
rests, should at once agree as to their relative importance
or as to the manner in which the expedition should be
conducted.
In consequence of this there was much discussion,
with delay that threatened to impede the progress of the
expedition ; but at this point the Societies wisely decided
to submit the whole question to a body of smaller dimen-
sions, and a Committee of four was appointed to decide
the matter finally.
The four members of this Committee were Lord
Lindley, Sir George Goldie, Sir Leopold McClintock,
and Mr. A. B, Kempe. Thanks to the practical manner
in which it dealt with the question, and perhaps espe-
cially to the great administrative experiences of Sir
INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED 81
George Goldie, all difficulties were speedily solved, and
the instructions were finally drafted.
There can be no doubt that the expedition, as well
as the Societies, owes much to this Committee, which,
after piloting a difficult question through rough waters, fur-
nished instructions of such a nature as I have previously
indicated. In quoting these instructions I confine myself
to such parts as relate to the conduct of the expedition,
disregarding, for obvious reasons, those which have refer-
ence to the conditions of our service. I also omit several
paragraphs which, owing to a subsequent alteration in
the organisation of our officers, became non-effective.
Extracts from the Instructions under which we Sailed.
. . . The objects of the expedition are (a) to determine,
as far as possible, the nature, condition, and extent of that
portion of the South Polar lands which is included in the scope
of your expedition ; and (b) to make a magnetic survey in the
southern regions to the south of the 40th parallel, and to carry
on meteorological, oceanographic, geological, biological, and
physical investigations and researches. Neither of these objects
is to be sacrificed to the other.
. . . We, therefore, impress upon you that the greatest
importance is attached to the series of magnetic observations
to be taken under your superintendence, and we desire that you
will spare no pains to ensure their accuracy and continuity.
The base station for your magnetic work will be at Melbourne
or at Christchurch, New Zealand. A secondary base station is
to be established by you, if possible, in Victoria Land. You
should endeavour to carry the magnetic survey from the Cape
to your primary base station south of the 40th parallel, and
from the same station across the Pacific to the meridian of
Greenwich. It is also desired that you should observe along
the tracks of Ross, in order to ascertain the magnetic changes
that have taken place in the interval between the two voyages.
VOL. I. G
82 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
... It is desired that the extent of land should be ascer-
tained by following the coastlines ; that the depth and nature
of the ice-cap should be investigated, as well as the nature of
the volcanic region, of the mountain ranges, and especially of
any fossiliferous rocks.
. . . You will see that the meteorological observations are
regularly taken every two hours. ... It is very desirable that
there should, if possible, be a series of meteorological observa-
tions to the south of the 74th parallel.
As regards magnetic work and meteorological observations
generally, you will follow the programme arranged between the
German and British Committees, with the terms of which you
are acquainted.
Whenever it is possible, while at sea, deep-sea soundings
should be taken with serial temperatures, and samples of sea-
water at various depths are to be obtained for physical and
chemical analysis. Dredging operations are to carried on as
frequently as possible, and all opportunities are to be taken for
making biological and geological collections.
. . . The chief points of geographical interest are as fol-
lows : — To explore the ice-barrier of Sir James Ross to its
eastern extremity ; to discover the land which was believed by
Ross to flank the barrier to the eastward, or to ascertain that it
does not exist, and generally to endeavour to solve the very
important physical and geographical questions connected with
this remarkable ice-formation.
Owing to our very imperfect knowledge of the conditions
which prevail in the Antarctic seas, we cannot pronounce
definitely whether it will be necessary for the ship to make her
way out of the ice before the winter sets in, or whether she
should winter in the Antarctic Regions. It is for you to decide
on this important question after a careful examination of the
local conditions.
If you should decide to winter in the ice . . . your efforts
as regards geographical exploration should be directed to three
objects, namely — an advance into the western mountains, an
advance to the south, and an exploration of the volcanic
region.
INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED S3
... In an enterprise of this nature much must be left to
the discretion and judgment of the commanding officer, and we
fully confide in your combined energy and prudence for the
successful issue of a voyage which will command the attention
of all persons interested in navigation and science throughout
the civilised world. At the same time we desire you constantly
to bear in mind our anxiety for the health, comfort, and safety
of all entrusted to your care.
Such were the principal paragraphs of the instruc-
tions which were signed by the Presidents of the Royal
and Royal Geographical Societies and delivered into my
hands, and when my tale is told I think it will be
acknowledged that they were closely observed.
That part of my story which concerns the preparation
of our venture is almost accomplished, and the reader will
now understand how and why in July 1901 the ' Discovery'
lay in the East India Dock equipped for her long voyage.
Of the difficulties which threatened to avert this
happy accomplishment, space has only permitted me to
give the briefest outline. Dr. Nansen has observed that
the hardest work of a Polar voyage comes in its prepara-
tion, and my remembrance of the years 1900-1 fully
corroborates this dictum ; but even the troubles and trials
of this anxious time had their bright side, and it is only
with pleasure that I can look back on the kindly assist-
ance which was freely given to the expedition, and to
one who like myself was treading unaccustomed paths
to further its ends.
Briefly and inadequately I have already mentioned
the services of many eminent men who bore a share in
our enterprise, but such references have by no means
G 2
84 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY'
included all to whom our gratitude is due. It is not
generally understood that in undertaking the management
of our expedition the two great Societies concerned
assumed an unprecedented responsibility. A great
Government department like the Admiralty would have
had little difficulty in preparing a dozen such ven-
tures, because it has all the machinery necessary for
dealing with these matters ; but a learned Society pos-
sesses no such facilities, because as a rule it has no need
of them. Neither the Royal nor the Royal Geogra-
phical Society was organised for the equipment of expe-
ditions, and consequently for them such a task was beset
with difficulties. That all obstacles were successfullv
overcome is to the lasting credit of these bodies, but
especially is it to the honour of those who bore the chief
responsibility as officers of the Societies. I think there
is little doubt that these gentlemen would acknowledge
that during the troublous youth of the Antarctic Ex-
pedition they were more worried over its details than
by all the other business of the Societies which they
guided.
Of those who were thus forced to give much atten-
tion to the affairs of the expedition, and who did so for
its benefit, were the successive Presidents of the Royal
Society, Lord Lister and Sir William Huggins ; the
Honorary Secretaries, Sir Arthur Riicker and Sir Michael
Foster ; and the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Harrison. In
speaking of my own experiences, I have ever to re-
member the courteous and kindly treatment I received
from these gentlemen. There were many reasons why
THOSE WHO ASSISTED THE EXPEDITION 85
my lot was still more closely cast with the Geographical
Society at this time, and here, also, I can speak in the
warmest manner of the treatment I received. Its Secre-
tary, Dr. Scott Keltie, has always taken the keenest
interest in the expedition, and the services he has ren-
dered to it and to me might alone occupy a chapter of
this book. To the Honorary Secretaries of this Society
also, Major L. Darwin and Mr. J. F. Hughes, my
thanks are due for their continual efforts to make my
path smooth ; and of the important services of Dr. H. R.
Mill, who was at this time Librarian of the Society, I
shall speak at a later date.
Though on the officers of the Societies fell the
greatest share of the difficulties which beset the expe-
dition, there were several other gentlemen who in the
midst of busy lives spared many an hour for its service.
As Hydrographer of the Navy, Sir William Wharton
undertook the supply of the greater part of the instru-
ments which we carried, and in this, as in many other
ways, he showed his deep sympathy with the objects of
the expedition.
On Captain E. W. Creak, at that time Director of
Compasses at the Admiralty, fell all the difficulties of
arranging our long and complicated magnetic programme,
and of drawing up such instructions concerning it as were
necessary for our guidance.
Amongst those who gave their services freely on
various committees, in arranging the details of depart-
mental work, and in adding to the interest of that excellent
publication the ' Antarctic Manual,' may be mentioned
S6 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY
Mr. R. H. Scott, Mr. Howard Saunders, Mr. J. Y.
Buchanan, Dr. W. T. Blanford, Mr. P. L. Sclater,
Captain T. H. Tizard, Sir Archibald Geikie, Mr. J.
Teall, Professor E. B, Poulton, Sir John Evans, and
Dr. A. Buchan. Not less valuable to me, starting as I
did with no experience of Polar work, was the kindly
advice and assistance I received from those officers who
had taken part in Arctic Expeditions ; and for my
guidance in numerous respects I have to thank many a
conversation with such eminent travellers as Sir Vesey
Hamilton, Sir George Nares, Sir Albert Markham, Sir
Leopold McClintock, Admiral Aldrich, Admiral Chase
Parr, and perhaps most of all with my old Captain,
now Admiral G. Le C. Egerton.
As will be seen, there were many who had a share
in the building of our Antarctic Expedition ; but even
with all this kindly assistance it is doubtful whether it
would ever have started had it not been that amongst
the many who gave to it some hours from their busy
lives was one who, from the first, had given his whole
and undivided attention.
After all is said and done, it was Sir Clements Mark-
ham who conceived the idea of an Antarctic Expedition ;
it was his masterful personality which forced it onward
through all obstruction ; and to him, therefore, is mainly
due the credit that at the end of July 1901 we were
prepared to set out on our long voyage and eager to obey
the behest :
Do ye, by star-eyed Science led, explore
Each lonely ocean, each untrodden shore.
s;
CHAPTER III
VOYAGE TO NEW ZEALAND
Arrival at Cowes — Visit of the King — Sailing from Cowes — Maderia —
Crossing the Line — South Trinidad — Arrival at the Cape — Simon's Bay —
At Sea in the Westerlies* — Alarm of Fire — First Encounter with the Ice —
Southern Birds — Macquarie Island — Lyttelton, New Zealand — Prepara-
tions for Final Departure — Departure from Lyttelton — Fatal Accident —
Final Departure from Civilisation.
They saw the cables loosened, they saw the gangways cleared,
They heard the women weeping, they heard the men who cheered.
Far off— far off the tumult faded and died away,
And all alone the sea wind came singing up the Bay. — Newbolt.
In spite of difficulties and delays in the delivery of
the ship and in stocking her with the complicated
equipment which had been provided, the ' Discovery '
left the London Docks on the last day of July 1901,
and slowly wended her way down the Thames.
Late on August 1 we arrived at Spithead, here to
carry out that most important matter of swinging the
ship. It may not be generally known that all ships,
before proceeding on a voyage, are ' swung ' — that is, are
turned slowly round, whilst the errors of their compasses
on each point are eliminated by the application of
correcting magnets. Although the great care taken in
building the ' Discovery ' to keep all iron away from the
neighbourhood of the compass rendered the use of
88 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' fAuo.
correcting magnets unnecessary, yet it had been im-
possible to banish the disturbing causes wholly, and it
was most necessary to find out exactly what influence
they had, not only on the compass, but on the position
in which it was proposed to work the rarer magnetic
instruments — that is to say, in the small central magnetic
deck-house. This work was completed during the week,
and on Monday morning, August 5, we made fast to a
buoy in Cowes Harbour, at this time crowded with
yachts assembled for the famous ' Cowes week.' In
the midst of vessels displaying such delicate beauty of
outline, the ' Discovery,' with her black, solid, sombre
hull, her short masts, square spars, and heavy rigging,
formed a striking antithesis, a fit example to point the
contrast of ' work ' and ' play.' Shortly before noon we
were honoured by a visit from their Majesties the King
and Queen. The visit was quite informal, but must be
ever memorable from the kindly, gracious interest shown
in the minutest details of our equipment, and the frank
expression of good wishes for our plans and welfare.
In those days we thought much of the grim possi-
bilities of our voyage. There was ever present before
us the unpleasant reflection that we might start off with
a flourish of trumpets and return with failure. But
although we longed to get away from our country as
quietly as possible, we could not but feel gratified that
His Majesty should have shown such personal sympathy
with our enterprise, and it was a deep satisfaction to
know that our efforts would be followed with interest
by the highest in the land, as well as by others of our
i9oi] DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND 89
countrymen more particularly occupied with the prob-
lems before us.
On the afternoon of the 5th the ship was crowded
with visitors, whilst we did our best to make the final
preparations for sea. At noon on the 6th we slipped
from our buoy and, after receiving a visit from the First
Lord of the Admiralty, steered to the west ; a few of our
immediate relatives who had remained on board hastened
to say their last farewells, and, descending into their boats
off the little town of Yarmouth, waved their adieux as
the ' Discovery ' steamed towards the Needles Channel.
How willingly would one dispense with these fare-
wells, and how truly one feels that the greater burden of
sadness is on those who are left behind ! Before us lay
new scenes, new interests, expanding horizons ; but who
at such times must not think sorely of the wives and
mothers condemned to think of the past, and hope in
silent patience for the future, through years of suspense
and anxiety ?
Early on the 7th the Start was still in sight, but
gradually it shaded from green to blue, till towards noon
it vanished in the distance, and with it our last view of
the Old Country.
At this time we had much to learn about the ' Dis-
covery.' Great as may be the advantage of having a
new ship, it can be readily understood that there are also
serious drawbacks. In addition to our want of fami-
liarity with the details of such a vessel, her construction,
her engines, and so forth, we were ignorant of her
capacity of performance under steam or sail, and we
90 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Aug.
could not predict with any degree of certainty the length
of time which would be necessary for our long voyage to
New Zealand.
As we steered our course across the Bay of Biscay
with varying baffling winds, it soon became evident that
the ' Discovery ' did not possess a turn of speed under
any conditions ; that with favourable winds we could hope
for little more than seven or eight knots, whereas a very
moderate head- wind might reduce her to a fraction of
this speed.
Under these conditions our voyage to New
Zealand promised to occupy a very long time, and it
became obvious that we could not stop by the way
longer than was absolutely necessary, since delay in the
date of our arrival was limited by the desire to take full
advantage of the Southern summer of 190 1-2 for our
first exploration in the ice.
This proved a most serious drawback, as I had con-
fidently looked for ample opportunities to make trial of
our various devices for sounding and dredging in the
deep sea whilst we remained in temperate climates.
Some of these devices were new, and with all we were
unfamiliar ; and the fact that we were unable to practise
with them during our outward voyage was severely felt
when they came to be used afterwards in the Antarctic
Regions.
On August 14 we sighted the island of Madeira, and
late that night anchored off Funchal. The directors of
the Union-Castle Line had generously placed a small
quantity of coal at our disposal at this port, and we
i9oi] AT MADEIRA 91
hoped to take it in and to complete some small repairs on
the following day ; but, as luck would have it, this proved
a ' Fiesta ' (feast day), and we were unable to get to sea
until the afternoon of the 16th, though our courteous
agents, Messrs. Blandy, did their best to hasten the
work. On sailing from Madeira we reluctantly bade
farewell to Dr. H. R. Mill, who, as an expert in oceano-
graphy and meteorology, had accompanied us on the
first stage of our journey to assist us in arranging the
various branches of work in these departments.
By this time, however, the routine of our scientific
observations had taken form, and departments had been
allotted to various officers who continued to be respon-
sible for them throughout the voyage ; and now was
commenced that steady, patient record of observation
on which so much of the success of an expedition must
depend.
The analysis of the records of many thousands
of ocean voyages in all parts of the world has resulted
in the issue of sailing directions which give the
best advice as to the course to be taken by various
classes of vessels. As a rule full-powered steamers alone
can proceed directly from port to port ; small-powered
steamers and, still more, sailing ships are obliged to
shape a devious course in order to take advantage of
favourable winds and currents. The progress of the
4 Discovery ' was so wholly dependent on wind and
weather that in making ocean passages she was obliged
to be considered in this respect as a sailing ship, and
to make long detours which involved the traversing of
92 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Aug.
many hundreds of miles more than would be required on
the direct track.
With the help of the N.E. trade wind we made
steady progress to the south during the third week in
August, but losing the trade in 17 N. lat, our daily
run was so reduced by baffling winds that we did not
cross the line till August 31.
The traditional customs of this event were fully
observed. Father Neptune and his Tritons held their
court on a platform immediately above a large canvas
bath, and the numerous members of our company who
had not yet been introduced to His Majesty succeeded
one another in this rather trying ordeal. The victim
was blindfolded, and seated on the bare edge of a plank
over the bath ; in front of him stood the barber, with a
huge jagged pantomime razor, and the barber's assistant,
with a whitewash brush and a bucket of soft soap ; the
unfortunate tyro was then asked questions, and the
barber's assistant showed his deftness with the lather
when he opened his mouth to reply ; after a good deal
of such rude horseplay, usually prolonged in proportion
to the victim's reluctance as shown by his struggles to
escape, a last push sent him floundering into the bath
below.
Immediately on crossing the line we fell in with the
S.E. trade wind, and stopped our engines to give them
a much-needed refit. Remaining under sail during the
ensuing nine days, we had some opportunity of gauging
the sailing qualities of the ship, and found to our chagrin
i9oi] CROSSING THE LINE 93
that they were exceedingly poor. Although we made
some progress through the water, the course laid and the
leeway made carried us far to the westward, and compara-
tively close to the South American coast. On Septem-
ber 9 we raised steam and shaped our course for South
Trinidad Island. Since our departure from Madeira we
had suffered some trouble from the leaking of the
1 Discovery.' Much of it sprang from the hopeful pre-
diction of the builders that there would be no leak, and
in consequence of this no flooring had been placed in
the holds to lift the provisions above any water which
might collect, and the provision cases had been packed
close down to the keel. When the water began to
enter, therefore, there was no well in which it could lie,
and it rose amongst the cases, causing a good deal of
damage. In the old days it had always been expected
that a wooden ship would leak, and the more pleasing
hope with regard to the ' Discovery ' was based on the
fact that she possessed two layers of planking on the
outside of her frames and one on the inside. In this
respect, however, the fact proved rather a disadvantage
than otherwise, as it made it most difficult to localise the
spot at which the water was entering, and there was
every chance that it passed through the inner skin at
quite a different place from that at which it had pene-
trated the outer. As soon as we were assured of calm
seas the holds were unstowed and a flooring built,
but this was not effected before we had suffered con-
siderable damage to our provisions, which we were
afterwards put to some expense in replacing.
94 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
Later on we had the annoyance of seeing the report
of our leak exaggerated and represented as a danger to
the ship. This it never was, but of course the water
that entered had to be pumped out ; and if the whole
voyage is considered, the sum total of hours spent in
pumping out the ' Discovery ' is a large one.
The island of South Trinidad is an isolated mass of
volcanic rock lying some 500 miles to the east of the
continent of South America. It has been frequently
visited, though not regularly, and a fascinating description
is given of it in ' The Cruise of the " Falcon " ' (E. F.
Knight). Few naturalists have landed on it, and as it
lay on our route I thought our time would not be
wasted in giving our officers an opportunity of a run
ashore. We sighted it on the morning of the 13th, and,
approaching the western side, manned our boats and
pulled for the shore. The ocean swell was breaking
heavily along the whole coast, and the prospect of landing
looked doubtful, but at length we found a small natural
pier which seemed to afford some shelter from the heavy
rollers ; even here, however, our small boats were at one
moment lifted high above the rocks, and at the next had
dropped many feet below them. The attempt to land
seemed hazardous, and on inquiring if all on board could
swim, I found that one at least could not ; but the shore
looked too enticing to our sea-accustomed eyes to be
abandoned without an effort, and, handling the boats with
care, we eventually succeeded in taking advantage of the
lift of each wave to leap one by one on to the rocks, and
at length all except the boat-keepers were safely landed.
i9oi] TOWARDS THE CAPE 95
On the rocky shore we scattered in various direc-
tions, some of us climbing to a line of tree-ferns 1,200
feet above the sea ; and the day passed pleasantly as we
rambled about in search of specimens of life peculiar
to the island. Little of novelty could be expected from
a stay of six hours, but we had the satisfaction of finding
a few species new to science, of which perhaps the most
important was a new petrel, afterwards named ' sEstrelata
Wilsoni] after our zoologist, Dr. Wilson. We left South
Trinidad the same night and steered to the south to get
into the region of westerly winds. On the 18th our coal
supply was getting so short that I decided to proceed
under sail and husband what remained of our limited
stock. The wind proved very fitful, but by keeping well
to the south we received it from the westward, and
made slow but sure progress towards our destination.
On October 2 we arrived within 150 miles of the
Cape, and, getting up steam, rounded Green Point and
entered Table Bay at four o'clock on the 3rd. On the
4th we refilled our bunkers with coal, and that night put
to sea once more, to take up our quarters off the naval
station at Simon's Bay. It was during this short passage
that we first appreciated the ' Discovery's • ability to
roll : on meeting a heavy swell off the Cape Peninsula
during the night, our small ship, without any sail to
steady her, was swung from side to side through an
angle of 900, and as some of our furniture was not well
secured, chaos reigned below and discomfort every-
where.
The main object of our stay at the Cape was to
96 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
obtain comparisons with our magnetic instruments.
The instruments which are used in a ship for taking
observations of the various magnetic elements are un-
fortunately subject to change, and consequently the
observations at sea are of little value unless such
changes are known. Whenever it is possible, there-
fore, the sea instruments are compared with absolute
values on land, and by this means the sea observations
are corrected. The observations to be taken on our
voyage to New Zealand were an important part of our
magnetic survey, and it was highly desirable that the
errors of the instruments to be used should be obtained
before and after the voyage — that is, at the Cape and in
New Zealand.
To compare all our instruments with suitable care
was a long and tedious operation. There being no fixed
magnetic observatory at the Cape, the work was done in
tents, kindly lent by the Admiral and pitched on a plateau
beyond the hills immediately surrounding the port. It
was carried out by Lieutenants Armitage and Barne,
with the kind assistance of Professors Beatty and
Morrison, of the Cape University ; and as it could only
be continued during the daylight hours, ten days passed
before all the observations were completed. On board
the ship every advantage was taken of this spell to refit.
The rigging was set up afresh, the deck and top sides
of the ship were re-caulked, the engines were overhauled,
and the weed was removed from the bottom by the
divers of the fleet.
At this time the war was proceeding, and things
BIRD-SKINNERS AT WORK.
MAGNETIC OBSERVATIONS AT THE CAPE.
I9oi] HOSPITALITY AT THE CAPE 9;
were in an unsatisfactory state; guerilla bands had
penetrated so far into the Colony that martial law had
been proclaimed at Capetown ; the termination of
hostilities seemed very remote ; officials and residents
took a gloomy view of the outlook. Under these
circumstances it is additionally pleasing to record
the great kindness which we received at all hands, the
ready assistance which was offered us, both in our
scientific work and in the more practical requirements
of the ship, and the kindly hospitality which made our
visit so pleasant. Our peaceful mission was regarded
with sympathy and interest by all, and we remember
with gratitude the entertainment provided for us by His
Excellency the Governor, Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson,
by Sir David Gill and the members of the Philosophical
Society, and by Mr. Andrews, of the Union-Castle Line.
But above all we owed thanks to the Naval Com-
mander-in-Chief, Sir Arthur Moore, who placed at our
disposal the resources of the naval dockyard for our
repairs and most generously extended to our officers
the hospitality of Admiralty House. It is difficult to
express how much we owed to these attentions, which
smoothed our difficulties and obviated all chance of
unnecessary delay.
By October 14 our refitting and the magnetic obser-
vations had been completed, and all preparations had
been made for sea. In the morning Mr. George Murray
bade us farewell, much to our regret ; he had originally
been appointed to accompany the ship to Melbourne,
but owing to the unexpected delays of our voyage, I had
vol. 1. h
98 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Oct.
perforce decided to go direct to New Zealand, without
calling at that port. The additional length of the
voyage, and the delay already experienced, would have
prolonged his absence from his regular work at the
British Museum to such an extent that Mr. Murray
thought it best to return direct from the Cape. After a
last farewell to all our naval friends, at noon we slowly
steamed out of the harbour, accompanied by the cheers
of the war-ships, and proud of this last tribute of their
generous sympathy.
For nearly a week after our departure from the
Cape we had light westerly winds — an unusual ex-
perience, especially as we were now well in that belt
known to sailors as the ' Roaring Forties ' ; but
after the first week we had little to complain of on
the score of wind, and our daily run became a much
more satisfactory thing to contemplate. Towards the
end of the month we had a succession of heavy follow-
ing gales, and although we had put out our fires and
were dependent on sail power alone, we frequently
exceeded 200 miles in the day, an exceedingly good run
for a ship of the ' Discovery's ' type.
As time went on we became more and more satisfied
with the seaworthy qualities of our small ship ; she
proved wonderfully stiff, and as her sail area was small,
it was rarely, if ever, necessary to shorten sail even in
the most violent gales ; she rose like a cork to the moun-
tainous seas that now followed in her wake, and, con-
sidering her size, was wonderfully free of water on the
upper deck,
i9oi] AT SEA IN THE WESTERLIES 99
With a heavy following sea, however, she was, owing
to her buoyancy, extremely lively, and we frequently
recorded rolls of more than 400. The peculiar
rounded shape of the stern, to which I have referred,
and which had given rise to so much criticism, was now
well tested. It gave additional buoyancy to the after-
end, causing the ship to rise more quickly to the seas,
but the same lifting effect was also directed to throwing
the ship off her course, and consequently she was more
difficult to steer. Our helmsmen gradually became more
expert, but at first when some mountainous wave caught
us up, we narrowly escaped broaching-to, and on one
occasion we actually did so. I happened to be on the
bridge at the time, with some other officers, as our small
vessel swerved round and was immediately swept by a
monstrous sea, which made a clean breach over her ; we
clutched instinctively at the bridge rails, and for several
moments were completely submerged, whilst the spray
dashed as high as our upper topsails. A great deal of
water found its way below, flooding the wardroom and
many of the cabins, from the decks of which people were
soon busily picking up books and garments in a more or
less sodden condition. Needless to say, we did our best
to avoid * broaching-to ' again.
On October 31 we accomplished our record run
under sail alone, driving before a very heavy gale.
This amounted to 223 miles in the twenty-four hours.
We were now gradually increasing our latitude, until on
November 12 we were in lat. 51 S., long. 131 E.,
when we arrived in an extremely interesting magnetic
H 2
ioo THE VOYAGE OF THE * DISCOVERY' [Nov.
area, and I decided to steer to the south to explore it
more effectively.
The exact reason for this decision is somewhat tech-
nical, but I may briefly recall that amongst the elements
that came within the purview of our magnetic survey
was that of magnetic force or the actual pull exercised
by the earth at various places. The only data pre-
viously available seemed to show a curious inconsistency
in the distribution of this force to the northward of the
Magnetic Pole, where we had now arrived, and conse-
quently it was desirable to make our survey in this
region as extensive as possible. This new course took
us well to the south, far out of the track of ships and
towards the regions of ice.
It was almost on arrival in these lonely waters that I
was awakened one night by a loud knocking and a voice
shouting, ' Ship's afire, sir.' I sprang up full of ' Where ? '
'When?' and 'How?' only to find that my informant
had fled. As may be imagined, I was not long in getting
on the deck, which was very dark and obstructed by
numerous other half-clad people, who knew no more
than I. Making my way forward I at length found,
amidst streams of water and a slight smell of burning,
the officer of the watch, who explained that the fire had
been under the forecastle, but had been easily extin-
guished when the hose had been brought to bear on
it. It eventually transpired that the rolling of the ship
had brought some oilskins dangerously close to a police
light, and that this had not been discovered until the
woodwork round about was blazing merrily. In these
IMPEOVISED STUDDING SAILS IN THE WESTERLIES.
FIRST VISIT TO THE ICE.
i9oi] FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE ICE 101
days, steel ships and electric lights tend to lessen the fear
of fire, but in a wooden vessel the possible consequences
are too serious not to make the danger a very real one,
nor to allow such a report as was made to me to be
received without alarm. The risk of fire was one which
was very constantly in my thoughts ; it must always
loom large in a wooden ship, and I am not at all sure
that it is much lessened in a polar climate, whereas in
polar regions the consequences may be vastly increased.
It can be imagined that after such an experience as this,
I was not less likely to realise the peril, but as events
turned out, I am happy to say, this was the first and last
occasion on which an alarm of fire was raised : we were
never again scared with such a report.
On November 15 we crossed the 60th parallel,
and on the following morning much excitement was
caused by our first sight of the sea-ice. At first we
saw only small pieces, worn into fantastic shape by the
action of the waves, but as the afternoon advanced
signs of a heavier pack appeared ahead, and soon the
loose floes were all about us, and the ' Discovery ' was
pushing her way amongst them, receiving her baptism
of ice.
As night closed down on us we became closely sur-
rounded by the pack, which consisted of comparatively
small pieces of ice from two to three feet in thickness
and much worn at their edges by the constant move-
ment of the swell. The novelty of our surroundings
impressed us greatly. The wind had died away ; what
light remained was reflected in a ghostly glimmer from
102 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Nov.
the white surface of the pack ; now and again a white
snow petrel flitted through the gloom, the grinding of
the floes against the ship's side was mingled with the
more subdued hush of their rise and fall on the long
swell, and for the first time we felt something of the
solemnity of these great Southern solitudes.
We had now reached lat. 62.50 S., long, 139 E.,
and were within 200 miles of Adelie Land, discovered
by Dumont D'Urville. With steam we should have
had small difficulty in pushing on towards the land ;
but already our delays had been excessive, and we
knew that we could not add to them if we were to
reach New Zealand betimes. Reluctantly the ship's
head was once more turned towards the north and we
passed again into looser ice. On the following day we
passed a small iceberg, the only one seen in this region.
Two soundings taken about this time gave depths of
2,500 and 2,300 fathoms respectively, showing that the
ocean depths must extend moderately close to Adelie
Land ; but a third taken at our more southerly position
gave 1,750 fathoms, rather indicating that the shoaling
of the greater depths was commencing.
The tempestuous seas of the Southern oceans have
one great feature, lacking in other oceans, in the quantity
and variety of their bird life. The fact supplies an interest
to the voyager which can scarcely be appreciated by
those who have not experienced it, for not only are
these roaming, tireless birds seen in the distance, but in
the majority of cases they are attracted by a ship and
gather close about her for hours, and even days. The
< :k
i9oi] SOUTHERN BIRDS 103
greater number are of the petrel tribe, and vary in size
from the greater albatrosses, with their huge spread
of wing and unwavering flight, to the small Wilson
stormy petrel, which flits under the foaming crests of
the waves. For centuries these birds have been the
friends of sailors, who designated them by more or
less familiar names, some of which have been pre-
served, whilst others have been dropped for more
definite titles. In the older accounts of voyages it is
often difficult to recognise the birds referred to; for
instance, the term ' Eglet ' seems to have been applied
to various species. But the ' Wanderer,' ' Sooty,'
1 Cape Hen,' ' Cape Pigeon,' * Giant Petrel,' and many
others are survivals which the ordinary man still prefers
to employ in preference to the scientific designation. It
was the shooting of a ' Sooty ' albatross by one Simon
Hartley in Shelvocke's voyage that supplied the theme
immortalised in the ' Ancient Mariner.'
Our zoologist Dr. Wilson was possessed of the neces-
sary knowledge to distinguish and name our various
visitors, and with his assistance most of us soon became
familiar with even the rarer species. This not only
added greatly to the interest of the voyage, but enabled
us in turn to assist in keeping the record of such visits.
Various devices were resorted to in our endeavours
to capture birds for our collection, and sooner or later
examples of most of the species were brought on board.
The larger albatrosses were caught by towing a small
metal triangle, well baited ; when a bird settled, the
line would be slacked, and as it pecked at the bait a
104 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Nov.
jerk of the line would sometimes catch its beak in the
sharp angle of the triangle, when by keeping a steady
strain on the line the bird could be landed. The smaller
birds were usually caught by becoming entangled in
long streamers of strong thread which were allowed to
float away in the wind. A lead weight on the end of a
string was also a means of capturing such birds as flew
close to the ship. The weight would be thrown over
the bird so that, in falling, the string would descend
across the wings. All such devices required much
patience and deftness to be effective, and our most
successful bird catchers, the chief engineer, Mr. Skelton,
and the second engineer, Mr. Dellbridge, spent many a
patient hour before they were rewarded with a capture,
The larger albatrosses rarely go as far south as the
ice, but the smaller species of white albatrosses, as well
as the dusky, sinister-looking ' Sooty,' accompanied us
as far as the edge of the pack. But the birds which
live in the regions of ice are rarely met with in the more
northerly seas, though a few are widely distributed. It
may be taken for granted that all the birds inhabiting
the icy seas are now known ; sooner or later during our
voyage we saw all, but we were not often in circum-
stances to make such a good bag as during our short
visit to the ice in November. It was then that for the
first time we saw and captured the Southern Fulmar, a
beautiful bluish-grey petrel ; the Antarctic petrel, a
white bird with brown barred wings and head ; the
Snow petrel, with its pure white plumage ; and two species
of the small blue Prion or Whale-bird.
A GOOD CAPTURE — A WANDERING ALBATROSS (Diomedea exulans).
' SCAMP.'
[See p. 106.
i9oi] MACQUARIE ISLAND 105
On November 22 we sighted Macquarie Island,
which lies about 600 miles S.W. of New Zealand, and as
we came abreast of it early in the afternoon I thought we
might devote the few hours of daylight which remained
to an excursion on shore. We accordingly anchored in
Fisherman's Cove, a poorly sheltered spot to the east-
ward of the island, and after pushing through thick kelp
we succeeded in landing on a sheltered beach, and our
naturalists were soon busily at work making collections.
The western slopes of the island are bare, but on the
eastern side a coarse tussock grass grows thickly and
makes walking rather difficult. Our attention was prin-
cipally devoted to the penguin rookeries on the beach,
of which there were two inhabited by different species
of birds, the larger and more numerous kind being the
richly coloured King penguin, and the other a small
crested penguin (Schlegelt).
It was the first time that any of us had seen a
penguin rookery, and every detail of their strange habits
proved absorbingly interesting ; we were lucky enough
to have arrived during the nesting season, and were
able to collect specimens of eggs and of the young in
various stages of development. Perhaps the most
excited member of our party was my small Aberdeen
terrier ' Scamp,' who was highly delighted with his run
on shore, until he came to the penguins, when he was
most obviously and comically divided between a desire
to run away and a feeling that he ought to appear bold
in such strange company. The result was a series of
short rushes, made with suppressed growls and every
106 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Nov.
hair bristling, but ending at a very safe distance. I may
add that ' Scamp ' found a comfortable home in New
Zealand ; it was felt that an Antarctic climate would
prove too much for him ; and in becoming the idol of a
household he quickly forgot his former acquaintances.
As night fell we weighed our anchor and proceeded
to the north, sighting the Auckland Islands on the 25th,
and rather foolishly shaping our course to pass to wind-
ward of them. As we came abreast of the land the
wind became very fresh, and with a strong set to leeward
we were for some time anxious about our prospect of
weathering it. Eventually, however, we were lucky
enough to clear the rocks at the northern end just before
the wind increased to a full gale, which, with a heavy
sea, caused us to lurch on one occasion to an angle of
550, and kept us in considerable discomfort below.
Late on the 29th we arrived off Lyttelton Heads, and
on the following clay were berthed alongside a jetty in
the harbour.
It is most difficult to speak in fitting terms of the
kindness shown to us in New Zealand, both at this time
and on our return from the Antarctic Regions. The
general kindness and hospitality of New Zealanders are
well known to every stranger who has visited the
country, but in our case there was added a keen and
intelligent interest in all that concerned the expedition,
and a whole-hearted desire to further its aims. Officers
and men were received with open arms and quickly made
friends — friends who hastened to assure them that
although already separated by many thousands of miles
i9oi] LYTTELTON, NEW ZEALAND 107
from their native land, here in this new land they would
find a second home, and those who would equally think
of them in their absence and welcome them on their
return.
But it is not only for private but for public kind-
ness and sympathy that we have to thank the people
of New Zealand : on all sides we received the most
generous treatment. All charges for harbour dues,
docking, wharfage, &c, were remitted to us by the
Lyttelton Harbour Board, and the sum thus saved to
the expedition throughout the voyage was very large.
The railway authorities gave us many facilities for the
transport of our stores, and issued free tickets to officers
and men for passage over their lines. On every side we
were accorded the most generous terms by the firms or
individuals with whom we had to deal in business
matters. By the Christchurch Magnetic Observatory
and by the Christchurch Museum we were offered
numerous facilities in carrying on our scientific work.
Later on, to add to this noble record of sympathetic
help, the Government of New Zealand subscribed
1 ,000/. towards the expenses of the relief ship.
In considering such general kindness it is almost in-
vidious to mention particular names, but the following
gentlemen are amongst those who must be especially
remembered by us for the manner in which they were
ever ready to assist us : His Excellency the Governor,
Lord Ranfurly ; the Premier, Mr. Seddon ; the Hon.
C. C. Bowen ; Captain Hutton, of the Christchurch
Museum ; Mr. Kinsey, Mr. Waymouth, Mr. A. Rhodes,
108 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Nov.
Mr. Coleridge Farr, of the Christchurch Observatory,
and Mr. H. J. Miller, of Lyttelton.
A great deal of work lay before us at Lyttelton.
The rigging had to be thoroughly overhauled and
refitted ; this was taken in hand at once, and the work
was much expedited by assistance given . by working
parties sent by H.M.S. ' Ringarooma.' The ' Ringa-
rooma ' had been directed to lend us all possible aid by
the Admiral, Sir Lewis Beaumont, who, as an old Arctic
traveller, took an especial interest in our mission, and
the Admiral's wishes were most thoroughly carried out
by Captain Rich, of that vessel. Meanwhile our mag-
neticians were forced to undertake again the comparison
of their delicate instruments, and as this was the last
occasion on which it could be done, special care and
attention were necessary ; but now, instead of camping in
tents on a heathery hill plateau as they had done at the
Cape, they were able to carry on their work in an obser-
vatory equipped with every modern convenience, and
directed by an official who was not only eager to render
them every assistance, but was preparing himself to take
an important part in the international programme of ob-
servations which were to be taken in connection with
our magnetic work in the Far South. E!ven with such
facilities a long and troublesome task lay before our ob-
servers, but luckily their complement was now complete,
for we found the last of our officers, Mr. Bernacchi,
awaiting us on our arrival ; so pushed had we been with
many of our arrangements in England that this officer
had been obliged to remain behind and to spend the
i9oi] PREPARATIONS FOR FINAL DEPARTURE 109
weeks which could be saved by a rapid steamer voyage
in getting together and studying the delicate recording
instruments which were needed for our Southern station.
And so, for the time being, the members of our small
community were scattered once more, and whilst each
was working at his special task, in more than one place
there was bustle and hurry to be prepared for the date
of our final sailing.
At Lyttelton we found awaiting us large quantities of
stores ready to be shipped for our long voyage, and since,
as I have already mentioned, some of the stores in the
' Discovery ' had been damaged by the leaky state of the
ship, it was necessary to replace these by purchases in
New Zealand. It was when I appreciated the excellence
of the goods obtained in this manner I regretted that we
had not relied on New Zealand for the greater part of our
provisions. Were I to go again on such an expedition,
I should certainly do this. Tinned meat, flour, cheese,
and, in fact, every necessary for a voyage, can be
obtained at moderate prices and of most excellent
quality ; and the fact that in such an expedition as ours
these provisions would not have had to come through
the tropics is, I think, of very great importance.
The case of butter may be especially mentioned,
The tinned Danish butter which we had brought from
Europe was as satisfactory as tinned butter could be, but
in New Zealand we were able to purchase fresh butter
which is largely exported in cases of white pine, and we
found that it was quite possible to keep these cases sound
through the short voyage to the Antarctic Circle, after
no THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec.
which they could be relied on to keep for any length of
time.
Owing to the damage done to our provisions, and
wishing, moreover, to know exactly where everything
was stowed, we thought it advisable to re-stow our holds
at Lyttelton, a task which meant a good deal of labour,
but ensured our being able to take advantage of every
corner of the hold-space. As soon as it could conve-
niently be done, the ' Discovery ' was docked and every
effort was made to stop the leak. This, as I have
pointed out, was a difficult matter owing to the several
layers of planking. A thorough examination of the
ship's bottom revealed not a few defects which should
have been remedied before the ship was launched, but
though these defects were made good and the bottom
was thoroughly caulked, we found, when the ship was
again afloat, that the leak was not stopped. The chagrin
of our excellent contractor, Mr. H. J. Miller, was as deep
as our own, and for his own satisfaction he begged that
the ship might be docked again at his expense : this time
he removed all the heavy steel plates that protected the
bow of the ship, hoping that the fault might be found
beneath them ; but though more defects were made good
and every inch of the bottom was examined, we had the
intense annoyance of seeing the water again entering
when the ship was once more afloat. Every effort had
been made, we could do no more ; and the result served
to show the extreme difficulty of localising such a fault
in a ship of this kind. Amongst the many skilled work-
men whose united labour had produced the solid structure
i9oi] DEPARTURE FROM LYTTELTON in
of the ' Discovery's ' hull, had been one who had scamped
his task, no doubt knowing full well that he was free
from all chance of detection, and for this we were
condemned to suffer throughout our voyage. The leak
never grew serious, and when we were in the ice it was
very much reduced ; but, as I have said, first and last we
spent on the pumps many a weary hour that could ill be
spared with so much other work to be done.
As the month of December advanced the ' Discovery '
became a very busy scene ; parties of men were employed
in stowing every hole and corner of the available storage-
space, the upper deck was littered with packing cases of
all sorts, whilst many truck-loads of stores still stood
waiting on the wharf. As usual in such cases, the
prospect of getting everything stowed seemed hopeless.
Meanwhile, whenever permitted, flocks of curious visitors
added to the confusion ; but as many of these had come
from a long distance, it was impossible not to accede to
their almost pathetic requests to be allowed to see the
ship.
At last came the day for sailing from Lyttelton, but
not for our final departure from civilisation, for we yet
purposed to make a short visit to Port Chalmers in the
south to complete our stock of coal. On Saturday,
December 21, the 'Discovery' lay alongside the wharf
ready for sea and very deeply laden. Below, every hold
and stowage space was packed to the brim — even the
cabins were invaded with odd cases for which no corner
could be found. But the scene on deck was still more
extraordinary. Here, again, were numerous packing-
ii2 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Dec.
cases for which no more convenient resting-place could
be found ; the afterpart of the deck was occupied by
a terrified flock of forty-five sheep, a last and most
welcome present from the farmers of New Zealand.
Amidst this constantly stampeding body stood the
helmsman at the wheel ; further forward were sacks of
food, and what space remained was occupied by our
twenty-three howling dogs in a wild state of excitement.
Above the deck, the skid-beams, fitted for the car-
riage of our boats, were in addition piled high with
the woodwork of our huts, adding, as we estimated, a
weight of some thirty tons, and therefore requiring to
be secured with many lashings and much care. Here
and there stood little groups of our friends waiting for
the last handshake and to wish us Godspeed, and in-
cidentally doing their best to separate the combatants in
a dog-fight.
As may be imagined, the ship was not in a condition
in which one could look forward with pleasure to cross-
ing the stormiest ocean in the world. One could reflect
that it would have been impossible to have got more
into her, and that . all we had got seemed necessary
for the voyage ; for the rest we could only trust that
Providence would vouchsafe to us fine weather and an
easy passage to the south
Before noon our small company was collected on the
mess-deck and a short service of farewell was held by the
Bishop of Christchurch — a simple, touching ceremony
gratifying to all. At 2 p.m. we cast off our warps and
steamed slowly out of the harbour, but New Zealand was
DECK CAEGO.
IN DOCK AT LYTTEDTON.
[See p. 110.
i9oi] FATAL ACCIDENT 113
determined we should know how thoroughly it was
interested in our venture and how heartily it wished us
success. Special trains from Christchurch had borne
thousands to the port to bid us farewell. Wharves and
quays were packed with enthusiastic figures. It was
indeed a great ' send-off ' ; two men-of-war — the
1 Ringarooma ' and ' Lizard ' — steamed out slowly ahead
of us, whilst no fewer than five gaily dressed steamers,
crowded with passengers, and with bands playing and
whistles hooting, thronged about us. Cheer followed
cheer as we steamed out towards the ' Heads ' ; assembled
in the rigging, on mast or spar, our small party of adven-
turers did their best to respond to this kindly expression
of good feeling, until, as we entered the open sea, with a
last burst of cheering and a final flutter of handkerchiefs,
our kind friends turned away, and slowly we steamed
out between the war-ships that seemed to stand as
sentinels to the bay.
And now, whilst our hearts were full of this leave-
taking, whilst with our glasses we could still discern
the forms of our friends in the receding vessels, there
happened one of those tragedies that awake one to the
grim realities of life. Amongst our enthusiastic ship's
company who had crowded into the rigging to wave
their farewells, was one young seaman, named Charles
Bonner, who, more venturesome than the rest, had
climbed above the crow's nest to the top of the main-
mast. There, seated on the truck, he had remained cheer-
ing with the rest, until in a moment of madness he raised
himself into a standing position, supported only by the
vol. 1. 1
ii4 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec.
slender wind vane which capped the mast. Precisely
what happened can never be known ; possibly the first
of the sea swell caused him to lose his balance ; we
below only know that, arrested by a wild cry, we turned
to see a figure hurtling through the air, still grasping the
wind vane from the masthead. He fell head foremost
on the corner of an iron deckhouse, and death was
instantaneous. The body was borne through the con-
fused obstructions on the deck to the stern gratings, and
covered reverently with the Union Jack, whilst sadness
and gloom descended on the ship and damped for the
time all thought of our future in the South. Though
this was on Saturday, it was not until Monday that
we arrived at Port Chalmers, owing to delay from a
strong head wind. Captain Rich, of the ' Ringarooma '
had kindly promised to make arrangements for the
funeral of our poor shipmate, and though we only
arrived at 4 p.m., an inquest was immediately held, and
the body buried with naval honours at 6 p.m. Bonner
was a smart young seaman, already popular on board,
and his untimely death was much felt ; but in the busy
life we were now leading there was little time for sad
thought, and the gloom of this unfortunate accident was
rapidly dispelled in the activities of the voyage.
Of all the stores we carried, coal was perhaps the
most important, and I had determined to wedge in
every ton we could carry, more especially as, through the
generosity of Mr. John Mill, of Port Chalmers, such
coal as we received there was a free gift.
Early on the morning of the 24th we managed to
LEAVING POET CHALMEES. H.M.S. ' EINGAEOOMA ' CHEEEING SHIP.
THE LAST FAEEWELL.
i9oi] GOOD-BYE TO CIVILISATION 115
increase our already crowded deck cargo by the addition
of 45 tons of coal, which with 285 tons already in the
bunkers, brought our total up to 330 tons, a quantity
which, although it may not sound great to those who
know the consumption of modern steamers, sufficed for
aH our needs for more than two years.
At 9.30 a.m. we left the wharf after saying farewell
to the few friends who had gathered in the port even at
this early hour. The ' Ringarooma,' to whose officers
and men wTe were so deeply indebted for assistance in
the past, ■ manned ship ' and cheered us yet once again,
and soon, in company with a tug, we were wending our
way down the long, tortuous channel which leads to the
sea.
By noon we were clear of the harbour bar, with a
good offing, and with a fresh breeze from the N.E., we
loosed our sails, and were soon briskly bowling along
towards the south under steam and sail. A hoarse shout
and a hoarser whistling from our friendly tug, a final
wave from the signal station on the cliff, and we were
away. The last view of civilisation, the last sight of
fields, and trees, and flowers, had come and gone on
Christmas Eve, 1901, and as the night fell, the blue
outline of friendly New Zealand was lost to us in the
northern twilight.
1 2
n6 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec.
CHAPTER IV
SOUTHWARD HO !
Steering to the South — Fog — Icebergs — Entering Pack-ice — Life in the
Pack — Nature of Pack — Slow Progress — 'Watering Ship' — Southern
Edge of Pack — The Ross Sea — First Sight of Victoria Land — Cape
Adare — Danger in the Pack — Coulman Island — Heavy Gale — Landing
in Lady Newnes Bay — Killing Seals — Wood Bay — Cape Washington —
Coasting South — Landing in Granite Harbour — A Well-sheltered Spot —
McMurdo Sound — Stopped by the Pack — Turning to the East.
In fog and heavy weather,
Through wildering sleet and snow,
We fought the ice together,
On a track where no ships go. — Anon.
Christmas Day, 1901, found us on the open expanse of
the Southern Ocean, but after such a recent parting from
our friends we had none of us much heart for the
festivities of the season, and the day passed quietly.
The wind held fair for our voyage, at first from the
N.E., but gradually shifting round to the west. At
noon on the 26th we were able to stop engines, and our
heavily laden ship plunged on towards the south under
all the canvas that could be spread.
Although as a rule there are fewer gales to the south
of New Zealand at this time of the year than at any
other, it is not at all possible to rely on fine weather,
and in the fact that we escaped a ' blow ' whilst traversing
1901] FOG 117
these stormy seas we had to congratulate ourselves on
exceedingly good fortune. The ' Discovery ' had little
to fear from the worst gales when in good sea trim,
but at this time had we encountered a heavy sea the
consequences would have been exceedingly unpleasant.
We must inevitably have lost much of our large deck
cargo : the masses of wood on the superstructure would
have been in great danger, whilst all our sheep and
possibly many of the dogs would have been drowned.
As the days went by and we approached the Antarctic
Circle, we felt how exceptionally fortunate we were in
the continuance of fine weather. Although on the 28th
the wind failed us and we were obliged to raise steam,
on the 29th we were again favoured by a fresh breeze,
and fell back once more on our policy of using the sails
and saving the coal.
On the 31st we were in lat. 61 S., the tempera-
ture of both sea and air had fallen to 390, and we had
daylight throughout the twenty-four hours ; but we now
fell in with one of the commonest evils in these latitudes,
a thick fog, and as we did not know how soon we might
come upon icebergs, a very sharp ' look-out ' was neces-
sary.
The fog remained with us until the afternoon of
January 2, occasionally lifting* for a few hours, but again
descending like a thick pall, and giving us at least one
reason for being resigned to our very limited speed of
five knots. A fact that adds to the depressing effect of a
fog is that one's friendly companions the sea birds dis-
appear, and one realises a curious sense of desertion as
n8 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
one peers into the unbroken grey, wondering when some
monster iceberg will loom up, and prepared for instant
action to avoid collision with it.
On the afternoon of the 2nd the weather cleared, and
shortly after we sighted our first iceberg in lat. 65^ S.
Other bergs soon rose above our horizon, and in the
evening we counted seventeen about us, none more than
four or five hundred yards in length, and although gene-
rally of a tabular shape, they were not more than 90 or
100 feet in height.
The nature and origin of the southern iceberg have
always been a subject of some mystery. In the Northern
Hemisphere, where glaciers push down into the sea,
fragments, often of considerable size, become detached
and are carried by currents to decay in milder climates.
Early Southern voyagers had doubtless a knowledge
of these northern bergs, but in the southern oceans they
met with masses of ice incomparably larger than any-
thing known in the North, and to these they gave the
name of Ice Islands, or often enough went yet farther
and named them as new lands. Even Cook preserves
the name of Ice Island in describing the long tabular
berg so typical of the Southern Regions.
Except in cases where they have suffered denudation
or have lost their stability and capsized, the shape of
Antarctic icebergs is uniform : they have all a flat top
and wall sides, and appear to have broken quietly away
from some huge sheet of ice of which they formed a
part. In 1854 an iceberg of this description was reported
as fifty miles in length and 150 feet in height. Several
w
n
H
O
8
4
i9o2] ICEBERGS 119
accounts give thirty or forty miles as the length, and the
height has been even stated to be as much as 400 feet.
The longest berg reported by Ross was four miles long
and 1 50 feet in height, but he gives a greater height for
many others. The ' Challenger ' saw bergs of at least
four miles in length and 200 feet in height. The largest
berg we saw was aground off King Edward's Land, and
we estimated it as about seven miles long and 200 feet
high. Doubtless some of the larger dimensions here
given are exaggerated, but in view of the fact that, as
I hope to show, icebergs can be detached from a fixed
but floating mass of ice, I see no reason why their length
should be limited.
The whole subject of Antarctic icebergs is of more
than purely polar or scientific interest, since they drift
into more northerly latitudes, and become a formidable
danger in the navigation of the Southern Seas. In the
southern trade routes, voyages would be shortened
greatly by taking a high latitude, but the danger of
encountering these huge masses of ice has recommended
a longer but safer route, and of late, I understand,
the steamships of the New Zealand Company have
been accustomed to take a yet more northerly course for
this reason.
The bergs we now saw were comparatively small,
and our course did not take us close to any, but even at
a distance it was possible to realise the unpleasant shock
that would be experienced by suddenly encountering
them on a dark night, or in such a fog as that from which
we had just emerged. Before our voyage ended we had
120 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
ample opportunity of appreciating what unpleasant
neighbours they may prove under such conditions.
On January 3 we had left our first group of bergs
behind us ; early in the morning we crossed the
Antarctic Circle, little thinking how long a time would
elapse before we recrossed it. We had at length entered
the Antarctic Regions ; before us lay the scene of our
work ; the struggles and trials of preparation and the
anxiety of delays were over, and the haste of our long
voyage was forgotten in the fact that we had reached
the field of our labours in time to take advantage of the
best part of the short open season in these ice-bound
regions. During the night we had encountered the first
of the scattered fragments of sea-ice which form the
outriders of the pack, and soon we were passing through
loose streams of ice, feeling again the slight shocks as
our ironclad prow forced a way through the honey-
combed floes.
Having raised steam in one boiler, at 2.30 we
stopped and took a sounding, finding bottom at 2,040
fathoms. The pack wTas now on all sides of us, but so
loose that there were many large pools of open water, in
one of which we stopped for our sounding and to put
over our dredge. It is almost impossible to sound or
dredge in thick pack-ice, owing to the danger of en-
tanglement of the lines, and this was to us a very great
drawback, because in pursuing our general explorations
it was constantly necessary to enter the pack, and conse-
quently the opportunities for carrying out such interesting
operations as sounding and dredging were largely reduced.
o
<
H
a
M
M
■4*Z
I9Q2] LIFE IN THE PACK 121
The belt of pack-ice into which we had now entered
was that which was traversed for the first time by Sir
James Ross in 1840. We had therefore fully expected
to meet it more or less in the latitude in which we
actually did so. In general terms it is the ice which
freezes over the Ross Sea in the winter, and which is
broken up by the spring gales and drifts to the north,
forming a band across the sea on this meridian. Later
in the year, still drifting northward, it becomes scattered,
leaving for a brief season an open sea route to the south.
During our long stay in our winter quarters we
were able to observe to some extent the breaking-
up and clearing of the Ross Sea, which goes to form
this line of pack, and I shall refer to it in due course.
In our passage through it we had usually an over-
cast sky ; this affords the best condition for that notice-
able phenomenon the 'ice-blink,' the name given to
the white reflection thrown on the clouds by the
snowy surface of the pack. The polar voyager, when
cruising in an open sea, soon becomes familiar with the
patchy white sky which indicates the presence of ice
long before it is visible from the deck ; and in like
manner when forcing his way through the pack he looks
eagerly for the dark sky shadows which surmount the
pools of open water, by entering which he may hope to
find his progress made easier.
And now for several days we were destined to force
our way through grinding floes, making for the open
pools, and taking advantage of every favourable lead
when the ice loosened. The pack is far from being a
122 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
desert ; life abounds in many forms. As we receded
from the open sea the albatrosses and various oceanic
petrels silently vanished, but their place was taken by
other and equally interesting birds ; around us flew the
blue-grey southern fulmar and the Antarctic petrel, with
brown barred wings and head, and a white breast ; now
and again a giant petrel would come lumbering by, an
unwholesome scavenger, ready to gorge himself to re-
pletion on such carrion as might catch his vulture eye.
These birds are met with far and wide ; they vary
much in colour from black to the lighter shades of
brown, whilst there are a very large proportion of pure
albinos. Occasionally a pugnacious skua gull would
flap past, pausing to make some less formidable bird
disgorge his hard-earned dinner. But the pleasantest
and most constant of our winged visitors was the small
snow petrel, with its dainty snow-white plumage, re-
lieved only by black beak and feet and black, beady
eye. These charming little birds are everywhere in the
pack-ice, capturing for their food the small crustaceans
which the sea washes over the surface and into the caves
of the worn floes.
The squawk of the penguin was constantly heard, at
first afar and often long before the birds were seen ;
curiosity drew them to the ship, and suddenly their
small figures appeared on a floe at some distance, only
to skurry across and leap into the water on the near
side, when with what seemed extraordinary rapidity they
bobbed up again, shooting out on to the surface of
some floe quite close to the ship. Here they paused
SEA-LEOPARD AND EMPEROR PENGUIN.
i9o2] LIFE IN THE PACK 123
and gazed at us with open-eyed astonishment, occa-
sionally uttering a prolonged call, apparently to attract
any of their fellows that might be in the neighbourhood.
As the ship forced her way onward, these merry little
companions would again and again leap into the water,
journeying from floe to floe in their effort to find out
what it all meant. Some of the sailors grew very expert
in imitating their call, and could not only attract them
from a long distance, but would visibly add to their
astonishment when they approached.
In all parts of the pack seals are plentiful and spend
long hours asleep stretched out on the floes. The com-
monest kind is the crab-eater or white seal, but the
shorter species, the Ross seal, is not infrequently met
with ; whilst here and there is found the sea leopard,
ranging wide and preying on the penguins, or even
on the young of its less formidable brethren. It is
curious to observe that both seals and penguins regard
themselves as safe when they are out of the water. In
the sea they gain their livelihood as best they can with
the chance of being snapped up by each other or by
the voracious killer whale, and in that element Nature
has made them swift and alert to prey or to avoid being
preyed on. But once on the ice or on land they have
known no enemy, and can therefore conceive none. The
seal raises his head only on your near approach, and
then with but little alarm, whereas it is often difficult to
drive the penguin into the water ; even when chased
it will still avoid the water under the impression that
the sea is really the sole source of danger.
124 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
To add to our collection, whenever seals were seen
ahead, the ship's course was altered towards them, and
when sufficiently close a bullet gave the quietus to our
intended specimen ; the best shots were requisitioned for
this purpose in order that the skin and skull should be
damaged as little as possible, and to avoid unnecessary
pain. Once or twice the animals thus killed had to be
secured with a boat, but generally it was possible to
carry a rope over the floe and take a hitch round the
body, when willing hands would soon hoist it over the
side.
We had not proceeded far into the pack when our
upper deck became a busy but gory scene, for in one
part men were skinning our prizes in the shape of
seals and penguins, whilst elsewhere it was thought ad-
visable to turn our sheep into mutton, and soon we had
an array of carcases which made an excellent show, but
which, alas ! did not represent a great supply when the
number of mouths on board was reckoned. However, we
determined to consider this mutton a luxury to be kept
for the winter, and to be eked out with the greatest care.
Fresh meat will generally keep for a long time when
hung in the rigging of a ship at sea, but here we had the
advantage of temperature, and our carcases soon became
to all intents and purposes frozen mutton.
The preservation of seal skins is not a light task :
the skin is taken off with the thick layer of coarse fat
or blubber which surrounds the body, and has then to
be flensed or freed from this blubber, when it is placed
in a cask with brine.
BRINGING A SPECIMEN ON BOARD.
ANOTHER METHOD.
i902] LIFE IN THE PACK 125
Sunday, January 5, we determined to keep as a
somewhat belated Christmas day, and after the morning
service and a special dinner, we tied the ship up to the
largest piece of floe-ice we could find, and although
this only measured 100 yards across, it proved sufficient
for our purpose, which was to make our first attempt to
use the Norwegian snow shoes or ski. With very few
exceptions we had none of us used ski before, and con-
sequently our first trial caused vast amusement ; but
even in such a short time it was possible to see signs of
improvement, and before the afternoon ended races were
organised and figures were darting about in all directions,
with constant collisions and falls and much laughter. In
the evening we pushed on once more, and whilst the ice
crashed against our bows and came grinding along the
side, a sing-song was held below with choruses that went
far to drown the outer tumult.
The position of officer of the watch in the pack was
no sinecure : he had to be constantly on the alert to avoid
contact with the heavier floes and to pick out the easiest
path for the ship. When the pack was open his best
position was in the ' crow's nest,' where he could first
see the open patches of water and the heavier streams of
ice, but in thicker pack he could often handle the ship
better by ' conning ' from the bridge, and at such times
he had to be constantly giving fresh directions for
the movement of the helm. Progress through the pack
depended very largely on the care with which the ship
was handled ; often, after forging slowly ahead for some
time, an incautious movement of the helm would bring
126 THE VOYAGE OF THE * DISCOVERY' [Jan.
us in collision with some heavy piece of ice, and the ship
would be brought to a dead stop ; sometimes by pushing
on, the obstruction would be slowly forced aside, but
oftener it was necessary to reverse the engines and seek
anew direction.
The floes of this pack-ice through which we were
now passing varied very greatly in character. Generally
speaking, they increased in area as we advanced to the
south, and this might well be expected, as we did not
lose the ocean swell until we were ioo miles south of the
northern edge. There were very few signs of pressure ;
only here and there a more ancient floe could be seen
with ridged hummocks evidently produced far from its
present position, but everything seemed to give the
impression that the ice had been constantly opening out
and allowing fresh ice to form in the channels thus left
free. This would produce sheets of ice of varying
ages, and when the sheets broke into pack, rupture
would naturally take place along the joints and would
produce in close association floes of varied thick-
ness and character. The nature of sea-ice depends
largely on the temperature at which it is produced, and,
in turn, when the ice arrives in warmer water the process
of decay seems to depend on its nature. All the ice we
met with in the pack was undergoing decay, but whilst
the older snow-covered floes were more or less com-
pletely honeycombed, the younger ice seemed to have
become merely very sodden and brittle. Progress was
not rapid in the pack ; on January 6 our latitude was
68.20 S., in long. 175 E., and we had only made thirty-
i902] 'WATERING SHIP' 127
five miles in the last twenty-four hours. The ice was
now so close that we could make no headway with the
power of the single boiler, and we were obliged to light
up both.
Whilst waiting for our second boiler to be prepared,
we took the opportunity of replenishing our stock of
water. Although fitted with condensers, to have pro-
duced water for the engines and general ship purposes
with them would have necessitated a large expendi-
ture of coal. By far the most economical plan was to
obtain water by melting ice, and for this purpose we had
immediately inside the engine-room, two long tanks fitted
with steam coils, in which blocks of ice or snow could
very speedily be converted into water and supplied to
the engines, or wherever else it might be required. Our
fresh-water tanks had a considerable capacity, but every
now and again we were forced to stop and refill them,
and after selecting the most promising floe the ship
would be secured to it, and all hands set to work to dig
out and pass on board the blocks of snow.
' Watering ship ' was always a very busy scene, and
since the hours spent at it were so much loss to our ex-
ploring season, it soon became the custom for the officers
as well as the men to share in the work. As the pack-ice
is frozen sea-water, it may be a surprise to many that
fresh water can be obtained from it, and it should be
explained that for making the fresh water one does not
take the ice itself but the snow which has fallen on its
surface ; in many cases this is only a thin layer, so that
it is always advisable to secure a floe which has been
128 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Jan.
hummocked, as about the pressure ridges the snow will
lie deeper than in other parts. At first we were rather
inclined to scorn floes that were not very irregular in
surface, but we soon found that what meant a great deal
of snow to us made a very small hole in their burden,
and that we could easily satisfy our requirements from
comparatively insignificant ice-floes. After the first few
occasions, therefore, as soon as we had decided on
1 watering ship,' it took us very little time to select our
floe and to run the ship alongside it, when ready men
would leap out with the ice-anchors, and after planting
them securely would attach our ropes ; directly the ship
was secured the digging party would swarm over the
side with picks and shovels and boxes, a few would dig
away with the picks whilst others bore the filled boxes
or large blocks across the floe, and others again stood
ready to transport these over the side and on to the
deck ; the heap that was thus made was reduced as fast
as the tanks could be fed, but generally the work was so
vigorously carried on that the supply exceeded the im-
mediate demand and a large deck-heap had to be gauged
to determine the moment at which it would be wise to say
' Hold, enough ! ' These words spoken, all would troop
on board, the ice-anchors would be uprooted, the engines
revolved, and we would push on through the pack once
more ; in this systematic manner we could provide our-
selves with many tons of water with a halt of one or two
hours.
We made better progress again with both boilers,
and as we ground through and overturned broken frag-
i902j TOW-NETTING 129
merits, it was astonishing to see the extent to which the
under-ice was honeycombed. Many of the overturned
blocks showed under-strata of a reddish yellow colour due
to the presence of diatoms ; it was surprising to find that
these microscopic plants could be caught in the freezing
water in such vast quantities, although our surface tow-
nets at this time were producing large hauls.
Tow-netting had been a very great source of interest
to many of us throughout our voyage from England;
our original tow-nets were designed for use only when
the ship was drifting ; constructed of very fine meshed
silk, they were intended to capture the microscopic
plants which inhabit the surface waters of the sea. By
increasing the length of the net and largely reducing its
aperture, we found that we could use it whilst the
■ Discovery ' was travelling through the water at her
ordinary speed, and thus daily explore this most inter-
esting form of life. Although Dr. Koettlitz performed
all the serious work in this department, many of us, in a
more amateurish fashion, were interested in examining
the strangely beautiful forms revealed by the microscope
in these catches. It was strange to have sailed the sea
for many years in entire ignorance that such things were.
Our attempts to manufacture a speed-net to capture the
small crustaceans and other surface beasts were not so
successful. Mr. Hodgson, our biologist, in whose
department these were, reported that the delicate
organisms were hopelessly destroyed, and came up ' all
heads and tails.' The phyto-plankton, or plant life of the
surface waters, changed greatly on our advance to the
vol. 1. K
1 30 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
south, and many beautiful forms of the tropic and sub-
tropic seas gave place to vast quantities of diatoms.
Since this life possesses no power of locomotion, under
certain conditions it must form a guide to the surface
currents of the ocean, and when further exploration has
been made, as startling facts will be obtained from such
data in the South as have already been established in
the North.
On January 6 the swell ceased and floes increased to
four or five acres in extent, and late at night they were
almost a mile in length, but very rotten ; a touch from
our iron prow caused long cracks to fly out in all direc-
tions, into one of which the ship would glide and
gradually gather way for the next obstruction. By the
7th we were in lat. 68.32 S., having only made thirty-two
miles in the past twenty-four hours, but in the evening a
considerable amount of ' open-water sky ' appeared
ahead, and soon after the ice slackened greatly, and we
passed through a number of large water-holes. A fine
following breeze in the evening enabled us to shut off
steam in all but the thickest places.
Since our capture of seals we had been regularly feed-
ing on seal-meat, and on the whole, even at this time,
we found it palatable : there are naturally prejudices to
be overcome in taking to a new meat, and the seal being
a very full-blooded animal, his flesh does not look pleas-
ing before it is cooked, and afterwards it has a very dark
mahogany colour, which is not attractive. It is almost
impossible to describe the taste of a seal ; it has a distinc-
tive flavour in a similar degree to beef and mutton, but
'WATERING ship.'
[See p. 127.
SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE PACK, OPEN SEA TO THE SOUTH.
I9Q2] SOUTHERN EDGE OF PACK 131
it cannot be called 'fishy,' or like anything else that is
generally known. It is a very strong meat, and in food
value quite equal to the best beef. But the great draw-
back to the seal is that there is no fat other than blubber,
and blubber has a very strong rancid taste and a most
penetrating smell. At this time blubber was to us an
abomination both in taste and smell, and the smallest
scrap that had inadvertently been cooked with the meat
was sufficient to put us off our dinner. Later on we grew
indifferent to this smell, and to some extent to the taste,
but except under the stress of great hunger we have no
record of blubber being enjoyed. Later on, moreover,
we came thoroughly to enjoy our seal steaks and to revel
in the thought of seal liver or kidneys ; whereas I find
my diary records very doubtful expressions of pleasure
with regard to all these things at this time.
Early on the morning of the 8th, behind the ice-
blink to the south, could be seen a strong water sky, and
soon the officer of the watch hailed from aloft the glad
tidings of an open sea to the south, the ice-floes became
smaller, and we soon entered a belt where the ice lay in
comparatively small pieces, closely packed and grinding
together on the slight southerly swell. This extended
for about ij mile, and pushing through it with steam
and sail, we at length reached the hard line where the
ice abruptly ended, and from whence to the south could
be seen nothing but a clear sea.
Such a well-defined limit to the pack clearly indicates
the prevalence of southerly winds at this season ; it is
obvious that the wind will get better hold on the floes in
K 2
132 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
loose streams of ice than on those in the main pack, and
hurry them along until they join the slower-moving main
body.
Our pleasure in once more reaching open water may
be imagined. During the past four days we had made
little more than 200 miles, expending the precious coal
which would have taken us three times that distance in
an open sea. Although we could congratulate ourselves
on getting through, it was evident that we had encoun-
tered a heavier obstruction than had Sir James Ross in
first entering this sea in 1840, when, even in his slow
sailing ships, he had been able to penetrate this pack in
four days.
As we entered the open sea the thick pall of leaden
clouds, which had remained persistently over us in the
pack, rolled away, and the sun shone forth in a clear sky.
Furling our sails, we obtained in lat. 70.3 a sound-
ing of 1,480 fathoms, indicating that we were on the
verge of the Antarctic land plateau. We celebrated our
successful penetration of the pack by splicing the main-
brace, and at our modest dinner in the wardroom we
drank to the future in champagne, so that the shout of
1 Land in sight' at 10.30 p.m. only added to an already
joyful frame of mind. All who were not on deck quickly
gathered there, to take their first look at the Antarctic
Continent ; the sun, now near the southern horizon, still
shone in a cloudless sky, giving us full daylight. Far
away to the south-west could be seen the blue outline of
the high mountain peaks of Victoria Land, and we were
astonished to find that even at this great distance of
1902] FIRST SIGHT OF VICTORIA LAND 133
more than 100 geographical miles we could clearly
distinguish the peaks of the Admiralty Range.
The course was directed for Robertson Bay, but
when within forty or fifty miles we again fell in with
loose streams of pack-ice, and once more repaired to the
crow's-nest to 'con' the ship through. At 4 p.m. on the
9th, after much turning and twisting to avoid the heaviest
masses of ice, we arrived of! the entrance of Robertson
Bay, and forcing our way through a heavy band of pack-
ice at the entrance, eventually reached the open water
within the bay, Robertson Bay is formed by the long-
peninsula of Cape Adare, within which, standing but
slightly above the level of the sea, is a curious tri-
angular spit, probably the morainic remains of the vaster
ice conditions of former ages.
It was on this spit that the expedition sent forth by
Sir George Newnes, and commanded by Mr. Borch-
grevink, spent their winter in 1896, the first party to
winter on the shores of the Antarctic Continent. We
came to anchor under its shelter in 15^ fathoms, and
soon had our boats ready to carry us to the shore.
We landed as best we could over the grounded floe-
ice which fringed the shore, and beyond which lay the
level plateau or beach of pebbled basalt, extending for
about three-quarters of a mile to the foot of the cliffs,
which rose abruptly with dark frowning aspect to a
height of over 1 ,000 feet ; a few ponds of melted snow
occupied the slight depressions in the plateau, which else-
where formed the nesting-place of countless thousands of
Adelie penguins, and these small creatures were not
134 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
content with the beach, but had formed their nests on
the steep hillsides, even to a height of 1,000 feet.
Members of the extended colonies were constantly
moving up and down on the regular beaten tracks, which
lead from the sea to their elevated nests ; they walked
erect, and evidently found it a most difficult and laborious
task to climb the steeper places. There can be little
doubt that the occupants of the highest nests must take
considerably over an hour to make this journey, and
when it is considered that this is all waste time out of
their day's fishing, it is difficult to understand why they
should choose these very elevated positions. But we
found later on that there were far more of these pen-
guin rookeries than we supposed, and a little thought
showed that a rookery has certain requirements that are
not often found in the Antarctic Regions. It must have
comparatively easy access to the sea at a spot where the
fast ice breaks early in the season, and where the float-
ing ice is not likely to pack. As long stretches of the
coastline are fringed by an ice cliff, such places are not
too frequently met with, and I am inclined to think that
in most cases, if not in all, they are tenanted by colonies
of this pushing, energetic little penguin ; and it may be,
therefore, that it is want of room alone that causes them
to nest in such apparently inconvenient places.
In every respect these small birds afford a fund of in-
terest. Their winter is spent in the pack-ice to the north,
but with regular migratory habits they suddenly appear at
their rookeries in September or October, and crowding in
every available spot, they scrape a few pebbles together
o
o
Q
i902] CAPE AD ARE 135
into the rudest form of nest and lay their eggs. In due
course the little brown-coated chicks are hatched out and
begin and continue their life in an almost ceaseless
clamour for food, which the parent birds provide with inde-
fatigable patience and zeal. Things continue thus until
the chicks have grown to full stature and have shed their
brown coats of down for their maturer white-breasted
plumage, when they are led to the water by the older
birds, and, in spite of much protest, rudely pushed in.
Henceforth, it is to be supposed, they must fend for them-
selves, and the rookery once more becomes a desert.
On our arrival at Cape Adare the young birds were
already well grown, and despite the very pungent and
decided odour of penguin which assailed our nostrils, we
continued to watch the antics of these queer inhabitants
with absorbing interest.
Round and about the clusters of penguins, with their
busy comings and goings and their ceaseless chatter, were
gathered a number of the light-brown skua gulls. One
could have imagined them to be dwelling on the greatest
terms of friendship with the penguins until one saw some
unfortunate penguin chick wander from its immediate
company, when with a swift swoop a watchful skua
would descend on it and in an instant its life was ended,
and its yet quivering little form was being torn by its
rapacious enemy, whose own nest and chicks might lie
but a few yards away.
In the centre of the Cape Adare beach still stands the
hut used by the members of the Southern Cross Expe-
dition, and scattered about it we found a considerable
136 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
quantity of provisions. The hut is in very good con-
dition, and in such a climate might well remain so for
many years to come. Should some future explorers
traverse this region, it is well to know that here they
possess a retreat in case of emergency, as, although they
may not find all the provisions in good condition, a fair
proportion is likely to be found so, and at this spot
there would always be abundance of food in the shape of
seals or penguins.
There is always something sad in contemplating the
deserted dwellings of mankind, under whatever condi-
tions the inhabitants may have left. We could only
wander about and imagine the daily life of the party
until our physicist, Mr. Bernacchi, joined us. This
officer had been one of this small party of eight souls,
and here on the spot he recalled the past and told us of
the unhappy death of one of his comrades, the naturalist
Hanson, now lying buried on the hill-top 1,000 feet
above our heads. The dying man had requested that
he should rest there, and slowly and laboriously his body
was borne up the steep hillside to the chosen spot. So
there rest the remains of the only human being who has
found burial on this great Southern Continent, and
above his body still stands, in touching memorial, a plain
wooden cross.
Our energetic magnetic observers, Armitage, Ber-
nacchi, and Barne, were soon at work with their instru-
ments amongst the penguins, whilst the naturalists wan-
dered farther afield in search of specimens. The search
was not without result, as, besides specimens of rock and
o
<
m
|»
EH
p
P
<^
c
EH
t-
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i902j CAPE AD ARE 137
moss, several species of birds were collected. Amongst
the high rocks the small Wilson petrel was found nesting,
and two eggs were obtained. On the beach were col-
lected some white giant petrels as well as the commoner
brown ones. On entering the bay we had disturbed one
of these greedy birds taking a siesta on a floe, and so
gorged with food that it could barely fly.
The scene in the bay after we had returned for our
late evening meal was very beautiful ; the surface was
calm and placid, beyond it the sunlight fell on the bold
peaks and splendid glaciers of the Admiralty Range, the
sharp summits of Mounts Minto and Adam were well
defined against a clear sky, whilst the lofty peak of
Sabine was lost in a mystery of fleecy cloud. The
placid, deep shadowed sea was dotted with streams of
brilliantly white pack-ice, whilst here and there a table-
topped iceberg showed the sharpest contrast of light and
shadow as the sun fell on its smooth, steep sides. The
tide was making out of the bay with considerable
strength, and now and again it bore past us a floe alive
with busy, chattering penguins.
Somewhat later Bernacchi and some others landed
again to visit once more the grave of poor Hanson, and
to see that all was well with it. They took with them
a tin cylinder containing the latest information with
regard to our voyage, with directions to place it in some
conspicuous part of the hut. The following year this
cylinder was found by the 'Morning,' and gave the
first information that the ' Discovery ' had succeeded
in reaching these southern regions.
138 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY5 [Jan.
At 3 a.m. on January 10, when it was still gloriously-
calm and bright, we weighed our anchor and again stood
out to sea, steering close around the high land of Cape
Adare in hopes of finding a clear channel close to the
land. At first it appeared as though we should do so,
but soon the tidal stream began to make from the south,
and the whole aspect of the streams of heavy pack-ice
rapidly changed ; before we could decide to turn, the
pack was all about us, and we were being rapidly borne
along with it. Across the entrance to the bay there
was a chain of grounded icebergs, and it was towards
these that we were now being carried ; we could see and
almost hear the heavy floes grinding and overriding one
another against these barriers. For the first time we
faced the dangers of the pack, and became aware of its
mighty powers. For we could do little or nothing,
the floes around us were heavier than anything we had
yet met ; twist and turn as we would, we could make
no appreciable advance, and in front of one monster
floe we were brought to a standstill for nearly half an
hour. Still we battled on ; Armitage remained aloft
working the ship with admirable patience, the engine-
room, as usual, responded nobly to the call for more
steam, and soon the ' Discovery ' was exerting all her
powers in the fray, but the progress was still so slow
that it looked almost inevitable that we should be carried
down amongst the bergs. It was one of those hours
which impress themselves for ever on the memory.
Above us the sun shone in a cloudless sky, its rays were
reflected from a myriad points of the glistening pack ;
i902] DANGER IN THE PACK 139
behind us lay the lofty snow-clad mountains, the brown
sun-kissed cliffs of the cape and the placid glassy waters
of the bay ; the air about us was almost breathlessly
still ; crisp, clear and sun-lit, it seemed an atmosphere in
which all Nature should rejoice ; the silence was broken
only by the deep panting of our engines and the slow,
measured hush of the grinding floes ; yet, beneath all ran
this mighty, relentless tide, bearing us on to possible
destruction. It seemed desperately unreal that danger
could exist in the midst of so fair a scene, and as one
paced to and fro on the few feet of throbbing plank
that constituted our bridge, it was difficult to persuade
oneself that we were so completely impotent. It is
curious here to note that, except myself, only those who
were actually on watch were on deck, The hour was early,
and the majority were resting after their labours of the
previous night, and so, asleep in their bunks below, they
were happily unconscious of the uncomfortable possi-
bilities before them ; and that they were not told bears
testimony to the fact that a fuss was rarely made in the
' Discovery ' unless there was some good reason. Our
release from this danger was so gradual that it would
have been difficult to say when it happened ; perhaps on
these occasions one is always a little slow to realise that
things are getting better. It came from the gradual
weakening of the tide, and most unexpectedly, because
we had not looked for change in this for some hours to
come. But gradually the tidal stream slackened, the
close-locked floes fell slightly apart, and under her full
head of steam the ' Discovery ' began to forge ahead
Ho THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
towards the open sea and safety. By 8.20 we had won
through, and could breathe a sigh of relief. For me the
lesson had been a sharp and, I have no doubt, a salutary
one ; we were here to fight the elements with their icy
weapons, and once and for all this taught me not to
undervalue the enemy.
During the forenoon we were able to stand within
seven or eight miles of the high bold coastline to the
south of Cape Adare, but later we were obliged to turn
outwards to avoid the heavy streams of pack-ice drifting
along the land, and this took us well outside the group
of rocky islets on which Ross landed, and which he named
the Possession Islands. Our navigator took advantage
of fine weather to swing the ship ; this means that the
ship was gradually turned round, and as her head pointed
in certain directions, observations of the sun were taken
from which the error of the compass could be computed.
I have already explained how highly important the find-
ing of the compass errors at various places was, but it
should be added that since the error in any spot might
differ according to the direction of the ship's head, it was
also necessary that an allowance should be made for the
particular direction of the ship's head when an observa-
tion was made. It was to obtain this allowance that the
4 Discovery ' was swung, and therein we held an immense
advantage over Sir James Ross, who had been unable to
manoeuvre his sailing-ships in this manner ; but although
we realised the advantage of swinging, it involved not a
few trials and tribulations : sometimes when we had
stopped for this work, clouds would come flying across
i902j ECONOMISING FUEL 141
the face of the sun, and we had to wait patiently until
they had passed ; at others, the wind would spring up
and make the ship so difficult to handle that it was some
time before we could get her steadied on the various
courses ; and as these delays tended to fritter away the
valuable hours of our open season, it can be imagined
that we did not regard them with complacency.
Owing to our being continually forced to edge out to
seaward to avoid streams of pack, by the morning of
the 1 ith we were well clear of the land, which, however,
could be very distinctly seen in the distance, and gave
us much to think and talk about as we recognised the
various peaks and headlands which Sir James Ross had
named.
We still stood to the south, but our progress was
slow owing to a brisk S.E. wind, and to the fact that we
were only using one boiler. As I have pointed out, of
all economies practised on board, the most important
was that of coal, and every device by which a saving
could be effected in this respect was worthy of considera-
tion. It is still doubtful, however, whether my decision
to use one boiler commonly, instead of two, really effected
the saving I intended. At this time the ' Discovery,'
with both boilers alight, would burn from five to six tons
of coal a day, and for this she could maintain a speed of
six or seven knots in calm water ; with one boiler, she
would burn from three and a half to four tons, produc-
tive of a speed of four to five knots in calm water. So far
the problem, though not very exact, is capable of solu-
tion ; but the trouble is that a calm sea is a rarity, and
142 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
the ' Discovery ' was so dependent on wind and sea that
when these conditions were included, the question was
complicated out of all recognition. The problem as to
whether the ground could more economically be got over
with one boiler or two was therefore one that could
only be decided by experience. At this time we had no
experience to guide us ; for good or ill I decided on using
the single boiler, and with rare exceptions this became
our custom throughout the summer cruise.
On such occasions as the present, however, it meant
that our progress against an adverse wind was exceed-
ingly slow. On the nth we only made fifty-five miles,
and on the 12th only thirty-two miles, on our southerly
course. The wind gradually increased, and the weather
became very unsettled. On the afternoon of the nth
we had a succession of snowstorms, and the land was
blotted out in thick haze. During the misty evening
we were surrounded by large flocks of Antarctic petrel,
which stayed with us for a time, and vanished as sud-
denly as they had come. Almost immediately after we
were surrounded with flocks of snow petrel, quaint little
ghostly forms flitting about in the mist, and dropping
now and again to the edge of a floe to capture the small
euphausia on which they feed.
During the 12th we scarcely made any headway at
all. The wind increased from the S.W., and occasion-
ally bore down on us in heavy snow squalls. The low
black rock and bold capes of the coastline stood out
distinctly ; but heavy, ominous clouds obscured the
mountains. We could now distinguish Coulman Island
I9Q2] COULMAN ISLAND 143
on our bow, and by th£ morning we had brought it
almost abeam ; but by this time the weather bore a still
more threatening aspect. A heavy swell came up from
the south and the glass was falling. There could be
little doubt that a gale was brewing, and in order that it
should not carry us far to the north I thought it wise to
try to seek shelter under Coulman Island. We turned
in and were soon amongst the loose pack-ice and in
smoother water, but the wind was momentarily in-
creasing, and we were obliged to light up our second
boiler in order to gain the open-water shelter which we
could now see under the high cliffs of the island.
Coulman Island, like all the coastal land, is a mass of
volcanic rock, rising about 2,000 feet above the sea. It
is comparatively flat on the top, which is covered with
an ice-cap of considerable thickness, and it is surrounded
by steep and in some places almost vertical cliffs.
Beneath the heaviest falls of neve from the ice-cap, and
clinging to the steep cliffs, are fan-shaped masses of ice
with vertical faces, rising as much as 100 feet above
the sea. These have all the appearance of glacier
tongues, though they can scarcely be called by that
name, and they form an intermittent ice-foot fringing the
coast. The land as we approached it looked illusively
near ; the sky was overcast, and the higher land was
hidden in cloud, but beneath this sheet of grey the black
rocks stood out with such distinctness that one was
wholly deceived as to their distance. So strong was
this deception that the engines were eased when we were
nearly two miles from the cliffs, under the impression
144 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY ; [Jan
that they were only a few hundred yards away ; we only
discovered our mistake when we saw a colony of pen-
guins, and found that even with glasses it was impos-
sible to distinguish the individuals. I find also I noted
in my diary that there was on our right ' a curious
indentation like the crater of a volcano,' and this was
really the strait between the island and the mainland,
some ten miles across.
Afterwards in our winter quarters, and during our
sledge journeys, we got to know very well how easily
one could be deluded in respect to distance, and what
extraordinarily false appearances distant objects would
assume. The matter is of more than passing interest,
because it shows that one must be exceedingly cautious in
believing even what appears to be the evidence of one's
own eyes, and it largely helps to explain some errors
which we found had been made by former explorers,
and which we knew must have been made in all good
faith.
During the night of the 13th we lay under the shelter
of the high cliffs on the N.E. side of Coulman Island,
over which had now gathered a heavy storm cloud ; the
wind had risen to a full gale at sea, but only reached us
in occasional squalls which swept down from the high
cliffs. To occupy our time, a trawl-net was put over in
about 100 fathoms of water, and great was the delight of
Mr. Hodgson when it was found to be well filled with
specimens. At such times our biologist was in his ele-
ment ; on one side of him would be arrayed a number
of glass jars, before him would He in one mass the mud,
i902] HEAVY GALE 145
stones, and animals which the net had produced. And
thus, surrounded by a circle of eager, curious faces,
he would work with fingers and forceps, sorting fish,
sponges, crustaceans, and polyzoa into their proper
receptacles. It was as much as anyone's life was worth
to approach without invitation, but questions were
allowed and would be answered, generally with a string
of lengthy scientific terms which left the questioner about
where he was before.
By the morning of the 14th the wind had increased
to a furious gale, and the squalls now swept down over
the cliffs with such terrific violence that we were forced
to exert all our one-boiler power to keep the ship in
her station, and even thus we began to lose ground.
The ship would not face the wind directly, and we were
obliged to carry it on the bow with the yards braced
sharp up ; in this position she would gradually edge away
sideways until it became necessary to bring the wind on
the other bow and edge back again. We had so little
control over her that we could not alter our course by
'tacking,' but were obliged to set a head sail and so
'wear' round with our stern to the wind. In the after-
noon the wind force, as measured by the Robertson anemo-
meter, was ninety miles an hour, and as we continued to
lose ground we got into a more choppy sea, which sent the
spray over us in showers to freeze as it fell. As evening
approached we drove down on a line of pack and
amongst several small bergs, raising clouds of spray in
the driving gale. Our situation was not pleasant ; to
avoid one berg we were forced to go about, and in doing
vol. 1. l
146 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Jan.
so we ran foul of another. As we came down on it
our bowsprit just swept clear of its pinnacled sides, and
we took the shock broad on our bows ; it sent us reeling
round, but luckily on the right tack to avoid further com-
plications, and we rebounded clear of our dangerous
neighbour. The night which followed was dismal enough ;
again and again small bergs appeared through the blind-
ing spray and drift, and it was only with great difficulty
that our unmanageable ship could be brought to clear
them. Meanwhile, in spite of our continuous steaming
we were being driven farther and farther to leeward.
But even gales must have an end, and towards morning
there was a visible moderation in the wind, when we
were able to creep up towards the island once more. In
the afternoon an arch of clear sky appeared in the south
and the wind fell rapidly. We were able to steam up
close to the island once more ; and there, between two
high tongues of ice off Cape Wadworth, we landed on
the steep rocks and erected a staff bearing a tin cylinder
with a further record of our voyage.
By the time this was accomplished the wind had
fallen completely, and the sun shone forth with great
brilliancy. We entered the strait between the island
and the mainland and found it to be considerably
narrower than was expected, so that we soon approached
the high land of Cape Jones on the other side. At this
time, although there was a quantity of pack in the
southern limits of the strait, from our crow's-nest it
looked as if it would not be difficult to find clear leads
to the open sea beyond, and thus to pass completely
THE PENGUINS' ROAD.
[See p. 134.
CAPE WADWORTH, COULMAN ISLAND.
i902] LADY NEWNES BAY 147
through the strait, but when we attemped this some hours
later we found the pack closely locked in the entrance.
To the southward of Cape Jones the land recedes
abruptly and sweeps round, forming a long bay, behind
which we now saw rising in a clear sky the magnificent
sharp peaks of Mounts Monteagle and Herschel, and
the high snow-covered ranges between. From the
summits many vast glaciers sweep down with majestic
curves to the sea, and on these we looked with a keen
eye, calculating the chances of reaching the interior over
surfaces which looked so smooth at this distance. But
the most remarkable physical feature of this neighbour-
hood is the fact that the whole of this bay, called by Mr.
Borchgrevink ' Lady Newnes Bay,' is filled with a vast
mass of what we subsequently came to call ' barrier ' ice,
a sheet of such thickness that its towering ice-cliffs stand
in many places 150 feet above the water. On the
origin and nature of these extraordinary ice-formations
1 shall have more to say in a future chapter. At
this time, although few of us had much knowledge of
ice-conditions in other parts of the world, we felt that
we were gazing on a phenomenon unlike anything
reported elsewhere.
On our passage across the strait we had a very
remarkable instance of the influence of volcanic rock
on the compass. Two successive bearings taken of a
distant cape showed us that the card had swung 8°. At
this time we were more than a mile from the cliffs of the
island, and on sounding found forty fathoms of water
beneath us. The directive force of the compass was
L 2
148 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
of course extremely small, but such a large deflection is
astonishing.
In the evening we entered a long inlet between
Cape Jones and the barrier-ice, and later turned out
of this into a smaller inlet in the barrier-ice itself.
After pushing through heavy detached floes we secured
to some sea-ice which, although cracked in all direc-
tions, had not yet broken away. We were now in a
remarkably well-sheltered spot ; on each side we had
high ice-cliffs, whilst across the mouth of the inlet lay
the high land of Cape Jones. On the sea-ice of the
inlet, which ran for some distance ahead of the ship,
more than a hundred seals lay basking in the sun, and
elsewhere a small colony of Emperor penguins in process
of moulting exhibited the most dishevelled appearance,
and evidently hated to be seen with their usually smooth
glossy plumage in such an untidy state.
As so often in the Antarctic Regions, we resolved to
turn night into day, and, although it was 10 p.m., to start
about our work at once. Our work was not a pleasant
task, but one we regarded as very necessary — namely,
that of adding to our larder sundry joints of seal. We
felt fairly confident of finding a wintering spot before the
season closed, but we had no guarantee that we should
find seals in its vicinity, and it seemed the wisest plan to
get them whilst we could.
The seal possesses the most astonishing vitality, and
though nothing can be easier than to catch and
wound these poor creatures, it is difficult to kill them
outright, and until our men had had practice and knew
I,
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i902] KILLING SEALS 149
exactly where to strike, many a futile knife-thrust was
given.
It seemed a terrible desecration to come to this quiet
spot only to murder its innocent inhabitants and stain
the white snow with blood ; but necessities are often
hideous, and man must live. Some of us were glad
enough to get away on our ski and to climb the steep
snow slopes at the end of our creek. We found that
the surface of this ■ barrier ' mass undulated in long
waves, some of which we crossed ; but knowing we had
no prospect of reaching the land, we soon turned and
employed ourselves in sliding down the steep slopes of
the inlet on our ski, an amusement which cost us many
falls.
Leaving the men to get in the seal carcases and
some ice for our boilers, I turned in at two to get a few
hours' rest before we again put to sea. On returning to
the deck at 7.30 I was told that all work was com-
pleted, but that some five hours before a party consisting
of Dr. Wilson, Mr. Ferrar, Cross and Weller had got
adrift on a floe, and that no one had thought of picking
them up. Although the sun had been shining brightly all
night, the temperature had been down to 180, and afar off
I could see four disconsolate figures tramping about to
keep themselves warm on a detached floe not more than
fifteen yards across. When at length our wanderers
scrambled over the side, it was very evident they had
a big grievance, and it was only after some hot cocoa
that they could talk of their experiences with ease.
They had been obliged to keep constantly on the move,
150 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
and when they thought of smoking to relieve the
monotony of the situation, the smokers found they had
pipes and tobacco, but no match. It was whilst they
were dismally discussing this fact that Dr. Wilson, a
non-smoker, came nobly to the rescue and succeeded in
producing fire with a small pocket magnifying glass — a
fact which shows not only the resource of the officer, but
the power of the midnight sun in these latitudes.
As we turned the corner of the barrier-ice cliff I saw
to my disgust that the channels of open water which I
had observed to the south on the previous evening had
now closed up, and only thick pack lay in that direction.
There was nothing for it but to pass again round the
north side of Coulman Island, which, owing to many
buffetings with loose pack, it took us the whole day to
circumnavigate.
On the 17th we had to stand out farther and farther
from the land to clear the pack ; on our return voyage
we also found much pack in this vicinity, and it is
evident that Coulman Island forms a sort of cul-de-sac,
delaying the ice as it passes up the coast.
It was not easy under our varying conditions to
arrive at the currents along this coast. We found that
there was evidently a tidal stream setting alternately
north and south. Whilst we were delayed under Coul-
man Island we had been influenced by this fact, and had
on occasions seen small bergs travelling against the wind ;
a change of direction in the stream had appeared to us
to occur only once in twelve hours, and this was sup-
ported by subsequent tidal observations.
i9o2] WOOD BAY 151
It is probable that the north-running stream is
stronger than the south, as undoubtedly the bergs as well
as the pack-ice move gradually to the north. The
pack-ice is of course mostly influenced by the wind,
which at this season of the year appears to blow pretty
constantly from a southerly direction.
At 2.30 a.m. on the 18th we arrived in the entrance
to Wood Bay, only to find it heavily packed. I had
hoped to be able to land here and leave a record, but to
have attempted to force through this heavy ice would
have involved an unjustifiable expenditure of coal. The
ice we faced was evidently that which had been formed in
the bay ; it was from six to seven feet thick, and far more
solid than anything we had yet encountered. Very little
snow had fallen on the surface of the floes, and except
where some volcanic sand and rubble had been carried
on to them by the wind, there was no sign of decay.
To run into floes of this description was a very different
matter to charging the comparatively rotten ice which
we had met in the pack.
Away to the N. and N.W. of us we could now see
the sharp peaks of Monteagle and Murchison, amongst
bewildering clusters of lesser summits ; across the bay
rose the magnificent bare cliff of Cape Sibbald, rising
2,000 feet above the sea ; to the west one could trace the
breaks in hill-outline suggestive of the windings of the
arms of the bay and the glacier valleys beyond, but the
eye lingered most pleasantly on the uniform outline of
Mount Melbourne to the S.W. This fine mountain
rears an almost perfect volcanic cone to a height of
152 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Jan.
9,000 feet, and, standing alone with no competing height
to take from its grandeur, it constitutes the most magni-
ficent landmark on the coast. Cape Washington, a bold,
sharp headland, projects from the foot of the mountain
on its eastern side, and finding such heavy pack in
Wood Bay, we now turned to the south to pass around
this cape.
From this point our voyage promised to be increas-
ingly interesting, since the coast to the south of Cape
Washington was practically unknown. Ross seems to
have satisfied himself that there was a continuance of
land to Mount Erebus, but he saw it only at a very great
distance — a fact which is attested by the absence of names
from individual mountains and capes. He probably did
not see more than the dim outline of hills far beyond his
horizon, and the only particular name he supplies — that
of Cape Gauss— was probably given to some darker patch
of bare mountain-side, as at this spot there is no such
conspicuous cape as he imagined. I have already pointed
out how easily one may be deceived in such a matter,
and it can be imagined that we looked forward eagerly
to exploring this unknown land.
As we passed within half a mile of the sheer headland
of Washington we were surprised to get shallow
soundings. Our lead gave us eighteen fathoms, then
fifteen, then eight, and in this shallow water our compass
was again largely disturbed.
It should be understood that we were now south of
the magnetic pole, and as the south-seeking end of the
compass needle continued to point towards that spot,
i9o2] CAPE WASHINGTON 153
our ship's head, although directed to the true south,
appeared by the compass to be travelling in a northerly
direction. To find out the actual amount of this error in
different places was, of course, one of our most important
missions, but throughout our voyages in these seas,
where the error was so great and so constantly changing,
the compass proved a most confusing instrument, and in
thick weather much calculation was necessary to deter-
mine the true direction in which any new course would
take one.
On rounding Cape Washington we were delighted to
find that the coast was comparatively free of pack. We
could now see that the western slopes of Melbourne
merged into a range of comparatively low hills, which
continued to the south till they rose to the steep sides
of a long, high table mountain beyond which a snow-
covered ridge carried the outline to farther mountains of
a less perfect but distinctly tabular form. We were
destined to find this tabular form of mountain to be a
feature of Victoria Land for many hundreds of miles
to the south, and largely a key to the geological forma-
tion of the whole country ; but at this time the majority
of us failed to appreciate the importance of this new
development, though we were aware of the novelty of
outline.
The coastline from Cape Washington sweeps back
in a deep bay, and then runs directly to the south, in
places fringed by a steep ice-foot, while in others, bare
rocky slopes descend to the water's edge. Curiously
enough, there was but little snow on the higher mountains,
154 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
but the foot-hills in front were almost covered with a
thick glacial crust.
As we got to the southward of our table mountain
we could see that the high snow ridge beyond it repre-
sented an immense overflow of the ice-mass of the
interior. Some vast store of ice beyond seemed to take
advantage of the break in the mountain chain, and to
pour down in one great river of ice to the sea.
The glistening white surface of this great overflow,
fully fifteen miles across, rose gradually to a height
of some 4,000 feet at the crest of the ridge, and no doubt
continued to rise to greater height beyond. It was
broken only in the centre, where a huge beehive-shaped
nunatak thrust its head through the mass and left
deep furrows in its snowy surface. The rich brown of
the bare basaltic rock of this nunatak is conspicuously
contrasted with the vast surface of white snow about
it, and therefore constitutes one of the most striking
landmarks on the coast, a most remarkable and distinc-
tive feature.
And now as we skirted the ice-foot on our right,
we found ourselves suddenly brought up in a curious
inlet, with ice-walls on every side, and were obliged
to turn and retrace our steps for some way, when,
still keeping the ice-wall on our right, we found
ourselves going due east directly away from the land.
For many hours we steamed along this ice-cliff, which
varied in height from 70 to roo feet, until, after travelling
more than twenty miles, we came where the cliff rose to
1 50 feet in height, and turned abruptly to the south, and
after a mile or more, again abruptly to the west. We
COAST SOUTH OF CAPE WASHINGTON.
GRANITE HAEBOUR.
[See p. 157.
i902] COASTING SOUTH 155
now perceived that we had encountered another example
of the barrier-ice which we had seen in Lady Newnes
Bay, but this time the ice ran out in a long snout to sea-
ward, and we could fit no theory to the fact that the
extremity of the snout was higher than many parts
behind it. Off the end of the snout we obtained 368
fathoms of water — another rather puzzling circumstance,
when the flotation of ice was considered.
On turning the corner to the south we were again
brought in full view of our ancient enemy the pack-ice.
Here, as further north, it is evidently detained in its
passage along the coast. The extent of the pack carried
us some way to the south before we could find a ' lead '
towards the land. It was a gloriously bright Sunday
morning — so clear that at midday we sighted Mount
Erebus at a distance of 120 miles, and in the afternoon
could even see the vapour rising from the summit of
that lofty volcano. The day was so perfectly clear that
at one time we could see Melbourne, Monteagle, and
even Coulman Island to the north, and Erebus to the
south ; that is an included range of vision of 240
geographical miles.
It is here that I find a note in my diary to
the effect that the ice-cap of the interior appeared
to rise beyond the coastal mountains, and that patches
of rock could be seen farther inland, but that it was
impossible, owing to the mirage, to define the height
or distance of such patches. This note is of great im-
portance in connection with our subsequent exploration
of the interior ice. At 6 p.m. we were able to turn
towards the land, and later in the night made out a very
156 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
conspicuous bluff cliff in marked contrast to the white
snow slopes behind.
We were now in a latitude where it was most
desirable that we should make a diligent search for safe
winter quarters for the ship. Wood Bay had been
thought by many in England to be the most southerly
spot in which we were likely to find security, but we
had seen enough of the coastline to the south of that
place to realise the impossibility of travelling along it in
sledges, and to assure us that if we wished to make any
advance to the south we must find a harbour in some
higher latitude. The sight of this bluff cliff seemed to
give promise of finding an inlet in its neighbourhood,
and I decided to make an effort to explore the coast.
But to approach the land was not such easy work, as we
had constantly to force our way through streams of pack-
ice, and the floes were more solid than any we had yet
met. If one charged them with any speed the shock of
meeting was tremendous ; the ship would stop dead with
masts and yards quivering, anyone below might have
imagined an earthquake, and to be in the swaying,
trembling crow's-nest on such an occasion was anything
but a pleasant sensation. The only comfortable way was
to push quietly through, and so it was not until 4 p.m. on
the 20th that we could convince ourselves that we had
been right in expecting an inlet behind the conspicuous
mass of rock for which we had been steering. An
hour later, as we entered it, we met ice which had
evidently been formed inside and but recently broken up.
It was perfectly smooth, showing absolutely no sign of
i902] LANDING IN GRANITE HARBOUR 157
pressure, and therefore indicating what a secure winter-
ing harbour the inlet would make. But what struck us
as most curious was that every floe was a rectangle and
looked as though it had been purposely shaped with
accuracy and precision ; it is difficult to comprehend how
an irregular ice-sheet can be broken naturally in this
manner ; the swell which breaks it must be extremely
regular, and the ice-sheet must be astonishingly uniform.
One must infer also that very placid conditions exist in
this well-sheltered inlet both in winter and spring.
As we gradually worked our way into the inlet we
could see on our right a few small crevassed glaciers
between high cliffs showing faulted rock strata, of which
our geologist at this time could make little. On the left
and nearer shore the steep slopes were formed of broken
angular boulders, with here and there the native rock
peeping through. Two or three miles ahead the inlet
took a sharp turn to the left. As no boat could be used
in such an ice-strewn bay, we were forced to reach the
shore by other means, and a large party was soon bound-
ing from floe to floe, now and then encountering a
breach too wide to be leaped and having to raft them-
selves across.
On shore we found that the boulders which had
looked so dingy from the ship were mostly composed of
granite, and a little chipping provided us with such a
variety of this beautiful crystalline rock that we after-
wards named the inlet Granite Harbour. Ice scratching
were visible on a few of the boulders, but much weather-
ing had taken place.
158 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY5 [Jan.
Enclosed by so much bare rock capable of absorbing
the sun's rays, and well protected from the wind, this
inlet is probably the most sheltered spot in many a
league of coastline, and in this calm, bright weather we
thoroughly enjoyed our run on shore, and, except for the
ice in the bay, could have imagined ourselves in a far
milder climate. We found small streams of water
meandering over the stones, and it was pleasant to hear
their music and to drink the pure snow water, and still
pleasanter to find in their sheltered courses small banks
of moss of almost luxuriant growth. We headed up the
bay to see where the inlet ended after its sharp turn, and
disturbed several skuas guarding their fluffy slate-coloured
chicks. They showed their annoyance by wheeling
round and swooping down straight at us, only turning
their course at the very last moment, so that one was
sometimes brushed by their wings as they swept past
with wild cries. The skua is a heavy bird with a very
formidable bill, and such attacks appear alarming, as
doubtless they are intended to do ; but though we often
saw them under similar conditions, I do not think anyone
was ever actually struck.
After scrambling over rocks for some time, we
reached the corner from which we could see the
extremity of the inlet, where the snout of a glacier of
no great size dipped into the sea. We saw at once
that the inner recesses of this inlet would have afforded
us excellent shelter for the winter. In a week or two the
ice would have pushed out to sea, leaving a free surface
on the placid waters of the bay. Around the second
i9o2] A WELL-SHELTERED SPOT 159
corner the sea swell had fallen to a small rhythmic
movement which could have caused little inconvenience.
The steep shores around were skirted everywhere with
a low strip of fast ice on which it would have been
easy for us to land, and across which we could have
carried the heavy materials for constructing our huts.
Here and there on this ice-foot lay a somnolent seal,
giving assurance of winter food ; and although the waters
of the inlet were doubtless very deep, as they are in
most fiords, it is probable that in the vicinity of the
glacier we should have found some bank of morainic
material on which we could have cast our anchors ; in
fact, altogether there was a promise of snugness and
security about this spot which we met nowhere else.
It is only on looking back on our experiences that I can
see how much we should have missed had we succumbed
to the allurements of this tempting spot. Surrounded as
we should have been by steep and lofty hills we could
have obtained only the most local records of climatic
conditions, and our meteorological observations would
have been comparatively valueless ; but the greatest
drawback would have been that we should be com-
pletely cut off from travelling over the sea-ice beyond
the mouth of our harbour. There can be no doubt that
the sea-ice was constantly broken up along this coast in
the winter of 1902, and an attempt to travel to the south
along the coast without the assistance of the sea-ice
would have been beset with such innumerable dangers
and difficulties that it is possible we should never
have reached even as far south as the spot at which we
160 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
eventually wintered. It is when one remembers how
naturally a decision to return to this place might have
been made that one sees how easily the results of the
expedition might have been missed.
When, after a stiff climb, we again came abreast of
the ship, we found the swell had increased, and it was
only with some difficulty that we regained the ship over
the swaying floes. Shortly after midnight we pushed
out to sea, satisfied that we had discovered a place which
would serve us for wintering in default of a better.
Turning again to the south, we found an open
sea, and crossed the 77th parallel ; but early on the
2i st the inevitable pack appeared ahead, and we were
forced away from the coast in trying to pick the easiest
channels. The ice we met with at first was not formid-
able, but in the afternoon we entered a pack of the hard
solid ice which we were now getting to know so well and
to associate with the inlets on the coast. The moment
of entering this pack could be detected exactly from the
astonishing increase in the shocks sustained by the ship.
At this time I still cherished a hope of being able
to find more southerly winter quarters than Granite
Harbour, and, searching the coastline with powerful
glasses, thought I could detect the promise of such on
our starboard bow, and so spent some hours in trying to
push through the heavy obstruction that now met us.
By 4 p.m., however, as we had progressed only a few
hundred yards, we edged away to the eastward, where
things appeared more promising ; here we got into ice
which looked much heavier, as it was thickly covered
i902] McMURDO SOUND 161
with snow, whereas the ice which we had been attacking
was practically bare and blue. The line of demarcation
was well defined, and the difference in the nature of the
ice was felt the moment we crossed it — the heavy shocks
ceased and the ship was able to make gradual though
slow progress.
I have dwelt somewhat fully on the nature of the pack-
ice through which we passed at various times, because the
differences are so great, and because the subject is not
only of great interest but of vast importance to the navi-
gator in these seas. It was always a fascinating study
to observe the pack-ice, to infer the various conditions
under which the ice had been produced, and to note the
extraordinary differences of form that frozen sea-water
can assume.
The night of the 21st was gloriously fine. By 8 a.m.
we were in the middle of McMurdo Sound, creeping
slowly, very slowly, through the pack-ice, which appeared
from the crow's-nest to extend indefinitely ahead. But
a few miles separated us from the spot where we were
ultimately to take up our winter quarters, and as we got
to know this scene so well it is interesting to recall some
extracts from what I wrote when first we gazed on it :
' To the right is a lofty range of mountains with one
very high peak far inland, and to the south a peculiar
conical mountain, seemingly ending the coastline in this
direction ; on the left is Mount Erebus, its foothills, and
a glimpse of Mount Terror. The Parry Mountains
cannot be seen ahead of us. In the far distance there
is a small patch like a distant island. Ross could not
vol. 1. m
162 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
have seen these patches, and a remnant of hope remains
that we are heading for a strait, and not a bay.'
This was written shortly after four, and at eight I
added : ' ... as we drove slowly southward the ap-
parent islands ahead broadened out, and there was no
longer a doubt as to their being connected to form the
end of the bay. But it is highly satisfactory to note that
there are no mountains in the background, and that so
far as the eye can see there must be a plain stretching
directly south. . . . We now see that if fortune allows us
to winter in either of the two harbours we have found, we
shall have good prospect of getting to the south. . . .
In this manner the coastline to the south for nearly 400
of arc is suggested by five dark rock patches and their
connecting snow slopes, this space being flanked on
the right by the conical hill and on the left by a spur of
Erebus, which appears to form a sharp headland.' It
was easy afterwards to recognise each point here noticed
when, actually situated at the ' spur of Erebus,' we
named the conical mountain after our ship, and the high
western mountains in honour of the Royal Society ; but
it is curious to think that at this time I should have been
prepared to affirm that continuous land ran from Erebus
to the mainland.
So at 8 p.m. on the 21st we thought we knew as
much of this region as our heavy expenditure of coal in
the pack-ice would justify us in finding out, and as before
us lay the great unsolved problem of the barrier and of
what lay beyond it, we turned our course with the cry of
Eastward ho !
I902j I63
CHAPTER V
ALONG THE GREAT BARRIER
Strange Footprints — Landing under Mount Terror — The Last Record Left —
Along the Great Barrier — New Land — Foggy Weather — Surrounded
by Bergs — We Lose our Bearings — Decision to Turn Back — Good View
of King Edward's Land — Landing on the Barrier — Balloon Ascent —
Return to Victoria Land.
She skirts the icy margin of the main,
And where unchanging from the first of time
Snows swell on snows amazing to the sky,
And icy mountains high on mountains pil'd
Seem to the shivering sailor from afar
Shapeless and white, an atmosphere of cloud. — Thomson.
In our journey from Cape Washington to the south we
had already done something to justify the despatch of
the expedition.
A coastline which had hitherto been seen only at a
great distance, and reported so indefinitely as to leave
doubts in many minds with regard to its continuity, had
been resolved into a concrete chain of mountains ; the
positions and forms of individual heights, with the curious
ice formations and the general line of the coast, had been
observed. The lofty peaks of Northern Victoria Land
had been seen to be succeeded by a comparatively low
mountainous country of peculiarly suggestive topogra-
phical outline, behind which a vast interior ice-cap
M 2
i64 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
appeared to rise to greater heights. Towards the
78th parallel the flanking ranges of the continent again
rose to great altitudes, and yet farther south we could
see no tendency in them to turn towards the east as
had been supposed.
In all this we had been aided by the most astonish-
ingly fine weather ; instead of the gales, thick weather,
and snowstorms which we had expected, since the heavy
weather off Coulman Island, we had daily enjoyed bright
sunshine, cloudless skies, and calm seas. We could but
hope such good fortune would continue on our journey
to the eastward.
As we turned on the night of the 21st to push our
way to the open sea once more, we had a rather curious
and exciting adventure. Owing to some inexplicable
wounds found on the bodies of seals, it had been sug-
gested that a land mammal might exist in these regions,
though hitherto unseen by man. Most of us were in-
credulous of this theory, but on that night we suddenly
came on a floe covered with soft snow which bore the
impress of footprints wide apart and bearing every ap-
pearance of having been made by a large land animal.
The excitement was great, and observers with cameras
were soon over the side and breathlessly examining this
strange spoor ; but, alas ! it was soon detected that the
impress was that of a webbed foot, and gradually we
came to the conclusion that the footprints were those of
a large giant petrel, and that their distance apart was
due to the fact that they had been made when the bird,
half-flying and half- walking, had been lazily rising on the
wm
MYSTEEIOUS FOOTPRINTS.
[See p. 165.
NORTH-EASTERN SLOPES OF TERROR.
I902] MOUNT TERROR 165
wing. Even the most imaginative had to concede that
we had not increased the prospect of finding a polar bear
or any kindred animal in these inhospitable regions.
Shortly after midnight we reached the open water and
shaped our course to pass between Beaufort Island and
the long snow capes of Erebus.
In the morning we stopped to sound and dredge in
this channel ; we found a depth of 470 fathoms, but the
fouling of our trawl rendered our catch of sea beasts
somewhat disappointing.
The volcanoes of Erebus and Terror lie west and
east, united by a high humped ridge ; to the N.W. of
Erebus extends the long and lofty Cape Bird, whilst to
the N.E. of Terror, the slopes, blistered with innumer-
able volcanic cones, descend to the splendid basaltic
cliffs of Cape Crozier.
The northern face of this land is heavily glaciated,
masses of crevassed neve descending to the sea, with
a precipitous ice-foot, except on the northern and N.E.
slopes of Terror, where the snow only occupies the
deeper valleys, and where there are such extensive
areas of bare land that it looks quite possible to ascend
Mount Terror without encountering snow slopes. In
this region the land has therefore a very dark appearance
from the water's edge to the summit of Terror.
It was this northerly view of Erebus and Terror that
Ross saw in his early voyages, and it is interesting to
note that the sketches made at that time show no extent
of bare land ; moreover, Sir Joseph Hooker, the great
survivor of that expedition, has told me he is almost
1 66 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
certain that the slopes of Terror were covered with snow
when he saw them. Can it be possible that the sheet of
ice which exists elsewhere can have disappeared from
this region within the comparatively short space of sixty
years ?
At 8 p.m. we arrived off the bare land to the westward
of Cape Crozier, where the dark volcanic hillside reached
the sea in gentle slopes ; thousands of small Adelie pen-
guins were passing to and fro on the shelving beach,
hurrying up steep winding paths to their nests, or
springing into the curling breakers to seek their food.
We thought at first it might prove impossible to
land, owing to the northerly swell which broke high on
the rocky promontories, but immediately off the beach
of the rookery lay a number of grounded bergs which
promised to form some protection from the waves. One
of our staunch whaleboats was soon lowered into the
water, and, somewhat crowded with sixteen persons and
a number of magnetic instruments, we pulled for the
land. On nearing the shore we found that in spite of
the icebergs the surf was considerable, and as we did
not at all wish to be upset into this icy sea, we
approached the beach with great caution. With our
bows pointing to the shore we waited for a heavy
wave, when a sharp order was followed by a strain on
the oars, and we were carried to the beach on its crest ;
regardless of wet feet, all hands had then to leap out,
and heaving lustily on the painter and thwarts we soon
had the boat high and dry.
We proposed at this place to complete our chain of
i9o2] THE LAST RECORD LEFT 167
records, and had brought with us a post, a tin cylinder
containing an account of our doings, and the necessary
implements for erecting them. A spot was chosen in
the centre of the penguin rookery on a small cliff over-
looking the sea, and here our post was set up and
firmly anchored with numerous boulders. In spite of all
our efforts to mark the place, at a few hundred yards it
was almost impossible to distinguish it, and one could
not help thinking that, should disaster come to the expe-
dition, what a poor reed was this on which alone we
could trust to afford our friends a clue to our where-
abouts. Yet it was this small post on the side of a vast
mountain, in the midst of the most extensive penguin
rookery we had seen, that eventually brought the
' Morning ' to our side.
Whilst Bernacchi and Barne set up their magnetic
instruments and started on their chilly task of taking
observations, we others set off in twos and threes to
climb the hillside in various directions ; it was long
before we could get clear of the innumerable penguin
colonies and the all-pervading odour which they emit ;
and as they occupy every inch of available land, we
found ourselves clambering up steep screes of loose
stones, and climbing still steeper friable rock faces,
getting what hold we could on the deeply weathered
surface. With Royds and Wilson, I at length reached
the summit of the highest of the adjacent volcanic cones,
for which our aneroids gave a height of 1,350 feet ;
there we were rewarded by a first view of the Great Ice
Barrier. Perhaps of all the problems which lay before
168 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
us in the south, we were most keenly interested in
solving the mysteries of this great ice-mass. Sixty years
before, Ross's triumphant voyage to the south had been
abruptly terminated by a frowning cliff of ice, which he
traced nearly 400 miles to the east ; such a phenomenon
was unique, and for sixty years it had been discussed and
rediscussed, and many a theory had been built on the
slender foundation of fact which alone the meagre infor-
mation concerning it could afford. Now for the first
time this extraordinary ice-formation was seen from
above. The sea to the north lay clear and blue, save
where it was dotted by snowy- white bergs ; the barrier
edge, in shadow, looked like a long narrowing black
ribbon as it ran with slight windings to the eastern
horizon. South of this line, to the S.E. of our position,
a vast plain extended indefinitely, whilst faint shadows
on its blue-grey surface seemed to indicate some slight
inequality in level ; further yet to the south the sun
faced us, and the plain was lost in the glitter of its
reflection. It was an impressive sight, and the very
vastness of what lay at our feet seemed to add to our
sense of its mystery.
But there was now 16° of frost, the chill air soon
counteracted the warmth generated by our climb,
and we were glad to be again on the move. As
we stumbled down the steep inclines of the penguin
rookery, the astonished chicks ran helter-skelter in all
directions ; following blindly the direction in which
their beaks were pointing, they frequently collided with
each other, and ran full tilt into our legs. It was often
i902] ENRAGED PENGUINS 169
difficult to avoid treading on them ; but as the chicks
scattered, the old birds raised their ruffs in anger, and,
quite devoid of fear, rushed at us with hoarse cries of
rage. After beating wildly at our shins with their beaks
and flippers they would fall back growling and cursing
in the most abominable manner. Shortly after we re-
gained the beach our magnetic observers completed their
task, and when they had taken a short run to rouse up their
chilled circulation we all assembled to launch the boat.
This did not prove by any means an easy matter.
Awaiting our opportunity, we rushed her down on a
receding wave, and up to our knees in water we en-
deavoured to launch her clear of the surf and at the
same time to spring on board ; but the next wave caught
our stern, and in a moment we were broadside on and in
imminent risk of being swamped. It was an occasion
which called for instant action, and when it was good to
have a boat manned by sailors. At the critical moment
Mr. Barne leapt over the side and seized the stern of
the boat, and his example was instantly followed by two
or three of the sailors ; and though the next curling wave
swept over these devoted people, the boat luckily met it
stern on and was poled out to sea as it receded. It was
not a time when one would willingly take a bath, and
our wet companions were glad to seize the oars and pull
as hard as they could towards the ship ; but by this time
Mr. Armitage, in swinging the ship, had been carried
some way to the west, so that when we got on board,
teeth were chattering and hot cocoa or grog was felt to
be very desirable.
170 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Jan.
From Cape Crozier the land turns sharply to the
south in a magnificent black volcanic cliff in parts 700 or
800 feet sheer above the sea. The barrier edge extends
at right angles from the southern end of the cliff, and at
first has a very rugged appearance where the ice-mass
presses past the land, but within a few miles it settles
down into its uniform wall-like aspect.
Early on the 23rd we started to steam along this long
ice-face, hoping that fortune would favour us in discover-
ing more facts concerning it, and especially in finding out
what lay at its eastern extremity. In order that nothing
important should be missed, it was arranged that the ship
should continue to skirt close to the ice-cliff ; that the
officers of the watch should repeatedly observe and
record its height, and that thrice in the twenty-four
hours the ship should be stopped and a sounding taken.
In this manner, during the following days, we were able
to make a comparatively accurate survey of this northern
limit of the barrier, and the result is indicated on the
chart.
On the morning of the 23rd we found that the barrier
edge did not exceed sixty or seventy feet in height, and
though the weather was slightly overcast we could see
for a long distance over the ice to the S.W. from our
crow's-nest. It was on looking in this direction, but from
a greater distance, that Ross thought he distinctly saw
a high range of mountains running to the south from
Mount Terror. He described them as * probably higher
than anything we have yet seen,' and named them the
Parry Mountains. It will be remembered that when in
I9Q2] ALONG THE GREAT BARRIER i;i
McMurdo Sound I had some doubt as to these moun-
tains, and it is therefore of interest to note the entry
made in my diary on this occasion :
' Over the barrier and to the S. W. could be seen some
small or apparently small hills, showing bare rock
patches, but nothing could be seen of the Parry Moun-
tains, and judging by our position two days ago we seem
to have been viewing the hills which form or are close
to the limits of McMurdo Bay. . . . The southern slope
of Erebus can be distinctly seen. . . . There seems every
probability of getting over this slope on to the ice-plain
if we winter west.'
Already there was a strong case against the Parry
Mountains, and later we knew with absolute certainty
that they did not exist ; it is difficult to understand what
can have led such a cautious and trustworthy observer
as Ross to make such an error. I am inclined to
think that in exaggerating the height of the barrier
in this region, he was led to suppose that anything seen
over it at a distance must necessarily be of very great
altitude ; but, whatever the cause, the fact shows again
how deceptive appearances may be and how easily
errors may arise. In fact, as I have said before, one
cannot always afford to trust the evidence of one's own
eyes.
On steaming along the barrier, we soon found that
Ross had exaggerated not only its height, but its uni-
formity. This was perhaps natural, as in a sailing ship he
dared not approach too closely, and often had to estimate
the height when at a great distance ; and the want of
172 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
uniformity can only be determined by close measure-
ment. It can be readily imagined that even if the height
changes from 70 to 240 feet in ten miles, the change
is so gradual that it cannot be detected by the eye at a
distance, as the higher part will only appear to be closer.
The only way in which the inequality can be detected is
to follow the wall closely, when the change of height
must be obvious. Ross had to judge his barrier from
the very few places in which he was able to approach it
closely.
Though we started with a long stretch of barrier
not more than 70 feet high, by the evening of the 23rd it
had risen to 240 feet. During the night, the wind came
off the barrier, and the temperature fell to io° ; shortly
after, it again came from the sea, and the temperature
rose to 2 50. Later this change of temperature with a
shift of wind became still more marked, and already we
began to wonder what that great snow plain would be
like in winter if it produced this great fall in the warmer
summer air. Up to this time our clothing had been
little out of the ordinary, but we now found that stand-
ing about on the bridge or sitting in the crow's-nest was
chilly work, and warmer garments were dug out of our
various drawers and lockers.
Though we were several days steaming along
this ice-wall, the passage was by no means mono-
tonous. Every few hours some new variation showed
itself : now a sharp inlet or other irregularity of outline,
now a more than ordinary alteration in height, now a
change in appearance showing a difference in the length
K
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i902] ALONG THE GREAT BARRIER 173
of time that the ice-face had been exposed ; and through-
out we could watch the gradual shoaling or deepening of
the sea-floor as shown by the sounding machine. My
diary is principally devoted to figures giving the definite
data concerning these matters ; but a few more general
extracts may serve to give an idea of our progress along
the ice- wall from day to day :
'January 24. — Barrier fell from 240 feet to 80, and
later to 50, but gradually rose again in the evening
to 90. Soundings both over and under 400 fathoms.
Barrier sometimes very broken and rugged in outline.
Passed some bergs and sharp inlets. Noon, long.
176.45 E., progress 86-| miles. In evening weather
became overcast with snow.'
'January 25. — Barrier fell in night to 30, gradually
rose to 80 feet, when there was a sudden dip for 200
yards to 15 feet. In afternoon irregular rise to 100 feet
at midnight. Put sail on the ship in morning watch, but,
wind hauling ahead, obliged to clew up. Passed over
fifty icebergs in course of the day, the first we have seen
since leaving Cape Crozier. They were mostly irregular
in shape, but two, close to the barrier, had evidently
recently calved off that mass ; the line of separation was
very regular and even, and the bergs floated in precisely
the same manner as they had when they formed part of
the ice-sheet. Noon, long. 184 E., progress 91 miles.
Evening, appear to be passing inside a very large berg
detached from the barrier. Sounding 350 to 300
fathoms.'
'January 26. — The iceberg on the port bow turned
174 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Jan.
out to be attached to the barrier ; we appeared to be
steaming through a long channel until 5 a.m., when we
found ourselves at the head of an inlet. The ice on our
right-hand side gradually sloped down from 1 20 feet to
20 feet at the extremity of the inlet ; here it suddenly
dropped to 8 feet, and on our left very gradually rose
again to 90 feet. Our sounding here was 315 fathoms,
and our lat. 78.36 S., the highest we have reached.
The weather was very misty and overcast, and we could
not see the ending of our channel until we were close on
it. There was nothing to be done but to turn round
and come out again, and on reaching the end of the ice-
cliff, now on our right, we found a stiff E.N.E. breeze
blowing, with a short sea causing the ship to pitch
heavily. The temperature had risen to 310. As we
could not hope to make headway against this wind, we
made plain sail on clearing the inlet, and allowing our
steam to drop, we stood to sea close-hauled on the star-
board tack. Later, the wind, which never blew above
force 7, backed to the S.E., and not wishing to run too
far from the barrier, we put about at 8 p.m. The glass,
which has been low, is again rising.'
'January 27. — During the night the glass rose
and the wind fell, and as we approached the barrier
we put over our " Agassiz " trawl ; the contents were
not plentiful, but, I understand, contain several new
species. In the afternoon we furled sails and steamed
towards the barrier. When we started to steam along
it, we were evidently making little or no headway
against a westerly set of at least three knots. Our very
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9o2] ALONG THE GREAT BARRIER 175
slow progress hitherto has been to a great extent due to
an adverse current, which is much stronger at some
times than at others : it is not improbable that there is
a tidal effect which alternately accelerates and retards
the current, but the net result is a strong set to the west.
The present excessive force of the stream is probably
due to the recent wind. We shall have to light up our
second boiler. Along the barrier there is a heavy
vapour rising from the water, and the water temperature
has risen half a degree.
1 Noon, long. 174.22 W. ; negative progress for the
day, and only a very few miles to the eastward of our
position on the 25th. . . . Two whole days practically
wasted ; one requires a great deal of patience for this
sort of work. Tried a new sounding tube, made with
the object of getting mud from below the surface ; the
tube brought up a column of mud 18 inches in length,
but there appeared to be no difference in consistency
between the upper and lower layers.'
'January 28. — Passed abeam of the ice peninsula
inside which we steamed on the night of the 25th. It
rose from 90 to 1 50 feet, and soundings off its edge were
all about 300 fathoms. About noon a lot of loose ice
appeared ahead. It was found to consist of very low
bergs and pieces of bergs, apparently broken from the
barrier where it is quite low, and probably some way
to the east, as the westerly drift is strong. We were
obliged to stand some way off the barrier to avoid this
ice, and at 4 p.m. a thick fog came down on us. In the
evening the weather cleared, and we stood in towards
176 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
the barrier again, passing a prominent ice peninsula with
a cliff 200 feet in height. The barrier was again very-
irregular, and detached bergs could be seen in the various
indents. Noon, long. 167.44 W. Progress, 80 miles.
We are passing on slowly but surely to Ross's most
easterly position.'
i January 29. — The barrier became very rugged and
broken during the night, and soon after twelve it dropped
to a few feet. We were running close to it in a fairly
thick fog, but the speed was not great, and with a sharp
look-out, the ice could be seen in good time. At 2.30 we
ran into a small creek, only noticing our position by
finding ice on both sides ; that on the right was barely
three or four feet above the water, sloping gradually up
to 30 to 40 feet ; that on the left was from 30 to 40 feet
and sheer. The inlet was most irregular in shape, as,
indeed, was the ice surface.
' This morning the low edge continued for several
hours, and during the day we passed along a very smooth,
straight cliff of uniform height, and again to our annoy-
ance, found the current making to the west so strong
that our progress was practically stopped until we
could raise more steam. Soundings for day all about
360 fathoms. Noon, long. 162.6 W. ; lat. 78.18 S.
Passed a curious subsidence in the uniform ice-wall,
where for some 300 yards there was a depression filled
with hummocky ice.'
We had succeeded thus far in making a fairly com-
plete investigation of the northern face of the barrier in
spite of not a little thick and unpleasant weather, and, as
1902] AN INTERESTING SPOT 17;
will be gathered, we had found not only that it differed
considerably from the rather uniform ice-wall which Ross
had led us to expect, but that there were many puzzling
features which seemed to increase rather than diminish
as we approached its eastern extremity. It was not
until later, when our positions were plotted, that we
fully realised the significance of the fact that our course
throughout had been to the southward of Ross's barrier,
and that we had sailed continuously over ground which
in his day had been covered with a solid ice-sheet.
What we thought of it all I do not propose to set
down at present, but I hope that, having added other
facts which we were able to glean concerning it, I shall
be able to throw some light at least on this very extra-
ordinary ice formation.
By noon on this day, January 29, we had arrived at
a particularly interesting place, as we were to the south-
ward and eastward of the extreme position reached by
Sir James Ross in 1842. From that extreme position
he reported a strong appearance of land to the south-
east, and in most minds there rested the conviction that
land had actually been seen at that time. It was there-
fore with great curiosity that all eyes were directed
over the icy cliffs to the south-east. The afternoon was
bright and clear, and if Ross had seen land it must
evidently be well within our view.
But alike from below and from aloft we could see
nothing, and were obliged to conclude that the report
was based on one of those strange optical illusions which
are so common in this region, and against which, now
vol. 1. N
178 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY' [Jan.
more than ever, we were determined to guard our-
selves.
In spite of our disappointment at being unable to
report that Ross's ' appearance of land ' rested on a solid
foundation, as we steamed along this high ice- wall on the
afternoon of the 29th we had an indescribable sense of
impending change. The constant differences which we
had observed in the barrier outline during the past
twenty-four hours seemed to us to indicate strongly
the proximity of land, though probably none of us could
have produced a very tangible argument to support this
view. We all felt that the plot was thickening, and
we could not fail to be inspirited by the facts that we
had - not so far encountered the heavy pack-ice which
Ross reported in this region, and that consequently
we were now sailing in an open sea into an unknown
world.
Many an eager face peered over the side ; now and
then a more imaginative individual would find some
grand discovery in the cloud-forms that fringed the
horizon, but even as he reported it in excited tones his
image would fade and he would be forced to sink again
into crestfallen silence.
Meanwhile we were making comparatively rapid
progress along the uniform high wall on our right.
Perhaps the engines, as well as those in charge of them,
were eager to find out what lay beyond. Our course
lay well to the northward of east, and the change came
at 8 p.m., when suddenly the ice-cliff turned to the east,
and, becoming more and more irregular, continued in
i902] NEW LAND 179
that direction for about five miles, when it again turned
sharply to the north.
Into the deep bay thus formed we ran, and as we
approached the ice which lay ahead and to the eastward
of us we saw that it differed in character from anything
we had yet seen. The ice-foot descended to varying
heights of ten or twenty feet above the water, and
behind it the snow surface rose in long undulating
slopes to rounded ridges whose height we could only
estimate. If any doubt remained in our minds that this
was snow-covered land, a sounding of 100 fathoms
quickly dispelled it. But what a land ! On the
swelling mounds of snow above us there was not one
break, not a feature to give definition to the hazy outline.
Instinctively one felt that such a scene as this was most
perfectly devised to produce optical illusions in the
explorer, and to cause those errors into which we had
found even experienced persons to be led. What could
be the height of that misty summit ? And what the
distance of that shadowy undulation ? Instruments pro-
vided no answer — we could but guess ; and although
guesses gave an average height of 800 or 900 feet
to the visible horizon, one would have been little sur-
prised to learn that the reality was half or double that
amount.
Around us were several icebergs grounded in the
shallow sea ; some lay on their sides, and in these for
the first time we saw discoloured layers caused by
embedded sand and dirt. Our geologist departed in a
boat to inspect these bands, whilst we lowered a small
N 2
180 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
net and delighted the biologist's heart with a good haul
from the sea floor.
It was late at night before all was ready for proceed-
ing, and by this time the eastern sky was banking up,
and later the air was thick with falling snow. A
sounding at 2 a.m. gave us the bottom at 265 fathoms,
and at six the snow ceased and we could see a 200-foot
ice-wall again with slopes estimated to rise to 500 feet
behind. But an hour or more later, when all were once
more astir for the day's work, a thick fog descended on us,
blotting out for the time all hope of seeing what lay
beyond the ice-foot.
Throughout the morning and afternoon of the 30th
we continued to grope our way along, endeavouring to
keep close to the ice masses on our right, whilst avoiding
the deeper bays. Now and then the foggy curtain lifted
slightly and revealed what lay within a mile or two of us,
but beyond that all was tantalisingly obscure. Soundings
were taken frequently, and, varying from 90 to 100 fathoms,
showed that we were again in comparatively shallow
water.
During the night the trend of the ice-foot had carried
us due north, but in the morning we turned sharply to
the east, and throughout the day seemed to be passing
from cape to cape of a very indented coastline. When
the fog allowed us to see them more clearly, we found
that these capes were detached masses of ice of curious
shape. Varying from a half to a mile or more across, and
surrounded by a steep but low ice-cliff, they rose on all
sides to a rounded ridge 200 or 300 feet in height.
TRAWL COMING IN.
[See p. 174.
ICE ISLAND OFF KING EDWARD'S LAND.
'
i902] FOGGY WEATHER 181
Soundings taken close to these curious ice-masses
showed them to be aground, and we were much puzzled
to account for them, as, although they were irregular in
outline and differed in detail, all had the same feature of
gradually rising to a rounded central eminence. It was
difficult to imagine that grounded icebergs could have
assumed this shape, and almost as difficult to think that
under each ice-cap lay some rocky islet. In our then
bewildered frame of mind we called them ice islands, and
it was not until we had a larger experience and could
take a more general view of the glaciation of the whole
region that we arrived at any plausible theory to account
for their formation. In the fog we headed more than
once to pass between and inside these ice islands, but
always to run into a deep bay bounded by fast sea-ice,
which formed a hummocky junction with the inner end
of each island.
Early in the day we became aware that the pack-ice,
which we had so long avoided, lay thick in our offing.
Occasionally we had to push through narrow streams
which opened out into broader masses on our left. It
seemed as though we were threading a narrow channel
left along the shore by the effect of the easterly wind on
the moving ice.
At 4 p.m. (January 30) a more promising lift in the
fog enabled us to gather information with regard to our
surroundings. Beyond the extensive sheet of fast sea-
ice which abutted on the ice islands, we could see the
customary ice-cliff of varying height which marked the
coastline, but behind this cliff there was now no doubt
182 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Jan.
that the snow surface rose in altitude. The rise in places
was gradual, much as we had seen it on the previous
night, but in others the slope must have been much
steeper, for here the ice-sheet was torn and distorted
and descended in heavily crevassed falls. Even in the
uncertain light the contrast of light and shadow made it
evident that it rose to an altitude of many hundred feet,
and consequently that land must lie beneath it ; but, peer
as we would into the misty distance, amongst the steep
and rugged icy slopes we could see no sign of bare land,
without which our discovery must remain so barren to
ourselves.
It was as the bell sounded for our evening meal,
and all save the officer of the watch were preparing to
descend, that over the summit of the ice island for
which we were making, appeared two or three little
black patches, which at first we took for detached cloud.
We gazed idly enough at them till someone remarked
that he did not believe they were clouds ; then all glasses
were levelled ; assertions and contradictions were nume-
rous, until the small black patches gradually assumed
more and more definite shape, and all agreed that at last
we were looking at real live rock, the actual substance of
our newly discovered land.
Dinner had to wait until on rounding the ice islands
we could approach these fascinating patches as near as
the fast ice would allow ; but this still separated us from
them by a great distance, and in the misty, overcast
weather we could add but little to our knowledge, as the
following extracts from my diary will show :
i902] GLIMPSES OF LAND 183
• ... At a height of about 2,000 feet several rock
patches could be seen. The snow slope from which
they emerged seemed to be otherwise gradual and
unbroken. One could not say to what height it rose
beyond, but the rock alone was sufficient to prove that
the tall ice ridges which we saw yesterday and to-day
cover solid land of considerable altitude. . . . These par-
ticular patches appeared in the centre of a long ridge, the
outline of which it was very difficult to distinguish for
want of adequate contrast. The wind has changed to
the east, so that we may hope for clearer weather.'
It is curious to reflect now on the steps which led us
to the discovery of King Edward's Land, and the chain
of evidence which came to us before the actual land
itself was seen : at first there had been the shallow
soundings, and the sight of gently rising snow slopes, of
which, in the nature of things, one is obliged to retain a
doubt ; then the steeper broken slopes of snow, giving a
contrast to convey a surer evidence to the eye ; and,
finally, the indubitable land itself, but even then sur-
rounded with such mystery as to leave us far from
complete satisfaction with our discovery.
As we continued our course to the N.E. we held
close along the fast ice which prevented us from ap-
proaching to the land. The weather was still dull
and overcast, but we could see that the fast ice on our
right was no longer plain sea-ice ; at the edge it stood
seven or eight feet above the water, and seemed to rise
to fifteen feet or more on the slope of the cornice that
overhung the edge, after which the surface ran back on
1 84 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
the level for many miles. We could see hazily the
extent of this plateau and the rocky exposure of the land
which lay beyond. It is difficult to account for this ice-
sheet ; it was too thick to be considered sea-ice, and yet
was far thinner than any land-ice or barrier formation
that we saw elsewhere. Both before and after this we
passed at sea very low tabular bergs, which must have
come from such a sheet as this. Our soundings running
along this edge gradually increased from 88 fathoms
at 8 p.m. to 265 fathoms at midnight ; but later
we came to several more of the curious ice islands
which I have described, and close to these we again
got 100 fathoms. During the night some more patches
of exposed rock had been sighted, but we seemed in the
uncertain light to be increasing our distance from them.
On the morning of the 31st the weather outlook was
as dismal as ever, and all outward and visible signs of
the land had vanished ; we could only guess its prox-
imity by the continuously shallow soundings as we
circumnavigated the overhanging capes of occasional
ice islands. As the fog lifted slightly in the forenoon
we found ourselves surrounded by mighty masses of ice.
On the right the ice islands showed more clearly, and on
the left were numerous lofty bergs, some of very great
extent ; one, indeed, we estimated as at least six miles in
one direction, and as probably more in another. But
yet more unwelcome to our eyes than this formidable
array of bergs was the vast amount of heavy pack-ice
which lay scattered in all directions, and blocking the
channels between the bergs. Though our hearts sank
i902] SURROUNDED BY BERGS 185
at the thought of so much obstruction, we could afford
to admire such a majestic and impressive ice scene.
Under a dark, threatening sky the pack-ice showed
intensely white in an inky sea, whilst the towering walls
of the icebergs frowned over us, shaded from the palest
to the most intense blue.
Most of the icebergs seemed aground, and as their
height often exceeded 200 feet and our soundings were
comparatively shallow, I have little doubt that the
majority were at least temporarily at anchor. For a
few brief minutes we could see the distant outline of
our snow-covered land as wTe threaded our way amongst
these great ice-masses and through the shifting streams
of pack which lay between them, then for the time all
attention had to be devoted to navigation. As our water
supply was getting short, early in the afternoon we were
obliged to secure to a large floe in order to replenish it.
We had little difficulty in finding a suitable one, as the
pack-ice about us was heavier than anything we had yet
seen. It is evident that in this region there is much
pressure and a considerable snowfall, as the floes were
very hummocky and their snow-covering thick ; but the
ice itself was by no means so hard as that which we had
met near the coast of Victoria Land.
During the afternoon the weather cleared somewhat,
and for the first time for many days the sun shone forth.
There was little wind, and the low temperature was
already forming young ice over the calmer patches of
sea. After a few hours' delay we pushed on once more,
and, passing through a very narrow channel between two
1 86 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
bergs, reached a sheet of open water which appeared to
stretch for a long distance to the north, but this was
bounded on the right by a sheet of fast sea-ice, whose
edge ran almost due north and threatened to carry us
farther from the land which we had last seen trending in
a north-easterly direction.
As we could not penetrate this sheet, there was no
choice but to follow its edge, which we proceeded to do,
hoping that it would eventually turn in a more promising
direction.
During the last few days of fog and mist we had seen
a few seals and a large number of penguins of both the
species which inhabit these regions. The latter appeared
to live on the most amicable terms, and it was a common
sight to see a few alert, busy little Adelies preening them-
selves amidst a group of dignified, ponderous Emperors ;
both showed great curiosity as we passed, and leapt
into the water in our wake with loud squawks. What
great speed these birds must possess in the water is
shown by the manner in which they shoot out of it and
land erect on a floe two or three feet above the surface.
Occasionally on an exceptionally high ice-edge they miss
their aim and, dashing heavily against the ice, fall sprawl-
ing back into the sea with wild complaints ; but this does
not appear to disconcert them, for with wonderful perti-
nacity they will try again and again to reach their goal.
As we advanced, the Emperors grew more numerous,
until it was rare not to have two or three groups of a
dozen or more birds in sight from the bridge,
In the comparatively clear weather which we enjoyed
1902] DECAYING SEA-ICE 187
on the afternoon of the 31st we could get a good view
over the immense sheet of sea-ice, which appeared to be
gradually carrying us farther from the land. It was
quite smooth and showed no sign of pressure, but here
and there the ice was sunken and sodden, giving the
appearance of large pools of water. At that time we
could hazard no guess as to the cause of this decay,
though doubtless it is the same effect as we afterwards
witnessed in the ice-sheet about the ' Discovery ' in
places where the current ran over a shallow bottom.
Far in on the ice-sheet we could see a few small
bergs securely frozen in and drifted up with snow, and
grouped about the base of one or two of these were many
hundreds of Emperor penguins. The steady increase in
the groups we had met with and their final discovery in
such great numbers seemed to indicate that we had at
length found their breeding-place, and as this had never
yet been seen, our excellent zoologist was all eagerness
to explore it ; but in the circumstances I thought it hope-
less to attempt to cross the treacherous, slushy sheet
of ice which lay between, and reluctantly we were forced
to steam past this interesting spot, hoping that we might
have better fortune on our return journey. In the light
of fuller information which we were able to obtain con-
cerning these birds, it seems doubtful whether this really
was their breeding-place, but at any rate it would have
been interesting to know what they were doing in such
numbers.
Our eager outlook for land beyond the great ice-
sheet was only partly rewarded ; far to the south-east
i88 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan.
we could see the faint undulating lines of the high snow-
slopes, but in the dim expanse of white no sign of
exposed rock appeared, and even the outlines vanished
as the sun travelled lower towards the south.
At midnight an appearance of land was reported in
the E.N.E.; a bank of cloud hung low upon the horizon,
and its fixed position and unchanging form seemed to
indicate that land lay beneath it. Though glasses were
constantly directed towards it, no more definite form
was ever revealed, but it is curious to note that on the
following day a similar cloudy indication was visible in
this direction.
It was after midnight on the 31st that we got lost.
Leaving the ship steaming along the edge of the fast ice
in a northerly direction, as I have described, I went
below to snatch a few hours of the sleep of which the
late exciting times had robbed me, and have only a dim
recollection of constant reports that the ship had to take
a more westerly course owing to ice islands, bergs and
pack, and in obedience to a general order to keep in the
open water, westerly gradually became southerly, and so
on until, as we were headed off again and again, the ship
must have worked round a complete circle. She was
well on towards a repetition of this manoeuvre when I
again reached the bridge, and nobody knew exactly
where we were. It was evident that the stretch of open
water which we had entered through a very narrow
channel on the previous evening was surrounded by a
chain of immense bergs, between which the channels
were sometimes blocked by fast ice and sometimes by
i902] WE LOSE OUR BEARINGS 189
heavy pack, and the latter was constantly altering its
position and streaming across the bay in the most con-
fusing manner. The only way out of this cul-de-sac
seemed to be to take the same narrow road by which we
had entered, but where was it ? Meanwhile the whole
bay was covered with a rapidly thickening coating of
tough young ice, through which it was by no means easy
to force a passage, and it looked as though, had we
stopped to consider matters, we should have had some
difficulty in starting again. Our bewilderment was, if
anything, increased by suddenly coming across the very
floe from which we had watered on the previous after-
noon. What was it doing here ? It was certainly a
long way from where we had seen it before. For more
than an hour we splintered through the young ice in a
very confused frame of mind, when the sharp eye of
Mr. Royds brought to our notice a conspicuous feature
which we all recognised as belonging to one of the
bergs between which we had entered, and soon we
skirted round it and to our relief found the narrow
passage still open.
The rapid formation of young ice at this season
of the year was to some extent alarming. To be
obliged to winter in these regions would have been
a great calamity, since we could scarcely hope to have
travelled far from our base. At a later date, when
we knew more of the seasonal changes and appreciated
how frequently young ice is formed and dissipated, even
in the height of the Antarctic summer, we should not
have regarded this phenomenon as serious, but at this
iQO THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Feb.
time we had very little to go upon, and were exceedingly
glad to get into a clearer sea once more.
At noon on February i we were five miles south of
our position on the previous day, looking in all directions
for some lead which would take us through the thick
pack to the N.W. and again allow us to. approach the
coast at a farther point ; but though we entered several
promising channels, they speedily ended, where from
the crow's-nest one could see nothing but one vast sea
of ice.
It now became a question what to do. Should we
remain here and wait for the pack to open ? There was
still a chance that we might be able to push farther to
the eastward with patience. But then what of the coast
of Victoria Land and what of our coal supply ? With
young ice forming so rapidly here, it well might be that
in a fortnight the harbours to the west would be closed
and we could ill afford the loss of coal that waiting
here would entail.
I decided to return, but it is natural enough that
sometimes vague regrets should arise that we did not
attempt to push farther to the east. That we need not
have feared the closing of the season is obvious, but that
we should have been hard put to it for coal at a later
date is equally certain. One can never do quite what
one would wish in these matters. In the afternoon the
wind came from the east and rapidly cleared the sky as
we steered back on the course by which we had come,
and, with wind and current fair, so rapidly cleared the
ground that by the night we were again abreast of the
i902] GOOD VIEW OF KING EDWARD'S LAND 191
icy plateau beyond which we had first seen the exposed
rock of King Edward's Land.
We could now see the coastline clearly for many miles.
On the left was the low barrier formation of which I
have already spoken, and which I now note as ' ten to
twelve feet high and sloping up for a short distance, when
it runs horizontally for ten or eleven miles to the base
of a range of well-defined hills.' To the right and left of
two groups of hills which lay opposite to us, a thin stratus
cloud partially hid the outline of continuously high snow-
covered ridges, and the same thin veil hung in the broad
valley between the groups ; but the sharp peaks of the
groups were clearly outlined against the sky, and with a
sextant and the distance given by four-point bearing, we
were able to calculate the altitude as between 2,000 and
3,000 feet.
The outline suggested a volcanic country, but al-
though many of the slopes were steep, the bare rock
appeared only in a very few places ; and where some
lofty spur was flanked by a sheer precipice, the more
gradual slopes at the base of the hills and the deep-cut
valleys presented a uniform white surface, save where,
here and there, it was broken by crevasses or ice
cascades.
Behind the broader valley which separated the hill
groups the outline of farther ranges was strongly indi-
cated, and convinced us that the high land extended far
back beyond the coastal hills, and that our new-found
land was not a group of islets, but a country of consider-
able altitude and extent. But although we gazed for
192 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Feb.
hours through our glasses and endeavoured to drink in
every detail of this distant view, we could not but long
to traverse the snowy plain and throw yet more light
on our discovery. Had we then known our sledge
equipment and dogs as we afterwards came to know
them, had we been as prepared for such adventures as
we afterwards were, I should certainly have made a dash
towards the distant hills. As we were then situated, the
plan, though it occurred to us, seemed to involve un-
justifiable risk and delay. Such are the disadvantages of
inexperience.
Throughout the night the bridge was well occupied
until the low skimming sun, gradually facing us, ob-
scured all detail in its glaring path, and the officer of the
watch was left to face the chill morning hours alone.
By the morning our course had turned again from west
to south, and in bright weather we skirted a lofty ice-
cliff which before we had only seen dimly through the
fog. Throughout the day this ice-cliff rose and fell ;
when it was low, we could see high rising snow-slopes in
the background, and whilst calculating that they rose to
a height of 950 feet, had again to deplore the want of
definition which rendered exact observations impossible.
Many grounded and tilted bergs lay in the offing, and
here and there was one which, though detached from the
cliff, had tilted and remained at anchor close to it. The
conditions were quite different from those which obtained
along the barrier edge, and we could not doubt that the
ice which we saw was firmly planted on the ground and
broke away as it became water-borne. In the afternoon
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i902] A HUGE ICE-CLIFF 193
for a brief space the ice-cliff rose to a height of 280 feet,
and we passed close to this sheer wall of ice, the highest
that we were ever fated to see in the Antarctic Regions ;
as we passed by this huge stationary object, we could see
how strongly the current was making with us : it increased
our speed by at least two knots. As night approached,
the wind, which had been increasing throughout the day,
descended on us with great violence from the high ice-
cliffs, filled with whirling clouds of drifting snowdust
swept from the plains beyond ; the temperature fell to
50, and soon the rigging was festooned with icicles
and the decks covered with a thin layer of ice. The
date corresponded with August 2 in England, and we
wondered how flannel-clad holiday makers would enjoy
an Antarctic summer, and, as this sort of thing was the
Antarctic summer, what the Antarctic winter would be
like.
We steered away from the ice-wall and escaped from
the clouds of drift, only to get into a sharp sea where the
wind raised clouds of spray which froze solid as it fell.
Later in the night the wind fell to a flat calm, and
before the temperature rose the whole sea was covered
with pancake ice, but as the sun gained power the
temperature crept up to 220, and with a slight breeze the
young ice quickly vanished. In reflecting on recent
experiences, although at this time our ideas were not
thoroughly sifted, I vaguely realised that indications
pointed to the fact that the Great Barrier did not rest on
land, and since the ice which we had seen to the east
undoubtedly did, there must be some place where the
vol. 1. o
194 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
conditions changed, some junction which we ought to
explore. Somewhere abreast of us now should be one of
those deeper indentations in the ice-mass, where we
might reasonably suppose the change took place, and it
occurred to me that we might glean further knowledge
by re-examining this part. As we had been driven
some way to the northward, it was several hours before
we were sufficiently close to recognise the deep bight for
which I had determined to make, and it was well on in
the afternoon before we turned into it and had the ice on
each side of us. We found that the inlet had several
branches ; selecting the most southerly, we turned
sharply into it and entered a creek facing towards the
east, inside which we were completely shut off from a
view of the sea. The ice-wall which surrounded us
rarely rose above twenty feet, and in places descended
almost to the water level. Selecting a spot on a level
with the ship's bulwarks, we placed the ship alongside it
and secured her with our ice-anchors so closely that we
were able to step from the rail on to the snow surface
beyond. The valley of the inlet was continued between
rising snow-slopes for several miles to the west, and in its
hollow a continuous crack ran through ice standing only
a few feet above the water level. Along this crack were
numerous seal holes, and quite a hundred of these
animals lay asleep on the snow within easy reach of
them.
As it was now late, and the light was poor, and as
we appeared to be in a secure position, it was decided
that work should be deferred till the morrow, and the
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i902] LANDING ON THE BARRIER 195
more energetic were soon mounted on ski and pursuing
a very uncertain course over the rough snow. Armitage
had asked permission to take a small sledge party in a
southerly direction, and with Bernacchi and four men
and a light sledge equipment he was soon marching up
the valley ; and later a black dot on the snow showed us
that the party had turned to the south and were mount-
ing the rise.
Skiing did not prove such good sport as was expected.
The wind had raised quantities of irregular waves or
sastrugi on the snow surface, and in the uncertain light
these could not be seen until one actually tumbled over
them, and as no one progressed more than a few yards
at a time without a fall, it was not long before all, except
the sledge party, were on board once more, when we
took a sounding, and found that there was a depth of
315 fathoms under the ship. On our arrival in the inlet
not a fragment of loose ice could be seen, but as we
were trying to take the temperature of the water at
different depths we found our work much impeded by
small ice floes, which were being crowded into the inlet
by a strong surface current that now ran towards and
under the ice at the head of the inlet. Feeling in some
security, I had looked forward to a quiet night, after
many broken ones, but the sight of this ice was not
reassuring, especially when amongst the floes there
appeared two or three small icebergs. One of these
bore down on the ship before we had sufficient steam to
move her, and by the few on deck it was watched with
very anxious eyes. As it approached we breathed a sigh
o 2
196 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
of relief, imagining that it would just clear our side by
a foot or two, but on coming abreast of us it slowly
turned and a small projection on it caught and grazed
our side. As far as the berg was concerned it was the
merest glancing touch, but, wrenching a large piece out
of the solid oak covering board, it gave the ' Discovery '
a squeeze which caused every beam and frame to groan,
and brought all hands on deck with scared faces. This
berg was not more than twenty yards across, and its
top, which was irregular and pinnacled, was nowhere
more than twenty feet in height, nor was it travelling
with any great speed ; yet the shock of a mere graze
from it was great enough thoroughly to alarm everyone
below, and there can be little doubt that had it met us
fair and square the consequences might have been most
serious. It is difficult to realise what an overwhelming
force even a small berg may represent, until one re-
members that it is, perhaps, barely one-sixth of its
mass that is visible, and that there must be always
thousands of tons submerged to support the hundreds
which are seen.
Even with this knowledge, after beholding the stu-
pendous masses of ice which are borne high on the great
flat-topped bergs, we had been perhaps inclined to pay
too little attention to the more insignificant-looking ones,
but we learnt now that an iceberg of any dimensions is
not to be trifled with, and it can be imagined that whilst
we remained in the inlet we had steam at very short
notice as well as a bright look-out. On the following
morning our berg, as well as the pack-ice, took its way
So f /
i -&
SHIP IN BALLOON INLET.
tQ mill JiHllU
-.41
READY TO GO UP.
i9o2] BALLOON ASCENT 197
out to sea again, clearly showing that there is a regular
tidal stream in this region ; and as, in spite of this, we and
the barrier-ice about us rose and fell together, there was
no doubt that at least this part of the barrier was afloat.
At an early hour on this day, February 4, we com-
menced to make preparations for a balloon ascent to
extend our knowledge of the surrounding region.
It was Sir Joseph Hooker who first suggested the
carriage of a balloon for obtaining a view over the great
southern ice-wall, and when, after much difficulty, the
necessary funds for this equipment had been raised, we
had decided that the best thing for our purpose was one
of the small captive balloons used by the army for lifting
a single observer.
Thanks to the sympathy of the War Office we had
been enabled to purchase a complete equipment of this
description, consisting of two balloons, which, when
neatly folded, occupied very little space, and a quantity
of hydrogen gas, carried in steel cylinders at high pres-
sure, which occupied a great deal. Indeed, it had been
a great problem where in our small ship to stow these
cylinders, of which there were more than fifty, containing
something over three fills for the balloon, and it was only
by placing them on top of the deck-houses and by utilising
every other spare space about the deck that we had
managed to solve it.
And as it was of little use to carry such a costly out-
fit without a knowledge of how to employ it, before leaving
England I had taken advantage of the kind suggestion
of the chief of the ballooning department at Aldershot,
198 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Feb.
Colonel Templer, R.E., and had sent two officers and
three men to receive some instruction at his hands.
I now found that although officers and men had
regarded their short course as a most excellent diversion,
they had picked up most of the wrinkles and had learnt
to proceed about their work in the most business-like
manner.
First a large sail-cloth was spread on the snow, and
a number of cylinders carried out and placed near by.
Then the balloon was taken out with tender care, laid on
the sail-cloth and connected to the cylinders with many
small pipes. As the gas gradually inflated the empty
case, the sticky folds were carefully straightened out
until the time came for the process of ' crowning ' the
balloon, when the gradually filling carcase was centralised
and covered with its net, well weighted with sandbags.
The contents of cylinder after cylinder were added,
until gradually our balloon became a thing of life swaying
about in the gentle breeze ; but the temperature was down
to 1 6°, and owing to the contraction of the gas, wrinkles
were still visible on its surface after it had absorbed its
correct allowance of sixteen cylinders containing 500 cubic
feet apiece, and it was not until we had brought out and
emptied three additional ones that its name ' Eva ' could
be read on a smooth, unwrinkled surface.
The honour of being the first aeronaut to make an
ascent in the Antarctic Regions, perhaps somewhat
selfishly, I chose for myself, and I may further confess
that in so doing I was contemplating the first ascent I
had made in any region, and as I swayed about in what
BALLOON ASCENDING.
VIEW FROM BALLOON.
1902] AN AERONAUTICAL BLUNDER 199
appeared a very inadequate basket and gazed down on
the rapidly diminishing figures below, I felt some doubt
as to whether I had been wise in my choice.
Meanwhile the balloon continued to rise as the
wire rope attached to it was eased, until at a height of
about 500 feet it was brought to rest by the weight of
the rope ; I heard the word ' sand ' borne up from below
and remembered the bags at my feet ; the correct way
to obtain greater buoyancy would have been gradually to
empty these over the side of the car, but with thoughtless
inexperience I seized them wholesale and flung them out,
with the result that the ' Eva ' shot up suddenly, and as
the rope tightened commenced to oscillate in a manner
that was not at all pleasing. Then, as the rope was
slackened I again ascended, but, alas ! only to be again
checked by the weight of rope at something under
800 feet. Our wire rope was evidently too heavy to
allow greater altitude, and the only lighter one we
possessed seemed not quite within the bounds of safety
should the wind increase.
But, as it was, my view was very extended, and
probably afforded as much information as would have
been obtained in a loftier position. The following I take
from my diary :
' Here the nature of the barrier surface towards the
south could be seen well. South of the rising slope
ahead of the ship I had expected to see a continuous
level plain, but to my surprise found that the plain
continued in a series of long undulations running
approximately east and west, or parallel to the barrier
200 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
edge ; the first two undulations could be distinctly seen,
each wave occupying a space of two or three miles, but
beyond that, the existence of further waves was only
indicated by alternate light and shadow, growing fainter
in the distance. In the far south a bank of cloud had
all the appearance of high land, but such indications are
now too well known not to be received with caution, and
even as I looked through my glasses, faint changes in
outline were perceptible. Far over the snow expanse a
small black dot represented our sledge party ; they must
have been nearly eight miles away, and their visibility
shows how easily a contrast can be seen on the mono-
tonous grey of the snow.'
When I again descended to the plain, Shackleton took
my place, armed with a camera, and to this we are
indebted for the photographs, which, whilst they constitute
a record of the incident, naturally fail to give the faint
differences of light and shadow which indicated the
barrier undulations. One gives a good idea, however,
of the inlet in which we lay, and another is remarkable for
its reproduction of the patchy nature of the snow surface.
This exhibits one of the types of surface over which we
had to drag our sledges for so many weary miles. I had
hoped that in the afternoon other officers and men would
have been able to ascend, and especially our engineer,
Mr. Skelton, and those of his department who had so
successfully inflated the balloon, but the wind was gradu-
ally increasing, and our captive began to sway about and
tug so persistently at its moorings that it became neces-
sary to deflate it,
w.
O
i— i
o
H
o
o
hJ
<!
PQ
O
K
ft
i9o2] A NIGHT ON THE BARRIER 201
The sight of so many seals on the previous evening
had reminded us that our winter stock was to be thought
of, and whilst ballooning operations were in progress, the
majority of our people had been despatched once more
on a murderous errand. The work of killing and skin-
ning was now performed with greater dexterity, but the
labour of transporting the carcases to the ship was found
to be very great, and it was late in the day before it was
accomplished and all hands tumbled aboard dead tired.
Meanwhile our sledge party had returned. Armitage
reported that he had crossed two undulations before
camping for the night, and in the morning had left
his camp, and pushing ahead on ski had crossed two
further ones. Their temperature during the night had
fallen to o°, whilst at the ship it was + 40 ; but as six
people slept in a tent with bare accommodation for three,
instead of suffering from the cold, one or two members
had found the quarters so close that during the night they
had extricated themselves from the general mass, pre-
ferring to spend the remaining hours in the open. It was
noted for future guidance that these members reported
most unfavourably on the snoring capabilities of the
others.
Curiously enough this party was able to report that
the undulations were not gradual as we had supposed on
seeing them from the balloon, but that the crest of each
wave was flattened into a long plateau from which the
descent into the succeeding valley was comparatively
sharp. Rather than crossing a series of undulations, the
party had appeared to be travelling on a plain intersected
202 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
by broad valleys, the general depth of which as measured
by aneroid was 1 20 feet. The actual distances travelled
were difficult to guess. At this time we were very prone
to exaggerate our walks, and it was not until we came
actually to measure them later on that we appreciated how
slowly we travelled on snowy surfaces. One thing was
certain, however : the waves were by no means regular
in extent, nor the slopes regular in inclination. At 7.30
in the evening we cast off from the ice and put out to
sea, having no desire to spend another night on the look-
out for icebergs. During the night the wind carried a
heavy drift off the barrier, and covered the rigging with
a thick rime, giving the ship a very wintry appearance.
We now shaped course directly for Victoria Land,
having no longer an object in following the irregularities
of the barrier. On the following day, February 5, the
wind came fair, and we were able to make sail and so
effect better progress.
On the 6th we sighted a large number of icebergs,
and suddenly recognised one which had been seen and
sketched on January 25 on our passage to the east-
ward. It was a curious, dilapidated berg, shaped some-
what like a ship, and had one tall column in the centre
which one might liken to a dissipated funnel ; we had
consequently called it the ' Belleisle ' berg, in recollection
of the woe-begone appearance of the ironclad of that
name after she had served as target to a more modern
battleship.
We were naturally eager to find out how far this
berg had travelled in the interval, and were most sur-
[See p. 154.
'NUNATAK' of eoce neae the table eanges.
^^jsc^
THE ' BELLEISLE ' BEEG.
1902] RETURN TO VICTORIA LAND 203
prised to learn that now after twelve days it had only-
drifted seventy miles to the westward, an average of six
miles a day. As I have pointed out, the ship experienced
a strong westerly set when cruising along the barrier, and
there can be no doubt that the pack-ice and smaller bergs
are carried along by this at a far greater speed than is
represented by the above figures ; one can only suppose
that the current experienced was merely a surface current,
and that the larger bergs are influenced by the deeper
water which is not moving so rapidly. Possibly also the
current in the surface waters, like those in McMurdo
Sound, are seasonal and only follow a seasonal preva-
lence of easterly winds. At this time easterly winds
were certainly prevalent, but there seems some reason
to doubt whether they are so at all seasons.
On our return along the barrier we had experienced
much lower temperature than on the outward journey,
and as this strongly suggested an early closing of the
Victoria Land harbours we were anxious to delay our
western journey as little as possible. In some alarm lest
we were already over-late, we were anything but re-
assured when on the morning of the 7th the temperature
fell to + 20 and we were enveloped in a thick fog of ice-
crystals. We could only console ourselves by reflecting
that these exceptionally cold temperatures were produced
by a wind from off the great snow-plains of the barrier,
where probably at no time of the year were the tempera-
tures other than severe.
Early on the 7th we caught glimpses of the land
through the patchy fog, and now, being under sail alone,
204 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
we were obliged to haul to the north to give it a wide
berth. The icy fog had so stiffened the ropes and sails,
and had made the decks so slippery, that it was only
with difficulty we could brace round the yards, and the
men, who had frequently to work with bare hands,
suffered much from frozen fingers before we had settled
down to the new course. The wind dropping later, we
were obliged to get up steam, and soon after to furl sails,
but by this time the fog had cleared, and we could see
clearly the massive outlines of Terror and Erebus. In
the evening we rounded Cape Bird, but in such repeated
and heavy snowstorms that frequently we could not see the
bowsprit from the bridge, and were forced to stop and
wait for the clearer intervals. The temperature, how-
ever, had risen nearly 200 and the air felt mild and soft in
comparison with that which we had lately experienced.
By the morning of the 8th we were once more in
McMurdo Sound ; a south-easterly wind and a falling
temperature were gradually clearing the skies and reveal-
ing the same magnificent scene of mountain and glacier
on which we had so recently gazed.
The heavy pack which had obstructed us before
seemed now to have vanished, and as we eagerly scanned
the coast of the mainland our hopes rose high that we
should find some sheltered nook in this far south region
in which the ' Discovery' might safely brave the rigours
of the coming winter, and remain securely embedded
whilst our sledge-parties, already beyond the limits of the
known, strove to solve the mysteries of the vast new
world which would then lie on every side.
1902] 205
CHAPTER VI
FINDING WINTER QUARTERS: A FATAL ACCIDENT
In McMurdo Sound — A Glacier Tongue — Landing South of Erebus —
Selection of Winter Quarters — Prospects — Difficulty in Maintaining our
Station — Erection of Huts — Amusements — A Trip to White Island —
Sledge Party to the Cape Crozier Record — Accident to Returning Sledge
Party — Fatal Result to poor Vince — Results of Search Parties — Frost-
bites— Wonderful Escape of Hare — Visit to Danger Slope.
Beholde I see the haven near at hand
To which I mean my wearie course to bend ;
Vere the main sheet and bear up to the land
The which afore is fairly to be ken'd.
Spenser : Faerie Queene.
In remembering the extraordinary distinctness with
which we had been able to see distant mountains in fine
weather, owing to the clearness of the atmosphere, the
reader may have been led to suppose that under these
conditions the * crow's-nest ' of the ' Discovery ' would
have commanded a very extensive view of the sea sur-
face. This was by no means the case : unless indicated
by an ice blink, the presence of pack could never be
detected at more than four or five miles even from that
elevated position, and it was often our lot to be steam-
ing towards an apparently open sea, and in less than
an hour to find ourselves surrounded by ice-floes.
Similarly, it was not possible when steering through the
pack to see the open-water leads, or to extend the
206 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY ' [Feb.
prospective track to a greater distance than two or three
miles.
It can therefore be understood that although on the
morning of February 8 we were steaming across
McMurdo Sound in open water, and could clearly see
the high mountains on each side, we could not see more
than a very limited portion of the extensive surface of
the Sound, nor tell when we might again find ourselves
obstructed by masses of pack-ice.
On January 21 we had been foiled in an attempt to
follow closely the coast of Victoria Land to the south of
Granite Harbour, and especially we had been unable to
examine a spot where the configuration of the rocky
cliffs gave promise of a second and more southerly
harbour for our wintering.
We now headed directly for this spot, and my diary
records the proceedings of the day as follows :
* . . . On this occasion we got within eight miles
before meeting with the same slabs of pack-ice which
caused us so much trouble before. On closer approach,
the deep valley between the bluff headlands turned out
to be partially filled with an immense glacier, and at first
sight it appeared as though very little shelter could be
hoped for. Later, however, as we skirted the pack
towards the south, we found that a long ice-tongue pro-
jected partly across the entrance, and undoubtedly good
shelter could be found behind this. . . . But now, the ice
being so free to the S.E., we pushed on in that direc-
tion, seizing the opportunity of examining the bay, and
hoping to find quarters still further to the south
WHALE RISING.
USING THE SMALL DREDGE.
[See p. 209.
,9o2] IN McMURDO SOUND 207
Gradually the sky cleared, and shortly after noon the
sun shone forth and the clouds rolled away from the
hills, leaving us in possession of a magnificent scene.
To the left was Erebus puffing forth light clouds of
vapour, and, slowly opening to the south of it, the
clear outline of Terror. The slopes of Erebus ran
gradually down into the bay, almost completely snow-
covered, but here and there an ink-black rock jutted into
the sea and gave definition to the hazy coastline. The
very high mountain which had been so conspicuous
behind our harbour now passed to the left of it, and
extended itself into a range exhibiting three magnificent
peaks. . . . Some thirty degrees from this our former
cone mountain ' (afterwards Mount Discovery) ' stood out,
impressively isolated ; many declared it to be also an
active volcano. The western coastline, after leaving
the ice-foot protecting our new harbour, runs back into
a deep bay, the southern horn of which touches the
slopes of the cone mountain ; ranges of comparatively
low foothills stand behind the inner part of the bay, and
five or six islets in the bay form a strong contrast to the
snow behind. Another low range of hills flanks the
cone mountain on the left, and separated from these by
a long and barely perceptible snow bank is yet another
low range. This snow bank is due south, and over it in
the dim distance the faint outline of very distant hills
can be seen. But from the left extremity of the last
range to the long cape which bounds the slopes of
Erebus, nothing could be seen ; so with renewed hope
of finding a strait we skirted the pack in this direction.
208 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
1 During the forenoon and afternoon we passed through
extensive sheets of young ice two or three inches in
thickness, and all day a school of grampus [Orca gladi-
ator, killer whale) were playing about the ship, often
coming within a few feet of the side and scattering the
young ice as they rose to breathe. Early in the after-
noon we came suddenly on a low foot of fast glacier-ice,
which appears to be the extremity of a long tongue
running for many miles out of the bay to the right of the
cone mountain. Its formation is most peculiar. The
surface is covered with numerous spiky pinnacles and
ridges many feet in height ; I can think of no less
fanciful resemblance than to compare them to tomb-
stones in a cemetery.
' A boat was got out to examine it, and we found
that the surface of the ice between the pinnacles was
covered with a thick deposit of volcanic sand, amongst
which were evidences of numerous water-courses now
dried up ; evidently the heat absorbed by the sand
has melted these channels, leaving the pinnacles
between. It was by no means easy to clamber
over this confusion of ice and rubble, and it would be
quite out of the question to drag a sledge through it ;
it is to be hoped, therefore, that we do not meet many
such obstructions on our journeys. A few hundred yards
from the edge, the winding of the water-channels had
produced some very beautiful, as well as curious, effects.
In places the rush of the stream had undercut the channel
till the bank overhung its base by many feet, leaving a
deep cave beneath, in which the intensest shades of blue
i— i
O
3
o
10.
02.
o
O'
fi,
Hi
EH'
1902] A GLACIER TONGUE 209
could be observed, whilst from the overlapping edge
hung a fringe of sparkling icicles ; in others a platform
of stones and rubble stood poised on a slender shaft of
ice, high above the bed of the stream ; here the water
had run placidly over a smooth, polished ice-floor, and
there its surface had been broken as it glided over a
bank of rounded boulders. From the ship it had seemed
that the disturbed ice would not rise more than breast-
high as one stood amongst it, but as one descended
into the courses of these streams the fantastically twisted
pinnacles of ice rose high above one's head and com-
pletely shut out all view of the ship and the mountainous
scene beyond.
' We found on the ice the skeleton of a fish eighteen
inches in length, probably carried here by a seal ;
it is interesting to find that fishes of such size exist
in these cold seas. Off the edge of the ice we got a
sounding in ninety-five fathoms, and whilst the ship
was being swung for her compasses, a small dredge
produced a fairly rich haul of animals from the bottom.
Our biologist, Hodgson, being on the sick list with a
chill, we proceeded to make this catch with all possible
secrecy, hoping to reward him with the result ; but, un-
fortunately, the secret leaked out, and, zeal overcoming
caution, our sick man was soon in the thick of it, with
openly expressed scorn for our amateurish efforts ; en-
treaties had to be extended to commands before, for his
own sake, he could be driven back into the milder atmo-
sphere below.
' Rounding this tongue of ice we found our further
vol. 1. p
2io THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
progress to the south barred by a sheet of fast sea-ice,
and skirting along the edge of this, we now find ourselves
steering almost due east, and heading towards the long
ridge of small uncovered hills which extends from the
southern slopes of Erebus, and ends in an abrupt and
conspicuous cape which we hope will point us yet further
south.'
It was 8 p.m. before we found that the ice edge
which we had been skirting extended continuously to
this cape, and hopes of an open strait vanished ; but we
continued our course until at ten we were close to the
black, bare volcanic land of the cape. We made for a
small rocky promontory without getting soundings with
our hand lead, until our bows gently grounded on a
bank within a few yards of the shore ; backing off from
this we found deep water alongside the ice-foot in the
small bay on its northern side, and here we secured
the ship with our ice-anchors. Later I write :
' We have now to consider the possibility of making
this part of the bay our winter quarters. From the
point of view of travelling, no part could be more
seemingly excellent; to the S.S.E. as far as the eye
can reach, all is smooth and even, and indeed every-
thing points to a continuation of the Great Barrier in
this direction. We should be within easy distance for
exploration of the mainland, and apparently should
have little difficulty in effecting a land communication
with our post office at Cape Crozier. There are no
signs of pressure in the ice ; on the other hand, the
shelter from wind is but meagre, and one can anticipate
i902] SELECTION OF WINTER QUARTERS 211
intense cold and howling gales. On the whole, to-night
I feel like staying where we are.'
It is interesting to recall our first impressions of a
region which we were destined to know so well, and to
observe that in a general sense these impressions were
correct ; in the south only the outlook seemed mys-
terious, and evidently we did not realise that the
southern ranges of hills were detached islands sur-
rounded by a practically level ice-sheet, but, misled by
refraction, still imagined them to be connected by com-
paratively high snow-covered ridges.
On the 9th, the day following our arrival, we set out
to explore our immediate surroundings ; the ship, as I
have mentioned, lay on the north side of a small
promontory. Our first discovery was that there was an
excellent little bay on the south side. The sea-ice had
not yet broken away in this bay, but it was evident that
it would only be a matter of a few days before it did so,
as the ice was cracked in all directions. Here, then, was
a promising spot in which to establish ourselves for the
winter ; my determination to remain in this region was
much strengthened, and I wrote :
' The small bay completes the shelter from pressure
in all directions from S.S.E. to W.N.W., and the
remaining space faces the main coastline, from which
pressure cannot be expected ; the water is shallow enough
to prevent danger from drifting icebergs ; little difficulty
will be found in securing the ship or in finding sheltered
spots for the huts within easy reach of the ship. . . .
This afternoon the ship broke away from her ice-
p 2
212 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
anchors, leaving a number of officers and men on shore,
but before we had drifted far, steam was raised and we
secured to the sea-ice on the south side of the promontory.
It seems very difficult to get a good grip with our ice-
anchors, and we have now bedded them well, and have
supplemented them with the small kedge buried in the
snow ; our position is not altogether satisfactory, as there
is a slight swell and the ship bumps occasionally against
the ice-foot. There is apparently only a small rise and
fall of tide, I think not more than twelve or eighteen
inches. After tea I went for a long walk with Skelton ;
we struck out over the sea-ice to round the cape, starting
on ski, but quickly abandoning them as the snow was
hard enough to walk on and too smooth for the ski to
grip properly. We found a curious water-hole off the
cape, surrounded for a long distance by thin ice which
we only discovered when it began to bend ominously
under us and we were obliged to separate very rapidly
and retire in different directions.' This thin sheet and
the open water in the midst of solid sea-ice puzzled us
greatly, and it was not until the following year that we
discovered that thick winter-ice is actually melted through
in the summer where the current flows over a shallow
bank. ' We quickly left this doubtful spot, and, skirting
further round, headed for a strait which we can now see
surrounds Erebus and Terror, placing them on an island.
A clear, smooth snow plain can be seen to the further
ridge of Terror, the ridge which lies close to Cape
Prozier, where the barrier edge meets the land. The
presence of an inky-water sky confirms the sea beyond.
i902] PROSPECTS 213
From the ridge to the right through 1200 of arc naught
can be seen but the plain level white surface of the Great
Barrier. As we mounted a pass in the hills on our
return to the ship, we could see these things still more
distinctly.
1 The ice south of the cape was evidently comparatively
thin sea-ice, and we could rejoice in beholding thousands
of seals scattered over the white surface — a promising
sign that we shall have no lack of these animals in the
coming winter. The ridge of hills under which we
shelter is apparently a spur extending from the southern
slopes of Erebus.
4 To-night there have been most excited arguments.
Everybody seems to have been in a different direction,
and either, as one would imagine, has seen quite a
different scene, or else prefers to describe things in his
own language. At any rate, all agree in the insularity
of Erebus and the final decease of the Parry Mountains ;
for the rest, there is nothing that we shall not be able to
investigate more definitely at a later date.'
As I have mentioned, in seeking our winter quarters
on the coast of Victoria Land so early in February we
had been firmly under the impression that the season was
closing in, and that the harbours and inlets would shortly
be frozen over. With no previous experience to guide
us, our opinion could only be based on the very severe
and unseasonable conditions which we had met with to
the east. But now to our astonishment we could see no
sign of a speedy freezing of the bay : the summer seemed
to have taken a new lease, and for several weeks the fast
2i4 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
«
sea-ice continued to break silently and to pass quietly
away to the north in large floes.
Meanwhile our situation was surrounded with thorny
difficulties. Although the ice broke farther afield, it
refused to move out of the small bay on which we had
set our eyes, and we were forced to cling to the outskirts
of the bay with our ice-anchors, in depths that were too
great to admit of the larger anchors being dropped to the
bottom. The weather changed frequently and rapidly,
and often after the ship had lain quietly for several hours
a sudden squall or snowstorm would fling her back on her
securing ropes, uprooting the ice-anchors and ultimately
sending her adrift. Whilst such possibilities remained,
in spite of the most earnest wish to save coal it was
necessary to retain facilities for getting up steam at short
notice, and the constant work of securing and re-securing
the ship was a most harassing addition to the men's work.
At other times the tide and swell would carry the
ship into awkward positions with regard to the ice-foot
or the shallow bank which lay immediately off it. On
February 10 I wrote : ' . . . Later, owing to current, the
ship forged ahead and forced herself into the fast ice ;
this brought the bow into deeper water, but the stern
swung into the ice-foot and bumped a good deal ; in this
position she has made a bed for herself, and we cannot
haul her out.'
' February 1 1 . — . . . The ship bumped heavily during
the night and worked herself into a very uncomfortable
position, her stern obliquely against the ice-foot, and her
bow jammed into the thick fast ice. In the morning we
Arrival Bay,
Hut Point.
OUR WINTER qvm
.
Crater
Hill-
FKOM THE SEA.
The Gap.
Observation Hill.
^
White Island.
Showing wrier holes ***
Black
Island.
1 fRom
THE
in- shall
H«t Point.
°w Places.
Mount Discovery,
Explosion.
i902] ERECTION OF HUTS 215
made some attempt to haul her stern out, but only suc-
ceeded in carrying away a hawser. In the afternoon all
hands were turned on to free her, a boiler was run down,
balloon cylinders and other weights transported forward,
and a party was set to free the ice at the forefoot. The
kedge anchor was buried fast in the , floe, and a large
hawser brought from it through the stern to the winch.
At seven, when we could get a good strain on the
hawser, the ship was gradually freed from her awkward
position.'
By the 1 2th we had managed to get an anchor on
the bottom, but the stern had been hauled in to assist
the work on shore. ' This morning it blew fresh from
the E.S.E. directly over the hills, and, with an off-setting
tide and some swell, we began to drag our ice-anchors,
the two kedges. For an hour in heavy snowdrift we
were endeavouring to check the drag by backing the
anchors, but to no avail ; at last both dragged out, when
there was only just sufficient time to get all hands on
board before the ship drifted off.'
In spite of the difficulty of keeping the ship in
position, however, steady progress was made with the
work on shore, which consisted mainly in erecting the
various huts which we had brought with us in pieces.
The main hut had been brought from Australia, and
was, in fact, a fairly spacious bungalow of a design used
by the outlying settlers in that country. The floor occu-
pied a space of about thirty-six feet square, but the over-
hanging eaves of the pyramidal roof rested on supports
some four feet beyond the sides, surrounding the hut with
216 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
a covered verandah. The interior space was curtailed
by the complete double lining, and numerous partitions
were provided to suit the requirements of the occupants.
But of these partitions only one was erected, to cut off a
small portion of one side, and the larger part which re-
mained formed a really spacious apartment.
It had been originally intended that the ' Discovery •
should not attempt to winter in the Antarctic, but should
land a small party and turn northward before the season
closed ; the hut had been provided for this party and carried
south under the impression that circumstances might yet
force the adoption of such a plan. Having discovered a
spot in which we felt confident the ' Discovery ' could
winter with safety, the living-hut was no longer of vital
importance ; but, even retaining the ship as a home,
there were still many useful purposes to which a large
hut might be adapted. It was obvious that some sort of
shelter must be made on shore before exploring parties
could be sent away with safety, as we felt that at any time
a heavy gale might drive the ship off her station for
several days, if not altogether. With the hut erected
and provisioned, there need be no anxiety for a detached
party in such circumstances. Later on, too, we hoped
that the large room would come in useful as a workshop
or as a play-room, or for any purpose which might tend
to relieve the congestion of the ship.
We found, however, that its erection was no light task,
as all the main and verandah supports were designed
to be sunk three or four feet in the ground. We soon
found a convenient site close to the ship on a small bare
i9o2] AMUSEMENTS 217
plateau of volcanic rubble, but an inch or two below the
surface the soil was frozen hard, and many an hour was
spent with pick, shovel, and crowbar before the solid
supports were erected and our able carpenter could get
to work on the frame.
In addition to the main hut, and of greater impor-
tance, were the two small huts which we had brought for
our magnetic instruments. These consisted of a light
skeleton framework of wood covered with sheets of
asbestos. The numerous parts were of course numbered,
and there would have been no great difficulty in putting
them together had it not been that the wood was badly
warped, so that none of the joints would fit without a
great deal of persuasion from the carpenter. One of
these huts was designed to hold instruments which
should keep a continuous record of the change of the
magnetic elements on a photographic drum, and it was
highly desirable that the record should be commenced as
soon as possible.
As may be imagined, with so much work going on
on shore and the frequent necessity of looking after the
ship, our time was well occupied. But life was not all
work, and we found plenty of interest and amusement in
our surroundings, as well as relaxation of a more usual
character, as the following extracts from my diary will
show :
' After working hours, all hands generally muster on
the floe for football. There is plenty of room for a full-
sized ground in the bay, and the snow is just hard
enough to make a good surface.'
218 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
'February 13.™— We hauled the stern into the ice-
foot in the morning and carried on hut-building operations.
It was calm and clear, and we made good progress. We
tried a team of dogs to tow the light sledge up the hill
with pieces of the small huts. Some pulled well, but
others are evidently young and untrained ; some were
extremely timid and grovelled at the least attempt to
drive them, others fought whenever and wherever they
could. It wTas not rapid, but eventually all the pieces
were got up the hill. . . . Repeated walks are taken to
the hill-tops in the immediate vicinity, and eyes are
turned towards the south — the land of promise. Many
are the arguments as to what lies in the misty distance,
and as to what obstacles the spring journeys will bring
to light. ... The officers played the men at football
to-night, and won by a goal, but the wind rather spoilt
the fun. It is now blowing fresh from the usual E.S.E.
direction. Two bergs were seen moving up the bay.
This is interesting as showing that the bottom waters
must be moving in.
'February \\th. — . . . We have landed all the
dogs, and their kennels are ranged over the hillside below
the huts. They complain bitterly, but they are a good
riddance from the deck, which is again assuming some
appearance of cleanliness. ... It is surprising what a
number of things have to be done, and what an uncon-
scionable time it takes to do them. The hut-building is
slow work, and much of our time has been taken in
securing the ship ; an annoyingly large number of hours
have to be devoted to pumping her out ; the pumps get
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i902] NOMENCLATURE 219
frozen and have to be opened up and thawed out with
a blow-lamp. Much work is before us when the huts
are up : we must land a store of provisions and a boat for
emergencies ; then there are the instruments to be seen
to, more seals to be killed for the winter, arrangements
made for fresh-water ice, sledges and tents to be pre-
pared, and a hundred-and-one details to be attended to.
' The sun is now very near dipping at midnight, and
will soon give us an appreciable night. In the morning
and evening it is therefore low, and gives the effect of
sunset or sunrise for many hours together. The scene is
wonderfully beautiful at such times ; the most character-
istic feature is a soft pink light, that tinges the snow-
slopes and ice-foot and fades into the purple outline of
the distant mountains. Here and there a high peak is
radiantly gilded by a shaft of sunlight.
' Names have been given to the various landmarks in
our vicinity. The end of our peninsula is to be called
" Cape Armitage," after our excellent navigator. The
sharp hill above it is to be " Observation Hill " ; it is
750 feet high, and should make an excellent look-out
station for observing the going and coming sledge-parties.
Next comes the " Gap," through which we can cross the
peninsula at a comparatively low level. North of the
" Gap "are " Crater Heights," and the higher volcanic
peak beyond is to be "Crater Hill"; it is 1,050 feet
in height. Our protecting promontory is to be " Hut
Point," with "Arrival Bay" on the north and "Winter
Quarter Bay" on the south ; above "Arrival Bay" are
the " Arrival Heights," which continue with breaks for
220 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
about three miles to a long snow-slope, beyond which
rises the most conspicuous landmark on our peninsula,
a high precipitous-sided rock with a flat top, which has
been dubbed " Castle Rock" ; it is 1,350 feet in height.
* In spite of the persistent wind, away up the bay it is
possible to get some shelter, and here we take our ski
exercise and find it increases in interest as we make
rapid strides towards maintaining our stability. Now
that we are able to turn, we can start from several
hundred feet up the hillside and come down on an incline
for half a mile or more before we reach the sea-ice. It
is most exhilarating exercise, and figure after figure can be
seen flying down the hillside, all struggling hard to keep
their balance, but generally failing at some critical turn,
and coming an " awful purler" to the amusement of the
others.'
On February 16 our football and general athletic
ground broke away, leaving only a small corner of the
bay filled with ice, and skiing became a still more
popular amusement. Some days later I find : ' The
party of officers who disport themselves on ski is getting
more ambitious, and to-day we started from a much
higher place. The course started with a quick slope of
120 feet in height, covered with soft snow, on which a
tremendous pace was acquired ; a sudden lessening in
the inclination shot one out on rough hard snow, which
not only had to be taken at the same pace, but involved
a double turn to left and right, then a slightly milder
slope slackened the pace to a sharp corner, where a turn
of 1200 had to be made before one plunged down the
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i9o2] RESCUE FROM AN ICE-FLOE 221
final slope to the sea-ice. One or two of us got down
safely, but it was generally touch-and-go at the corners.
Skelton is by far the best of the officers, though possibly
some of the men run him close.
' February 17. — The forenoon was gloriously fine.
In a dead calm the sun shone in a cloudless sky ; the
western mountains were very distinct, but the foreshore
was raised and exaggerated by strong mirage. The
work is now so far ahead on our huts that we can con-
template some sledge parties. Barne and Shackleton
tossed a coin as to who should take the first, and the
latter won. Wilson and Ferrar will accompany him.
The ice has broken away so far round the corner that I
have told them they must take a pram until they get
beyond the sea-ice ; it will be a heavy drag, but I don't
expect they will have to drag it far. All three are very
busy making preparations.
■ All that remained of the sea-ice in our bay moved
out very quietly this morning, nearly taking away
Hodgson, who was fishing on the floe with a tow-net,
quite unconscious of what was happening until he looked
up and saw his retreat cut off. There was quite an ex-
citement in rescuing him. The wind sprang up again
suddenly in the afternoon ; we seem fated not to be long
without it. It came sweeping down the gullies in bitter
gusts. I went up the hill for exercise, and was glad to
turn back and sail home.
' Late this evening Walker suddenly appeared, re-
porting that Ford had met with an accident on the
eastern slope of the Gap and needed assistance. It
222 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
appeared that Ford, Buckridge, and Walker had been
" running " the slope on ski in a rather bad light, and
that Ford, whose sight is not good, had failed to see a
steep drop from the ice-foot and had fallen over it, with
the result that his leg had caught in the tide crack and
was injured. A party were soon away with a sledge on
which they brought back the invalid, the first to occupy
our small sick-berth. The doctors found that there was
a simple fracture, which, though not a very serious matter,
will rob us of our ship's steward for some weeks.' The
fracture healed with remarkable rapidity, and in less than
six weeks Ford was able to resume his duties.
1 February 18. — It blew hard from the S.E. this
morning, but about eight the wind dropped, and during
the rest of the working hours it was quite calm and we
were able to push ahead with the huts.
' As the ice has broken away around the cape, the
sledge party have had stiff work in dragging their sledge
and pram over the " Gap " ; they will start fair from that
side to-morrow.
' There have been arguments lately as to the neces-
sity of a whip in driving dogs, and to-day the two
keenest controversialists, Armitage and Bernacchi, who
are respectively for and against coercive methods, had a
competition. They selected their own teams, and,
whether by accident or design, Armitage selected all the
fighting element, whilst Bernacchi's team were mostly
the younger and timider dogs. At first neither team
could be got to start at all ; there was a wild confusion
of twisted traces and some exciting fights ; but even-
i902] THE DOGS AND THE WHIP 223
tually, amidst the cheers of the onlookers, Bernacchi
succeeded in coaxing his animals into a trot, from which
they broke into a gallop, and, heading up the steep snow-
slope, left the driver breathless behind. Whilst this was
scarcely the exhibition of control that had been intended,
the other team had refused to trot at all, and the honours
of the day were of necessity given to the advocate of
gentle persuasion.
* It is surprising how suddenly the wind rises and
drops here. At 6.30 to-night it came on to blow from
the north, and, without warning, in the space of a few
minutes a strong breeze was blowing. The hawser
securing our stern to the ice-foot parted, the ship swung
off, and we were obliged to lower a boat in haste to pick
up the men who had stayed to secure the half-built hut.
By the time they were on board, it was blowing a gale ;
we had good shelter from Hut Point, but the swell got
up very quickly, and there was soon a considerable com-
motion in our small bay. ... At midnight the wind
dropped as suddenly as it had risen, and we have now
to be prepared for being carried against the ice-foot,
which with this swell would probably mean some heavy
bumps.' On the following day the wind came as sud-
denly from the south, and we bumped so heavily on the
ice-foot that I thought it advisable to get up steam.
' Later the wind increased to force 8, and we had
a scare with a mass of ice bearing straight into the bay.
At the last moment it diverted its course and passed
harmlessly round the point. . . .' From such extracts
as the above it will be seen that it is no easy matter
224 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
to secure a peaceful anchorage on the Antarctic coast-
line.
' February 20. — We have had the first continuous
bright windless day since we arrived. The glass was
steady at 29.4, the sun shone brightly, and although the
temperature did not rise above 180 it was pleasant to loll
about in the sun during the dinner hour, when we smoked
our pipes in great comfort, sitting on pieces of the hut
which are not yet fixed. The dogs are now allowed to
run loose, so many at a time ; there is much less fighting
than would be expected. They are losing their coats, I
suppose at about the time they would shed them in the
north in preparation for summer, but it seems an awkward
look-out when they ought to be preparing for winter. We
took advantage of the fine evening to re-secure the ship.
I let go two anchors in the bay and middled, then veered
both cables till we could just bring her stern up to the
ice-foot for landing our gear. She ought to lie much
more comfortably now.' On the 21st our energetic first
lieutenant, Royds, had a very narrow shave. Late at
night, when everyone else was below, he jumped on
to a grating which had been placed over, the side
and carelessly secured ; the lashing slipped, and the
next moment he was in the water with nothing to
hold on by or to assist him in climbing out ; with
the water at 290 and the air at zero he realised
that there was no time to be wasted if he was to reach
the deck again safe and sound, and that the chance of
his being heard was so small, he would only be wasting
his breath by attempting to shout. In this serious posi-
i9o2] A TRIP TO WHITE ISLAND 225
tion he luckily remembered that a rope ladder had been
left over the stern, and husbanding his strength he swam
for it. It could have been no light matter climbing that
ladder under such freezing conditions, but fortunately he
managed to do it, and to swing himself over the side.
The first we knew of the accident was when he appeared
in the wardroom with his clothes dripping and his teeth
chattering.
On the 22nd our small reconnoitring sledge party
returned. After leaving on the 19th they had made
directly south towards the White Island, eventually
reached it, and climbed one of the nearer volcanic peaks.
They were so naturally bubbling over with their experi-
ences that it was some time before we could get answers
to our eager questions. From the summit of their peak,
for which the aneroid gave a height of 2,700 feet, they
had seen the great snow plain of the barrier still stretch-
ing without limit through east and south-east to south,
and curling a long white arm around the island on which
they stood. To the west the same level sea of snow
seemed to run deep into the fretted coastline, and again
they could see it beyond the high cape which limited our
view from the ship. In the dim distance south of our
lofty western ranges more high snow-covered peaks
appeared. But of the roads it was more difficult to
speak ; they had crossed ridges and hummocks and
crevasses, and had come to see that these things did not
advertise themselves afar, but lay hidden in unexpected
places under the deceptive smoothness of the plain. It
looked as though the best road would lie to the east of
vol. 1. Q
226 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
the island and well clear of it, but our travellers shook
their heads over the bright prospect of a smooth highway,
in visions of which many had indulged up to this time.
Altogether we felt that our outlook on affairs was
considerably enlarged by this small journey, and we
stopped up late as we discussed its bearings and listened
for the first time to the woes of the inexperienced
sledger. Although the temperature had not been severe,
our travellers had nearly got into serious trouble by
continuing their march in a snowstorm. They found
themselves so exhausted when they did stop to camp
that they were repeatedly frost-bitten. They could
only get their tent up with great difficulty, and then
followed all sorts of troubles with the novel cooking
apparatus. It is strange now to look back on these first
essays at sledging, and to see how terribly hampered we
were by want of experience. Perhaps the most curious
note I have of the report of these three is to the effect
that in their opinion our pemmican wouldn't do at all.
It was far too rich, they said, and when made into soup
it was so greasy that none of them could touch it. Our
pemmican contained 60 per cent, of lard, but after
knowing how it tasted to a true sledging appetite and
seeing the manner in which it was scraped out of the
cooking pots in later times, it needs such a reminder as
this to recall that it might not be always grateful to a
more civilised taste.
This sledge party did something to dispel curious
illusions which existed amongst us with regard to
distances. On certain days every detail of our
i9o2] ILLUSIONS AS TO DISTANCES 227
surroundings was so clear that it was impossible to
persuade oneself that much on which we looked was in
the far distance. Shortly after our arrival, for instance,
two of our company had started off with the serious
intention of taking an afternoon walk around this very
'White Island,' and it was only after they had walked
for some hours without noticing any appreciable change
in the appearance of the island that they were convinced
they had undertaken a task beyond their powers. On
another occasion two officers discussed the advisability
of making a day's excursion to the top of Mount Erebus
and back.
When we had learnt to discount the deceptive ap-
pearance of nearness, many of us were inclined to go to
the opposite extreme, and to imagine our distances much
greater and our mountains much more exalted than they
really were. One was led to this by an exaggerated
conception of the distance one could walk in a given
time. It was not until instruments and observations had
shed the cold light of reason on our sledge marches that
we came to know that two miles an hour is very good
going on a soft snow surface.
Though our work was much impeded by the cutting
winds, we continued to make progress as the month
advanced ; as yet, however, there were no signs of the
sea freezing over, and the old sea-ice, still continuing to
break away, had left a large extent of open water to the
southward and eastward of Cape Armitage. The seals
had no longer a resting-place within two or three miles
of the ship, and we had been forced to kill them at this
Q2
228 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb.
distance in providing for our winter consumption. Not
wishing to drag the carcases such a long distance until
they were required, we had left them partly buried in
snow, but on revisiting the spot somewhat later we
found to our dismay that the skua gulls had been at
our cache and had wrought great havoc. It was extra-
ordinary to see the manner in which they had torn the
frozen flesh from the bones with their powerful bills.
' February 26. — . . . The main hut is roofed and
the windows placed ; there is little more to be done out-
side, though the whole of the inner lining has to be put
up. The first magnetic hut is almost finished ; a good
quantity of provisions and oil has been landed, with
fifteen tons of coal. I feel we can now leave the ship
without anxiety, and have been pushing forward our
arrangements for the first trip, which I hope to lead my-
self. The object will be to endeavour to reach our
record at Cape Crozier over the barrier, and to leave a
fresh communication there with details of our winter
quarters.
4 The snow on the " ski " slopes has become very hard
and rough, and we can no longer enjoy that exercise.
'February 27. — I went out with Barne on ski, and
was foolish enough to try to run the upper slope, which
is now covered with hard sastrugi (wind waves). As I
was coming down at a good pace, my right ski was
turned by one of these, and in falling I brought a heavy
strain on my right knee, and damaged the hamstring.
I was forced to limp back and get it bandaged.' On the
following day I found my leg much swollen, and could
i9o2] SLEDGE PARTY TO CAPE CROZIER 229
scarcely put foot to the ground, and to my great annoy-
ance, as the days went on, the improvement was so slow
that I had to abandon all idea of accompanying the
sledge party to Cape Crozier, and to content myself with
deputing the charge to Royds. I already foresaw how
much there was to be learnt if we were to do good sledg-
ing work in the spring, and to miss such an opportunity
of gaining experience was terribly trying ; however,
there was nothing to be done but to nurse my wounded
limb and to determine that never again would I be so
rash as to run hard snow-slopes on ski.
By March 4 the preparation of the sledge party was
completed. The party consisted of four officers, Royds,
Koettlitz, Skelton, and Barne, and eight men, and was
divided into two teams, each pulling a single sledge and
each assisted by four dogs. I am bound to confess that
the sledges when packed presented an appearance of
which we should afterwards have been wholly ashamed,
and much the same might be said of the clothing worn
by the sledgers. But at this time our ignorance was de-
plorable ; we did not know how much or what propor-
tions would be required as regards the food, how to use
our cookers, how to put up our tents, or even how to put
on our clothes. Not a single article of the outfit had
been tested, and amid the general ignorance that pre-
vailed the lack of system was painfully apparent in
everything. Though each requirement might have been
remembered, all were packed in a confused mass, and, to
use a sailor s expression, ' everything was on top and
nothing handy.'
230 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
Even at this time I was conscious how much there
was to be learnt, and felt that we must buy our experi-
ence through many a discomfort ; and on looking back I
am only astonished that we bought that experience so
cheaply, for clearly there were the elements of catas-
trophe as well as of discomfort in the disorganised con-
dition in which our first sledge parties left the ship.
However, at the time few of those actively employed
had time or inclination to consider their unfitness ; all
was bustle and hurry to depart, and at length the order
to march was given and the party stepped out briskly for
the steep snow-slopes. By this time the sea-ice had
broken past the eastern slope of the * Gap,' the penin-
sula could be crossed only by climbing the higher
passes, and the sledges had to be dragged to an altitude
of nearly 800 feet before the level plain of the barrier
could be reached. It was not until the following day,
therefore, that the retreating figures of the party were
lost to our watchers on the hilltops, and we settled down
to wait for their return.
It was about this time that we first began to notice
the strange relation between the direction of the wind
and the temperatures we experienced in our small bay.
1 With the wind from north or south, or anywhere to the
westward of these points, the thermometer rises above
200 and the air is soft and mild. But should an easterly
wind arise — and this is the most constant direction of our
winds — the temperature falls to zero or below, and the
air is rendered more biting by fine particles of snow
blown from the hill surfaces. Last night light airs were
i9o2] WIND-DIRECTION AND TEMPERATURE 231
succeeded by a squally southerly breeze ; the ther-
mometer showed a maximum of 250 ; I noticed my bunk
unusually warm, and in the morning found water on the
upper deck. To the eastward is the barrier, and doubt-
less the cold weather is due to air carried from its exten-
sive surface. . . . The northerly breeze coming from
the sea would naturally be warmed, but it is difficult to
account for the warmth of the southerly winds, unless it
is an effect of descending currents from the higher levels.
We should welcome both northerly and southerly breezes
were it not that the first brings a swell and the last a
continual prospect of being beset by drifting ice. Of the
several evils, the least is undoubtedly the cold, and with
a southerly wind especially one does not feel that our
bay affords a good protection ; luckily, so far, it has not
lasted at any time for more than a few hours, nor has
it blown with any great force. We have only ex-
perienced the lightest puffs of air from the west, in
which direction our bay affords least protection.
' We have now got our windmill up, and it revolves
merrily. The mill regulates itself to a certain extent by
its large rudder, which causes it to face more obliquely
to the wind as its force increases, but this is only partial
regulation, and with changes in the wind there is con-
siderable variation in the speed of the mill. The dynamo
stands on deck beneath the mill, and has an ingenious
contrivance with a sucking magnet to regulate the
current output by altering the resistance in the field
magnets. This does not work so well as one could
wish, and though the cells are gradually charging I do
232 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
not like the variations in the current which is effecting
this. Dellbridge and I have been going into the matter,
but I fear the sucking magnet will never be very satis-
factory. To-night we had electric light below for a few
hours ; it made our quarters look wonderfully bright and
comfortable, and will be the greatest boon if we can only
keep it going during the winter ; but besides the dynamo,
the cells will need a lot of attention ; one or two are
already showing signs of sulphating.
' The main hut is now finished and looks quite a
palatial residence. The Eschenhagen magnetographs
have been in full swing since the term day, March i,
thanks to Bernacchi's energy ; there will be much diffi-
culty, he thinks, in maintaining an equable temperature
for these instruments. I hope it can be overcome to
some extent by banking the hut with snow.
( March 9. — The young ice forms quickly when it
is calm, especially at night, but when the wind springs
up it is soon driven out.
1 I was able to get about sufficiently to go rounds
and perform our short service. Without Royds and the
harmonium the hymns were a difficulty, but we chose
the simplest tunes. A calm but dull morning was suc-
ceeded by the most glorious afternoon. The sun was
warm and bright, and it was pleasant to sit about in its
rays. I was sorely tempted to try to walk abroad, but
wisdom kept me chained on board. We have now been
here a month and a day ; it is odd to think that we
expected to be frozen in on arrival, a miscalculation of a
whole month ; but what could one suppose from the
i9o2] TOBOGGANING 233
evidence we then had before us? In addition to the
records of former expeditions to these seas, I find that
the " Belgica " ceased to move after March 4 when far
to the north of us. The bay is full of young ice and the
swell has almost gone ; it appears as if our little corner
was at last to be frozen in. To-night the sun sinks
behind our western range in a sky of rosy glory, and deep
shadows fall across the frozen bay.
' March 10. — . . . Again a fine bright day, though
there was some wind in the night. My leg better, and
was able to hobble to the shore station on a tour of
inspection. Quite a number of small round sponges
have been picked up on the hillsides ; they must have
been cast up on the ice-foot and there dried, until they
became so light that the wind caught them up and
whirled them to the rocky crannies above. The men go
out very regularly for exercise ; they have mostly given
up their ski and have taken to tobogganing. Toboggans
are made of a pair of ski and the end of a packing case.
As many of the slopes are extremely steep, the pace is
sometimes terrific, and the least unevenness of surface
inevitably causes a capsize, when toboggan and man
come whirling down in a cloud of snow, much to the
delight of the onlookers.
1 The sun circles so low now that the effects of sunset
are visible for many hours, and the changes of light are
very gradual and very beautiful. As I returned from my
walk at six, the western sky bore a saffron tint, deepening
to crimson where the dark blue mountains were clearly
outlined against it ; the fleecy clouds showed dark, with
234 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [March
bright gilded edges where they stood against the sky, and
whitish grey where they nestled in the distant valleys.
And yet now, five hours later, though heavier cumulus
clouds have spread overhead, the saffron tint can still be
seen through breaks in the cloudy mantle, whilst the
clear horizon has only turned to a richer crimson. The
beauties of the sky are reflected in deeper tone on the
patchy surface of the young ice, in which a few puffs of
wind have traced ink-black leads of open water. But it
is still sunset, as it was five hours ago.'
Tuesday, March 1 1 , was to be one of our blackest
days in the Antarctic, but we had little suspicion of this
as the daylight hours passed quietly, and we remained
snugly in our comfortable quarters on board the ship.
Since the departure of our sledge party the weather had
been exceptionally fine; but we awoke on the nth to
find the wind blowing from the east ; in the afternoon it
increased in strength, and the air was filled with thick
driving snow. The main part of our outdoor work was
accomplished, and as there was plenty to be done on board
we did not attempt to face the inclement conditions outside,
but sat down in comfort to our tasks with an occasional
thought for our fellows who were less happily circum-
stanced. On the previous evening a report had been
brought in from the hilltop that a spot had been seen in
the distance, which was thought to be our sledge party
returning. Though we considered it rather soon for
them to appear, we did not imagine that anything could
be wrong, and only lamented for their sakes that they
should be obliged to support this weather in a tent rather
i902] ACCIDENT TO CAPE CROZIER PARTY 235
than with our own comfortable surroundings. At the
worst no one suspected that they could be anything but
weather-bound and uncomfortable. It was not until half-
past eight, when it was quite dusk without, that our
tranquillity was rudely shaken by a report that four
men were walking towards the ship. The sense of
trouble was immediate, and all hastened on deck ; we
could scarcely recognise the newcomers as they climbed
over the side in the thick whirling drift, but the first
disjointed sentences were enough to show that all was
amiss, and we hurried them below. As they emerged
from their thick coverings we recognised them as Wild,
Weller, Heald, and Plumley, and it was evident that
though thoroughly exhausted they were labouring under
strong excitement. In such circumstances, and from
so many mouths, it was almost impossible to get a
connected tale, and it was not until I had selected Wild,
as obviously the most cool and collected of the party, and
had called him aside, that I was able to get an idea of
what had happened ; and even then I could only get a
meagre outline such as follows :
They had been sent back, he said, a party of nine, in
charge of Mr. Barne, and early in the day had reached
the crest of the hills somewhere by Castle Rock ;
besides the three with him now, there had been Mr.
Barne, Quartley, Evans, Hare, and Vince ; they had
thought they were quite close to the ship, and when the
blizzard came on they had left their tents and walked
towards her supposed position. They found them-
selves on a steep slope ; couldn't see anything, but
236 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [march
tried to keep close together ; suddenly Hare had disap-
peared, and a few minutes afterwards Evans went.
Mr. Barne and Quartley had left them to try to find out
what had become of Evans, and neither had come back,
though they waited. Afterwards they had gone on, and
then suddenly found themselves at the edge of a preci-
pice with the sea below ; Vince had shot past him over
the edge. After much trouble they had climbed back,
reached some rocks, and groped their way to the ship ;
he feared all the others must be lost ; he was sure Vince
had gone. Could he guide a search party to the scene of
the accident ? He thought he could — at any rate, he
would like to try.
The information was little enough ; at any rate, it was
something on which to act, and the details could be filled
in later. But meanwhile the practical common sense on
board had outstripped orders, and already warmer
clothing and wind coverings were being hurried on by
all, and a sledge with a fur sleeping-bag and medical
comforts had been equipped. But the ship could not be
deserted even for such an errand as this, and when Mr.
Armitage had chosen four officers and ten men to accom-
pany him, it was felt that numbers had already reached the
limit of usefulness, and that others like myself must wait
in dreary inaction whilst the few laboured. Though the
first disastrous tidings had been brought to us at 8.30, it
was still before nine when the relieving party tumbled
over the side and vanished into the gloom.
It will be as well to relate now the actual story of the
original sledge party, as we learnt it in after-times, and
to trace the steps which had led to the accident.
i9o2] THE SLEDGE PARTY'S STORY 237
The party, after crossing the hills on March 4 on
their outward journey, had descended to the level ice and
directed their course into the deep bay which lies on the
eastern side of our peninsula and south of Erebus and
Terror. After crossing some ice-ridges they found fairly
easy travelling for ten miles or more, but then came to
very soft snow, where at each footstep they sank to a
depth of eighteen inches or two feet. The labour was
excessive, and the dogs were of no assistance, but they
struggled on in hopes of coming to better conditions.
After three days Royds saw that it was useless to
continue as they were going, and that the only chance of
making progress was to use snow-shoes, but unfortunately
there were only three pairs of ski with the party. He
decided, therefore, to push on for his mission at Cape
Crozier with two officers only, and to send the remainder
back in charge of Barne. The separation took place on
the 9th, and the returning party, finding a somewhat
easier road, were able to retrace their steps at a more
rapid pace. They came abreast of Castle Rock on the
morning of the 1 ith ; and, although this was not the way
by which they had descended from the hills, Barne
thought that the incline at this place looked more gradual
and would prove an easier road to the summit than that
by which they had come, and so decided to take it. In
expectation of a stiff and slippery climb, he directed his men
to put on the loose leather ski boots which they carried
instead of the softer fur boots. The ski boots were
frozen hard, and although most of the party got them on
after much difficulty, Vince and Hare had to give up the
238 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
attempt and were allowed to continue in their fur boots.
Barne's report proceeds : ' Neither Primus lamp could be
used on account of the prickers being broken. At 9.45,
the weather being clear, we started, particular care having
been taken to pack the sledges securely to prevent
damage in case of capsize during the ascent. The hill
can be easily ascended by taking a zig-zag course, the
surface of the snow being in broad natural steps. Find-
ing, however, that we could haul the sledges straight up,
I did so, making for Castle Rock. We stopped twice
for rests, and reached the top of the ridge about half a
mile south-west of Castle Rock at 1 p.m. We had
scarcely gained the ridge when it began to blow from the
south-east, and the air was filled with snow. I had just
time to take a bearing of Crater Hill before it was
obscured, and I intended to make for it along the ridge,
but as several of the crew were getting frost-bitten and
the sledges were being blown over, I thought it best to
camp, and made for the shelter of some rocks which I
had seen before the wind sprang up. On finding them
we got as much as possible under their lee and pitched
our tents, getting the men in as quickly as possible.'
The tents being up, the party crept into them,
already exhausted from their heavy pull up the long
incline, and more or less frost-bitten from their last
efforts in the driving snow. At ordinary times hot tea
or cocoa would have revived their spirits, but now neither
cooking apparatus was in order, and they could not even
melt the snow to drink with their icy cold lunch. We
afterwards weathered many a gale in our staunch little
I9o2] A FATAL DECISION 239
tents, whilst their canvas sides flapped thunderously hour
after hour, and we, ensconced in our sleeping-bags,
passed our time, if not in comfort, at least without sense
of danger. But to this party the experience was new ;
they expected each gust that swept down on them would
bear the tents bodily away, and meanwhile the chill air
crept through their leather boots and ill-considered
clothing, and continually some frost-bitten limb had to be
nursed back to life. It was small wonder that the
position seemed intolerable, that their thoughts turned
to the comforts of the ship which they imagined to be
within a mile or so of them ; and after some discussion
the fatal decision was made to abandon their sledges and
attempt to reach her.
We knew well enough afterwards the rashness of
attempting to move in an Antarctic snowstorm, but
at this time it was impossible for us to have known
fully the serious nature of such an act and the utter
confusion which must ensue. It was an experience
which had to be bought, and this party were destined to
pay the price.
At this juncture Barne's report proceeds : * . . . The
tents were rolled up and secured, the dogs unharnessed,
and we left the sledges. Before leaving I impressed
on the men, as strongly as I could, the importance
of keeping together, as it was impossible to distinguish
any object at a greater distance than ten yards on
account of the drifting snow. The two men wearing
fur boots had a man on either side to prevent them
from slipping. Our progress was very slow, as we
24o THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
were greatly delayed by the men in fur boots, who had
difficulty in walking on the slippery, uneven surface.
As we proceeded the surface inclined to our right front
until it was evident we were crossing a steep slope on
which it was more and more difficult to keep a foothold.
. . . About ten minutes after we had left the sledges,
Hare, who was at the rear of the party, was reported to be
missing, and at this moment an unusually violent squall
prevented us from seeing even one another. I im-
mediately ordered a chain to be formed at right angles
and extending across our track, each man keeping in
touch with the next with the idea of intercepting Hare
when he came on. We shouted and blew whistles, and
whilst this was going on, Evans stepped back on to a
patch of bare smooth ice, fell, and shot out of sight
immediately.'
Thinking the slope to be one of the short ones so
common in the folds of the hills, Barne cautioned his
men to remain were they where ; and, sitting down,
deliberately started to slide in Evans's track. In a moment
or two the slope grew steeper, and soon he was going at
a pace which left him with no power to control his move-
ments ; he whipped out his clasp knife and dug it into the
ice, but the blade snapped off short and failed to check
his wild career. In the mad rush he had time to realise
the mistake that had been made and to wonder vaguely
what would come next. In a flash, ice changed to snow,
which grew softer until, in a smother of flying particles,
his rapid flight was arrested, and he stood up to find Evans
within a few feet of him. They had scarcely exchanged
i9o2] A CANINE VICTIM 241
greetings when a third figure came hurtling down on
them out of the gloom and was brought to rest at their
feet. This was Quartley, who, growing impatient at
Barne's absence, and of course ignorant of what lay
below, had started to slide down on the same track, and
had been swept down the descent in the same breathless
manner. Realising the impossibility of ascending again
by the way they had come, they started to descend, but
within four paces of the place at which they had been
brought to rest they found that the slope ended suddenly
in a steep precipice beyond which they could see nothing
but the clouds of whirling snow. Even as they recoiled
from this new danger and dimly realised the merciful
patch of soft snow which had saved them from it, a yelp-
ing dog flew past them, clawing madly at the icy slop,
and disappeared for ever into the gloom beyond.
Movement of any sort seemed impossible in this
whirling storm, and they sat for long huddled together,
forlornly hoping for some respite from the blinding drift.
At last, chilled to the bone, they felt that whatever
happened they must be again on the move, and in a
dazed fashion they gathered themselves together and
slowly moved along the cliff to the right ; they found
that it gradually fell, and then suddenly they caught a
glimpse of the sea at their feet, and for the first time
realised that it was from this they had been saved by
the patch of snow almost on the cornice of the cliff.
In a short break in the storm they now saw Castle
Rock towering over their heads, and close ahead of them
a rocky ridge which ran from its foot, Slowly and
vol. 1. R
242 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
painfully they made their way up the stony incline until
they stood beneath the high rock cliffs, and here again
they crouched together, seeking what shelter they
could behind a huge boulder, and thus they must have
remained for some hours.
Meanwhile the party which had been left at the head
of the slope, in obedience to orders, waited long for their
absent leader, shouting again and again in the lulls of
the whirling storm. At length they felt that something
must be amiss, and that it was hopeless and dangerous
to remain where they were. As usual on such occasions,
the leading spirit came to the front, and the five who
now remained submitted themselves to the guidance of
Wild and followed him in single file as he again struck
out for the direction in which they supposed the ship to
lie. As they proceeded they found the slope growing
steeper and the difficulty of foothold increased, especially
for Vince, who was wearing fur boots, but they never
doubted they would soon come to the bottom and find
themselves in one of the valleys which would guide them
to our winter quarters. In this manner they must have
proceeded for about 500 yards, when their leader
suddenly saw the precipice beneath his feet, and far
below, through the wreathing snow, the sea. Another
step would have taken him over the edge ; he sprang
back with a cry of warning, and those behind him,
hearing it, dug their heels instinctively into the slippery
surface, and with one exception all succeeded in stop-
ping. What followed was over in an instant. Before
his horror-stricken companions had time to think, poor
\_tite p. 228.
THE MAIN HUT COMPLETED,
-••*
DANGER SLOPE.
SHADES ON SNOW SURFACE SHOW SMOOTH ICE.
The party started to descend on left-hand edge. Dotted line to left shows course of Mr. Barne
and his two companions ; dotted line to right shows course led by Wild, and the star shows scene
of accident. The photograph was taken two days after the accident.
i902] VINCE'S TERRIBLE END 243
Vince, unable to check himself with his soft fur boots,
had shot from amongst them, flashed past the leader, and
disappeared. It was difficult to discover from the men's
account exactly what happened after this catastrophe.
In some sort of hazy way they seem to have realised
that they must make upwards and away from the danger,
and they started to ascend the slope.
All spoke of that ascent with horror, and wondered
how it was ever accomplished. They could only hold
themselves by the soles of their boots, and to fall or even
to slip to their knees meant inevitably to slide backwards
towards the certain fate below. Literally their lives
depended on each foothold, and they possessed no imple-
ment to make these more secure. Of the party, Wild
alone had previously armed the soles of his boots with a
few light nails ; this gave him a great advantage, and, to
his great credit, he used it to go from one to another of
his companions with a helping hand. As they crept
laboriously upwards, the slope became steeper and more
icy, but now, here and there, they found a stone which had
rolled from the heights above and become firmly frozen
in the icy surface. These afforded some anchorage and
rest to the weary climbers. The storm still whirled
the snow about them with unabated fury, but they
pushed upwards in its teeth from stone to stone until to
their joy the stones grew thicker, and close above them
they saw the black outline of the rocky summit. A final
scramble, and they were once more on safe ground, with
the nightmare of the climb behind them.
But their troubles were far from over, as they were still
R 2
244 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
ignorant of the position of the ship. Wild again took the
lead ; the sea behind them must be north of the ship,
he argued, and therefore they must keep the wind on
their left front, and if possible keep always to the
rocks. It is difficult in such circumstances to gauge
time, and none of the party knew how long they
walked on in dogged silence before their eyes fell on a
well- remembered landmark, and, cautiously descending
a steep rocky incline, they saw the ship looming through
the grey whirl of snow ; but between the breaking-up of
their camp and the moment when they clambered over
the side to make their report to me, six hours had
elapsed. It is little wonder that after such an experience
they should have been, as I have mentioned, both
excited and tired.
The hours which followed the departure of Armitage
and his search party on this fatal night were such as
one could scarcely forget ; exhausted as our returned
wanderers were, we questioned them again and again to
get greater light on the accident, but nothing could alter
the fact that five of our small company were lost or
wandering helplessly about in this dreadful storm.
Hatefully conscious of my inability to help on account of
my injured leg, my own mind seemed barren of all
suggestion of further help which we might render ; but,
as was always my experience in the ' Discovery,' my
companions were never wanting in resource. Dellbridge
thought he could soon raise steam enough to blow the
syren, and before long its shrill screams were echoing
amongst the hills. Then, as we reconstructed the story
1902] RESULTS OF SEARCft PARTIES 245
of Vince's loss and pictured the cliff over which he had
fallen, the bare possibility of some remaining fragment
of sea-ice clinging below was suggested. Was it possible
that we could reach it ? The only possibility was by
boat. Who would volunteer ? Of course everyone.
In ten minutes a whaler was swinging alongside and
being rapidly loaded with provisions, cooking apparatus,
and fur clothing ; in ten more, with a picked crew of
six men in charge of Shackleton, she disappeared around
Hut Point.
Then we could do nothing but peer through the
driving snow and wait. It was a trying time, and a full
three hours elapsed before there was a hail from without,
and through the drift appeared Ferrar leading three of
the lost — Barne, Evans and Quartley. Ferrar's tale
was soon told. He had accompanied Armitage's party,
and, guided by Wild, they had made for Castle Rock
and eventually found the abandoned sledges, and, at first,
nothing near them but two dogs cosily coiled up beneath
the snow ; but later, as they circled round on their ropes,
they had providentially come on the three with whom he
had returned. Armitage had picked him to return
because his geological work had given him an exceptional
knowledge of the locality.
An hour later the main search party returned ; they
had done all that men could do in such weather. A
completer search was impossible, but it had to be
admitted that the chance of seeing Hare or Vince again
was very small. Soon after our whaler reappeared with
her crew thoroughly exhausted ; they had pulled easily
246 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
whilst under the shelter of the nearer hills, but as they
proceeded to the north they had come under the influence
of heavy squalls which had driven them away from the
land. It was only with the most strenuous exertion, and
after hours of arduous struggling, that inch by inch they
had gradually been able to regain the shelter of Hut
Point, and so reach the ship.
As we prepared to snatch some few hours of rest
after the anxieties of the night, we had sadly to realise
the calamity that had befallen us in what appeared to be
the certain loss of two of our comrades ; but as the
details of the story were unfolded, we could well ap-
preciate that we had been almost miraculously pre-
served from a far greater tragedy. It seemed almost
wonderful that the whole party had not disappeared, to
leave us only the terrible discovery of the abandoned
sledges or perhaps a frozen silent figure in the snow.
Even now we could not clearly understand how the
officer of the party and his two companions had been
rescued ; all were too dazed to complete their story on
this woeful night. Later we learnt that after hours of
crouching beneath the boulder under Castle Rock, they
had heard the faint shriek of the syren. It had revived
their waning faculties, and they staggered once more to
their feet to make towards the welcome sound, and thus
it was that as they dragged themselves along they
mercifully fell into the arms of our sledge party. All
three were badly frost-bitten, and on the following day
their ears, cheeks, and noses were swollen to a prodigious
size ; but as this meant a return of circulation, there was
1902] FROST-BITES 24;
nothing worse for them in this respect than a great deal
of pain and discomfort. But one of Barnes hands was
in a much more serious condition ; the blood obstinately
refused to return to the dead white fingers, and, whilst
he swathed them in well-greased bandages, the doctor
informed me that there was little hope of saving them.
For many days the prospect of amputation seemed
imminent, and it was not until a week after the accident
that the blood began to extend slowly and painfully
towards the tips of the fingers. Although the hand was
left in a shockingly mangled and painful condition, the
fingers were saved.
It may be of interest to those whose fortune has not
taken them to the colder regions of the earth to say a
word or two concerning frost-bites.
Even in the coldest places it is necessary to keep
one's face and sometimes one's fingers uncovered ; con-
sequently it is these parts of the body that are most likely
to suffer, and in the Antarctic Regions we were all so fre-
quently frost-bitten in them that we learnt to regard such
an evil as part of the ordinary course of events : and indeed
there was very little to fear as long as the frost-bite was
noticed and the remedy taken in time. Under ordinary
conditions one has a distinct sensation on being frost-
bitten ; the blood seems to recede from the veins in the
exposed part with a suddenness that almost conveys the
sound of a ' click ' and the feeling of a prick with a sharp
instrument. At such times all that is necessary is to
apply gentle warmth to the frost-bitten member. For
instance, if one's cheek or nose is gone, one simply
248 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
covers it for a minute or two with the palm of one's
hand. There is a fiction that the best remedy is to
seize a handful of snow and rub the offending member,
but as the snow in the polar regions has the consistency
of sharp sand or emery powder, the application of such a
remedy would speedily remove the skin, with anything
but a pleasant result.
Frost-bites such as I have described are merely super-
ficial, and, as I have said, they were of such frequent
occurrence that under ordinary conditions we learnt to
regard them very little, and often, if one found it incon-
venient to nurse one's own limb back to life, one called
on the kindly offices of a neighbour.
But the frost-bites that come when people are doing
hard work are more serious, as the first prick may pass
unnoticed and the superficial freezing continues to take
deeper hold without any further sensation. Should the
frost-bitten person be exhausted, the evil may spread
with alarming rapidity, and then, too, limbs which are
well covered and protected may be attacked, and the
seriousness of such a condition needs no comment.
Hence in our subsequent hard sledging work, whilst we
treated the superficial frost-bite with scant respect, we
learnt to be cautious to prevent the evil from becoming
deep-seated. On long, tiring marches in a wind, frost-
bites were bound to come frequently, and in nine cases
out of ten were unfelt, so that our custom at such times
was to pause occasionally and peer into each other's faces
in search of white patches. More important still, we
learnt not to continue exhausting marches too long in
i902] AFTER-EFFECTS 249
heavy weather, but to reserve a margin of energy for
the chill work of making the camp, during which any
unduly tired person was bound to be in great danger of
serious freezing.
A frost-bite must be very superficial and very quickly
dealt with not to leave an after-effect. This effect is a
blister, more or less painful in proportion to the serious-
ness of the frost-bite. To all intents and purposes the
effect is precisely the same as that of a burn. In any-
thing but a very superficial frost-bite, moreover, the
actual sensation of returning circulation is very distinctly
painful.
Places which have been frost-bitten become extra-
ordinarily susceptible to a recurrence of the evil. In
our second winter in the Antarctic there were few of us
whose fingers had not ' gone ' at one time or another,
and consequently it was much rarer to see people work-
ing with bare hands than it was in the first winter, when
many delighted to show their scorn of cold fingers. So
for a long while after Barne had recovered the use of
his hand he had to nurse it with far greater care than
the uninjured one.
For the events which succeeded the distressing night
of March 1 1 I draw on my diary :
4 March 1 2. — Though the glass has risen continuously
and uniformly, the wind has only grown steadier without
diminishing, but there is very little of the driving snow
which made last night so hideous. Another search
party were out early under Wilson ; they went well
provided with ice-axes, rope, and crampons, and even
250 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
thus had to use great care in venturing on the fatal
slope where so much happened yesterday. They
brought back the sledges and two more dogs, but
could see no sign of the missing men. But indeed it
would be beyond hope to find them alive after such a
night ; at least, we now know the worst. Some of the
men are overwrought ; twice to-day it has been reported
that someone thought he saw a figure crawling down
the hillside, and on one occasion the illusion was so
strong that two or three ran to the other side of the
bay, only to find a boulder over which the drift was
sweeping in fantastic curls.'
'March 13. — It is still blowing, and the temperature
is — 6° ; but the air is clear, and, the glass having
reached a maximum, there are hopes of a change for
the better. We are raising steam, as I want to view
the scene of the accident from the sea, and to make
certain as to Vince's fate at least.'
Later I write : ' A very extraordinary thing has
happened. At 10 a.m. a figure was seen descending
the hillside. At first we thought it must be someone
who had been for an early walk ; but it was very soon
seen that the figure was walking weakly, and, imme-
diately after, the men who were working in the hut
were seen streaming out towards it. In a minute or
two we recognised the figure as that of young Hare,
and in less than five he was on board. He was taken
into the magnetic house, as it was thought unwise to
take him into the full warmth of the living-quarters at
once. We soon discovered that, though exhausted
i902] WONDERFUL ESCAPE OF HARE 251
weak, and hungry, he was in full possession of his
faculties and quite free from frost-bites. He went
placidly off to sleep whilst objecting to the inadequacy
of a milk diet. It was much later that we learnt his
story. It appears that he had left his companions
intentionally, on finding that it was impossible to stand
alone in his fur boots. He had shouted to the others
that he meant to return to the sledges and change into
leather boots, and he was under the impression that
they had heard him and had quite understood the
reason. He made the best of his way in the direction
in which he supposed the sledges to be, but, as was
natural, in the thick snowdrift he could see no sign of
them. For long he wandered forward and backward,
intent on his search ; but gradually he got exhausted,
and then he was conscious that his footsteps were
aimless. The last thing he remembered was making
towards a patch of rock, where he hoped to find some
shelter from the raging wind. When he awoke this
morning he found himself covered with snow, but, on
raising himself on his elbow, he saw that he was on a
slope under Castle Rock, and, glancing about him,
recognised Crater Hill and other known eminences, and
realised exactly where he was and the direction in which
the ship lay. He started towards her, but found himself
so stiff that for a long way he was obliged to crawl on
hands and knees. But the stiffness wore off, and he
was able to raise himself at length, and, with some rests,
to reach the slope where we had first seen him.
' He must have lain under the snow for thirty-six
252 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
hours, but it took a long time to persuade him of this ;
he found it hard to believe that this was the second day-
after the accident. I cannot but believe that his pre-
servation is unique, and almost miraculous. The boy,
who is only eighteen, has been forty hours without food,
and sixty without warm food ; he must possess great
stamina to have come through without hurt. The inci-
dent is also a tribute to our clothing. He was luckily
wearing a heavy woollen blouse and complete gaberdine
wind-covering over his warm underclothing. Uncon-
sciously he withdrew his arms inside the blouse, and
covered the opening in his thick helmet, and so saved
his hands and face from freezing. The fur boots alone
saved his feet from the same fate, and the snow, which
rapidly covered him, must have done the rest. To-night
his temperature has gone up to ioo°, but he is otherwise
quite well.
' In the afternoon we weighed our anchors and
steamed round to the scene of the accident, when every
detail of what we now called " Danger Slope" could be
clearly seen. It is very steep for about 400 or 500
yards, and ends in a sheer drop into the sea. Though
partly covered with hard white snow, it has extensive
patches of smooth bare ice ; and, as the tracks of the
various parties were worked out, it seemed more wonder-
ful than ever that any should have escaped to tell the
tale.
' Every incident could now be closely followed, and
all shadow of doubt as to Vince's fate is gone. At least,
we have the satisfaction of knowing that nothing could
I902] R.I.P. 253
have been done either by his own party or by those on
board to have averted it.'
We had now finally and sadly to resign ourselves
to the loss of our shipmate, and the thought was
grievous to all. From the moment when he joined us
at the Cape of Good Hope, Vince had been popular
with all ; always obliging and always cheerful, I learnt
that he had never shown these qualities more markedly
than during the short sledge journey which brought him
to his untimely end. His pleasant face and ready wit
served to dispel the thought of hardship and difficulty
to the end. Life was a bright thing to him, and it is
something to think that death must have come quickly
in the grip of that icy sea.
254 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
CHAPTER VII
PREPARING FOR WINTER
Delay in Freezing-up of the Ship — -Dog Troubles — Return of Royds — Local
Weather Conditions — Last Sledging Effort of the Season — Advantage of
Experience — Preparing for Winter — Winter Arriving — Meteorological
Screen — Tidal Observations— Magnetic Huts — Capturing Crab-eaters —
Emperor Penguin Hunt — Departure of the Sun.
Experience be a jewel that we have
Purchased at an infinite rate. — Shakespeare.
Of late the temperature had crept steadily down and the
young ice seemed more and more reluctant to yield to
the blustering winds and quit the surface of the strait.
Our short voyage to ' Danger Slope ' was made through
patches of sludgy, sodden ice which were even then in-
creasing in thickness. As we dropped our anchors again
in our small bay we felt that it was for the last time
before the winter closed in on us, and that soon further
movement would be impossible ; indeed, the only wonder
was that such conditions had not come long before. But
now the wind alone kept the water open, and in the short
intervals of calm the icy crust formed with great rapidity.
I was anxious to be frozen in with our bow pointing out
to sea, and with the ship at such a distance from
the ice-foot that she should run no chance of being
pressed against it ; but as the wind always blew out of
the bay, this was not easily accomplished, and we had to
i902] DOG TROUBLES 255
content ourselves with being ready to turn her at the
critical moment. For this purpose anchors were bedded
on the ice-foot, and wire hawsers attached to them ready-
to haul the stern round when the wind permitted it. In
the meantime we could only get to the shore by means
of boats, and when the wind grew very strong our com-
munication was interrupted altogether, since under such
circumstances we scarcely liked to send a boat away, for
fear it should be carried out to sea by some more than
usually fierce gust.
It was for this reason that we were impotent to prevent
the murder of two of our dog team, though we actually
witnessed it, and bitterly regretted the incautious but
kindly policy which had allowed these animals to run
free, when they should have been chained up.
Here, again, we erred from want of experience. The
dogs had been particularly quiet of late ; each had his
own kennel, and his own bountiful supply of food ; they
had been given plenty of exercise and were allowed to
run about at their own sweet will ; there seemed to be
absolutely nothing that they could quarrel about, and for
days they had lulled us into false security by appearing
to be quite contented and to be living on the most
amicable terms. But alas for dog morals ! As we well
understood when we knew them better, they were only
biding their time Some of their number had been away
sledging ; why should they have been chosen ? What
treats and petting had they been receiving from the
hands of man that by right belonged to the whole com-
munity ?
256 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
They were objects of suspicion. Nothing they could
do was quite right ; it was no use their wagging their
tails and pretending to be friendly when they had played
a low-down game like that ! it was all mere impertinent
deception ! One can only suppose that such thoughts
pas's through the doggish mind, because the result is
always the same. Let a dog be unduly petted or receive
more than his share of food, or be taken away sledging :
he inevitably becomes an object of suspicion to the rest.
The first growl, the first step beyond the rigid limits of
propriety, and not one, but the whole pack are upon
him, and even the thickest coat is a poor protection
against those bloodthirsty fangs. Of course there are
exceptions ; here and there is a dog of such commanding
temper or such truculent demeanour that he can afford to
be treated differently from the rest ; but even he seems
to have to silence criticism by being more than usually
aggressive, if he should have been absent for any length
of time. Such a dog becomes the natural leader of the
pack ; he is unceasingly watchful ; he never pauses to
parley, but attacks at the first sign of insolence, for he
knows well that the sharpest and quickest fang com-
mands the situation.
These revelations of dog nature came to us gradu-
ally. It was on March 15, whilst we were cut off from
the shore, and were casually watching the dogs as they
idly trotted about on the snow, that we witnessed the
first attack. There was a growl, a wild rush to a cen-
tral spot, a heap of heaving, snarling forms, and the
horrid deed was done, almost before we realised that the
i9o2] ANXIETY FOR SLEDGE PARTY 257
peace had been disturbed. We shouted and whistled,
but might just as well have held our breath. The deed
done, peace once more prevailed, and one would scarcely
have imagined that anything had happened but for the
stiff, lifeless form on the snow.
On the following day the wind still blew hard. We
had determined, however, that we must risk the passage
to get these bloodthirsty wretches chained up ; but even
whilst the boat was being manned the last night's tragedy
was re-enacted, and another poor beast lay mangled on
the ice-foot. As the boat's crew landed, the murderers
welcomed them as though nothing out of the ordinary
had happened, and with a few exceptions they were
easily caught and chained up. Then, one by one, they
were led out and severely chastised in front of their victims.
The punishment helped to relieve our righteous indigna-
tion, but otherwise, I think, we might have spared our
energy again, for the dogs evidently didn't know what it
was all about. You cannot change dog nature.
Meanwhile, however, we had lost two good sledge
dogs, which we could ill afford, and we decided that,
however trying it might be to their feelings, the remaining
animals must be kept on their chains. As we expected,
the victims proved to be two harmless, quiet animals
which had recently returned from sledging.
The fatal mishap which had attended the main
portion of our first sledge party left us in some anxiety
for the remaining members who were still absent. We
knew them to be ill provided for very severe conditions,
and saw already that sledging in the Antarctic was not
vol. 1. s
258 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [March
a thing to be approached in a light-hearted, irresponsible
spirit, but was one which called for great care, attention,
and forethought. Our anxiety for the absentees was not
lessened when we saw Skelton descending the hills alone
on the 19th. However, when he was safely on board we
learnt that he was only a forerunner, and that the others
were close behind, and soon they appeared, and in turn
were ferried off to the ship. There was much to be
learnt on both sides : it was for us to tell the sad tale of
the recent disaster, and for them to set forth the incidents
and difficulties of their attempt to reach the Record cairn.
Royds' report was so laconic that extracts from it may
well convey an idea of the troubles which beset the
inexperienced sledge traveller :
* March 4. — . . . On the summit " Nigger " bit
" Gus " so badly through the mouth that I had to send
the latter back. . . . 6.0. Stopped for tea, erected two
tents ; Barne's ear frost-bitten, several men had cramp in
left leg, myself very bad. . . . On starting again Vince
and I had frost-bites under the nose. Dogs pulled
well ; some fights and a little trouble ; " Boss " ran away.
8.15. Camped. Dogs wouldn't eat anything ; one
sledging lamp broken — a great nuisance, as now one lamp
has to cook for six men. Cramp prevalent amongst all
hands.
4 March 5.— Very heavy going. Quartley's foot
giving much pain. Got up tent and had it examined.
Not frost-bitten, but intensely cold ; made him wear fur
boots. . . . Several dogs got bleeding feet ; snow getting
heavier ; all hands perspiring very much, feet sinking
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i902] ROYDS' REPORT 259
9 inches to 1 foot at every step. . . . 5.45. Men com-
pletely " cooked," dogs tired out ; so camped.
' March 6. — . . . Snow getting thicker and softer,
and steered towards the land hoping for better condi-
tions. ... Barne's dogs lying down and refusing work.
. . . Find it best for sledges to run on fresh snow, and not
over footmarks. . . . 6.50. Forced to call a halt; men
and dogs completely done. The dogs' feet give them a
lot of trouble ; they lick them hard at every halt. Several
men have cramp ; we feel back muscles and legs awfully.
Weller was so done when we stopped that he flopped
across the sledge and broke the sling thermometer. . . .
Made good only four miles. . . .'
This, with more to the same effect, goes to show that
the party were doing a great deal of hard work without
much result. By steering towards the land they only
got into softer and deeper snow, and therefore it was
little to be wondered at that on the 8th Royds decided
to divide the party and to attempt a further advance
with Mr. Skelton and Dr. Koettlitz, who, besides himself,
were alone provided with ski. By this time they were
almost beneath the steep cliffs which fringe the southern
snow-slopes of Mount Terror. The level plain had given
place to long, steep undulations formed by the pressure
of the land-ice, and the silence about them was repeatedly
broken by the thunderous roar of an avalanche. On the
9th the three officers set out on their ski, and with only
one light sledge behind them made much better progress
until, getting towards the eastern slopes of Terror, they
again found themselves on a hard, wind-swept snow
S 2
260 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY5 [March
surface. They had still some miles to go before they
came to the junction of the barrier edge with the land,
and the calm weather which they had hitherto enjoyed
now deserted them, making it most difficult in the drifting
snow to see their exact whereabouts or the nature of the
snow conditions about them. Skirting the slopes of the
mountain, however, they pushed on until they were
forced to rise on a snow incline which came abruptly to
an end and was succeeded by long stretches of bare land
over which it was impossible to take the sledge. Here
they made their camp, and from it they could see the
open Ross Sea and the confused hummocked ice of the
barrier where it forces its way around the land. The
penguin rookery in which our record had been placed
was still some distance from them, as they knew, and
they remembered that the north-eastern side of the
mountain was so free from snow that there could be
nothing now but bare land between them and it.
But this bare mountain-side was extensive, and
covered so thickly with small volcanic craters that it was
difficult to select the best path for their walk to the
rookery, or, within limits, to estimate their distance
from it. There was risk also, in a country where one
landmark was so much like another, that on their return
they might have great difficulty in finding their camp ;
and if the wind should rise during their absence this
risk would be greatly increased, so that they ran the
chance of being landed in a very sorry plight. In fact>
at their first attempt on March 13, they had barely gone
half a mile from the camp when a thick blizzard came
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i902] FAILURE TO REACH THE RECORD 261
on, and they only regained their tent by luckily falling
across their ski, which had been planted at some distance
from the camp as a possible guide.
On the following day, however, they again sallied
out and succeeded in getting some miles towards their
goal, if not actually above it, before the wind came on
and, blotting out all features of the landscape with snow-
drift, obliged them to turn back and seek shelter with
all possible speed.
It was now evident that the Record post could be
reached, but a fine day was essential, and here, as else-
where, small matters of detail connected with the
special circumstances must be attended to. One could
not conveniently climb over sharp, jagged rocks in the
foot-gear which was worn with comfort on the snow
plains, as the bruised, sore feet of the party witnessed ;
another time it would be necessary to come properly pre-
pared with some arrangement for protecting the sole of
the foot.
The attempt to reach the Record was finally aban-
doned on the 15th ; but not until it was evident that
a better-equipped party with more favourable weather
would have no difficulty in getting to it. It will be
understood that it presented itself to me as a most
important matter that this record should be reached, as
here lay the only chance of communicating our position
to any who should follow in our footsteps, but it was
immaterial whether it was reached now or after the
coming winter ; the assurance that it could be reached
was the comforting fact that this party discovered, and in
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soccer V^i :Vf . : ' s:
this cimucj lluuugboat their stay was not perpetual, bat
:ic ri:c:i : : ~ 7 : ~ f ■ ~ : ~ = : -: ; : - ' ~ : : 7 : . ; : 7 : . : 7 ;.
_ : : '•. : '•?•: : : ~r " 7 : : .-_r t : ~ 7 :~ \: : ~ ~ 5 _ :_~ _= ~ : . ' ■ :
. \ r 5 : : : f A ~ : _ : Z . ~ 7 ~ - ". . :
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7 7 : 7 7 : : ; - :
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1902] LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIO:
ship. It was not only in the matter of temperatures, as I
have already described, but also in the force and dir
tion of the wind. On the 1 7th at the ship we had had
a very stror. y fc : w from the south, at one time rising in
force to a full gale, but the party only some twelve mi
to the eastward had felt nothing of this ; with them the
dav had been calm, though overcast. This difference :
weather conditions could be observed throughout the
journey ; neither those on board nor those away could
have told from their own meteorological conditions what
the weather might be with the others, and this fact was
again and again impressed on us throughout our stay in
this region. Already we had learnt that the prevalent
wind at our winter quarters blew from the S.E. throi
the ' Gap/ and that this wind was usually local and fre-
quently ceased within a mile or two of the ship. To
this we could now add some further conclusions. It i
evident that the eastern slopes of Terror were terribly-
wind-swept, and that there the prevalent direction was
from the south, whilst the deep bay immediately to the
eastward of our peninsula was a particularly windless
area where the snow lay thick and soft, and was c i
occasionally stirred by whirling squalls.
Meanwhile the position of the ship towards the latter
end of March was anything but satisfactory ; that the
temperature should have fallen to — 40° to the eastward
was a clear sign that the winter conditions were upon us,
but although the ice forming about us sometimes reached
a thickness : :" : : or three inches the sheet never held
for any length of time, but broke up rapidly when the
264 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
wind grew strong. Under these conditions it became
increasingly difficult to keep up communication with
the shore ; when it was not blowing a stiff gale our
boats had to force their way through a tough elastic
sheet of young ice which clung to the sides in the most
exasperating fashion, and sometimes the short passage
could only be made after much hauling on ropes and the
systematic use of poles to break up and thrust aside the
sheet. On one occasion our light skiff was brought to a
stop half-way across in such a manner that the crew
could neither advance nor retreat, and it was quite an
hour before, by manning a heavier boat, we were able to
break a way through and free her.
In this wholly unexpected state of affairs at such an
advanced date there were many drawbacks. Until we
were solidly frozen in, the security of our position must be
doubtful ; economy of coal had long ago necessitated the
extinction of fires in the boilers, and should a heavy gale
drive us from our shelter we could only have raised steam
with difficulty and after the lapse of many hours. If
driven off by such a gale, should we be able to get back ?
It seemed doubtful, and meanwhile it would certainly be
unsafe to send a large party away from the ship, because
with the ship adrift it was obvious that most of them
would be needed. If, on the other hand, the fates were
going to allow us to remain in this spot, there was much
to be done in preparing for the winter ; especially it was
desirable that the engines should be taken to pieces and
the steam joints be broken before the severer cold came
upon us ; but in our present position we dared not
1 V
if
i902] SCIENTIFIC WORK DELAYED 265
attempt such work. One of the most annoying circum-
stances was that until we had a solid sheet of ice about
us we could not set up our meteorological screen, nor
communicate regularly with the magnetic huts, nor, in
fact, properly carry out any of the routine scientific work
which was such an important object of the expedition.
Our proposed winter station was so far beyond that
of any former expedition that, as I have already pointed
out, we had nothing to guide us as to what the winter
climate might be, and our astonishment at the pro-
longed open conditions left us almost in doubt as to
whether the sea was ever going to freeze over satisfac-
torily. The breaking away of the old ice had ceased,
and the open water was now at its maximum for the
season ; as will be seen from the chart, it ran from the
decayed glacier tongue, which we had visited on Feb-
ruary 8, to the S.E., circling about Cape Armitage
with a radius of four or five miles, and forming a deep
bay to the eastward of the peninsula. The ice-edge which
limited the open water could be seen very distinctly
from the hills in the vicinity of the ship — a long, irregular
ribbon of white, gradually circling round, the edge itself
standing in some places two or three feet and in others
ten or fifteen feet above the sea level, and showing that
what remained was ice of a different character from that
which had broken away, and constituted the limit of a
more ancient ice-sheet.
At this time I was anxious to make one more sledging
effort before the winter set in. The ostensible reason
was to lay out a depot of provisions to the south in
266 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
preparation for the following spring, but a more serious
purpose was to give myself and others a practical insight
into the difficulties of sledge travelling. One saw
already that a great deal of our sledging outfit was un-
suitable and would have to be rearranged ; one saw, too,
that in the minor details of clothing and so forth there were
points on which there was much difference of opinion,
and with regard to which, therefore, it was desirable that
every man should fend for himself, providing for things
as best suited his own ideas ; above all, it was evident
that in a sledging campaign, as in any other, the best
work would be done by the trained man. Before us lay
the long winter with ample time to organise our parties
and to make the most detailed preparations, but one
could not hope to do this without a full knowledge of
the conditions to be met and a ready and intelligent co-
operation amongst all who were engaged in the work.
My wish, therefore, was to make a final autumnal ex-
pedition wThich should include all those who had not
been away already ; but as this included the majority on
board, we were forced to await the greater security of the
ship, not only for reasons which I have already men-
tioned, but also because until the deep bay to the south
became re-frozen we could only travel in that direction
by the most circuitous and difficult route. When the ice
became safe, the simplest way lay around the cape ;
failing this, we could manage without much difficulty to
get through the ' Gap ' ; but if the sea-ice opposite that
was unsound, we should have been forced to climb to a
height of nearly 1,000 feet, and after descending on
i9o2] FROZEN IN 267
the other side to traverse a number of high, broken
ridges.
The freezing-in of the * Discovery ' was a very
gradual process. The ship, secured by her stern hawsers,
had held in place a small wedge of ice which had formed
in the corner of the bay. On March 24 this small patch
was strong enough to bear, and, whilst the bow of the
ship was in open water, for the first time we were able
to walk on shore from the stern ; and this wedge of ice
held, and gradually increased in thickness, in spite of the
strong breezes of the week which followed.
For instance, on March 27 I write : ' Blowing with
— io° temperature during forenoon, but quite fine in
afternoon and evening. Our ice, having held during
the late wind, may fairly be considered to have come to
stay. At 4.30 a party of us went over the hill through
the " Gap" to investigate the chance of getting sledges
down by that route. We found the sea frozen over,
and evidently, from the snowfall on it, the ice has been
formed for several days. It looks firm and hard, but
there is a drop of eleven feet from the ice-foot, which
will be a difficulty for the sledges, but will save the
necessity of going round by the seal crack. Nothing
could exceed the beauty of the scene this afternoon ;
the snow was bathed in rosy light, gorgeous shafts of
gold sprang up from the sun, and the sky was blood-red
behind the hills in its wake. The moon was up, a vast
yellow disc to the east. It will be a companion for at
least the first part of our journey. Now and again, as
we trod on the snow-covered slopes of the hillsides, the
268 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [March
icy crust cracked with a sharp report like a pistol-shot.
Evidently it is in high tension from the recent cold.'
'March 28 (Good Friday). — The day has been
beautifully calm and bright, though the temperature has
not risen above — 40. After service our people spent
the day wandering over the hills ; it was quite pleasant
to see little parties dotted about here and there, with
a dog or two for company. The sea is at last frozen
over, and if this weather lasts the ice should become
firm enough to withstand future gales. We have com-
pleted the packing of our sledges, though I cannot say
I am pleased with their appearance ; the packing is not
neat enough, and we haven't yet got anything like a
system. To-morrow, if the weather holds, we take our
sledges across to the other side, so as to make a fair
start on Monday.'
* March 30 (Easter Sunday). — Like yesterday, a fine
day, with a light northerly breeze. This is a season of
flowers, and behold ! they have sprung up about us as
by magic : very beautiful ice-flowers, waxen white in
the shadow, but radiant with prismatic colours where
the sunrays light on their delicate petals. It was a
phenomenon to be expected in the newly frozen sea,
but it is curious that they should come to their greatest
perfection on this particular day. The ice is about
five inches thick and free from snow ; consequently
the ice-flowers stand up clear-cut and perfect in
form. In some places they occur thickly, with broad,
delicate, feathery leaves ; in others the dark, clear ice
surface is visible with only an occasional plant on it ;
i902] ICE-FLOWERS 269
in others, again, the plants assume a spiky appearance,
being formed of innumerable small spicules. The more
nearly one examines these beautiful formations, the more
wonderful they appear, as it is only by close inspection
that the mathematical precision of the delicate tracery
can be observed. It is now established that on the freezing
of salt water much of the brine is mechanically excluded.
Sea-ice is much less salt than the sea itself, and what
salt remains is supposed only to be entangled in the
frozen water. The amount of salt excluded seems to
depend on the rate at which the ice is formed, and whilst
some is excluded below the ice-surface, some is also
pushed out above, and it is this that forms the ice-
flowers. The subject is very fascinating, and we have
already started to measure the salinity of ice taken from
different depths and formed under various conditions :
the ice-flowers themselves do not seem to constitute a
saturated solution of brine, and why they should differ in
form in various places seems beyond explanation.
' To-day we saw a group of penguins far over the ice,
and after church Hodgson, Shackleton, and I walked out
towards them. They turned out to be Emperors, and
were all standing about very contentedly near a crack
much too narrow to allow them to get through. It is
difficult to see how these birds can now get north, and it
looks as though they winter more or less in these regions,
probably close to spots where the ice is certain to open
from the effect of tide or wind. If so, this would throw
a new and interesting light on their habits, and one can
only hope that they will give us the pleasure of their
company in our immediate vicinity.
270 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [March
4 To-night as I was walking back from the hills I
was frost-bitten in the lobe of the ear. I describe it
because it was a typical example. There was very little
wind, and as I came down the slope I distinctly heard or
felt a sort of snap in my ear, but, feeling nothing, I paid
no heed until when I got on board I realised that I had
no feeling in the ear. It very quickly thawed out —much
too quickly, in fact ; for now it is swelled up to a great
size, and there will be no escaping the coming blister.'
On the following day we made our start, a party of
twelve, divided into two teams, each with a string of sledges
and nine dogs. A strong south-easterly wind with snow-
drift was pouring through the 4 Gap,' but a mile or two to
the south we got clear of this and plodded on in com-
parative calm. Our loads were arranged theoretically,
200 lbs. to each man and 100 lbs. to each dog, and the
first discovery we made was that the dogs entirely
refused to work on our theory ; the best of them only
exerted a pull of about 50 lbs., and this with very
dispirited and downcast mien ; the rest hung discon-
solately back on the traces and had to be half led, half
dragged over the frozen surface. The whole thing was
extremely troublesome, and, what with the heavy pulling
and the constant necessity of clearing the traces, as may
be imagined, our progress was extremely slow, and we
heartily wished we had left the whole dog team safely
chained up. It was a curious reversal of our expecta-
tions. I don't know that we had any very good reason,
but we had never thought but that our dogs, when
they got the chance, would be found straining at their
i902] LAST SLEDGE JOURNEY OF THE SEASON 271
traces with heads and tails held high. To see them
now with both ends at the maximum depression was a
severe shock to our inexperience.
We learnt later on that it was a bad plan to combine
dogs and men on a sledge ; the dogs have a pace and a
manner of pulling of their own, and neither of these is
adapted to the unequal movement caused by the swing of
marching men. Both men and dogs like a light load, but
the former are much less easily dispirited by a heavy one.
But on this occasion there was a stronger reason for
the inefficiency of the dogs. They were losing their coats ;
the thick fur was coming out in handfuls, and the young
downy coat underneath formed a wretched protection
against the bitterly cold winds that headed us. The habits
of the animals were of course adapted to their northern
home, where at this time the warm summer would be just
commencing and where no doubt they would have been
glad enough to be free of their thick winter garment ; but
that Nature should oblige them to discard it at the same
season in this hemisphere was obviously ill-timed. As a
matter of fact, our poor dogs suffered a great deal from
their poorly clothed condition during the next week or two,
and we could do little to help them; but Nature seemed to
realise the mistake, and came quickly to the rescue : the
new coats grew surprisingly fast, and before the winter
had really settled down on us all the animals were again
enveloped in their normally thick woolly covering. It
may here be remarked that they moulted again in the
spring ; what would have happened in the following
autumn cannot be said, for by that time, alas ! all our
272 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [April
team had ceased to be ; but it seems as though they
were already adapted to their new environment.
The fact that the dogs refused to do their share of
the work on this trip meant of course that we had to do
a good deal more than ours, and the resultant load per
man was a great deal more than we ever afterwards
sought to inflict on a party. We were practically doomed
to failure, but each hour was an invaluable experience.
On the first day we had already travelled some way over
the new sea-ice when we realised that we must cross it
before camping, as on it we could get no snow, either to
fill our cookers or to secure our tents. This meant a
long pull, and the night fell on us as we struggled with
all the unaccustomed details of pitching camp. The
thermometer fell to — 400 before we could climb into our
ill-made fur clothing, and the hours which followed were
comfortless enough to have discouraged the most ardent
sledger. For two more days we pushed on in the same
disorganised fashion, the men straining hard at a heart-
breaking load, the dogs at each step flinching more
determinedly from the cutting wind and the light prick-
ing drift which it carried to the level of their noses ; the
thermometer never rose above — 300, and the third night
it fell to — 470. The daylight hours were now very short,
and all too many were wasted in the unavoidable delays
of inexperienced camp work, and from the want of facility
in the details of our arrangements. After three days'
labour we were only nine miles from the ship, and it was
quite evident that under present conditions we could not
expect a better speed. On April 3 I decided to turn,
i902] ADVANTAGE OF EXPERIENCE 273
and ' caching ' our heavy loads we reached the ship that
night, and could then fully realise what an extraordinarily
sheltered position she occupied, for I find in my diary :
' The temperature on board has never fallen below — 230,
so that it appears we can count on about 200 better in
our snug winter quarters than occurs on the open
barrier. But if one can get nearly — 500 on the barrier
before the sun has set, what is it going to be like in mid-
winter ? and what also in the early spring, when our
sledging begins again ? '
Our autumn sledging was at an end, and left me with
much food for thought. In one way or another each
journey had been a failure ; we had little or nothing to
show for our labours. The errors were patent ; food,
clothing, everything was wrong, the whole system was
bad. It was clear that there would have to be a thorough
reorganisation before the spring, and it was well to think
that before us lay a long winter in which this might be
effected.
I have described these early troubles in some detail,
partly because they show how much we learnt by our
failures and partly because it is necessary to realise
that sledging is not such an easy matter as might be
imagined.
That we were eventually able to make long and
successful sledge journeys is no doubt due to the mis-
takes which we made and to the experience which we
gained during the first barren attempts of this autumn,
and yet more to the fact that we resolved to profit by
them, and thoroughly took our lesson to heart. I do not
vol. 1. T
2;4 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
mean to imply that our education was complete — as a
matter of fact, we never ceased to learn new tips or to
adopt new devices, and the general sledging work of the
second summer was vastly superior to that of the first —
but it was the crushing ineffectiveness of our early efforts
which taught us the first great lesson.
The daylight hours were now getting rapidly shorter,
and we knew that before the end of the month we should
lose the sun. We were left with little time to complete
all our outside arrangements, which had been necessarily
delayed until the formation of the ice- sheet ; although
we felt anything but certain that the ice had come to
stay, the losses which its break-up would entail must now
be risked.
One of our first cares was to get up the meteoro-
logical screen ; this erection, made under the superin-
tendence of our meteorologist, Mr. Royds, consisted of a
framework supported by four stout poles ; special louvred
box-screens were placed high on this, and inside them
were fitted the various thermometric and hygrometric
instruments, whilst the corner poles were utilised for
anemometers and wind vane. The whole of this some-
what elaborate erection was placed about ioo yards
astern of the ship, and consequently in a direction which
would be to windward of her with the prevalent south-
easterly winds. At first the actual screens were some
eight feet above the surface of the ice, but we soon found
that our small bay was a focus for driving snow, and after
each storm the surface was raised a foot or more and
the comparative height of the screens proportionately
-1
[See p. 278.
FIRST ATTEMPT AT A TIDE GAUGE.
THE METEOROLOGICAL SCREEN AS IT APPEARED LATER, AND OUR METEOROLOGIST.
i9o2] METEOROLOGICAL SCREEN 275
reduced ; once the whole structure had to be dug up and
moved for this reason, but this could not be repeated
often, and the net result was that the screens were reduced
to an average height of five or six feet above the surface.
We found it was quite time that these screens were placed,
as we were getting very inaccurate temperature readings
on board ; for instance, I find a note of one comparison
made about this time : ' The thermometer on the gun-
wale shows — 200, that in the screen on board 40 higher,
and that in the screen on the ice some 50 or 6° lower.'
We possessed one recording anemometer of the
* Dyne ' type. The instrument itself had to be placed
in shelter, and we allotted one of our small deck-houses
to it. The funnel vane was secured in the mizen cross-
trees, some forty or fifty feet above the deck, and two
small lead pipes connected it to the recording instrument.
Finally, the barometer was placed in the magnetic deck-
house and the barographs in suitable positions close by.
To obtain a complete record of meteorological obser-
vations was one of the most important scientific objects
of the expedition, and it had been decided that the
instruments should be read and recorded every two
hours. And so in calm or storm, night and day, some
member of our community had to be on the alert and
every other hour to make the rounds of the various
instruments. First the barometer would be visited, its
reading and that of the attached thermometer registered ;
then at the screen the readings of the wet and dry bulb
thermometers and of the minimum thermometer would
be noted ; then the anemometers and the wind direction
T 2
276 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
had to be observed ; then an estimate made of the force
of the wind and notes added concerning the nature,
amount, and direction of movement of the clouds ; and,
finally, the various recording instruments must be visited
to see that they continued in good order. On a fine
night this was no great hardship, but in stormy weather
the task was not coveted by anyone. On such occasions
it was necessary before going out to prepare oneself care-
fully to resist the wind and snowdrift, and the round
itself was often attended with exasperating annoyances.
During the winter it was always necessary to carry a
lantern, but it is not easy to construct a lantern which
will remain alight in all conditions of weather. At first
we tried a small electric glow-lamp, but batteries and
leads so easily got out of order that this was abandoned.
Finally a candle lantern was evolved which was fairly
satisfactory, but in the meanwhile many a time was the
hapless observer forced to desist in the middle of his
work to return and obtain a fresh light. The necessity
of writing up the record sheet in the open was also trying
in windy, cold weather; not only would one's fingers
freeze very rapidly, but one's breath would form an icy
film on the paper through which it was difficult to make
the pencil-mark. The most annoying instrument with
which we had to deal was called the Ashmann's aspirator ;
it consisted of a wet and dry bulb thermometer, but the
air was circulated around the bulbs by a clockwork fan.
At each observation it was necessary to wind up the
clockwork, to wait for the fan to have full time for action,
and then to read the result on two distressingly thin
i902] TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS 277
threads of mercury. As all these operations had to be
done with bare fingers, a more angering cold-weather
instrument can hardly be imagined.
The trials and tribulations of the meteorological
observer were, in fact, numerous, and it was arranged
that throughout the winter each officer should take it in
turn to make the night observations from 10 p.m. to
6 a.m. Dr. Wilson nobly offered to take the 8 a.m.
observation regularly, but the lion's share of the work
fell on the meteorologist himself, who, besides taking his
share of the night work, throughout the first winter and
a great part of the second, took all the observations
between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The most dreaded day for Mr. Royds, howTever, was
Monday, as on that day it became necessary to change
the papers on the recording instruments. Anyone who
is familiar with the ordinary barograph or thermograph
can imagine that when the temperature was below
— 200, with a brisk wind, this task could appear attractive
to no one.
I may remark generally that it is quite a mistake to
suppose that one grows hardened or more callous to the
cold, either in one's fingers or in any other part of the
body ; what does happen, however, is that one becomes
more expert in keeping oneself warm. For instance, in
handling cold metal one learns when to stop and to
plunge one's fingers back into a warm mit, and how best
to restore one's circulation ; and so in the long run, when
a cold job has to be done, it is done more expeditiously
and with less suffering after experience has been gained.
2/8 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
Before quitting the subject of meteorology I may say
that other observations were added as we gradually
came to see our way more clearly and took our winter
walks abroad. One had only to walk a few hundred
yards from the ship to get sight of the smoking summit
of Erebus, and we soon saw that the direction of move-
ment of its vapour afforded us the most excellent in-
dication of the upper air currents, and few days passed
without some recorded observation of this fine beacon.
Later, too, our energetic walkers established sub-
sidiary observatories where the temperatures could be
taken and compared with those read near the ship. We
were thus able to get interesting comparisons with
observations taken on the top of the highest hill in our
neighbourhood, 1,080 feet above us, and with a spot on
the other side of Cape Armitage, and therefore more
directly affected by the barrier conditions.
Another routine observation I was anxious to get
into working order was that of the tide, and here we
were faced with a good deal of difficulty in attempting
to make a gauge which would work successfully through
the ice. We had endeavoured to get some observations
before the sea froze over, but the long pole which we
placed against the ice-foot soon became so crusted with
ice that the markings were obscured, and as it was
impossible to clear this ice except from a boat, we were
not able to get continuous readings. But later on we
succeeded in getting a continuous record over a long
period ; and as the arrangement was only arrived at
after some thought and numerous trials, the method is
1902]
TIDAL OBSERVATIONS
279
worth description for the benefit of future explorers who
may be similarly situated.
Our first essay was to take a length of the single
pianoforte sounding-wire, of which we carried a great
quantity. One end of this was attached to a heavy
weight resting on the bottom ; the wire was then taken
through a block held up by means of a tripod firmly
planted on the ice, and to its other end was attached a
second weight having about half the mass of the first. It
is evident that with such an arrangement, as the tripod
rose and fell with the tide, the upper weight would re-
cord its movement, always providing that the wire did
not become too firmly gripped by the ice. As the wire
was strong enough to admit of comparatively heavy
weights, I had hopes that the pull would always be
sufficient to overcome the friction of the ice, and for a
long time this was so ; but at length the ice became
thick enough to hold the wire, and then of course the
arrangement failed.
We had already improved on the tripod, by fixing up
a second gauge working over the ship's side, with the
second weight inside, when this difficulty arose. The pro-
blem now was, how to get the wire to work freely through
the ice, and it was solved in a very simple manner. Some-
one— I think it was Wilson — conceived the brilliant idea
of surrounding the wire with paraffin, which does not
freeze, and our excellent engineers had soon turned out
a small copper tube more than eight feet in length.
The new tide-gauge was quickly completed ; the wire was
now brought up through a small wooden plug at the
280 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [April
bottom of the tube, then through the tube and up over
a freely working pulley which hung from the forecastle,
through another pulley on the deck, and down to the
inside weight, which hung opposite a well-marked scale.
When the copper tube, filled with paraffin, was firmly
frozen in the ice, we had the satisfaction of seeing the
wire working through it practically without friction, and
this it continued to do throughout the winter and spring.
In searching for possible causes of error, we had, of
course, to assure ourselves that the ship rose and fell
regularly with the surface of the water, and to make
allowance for any alteration in trim which might take
place from time to time ; but, with all its advantages
and disadvantages, the arrangement must be considered
about as satisfactory a one as could well be arrived at
in the circumstances.
I have given some account of the erection of our
magnetic huts. It would perhaps be as well to give
here an idea of the purpose for which they were used.
They and all that appertained to them were Mr.
Bernacchi's special business, and many times a day
this officer could be seen journeying to and fro in
attendance on his precious charge. Within the larger
of the huts, mounted on a solidly bedded oak plank,
could be seen three small instruments, set at different
angles, but each containing a delicately suspended
magnetic needle to which was attached a tiny mirror ; a
shaded lamp and a roll of sensitised photographic paper
were so arranged that the light reflected from each small
mirror was thrown on to the roll, and the latter was
i902] MAGNETIC HUTS 281
slowly but continuously revolved by clockwork. The
sensitised paper came off the roll in long strips, and after
being developed exhibited fine wavy lines drawn by the
points of light focussed from the mirrors. The three
small instruments recorded respectively the declination,
horizontal force, and vertical force, or the elements of the
earth's magnetic pull, from which its nature could be
calculated at any moment.
The general reader may well wonder why so much
trouble should be taken to ascertain small differences in
the earth's magnetism, and he could scarcely be answered
in a few words. Broadly speaking, the earth is a magnet,
and its magnetism is constantly changing ; but why it is
a magnet, or why it changes, or indeed what magnetism
may be, is unknown, and obviously the most hopeful
road to the explanation of a phenomenon is to study it.
For many reasons the phenomenon of magnetism could
be recorded in few more useful places than our winter
station in the Antarctic.
These record strips were a source of great interest to
us all when Bernacchi showed them from time to time.
They varied much in character ; sometimes the lines
would run with long gradual waves, at others they
were distinctly jerky and unsettled, and occasionally
there were magnetic storms when they would fly off
the paper altogether. There was a fourth line, which
I have not yet mentioned ; this was the line of tempera-
ture, and was necessary for the correction of the others.
It was this that gave Bernacchi most of his trouble
and drew to an alarming extent on our oil supply. The
282 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
desire was to keep a constant temperature inside the hut,
but with the frequent change outside this was most
difficult to do, and although attempts were made to
regulate the burning of a heating lamp within, the
variations were at first very great, though they were
lessened when we could get a sufficient supply of soft
snow to bank the house up thoroughly outside.
Besides the magnetic variometers, the larger hut con-
tained another instrument of importance in the seismo-
graph, which also kept a continuous record on a long roll
of sensitised paper. I do not know that we had any good
reason for so thinking, but, situated so close to an active
volcano, we had expected this instrument to show much
activity ; contrary to our expectation, however, our region
proved a particularly quiet one, and throughout our stay
we were singularly free from earth tremors.
It should be understood that the magnetic instru-
ments which I have briefly mentioned above were purely
differential instruments. Whilst they would faithfully
record the changes from hour to hour and day to day,
they were liable to small derangements which might
prevent the comparison of one month with another. To
obviate this difficulty, from time to time check observa-
tions were taken with absolute instruments, and for this
purpose the second and smaller hut had been provided.
In this small, dark cabin Bernacchi would occasionally
be forced to shut himself, with only the magnetometer
and the cold for company.
In addition to the establishment of the routine
of regular scientific work, there was a great deal of
HUT POINT FROM THE NORTH.
Masts of ship can be seen over the land to the left.
FOOD FOR THE WINTER.
i902] CAPTURING CRAB-EATERS 283
work to be done for the comfort and well-being of the
ship before the winter set in, and this, together with
many unexpected tasks, kept all hands busy and amused.
The incidents of this time are perhaps best given in
extracts from my diary :
f Ap7'il 5. — Some seals were observed close to the
cape this afternoon ; a killing party managed to get six.
The skua gulls have gone, so that the carcases can now
be left about with safety. Except for this reason, we
rather miss the skuas ; the absence of bird life adds
to the deserted appearance of our outlook. There is
still a slight swell, most noticeable at the crack beyond
Hut Point ; from the Point and from Cape Armitage
there are numerous radial cracks, gradually widening
and extending in length. Two " crab-eater" seals were
found on the ice close to the ship to-night ; we have
very rarely seen these seals since our arrival in winter
quarters; they seem to live mostly in the open sea.
These animals must have come up through one of the
holes, and then, possibly attracted by the ship, they
appeared to have lost their bearings, as they crawled in
any direction rather than towards an opening in the ice.
1 We were still desirous of increasing our stock of seal-
meat, but had we killed these animals at once we should
have had great difficulty in skinning them in the dark,
and by morning we knew the carcases would be hard
frozen. In this dilemma orders were given to tie them
up, and this resulted in quite an amusing scene. This
species of seal is much more lithe and agile than the
Weddell, and no sooner had a noose been cunningly
284 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
drawn around the neck of one of these animals than he
whipped round with such a ferocious snapping of the
jaws that the holder of the rope incontinently fled ; at
length double nooses were drawn tight under the
flippers of each animal, and with a precautionary extra
rope around the tail we had them, as we thought,
securely tied to the ship's chain cables ; but ten minutes
later we heard that both had freed themselves by slipping
through their lashings. By this time everyone was
turning in, but the matter was now growing into a
serious reflection on our ability ; that a party of sailors
should confess themselves unable to tie any animal up
securely was not to be thought of, so out we all sallied
again. This time, after much struggling, each seal was
lashed up like a hammock with frequent turns of rope
round the body from the nose to the tail, and finally they
were once more secured to the cable.' In spite of all
our efforts, however, in the morning we found that one
of these animals had slipped through everything and
disappeared.
'April 7. — To-day we found the sea open northward
of a line from Hut Point, evidently the result of the late
gale. The temperature to-day has risen to + io°, and,
possibly in consequence, to-night furious squalls come
from the E.S.E. towards the open water. I think our
bay-ice is safe enough, but one can never tell. If it
breaks now, we shall be in a very uncomfortable position,
as both our boilers are run out and the engines are in
pieces. A party with two large sledges and the dogs
brought back eleven seals to-day, and will bring in some
i9o2] PROGRESS OF WINTER PREPARATIONS 285
more to-morrow, so that we are now getting pretty-
secure for our winter stock.
6 The work of getting comfortably settled is pro-
gressing. The winter awning is spread ; it did not fit
at all well, and we were obliged to make several altera-
tions. It is made of a thick, rough, flaxen material,
called, I think, "waggon cloth," which I was at great
pains to get, on advice. I believe we should have done
better to have had it made of ordinary stout canvas.
The winter awning ends at the mainmast, but we pro-
pose to construct a further covered way aft to the
engine-room with our summer awnings and odd pieces
of canvas. There will probably be a good deal of work
in the engine-room during the winter, and it is well to
have complete shelter to and from it. With the awning
spread over the living-spaces, we are obliged to use
artificial light all day ; but we should get little enough
natural light even if the awning were not there.
' The men are building a snow-bank for our gang-
way, and another at the ice-foot to make a road to the
hut ; but the difficulty at present is to get snow. None
has fallen recently, and that on the land is hard and icy.
As our awning would not spread well over the. boats, we
have got them out, and hauled them over towards the
ice-foot. They are now ranged in a line close to it, and
there, it is to be hoped, they will remain safely during
the winter.'
This latter step with regard to the boats was a
fatal error, and afterwards gave us a vast amount of
labour and trouble. It was yet another case in which
286 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
we had to buy our experience sadly. Our principal
anxiety had been to find a place where they would not
be exposed to the full force of the winter gales, and we
never thought of the danger which actually overtook
them. It was not until the middle of the winter that we
realised that what had been the surface of the ice was,
under the weight of newly fallen snow, gradually sinking
below the water-level, carrying the boats with it ; and
then, as it was impossible to commence rescuing opera-
tions till the daylight returned, we were forced helplessly
to watch them getting into a worse and worse plight.
On the night of the 8th there was a great Emperor
penguin hunt. ' It was blowing half a gale of wind, and
the snow was driving rapidly past when someone espied
a company of dignified " Emperors ' advancing towards
the ship. Our zoologist pointed out that here was the
chance to complete our collection of skins, as the birds
would now be in their finest plumage ; and in spite of
the weather a large party had soon surrounded the un-
fortunate birds. I was not present myself, but I hear
there was much excitement. It is no easy matter to hold
an Emperor ; they are extraordinarily strong both in their
legs and flippers, and are capable of moving even with a
man on top of them. They could of course have been
clubbed, but this would have damaged them as speci-
mens. The proper method was to get hold of them
firmly and give the coup de grace in a scientific manner
by inserting the blade of a penknife at the base of the
skull. The confusion in the dark, when everyone was
trying to capture a bird and these powerful creatures
i9o2] EMPEROR PENGUIN HUNT 287
were dashing in every direction, can better be imagined
than described. Report says that frequently one man
was trying to capture another under the impression that
he was a penguin, and more than one of the party seem
to have been temporarily floored by the wild dashes of
the intended victims. It was late at night before suffi-
cient specimens had been slain, and then the party
returned with a plentiful supply of frost-bites of which
they had been quite oblivious in the excitement of the
chase/ The above scene may sound somewhat blood-
thirsty, but it is just to remark that we never slew
animals except for the practical object of obtaining
food or specimens or both ; and, indeed, the more we
came to see the extraordinary, unsuspicious tameness
of the animal life about us, the more compunction
we were forced to feel at the necessity of killing at
all. It was difficult to realise at first the full extent of
this tameness — one is so little accustomed to total
ignorance of man as an enemy — yet the attitude of both
seals and penguins towards life is a very simple one. In
the sea they prey and are preyed upon, and are adapted
to such a condition ; in that element they are swift,
agile, and doubtless suspicious. But on the ice or on land
they have never known an enemy — from all time it has
been sanctuary, where they can mate, sleep, and rest
without fear ; and so the presence of an utterly unknown
danger produces at first only consuming curiosity, and
even when a vague feeling of alarm steals on their dull
senses, they instinctively recoil from seeking safety in
the sea, where alone safety is. It is interesting to think
288 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
how different are the corresponding conditions in the far
North, where for countless years the bear and the
Esquimaux have ranged the floes, and the seal has
become so timid that it is often difficult for the traveller
to get within rifle-shot.
We found later on that the care which was taken on
this night to shepherd the flock of penguins together
before the victims were slain was quite unnecessary.
So unsuspecting are these birds that they will stand
stupidly by, without thought of flight, whilst individuals
are cut out one by one from the group and killed. Even
the last surviving member of such a group seems to
remain unalarmed.
1 April 9. — We found that the Emperor penguins
killed last night are in splendid plumage. Many of them
weighed over 80 lbs., and the largest turned the scale at
90 lbs. — quite a record weight. Rather a touching scene
occurred when four or five stragglers from last night
came boldly up to their dead companions, evidently at a
loss to understand what it all meant.
' The sea is again open up to Hut Point, and possibly
the inrush of cold air to the open water causes the extra-
ordinary difference of weather conditions which exist in
different localities within our view. Some of the hills
are clear and bright with sunshine, whilst others are dark
with hovering clouds ; at certain places it is undoubtedly
calm, but at others the drift snow can be seen rising in
clouds and sweeping furiously along. Towards Cape
Bird there are heavy, low cumulus clouds with black
under-shadows ; there must be a great deal of open
i902] THE WINDMILL DISABLED 289
water in this direction. The various sky effects are very-
beautiful.'
'April 13. — The ice has broken away enough to
show open water around Hut Point ahead of the ship ;
it has been snowing all day, the snow falling in large, soft
flakes, with a temperature of + 1 70. This afternoon we
had several strong gusts from the south, and later the
wind became more constant from the same direction and
gradually increased to a full gale, when it shifted slowly
to the S.E. with a rapidly falling temperature. Unfor-
tunately, the windmill was left running after dinner, when
it should have been feathered to the wind. The result
is that some of the fans are badly twisted. I am rapidly
losing faith in this unfortunate device, but I don't think
that it had a fair chance to-day, and I shall suggest to
the engine-room staff that it ought to be repaired if it is
not too far gone.' For days after this the windmill was
under repair, all the bent fans were taken down and
carefully straightened below, but the task of replacing
them was anything but pleasant, and hour after hour our
excellent engine-room people spent aloft in the bitter
wind, seated on cold metal, clinging to cold metal, and
often obliged to handle their cold metal tools with bared
fingers. Nothing would persuade them to give up,
however, until the work was completed and the windmill
once more revolving merrily.
' April 1 7. — All our former ski runs are now impos-
sible ; most of the snow-slopes are covered with hard
high sastrugi raised by the late winds. Everywhere the
snow is packed by the same cause, and the surface is so
vol. 1. u
290 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
hard that it is impossible to climb the steeper inclines
even in boots. Some of the men are out occasionally
with a football, but the wind interferes sadly with all
forms of sport, and in anything like calm weather most of
us prefer to take walks to spy out the land. There are
such a number of old volcanic craters close about us that
it will be long before we become thoroughly acquainted
with all the folds and valleys between, and for many a
month yet we may hope to find new features in our neigh-
bourhood and some fresh interest in our daily exercise.
1 The sun does not now rise sufficiently high to shine
on the ship, but about noon one can see it from the
eminence of Hut Point. . . .'
' April 20. — A bright day with moderate northerly
wind, The young ice just formed over the open strait
crowded down on the old and rode over it in many places.
The sun is very near its departure ; to-day it appeared a
highly refracted elliptical ball of red, giving little light
and no appreciable heat. For a few minutes it bathed
the top of Observation Hill in soft pink light, then
vanished beneath a blood-red horizon.'
This was the last we saw of the sun till it returned
to us more than four months later. Its actual date of
disappearance was the 23rd, but after the 20th we had a
return to what, at this time, appeared the normal weather
conditions, and for the three following days my daily
journal opens with the same remark : ' Wind still blowing
hard with an overcast sky.' It was not a very enlivening
prelude to the coming darkness, but it would have taken
far more than this to depress us in our novel surroundings,
i902] DEPARTURE OF THE SUN 291
and all felt the propriety of the celebrations on the night
of the 23rd, when hilarity reigned supreme, and with a
liberal allowance of extra grog we drank to a speedy
passage of the long night.
The winter was now upon us. The ice about the
ship had been firmly fixed for nearly a month, and there
seemed little reason to suppose that the heaviest gale
could move it before the following summer. For good
or ill we were now a fixture, destined to spend our winter
nearly 500 miles beyond the point at which any other
human beings had wintered, and therefore about to face
conditions at which we could only guess.
Before us lay a weary spell of darkness, but we came
to it in full health and vigour, and all that skill could
devise to provide for our comfort and lighten its monotony
seemed within our grasp. Each day would bring us
nearer to the longed-for spring, and to the day when, with
high hopes, we should step forth on those new trails
which met at our door and vanished in the unknown.
u 2
292 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [April
CHAPTER VIII
THE POLAR WINTER
Winter Routine— Obtaining Water — Meals and Meal-hours— Pastimes-
Officers' Routine — Debates — Exercise — Work of the Officers — Weather
Conditions — Heavy Blizzard and its Effects — Incidents of the Winter —
Winter Clothing — Remarks on our Food — Sunday Routine — Discomforts
of the Living-quarters from Ice — Heating and Ventilation — Mid-winter
Day.
The cold ice slept below,
Above the cold sky shone,
And all around
With a chilling sound
From caves of ice and fields of snow
The breath of night like death did flow
Beneath the sinking moon. — Shelley.
Long before the sun left us we had settled down into
a regular routine of daily life, and although when it
was above the horizon the hours of work were modified
and generally increased, our meal-hours remained
unaltered during the two years which saw us in the
grip of the ice.
The following description of our daily life on board
is contained in my diary of the early months of our first
winter :
1 The first task of the day is to fetch the ice for the
daily consumption of water for cooking, drinking, and
washing. In the latter respect we begin to realise that
■
DIGGING FOR ICE.
i902j OBTAINING WATER 293
many circumstances are against habits of excessive clean-
liness, but although we use water very sparingly, an
astonishing amount of washing is done with it, and at
present the fashion is for all to have a bath once a week.
To fetch the ice in the morning a party of men are
roused out somewhat earlier than their comrades, and
dressing themselves according to the weather, they pro-
ceed to the ice-quarry with a heavy sledge specially
fitted for the work. The harder and bluer the ice, the
better it is adapted for melting and the less fuel is
required to melt it ; had we been obliged to use snow,
either hard or soft, the daily task would have been much
heavier ; but by good fortune we have a very solid icy
slope on the land not more than 200 yards from the ship,
and here we have made our quarry.' For two years we
dug in an area no greater than twenty yards across, and
yet at the end of that time, when we must have removed
me ny tons of ice, we scarcely seemed to have scratched
the surface of the slope : such are the puny efforts of
man !
1 A quarter of an hour of hard delving with pick and
shovel each morning is sufficient to supply our daily
needs ; the sledge, loaded with ice-blocks, is towed back
to the ship, and the blocks are then carried on board and
placed in a convenient storage close to the main hatch-
way. The pile thus made is kept well in advance of our
needs in preparation for spells of bad weather when dig-
ging may be impossible. Long before the departure of
the ice-diggers the cook's mate has been astir with the
galley fire alight and the coppers and ice-melters filled
294 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
so that by 8.30 the mens breakfast is prepared. By this
time all hammocks except those of the night watchmen
are lashed up and stowed away, and the linoleum-covered
mess-deck has been washed and cleared up. Breakfast
is a very simple meal, and consists always of a large bowl
of porridge with bread and butter and marmalade or
jam. For a long time a hash or stew was prepared, but
as appetites fell off with our comparatively confined life
this was rarely touched, and is now practically discon-
tinued ; on the two mornings of the week when seal's
liver replaces the more ordinary meat, however, there is
no such abstinence ; everyone partakes of this excellent
dish and wishes heartily that the seal was possessed of
more than one liver.'
I may here mention that when we came to slaughter
seals for our second winter there was a strong temptation
to kill them for their livers only, and I think it is a
creditable fact that we refrained from obtaining this
luxury at a rate so expensive to life, but confined our-
selves to the due proportions which fell to our share in
treating the whole animal as food.
It is extraordinary how our liking for porridge grew
upon us ; we none of us cared much for it at first ; naval
sailors rarely do, and I believe it has lately been struck oft
the list of food supplied to the naval service ; but with us
the taste for this excellent food grewr ever stronger both
with officers and men, until we not only made our break-
fast exclusively from it, but decided to include the more
easily cooked variety in our sledge rations.
' After breakfast the mess-deck is again cleared up in
i9o2] MEALS AND MEAL-HOURS 295
preparation for prayers at 9. 1 5, after which the men are
assembled and told off for the work of the day, which is
arranged as far as possible so that each man gets his fair
share of the outside tasks.' I do not remember a time
when there was not a great amount of work to be done.
During the latter part of the first winter, and throughout
the whole of the second, a large party were constantly
employed on our sledging outfit, making or repairing
sleeping-bags, sledges, tents, cookers, or other details of
equipment. Out of doors there was generally some
work in the digging line, either piling snow around the
ship or the huts, or digging out various objects which
had become buried, or making holes in the sea-ice for
fish traps, or freeing the entrances and the paths to and
from the huts, or many other lighter tasks. Then, again,
the awning, the chimneys of the stove, and many out-
door instruments needed attention and repair, and few of
our heavy winter gales passed without creating some
havoc which had to be rectified.
' Dinner for the men is at one. This varies with the
day, but consists always of soup, seal or tinned meat,
and either a jam or a fruit tart. After dinner the rum is
served out in accordance with naval custom. I am not
at all sure the men would not be better without it, but
perhaps some would feel aggrieved if it was stopped, and
the small daily allowance can do little harm ; of course it
will be stopped when the sledging comes on. Smoking
has been allowed on the mess-deck and at all times since
we entered winter quarters ; there are few non-smokers,
and no one who dislikes the smell of tobacco. After two
296 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
in the afternoon the men return to work until five ; up to
the present there has been enough to keep them going,
but if, as is probable, it falls off, I propose to leave their
afternoon free ; there is no object in making work.
Supper is at five ; a few with good appetites make up
dishes out of what remains of the tinned meats or seal
left over from dinner, but many confine themselves to
bread and butter and tea, with perhaps some jam or
cheese. Those men who have not been employed out-
side during the day take their exercise after supper ;
there is no constraint, but luckily the men are intelligent
enough to appreciate the advantage of good health and
the benefit of a daily walk. There has been a difficulty
in this respect with regard to the cooks and stewards,
whose duties lie naturally inside the ship ; with a little
thought, however, we have been able to arrange a routine
by which each has some spare time daily to devote to a
walk abroad. In the evening all the men are free, and
a glimpse at the mess-deck at such a time leaves the
impression that the greatest comfort and contentment
reigns throughout. Many have some special work in
hand, such as wood-carving, netting, mat-making, &c,
which serves to fill in the spare hours ; others play games
or read ; whist, draughts, and even chess are popular,
and much time is beguiled by a peculiar but simple game
called " shove-ha'penny." This pastime needs only a
long board with numbers marked in squares at one end
and a halfpenny, which is placed on the edge at the
other ; the coin is jerked along the smooth board towards
the numbers by striking the palm of the hand against
i9o2] PASTIMES 297
the edge of the board, and the player of course scores
the number at which the coin stops ; whence this game
came I know not, but I think it must bear a strong
resemblance to the older pastime called " shovel-board."
At any rate at present it affords much amusement and
produces shouts of laughter ; tournaments are constantly
held in this, as well as in draughts and whist. At ten
o'clock hammocks are slung, and soon all are in bed and
asleep ; only one or two sleep in the daytime, and perhaps
in consequence all sleep well at night. There is no
doubt that hammocks are far preferable to the bunks
at one time suggested for the men ; the large clear space
which is left when the hammocks are stowed for the day
is alone sufficient to prove this, but it is also certain that
a hammock is drier and more snug than a bunk would be
under our present conditions of life.'
Later in the year, on July 18, I note : * During the
darkest days, when work was slack, nothing was done by
the men after their dinner, and I do not think anything
is gained by making work ; now that preparation for
sledging has commenced, however, there is plenty to be
done and perhaps it is better to have such employment.
Entertainments have been few and far between, but have
counted for something, and Hodgson, Ferrar, and others
have given little scientific expositions on their special
subjects which have proved very popular. It was a very
usual thing in the old Northern expeditions to hold
classes for school amongst the men, but in those days
many could not read or write ; with these accomplish-
ments men are able to amuse themselves, as we have
298 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
proved, and the officers have had the more time for their
own in consequence. I have endeavoured to suit every-
thing to the requirement of the moment, and was pre-
pared if monotony and dulness crept in to attempt to
dispel them, but there has been no necessity ; laughter
and good cheer accompany warmth and comfort in the
crew space as well as aft in the wardroom, and all in all
a brighter or more contented company than ours it would
be difficult to conceive.'
' Reading on the mess-deck is of a very desultory
character ; Arctic books of travel are of course much
sought after, simple and popular histories are frequently
read; especially in request are such books as " Fights
for the Flag," " Deeds that Won the Empire," and
stories of the sea are much appreciated also. Novels
are not very popular, though Dickens and Marryat find
readers ; old magazines seem to go the round many times
and become much thumbed. Books of a quite different
character from the above are often asked for, however ;
last week one man was deeply immersed in the " Origin
of Species," another is studying navigation, and not a
few have the evident intention of improving themselves.
There is a good deal of writing as well as reading on the
mess-deck, and the excellent articles that have been con-
tributed to the " South Polar Times," show that much
that is written would be well worth perusal. A goodly
number of diaries are kept, some as personal records, but
others for transmission home to the most-thought-of
individual. It is difficult to say for certain, but as one
looks on the cheerful, contented scene on the mess-deck
igo2] OFFICERS' ROUTINE 299
at night, one rather gathers the impression that the
regular organisation of lectures and entertainments would
disturb rather than add to the comfort of the community.
Perhaps, however, a second winter would necessitate
more effort on the part of the officers to amuse the men ;
without doubt the novelty of the first season counts for
much.'
The contentment of the men was no transient condi-
tion dependent on novelty such as at this time I surmised
that it might be. We afterwards settled down to our
second winter with even greater cheerfulness, and, far
from finding such a life monotonous and dreary, the men
with the officers adapted themselves with ease to its
placid course.
1 The officers' routine is somewhat different from that
of the men. Breakfast aft starts at nine and is concluded
at ten ; few are exactly punctual, but all have finished
by the latter hour. The breakfast meal itself is precisely
the same as that served to the men, as are all our other
meals. I made this rule at the start of the expedition,
and it has been observed ever since and will be observed
throughout ; without subverting discipline, it silences com-
plaint. Two or three months ago, for instance, one of
the few troublesome men in the ship, a merchant sea-
man, asked to see me to complain of some cake. When
I appeared on deck he held a slice of cake in his hand
and plaintively informed me that it was not fit for human
food. I immediately sent down for a slice from a cake
in the wardroom which we had been eating with pleasure,
and of course found that the slices were precisely similar.
300 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
As a consequence I could express my opinion of the
complaint and its maker with the utmost freedom,
and proceeded to do so. That officers and men should
mess apart, and that the officers should have the privacy
of their cabins for their work, &c, is all very right and
proper, and marks a distinction which is in the best
interests of discipline; but in other respects it is an ad-
vantage on such an expedition as ours that all should
share the same hardships, and, as far as possible, live the
same lives. My rule does not of course apply to luxuries
sent by officers' friends, to wines, or to a few delicate
but indigestible trifles by which we increase the ward-
room fare on the rare occasions when we have a special
dinner ; it is only a rule for ordinary circumstances, and
one which will receive great extensions when we come
to the hard sledging work that is before us, for then
officers and men must live and work alike in every
respect.
' From ten to two the officers have a good round
interval for the routine work of the day ; at two we have
tea, the actual beverage being accompanied with jam,
cakes, and toast. The latter is made at our own fire ;
the bread is cut off in huge chunks, and numerous patent
toasting forks are brought into action. The toast made, it
is spread thickly with butter until it is a sopping, dripping
mass, suitable to nothing but a robust appetite ; then the
meal and the arguments begin, the latter being pursued
to such lengths that the clock usually shows three before
we break up. On the whole I think we all find this the
most enjoyable meal of the day. In the afternoon those
—
A \lk--MK
[See p. 296.
OFF FOR EXERCISE,
OUR HOME IN WINTER.
i902] THE WARDROOM MESS 301
who have not been out already, start on their daily
exercise ; the rest melt away to their various tasks, self-
imposed or otherwise, and it is not until 6 p.m. that we
all meet again for dinner.
' This is the biggest and most formal meal of the day ;
each officer takes it in turn to be president for a week
at a time, and during his term of office sits at the head
of the table. Although we do not dress, we come as
near to it as we can with a general tidy-up of costume ;
all are supposed to be seated before grace is said, and
those who are not must duly apologise to the president
for their absence.
' The dinner which follows is the same as that which
is served to the men earlier in the day, though with us it
is served in courses on a comparatively clean, if not a
white, tablecloth. Few of us drink any alcohol, except
possibly an occasional glass of wine after dinner or a
small bottle of beer on Sunday with our mutton. We
have a supply of " sparklets " that make excellent ginger-
beer or lemonade, and some cider, which is sometimes
drunk ; but the total consumption of alcoholic drink is
ridiculously small, and that not from any rule of living
or example, but simply because no one seems to have
any appetite for it. The consequence is we have a great
deal of whisky and wine on board which will certainly
never be touched.
1 After dinner the table is cleared, grace said, the wine
passed round, and the King's health formally drunk,
when the functions of the president cease. Whilst the
latter is in office the proprieties have to be observed
302 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
on pain of a fine. No one is allowed to contradict the
president, no bets can be made, and no reference-books
can be consulted ; these limitations, with a few others
which are more rarely transgressed, cause a good deal of
amusement. Arguments are started on every imaginable
subject under the sun, and the flattest contradictions are
given and returned ; as the president joins in the conver-
sation, the chances are that in the heat of debate someone
will directly traverse his statements or back his own
opinion by saying, " I bet you so and so" ; in either case
his eager messmates call immediate attention to his
breach of etiquette, and he is promptly fined " wine all
round " ; no appeal is possible, and complaint is met by an
increase of the penalty. " Wine all round " doesn't mean
much in our abstemious community, but sometimes even
those who are practically teetotalers will relax to drink the
health of a hardened offender. After " The King" has
been drunk there is generally a rush for reference-books,
and then a good deal of twisting of position to suit the
reference. Our reference-books are fairly numerous, but
(though we feel the lack of the " Encyclopaedia Britannica")
the " Century Dictionary," the Atlas, Haydn's " Dictionary
of Dates," " Whitaker's Almanack," " Hazell's Annual,"
the " Statesman's Year Book," and some others provide
an ample field for supporting one's own opinion, refuting
one's opponent, or at least for confusing the issue. I
am not sure we get much " forrader " by our heated dis-
cussions, but it is a great deal better than being dull and
silent ; we have never yet sat through a meal without
continual conversation, and I hope we never may.
1902] DEBATES 303
1 Dinner is followed by an hour or two of recreation,
discussion, or work, a go-as-you-please arrangement ;
some finish off their daily work, some write, some read,
and some play games. For some time now a game of
"bridge" has been the evening amusement; five or six
play, "cutting in \\ in the usual manner. No doubt the
popularity of "bridge" will wane as has that of other
games ; chess was played for a long while, and will
probably come to the front again. Most of us straggle
off to bed between eleven and twelve, but some, myself
amongst others, often stay up later, A few find that
sleep does not come at all uniformly, but for my own
part I sleep like a top.
' Every Tuesday after dinner we have a debate in
the wardroom. I think Bernacchi first suggested this,
and it was decided to have a technical subject one week
and a lay one the next. The proceedings have always
been very orderly, and throughout the winter nearly
everyone has attended, though now their popularity is
waning. On technical evenings we have discussed the
barrier, the climatic conditions, the prospects of get-
ting east and west, the seals, and the penguins, with
results that have been both instructive and amusing.
There is so much in these subjects that remains unex-
plained and mysterious that everyone must gain fresh
ideas from their free discussion ; of the barrier we still
seem to know all too little, but that little is contrary to
preconceived notions, and the ideas it suggests are con-
fused enough to need sorting, if we are to continue our
exploration systematically in the spring. In the climatic
304 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [April
conditions we have yet to explain the astonishing diffe-
rences of temperature in different localities and with
different winds, and to discuss methods by which we can
get some notion of the snowfall and evaporation in our
region ; while with regard to seals and penguins, we feel
there is yet much to be learnt as to their winter habits,
their breeding, and their migrations. In fact, our discus-
sions, whilst helping to elucidate minor points in the
problems in debate, have served to set those problems
more clearly before us, and to indicate the manner in
which we may hope to arrive at their solution. People
are so very genuinely interested in all this that I think
the lapse of enthusiasm in the debates arises merely from
the knowledge that we can only hope to throw more
light on the subjects by further exploration and observa-
tion.
' The non-technical nights are of course devoted
entirely to amusement, and the subjects selected accord-
ingly are such as to encourage the most startling state-
ments and lines of argument ; thus we have had " The
Trade of the Empire," " Conscription," &c, subjects
on which, without knowing anything, everyone can talk.
Needless to say, such debates generally end in more or
less of an uproar.
' The day's routine for the officers gives four clear
hours before tea and three after ; during these hours
all without exception are busily employed except for
the hour or more devoted to exercise ; the best time
for this is now about noon, but during the very dark
days the moon was a potent influence in fixing the time.
1902] EXERCISE 305
In this, as in other matters, I have endeavoured to avoid
all irksome rules and regulations. The officers are only
too eager to go out for a breath of fresh air ; the men
have outside employment in fetching ice, tending their
dogs, taking observations, &c, and in fine weather need
no spur to be out and about with a football or on ski ;
the only class for which it has been necessary to make
special arrangements are the cooks and domestics,
whose duties are apt to tie them to the ship.
' My own time is taken up in organising the spring
sledging, drafting instructions, calculating weights, search-
ing up references, &c. ; it would be difficult for an outsider
to understand what a mass of detail this lands one in. I
try also to keep touch with the work which is going on
in the various departments, and am endeavouring to do
some physical work in connection with the ice and snow
which would otherwise be neglected ; but such matters are
attended with great difficulty to an untrained observer,
and it is only when one comes to make the attempt that
one finds that a simple experiment is almost an impos-
sibility ; every condition is complicated by outside variable
causes.'
To give an instance of what was evidently meant by
this paragraph I may mention that it was suggested in
our ' Antarctic Manual of Instructions' that a block of ice
should be suspended in the sea and its rate of increase
in winter and decrease in summer should be measured.
Had we attempted to do this, probably we should have
arrived at an utterly false conclusion, because in no two
places would the result be the same ; in one place, for
vol. 1. x
306 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
example, the block would most certainly have disappeared
early in the summer, whereas in another it would have
been diminished by little throughout that season. This
difference was dependent on the movement of the sea-
water, but it shows the impossibility of carrying out experi-
ments of this sort, however easily they may be conceived
in the quiet of an English study.
' I find time also to read up Arctic literature, of which
I am woefully ignorant ; most unfortunately, our library
is deficient in this respect, as owing to the hurry of our
departure many important books were omitted. We
have Greely, Payer, Nares, Markham, McClintock,
McDougall, Scoresby, Nansen's " Greenland," and a few
others of less importance ; but, sad to relate, Nordenskjold,
Nansen (" Farthest North"), and Peary are absent, and
two of these at least would have been amongst our most
valuable books of reference. Yesterday I was pleasantly
astonished to find that Wilson had some notes on
Nansen's " Farthest North," giving extracts of his
sledge weights, &c, and these may be of great use in
calculating our own weights.
' The work of the various officers is so distinct, and
keeps them so busily employed, that we rarely meet
except at meal-hours and in the evenings. Armitage is
reworking the observations for position taken during the
summer cruise, and correcting his magnetic data. This
is a very sedentary employment, but occasionally he
is to be seen out on the floe with the large theo-
dolite taking star observations for the rating of the
chronometers— a very cold job, both for the observer
KOETTLITZ AT THE OUTER THERMOMETER.
EREBUS IN THE DISTANCE.
**?&&*.
[See p. 310.
WILSON READING THERMOMETER AT THE TOP OF CRATER HILL.
i9o2] WORK OF THE OFFICERS 30;
and for the timekeeper, in which capacity I sometimes
attend.
4 It is satisfactory to find that all four chronometers
are keeping a steady rate, notwithstanding that the tem-
perature in the chronometer-box frequently falls below
freezing-point. Every morning the clocks are set by
the chronometer, so that our daily routine is timed to the
minute.
' Luckily Koettlitz has not much to do in connection
with his medical duties, as there is little sickness, but occa-
sionally there are wounds and cuts to be dressed and small
ailments to be doctored. In his daily walk he has under-
taken the important duty of reading the thermometer off
Cape Armitage. It is an instrument with a minimum
indicator, and is attached to a post about 1^ mile from
the ship. As I have before remarked, even at this very
short distance the common difference of temperature
between it and the ship's screen is from io° to 150.
There are regular duties in the medical line which are of
great importance, and which are shared by the two
doctors. Every tin of food has to be examined by them
after it is opened and before it is served out. This is
no light task when hours are considered ; for instance,
Wilson has to be out early to examine the milk for the
day. Another self-imposed duty of the doctors is to
take weights and measurements and examine the blood
of everyone, fore and aft, once during the month ; all the
information thus obtained is tabulated by Koettlitz, form-
ing a very interesting record of the changes in different
individuals living more or less under similar conditions.
X 2
308 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [April
' Soon after the first of each month in the evening we
all gather in the wardroom clad in pyjamas, and are put
through our paces as follows : Our weight is taken, and
then the measurement of chest, filled and empty, waist,
calf, forearm and upper arm ; then, by means of a small
spring instrument, our power of grip with right and left
hand is recorded, and finally the capacity of our lungs
is measured as we discharge one long breath into the
spirometer.
* This performance is an entertainment in itself, and
bets are freely offered and taken on the results, especially
by those who fondly hope for a smaller waist or a
stronger grip.
' Generally on the following night the same scene is
enacted on the mess-deck, with the same display of chaff
and good humour. One has but to cast one's eye over
the records that come from this quarter to realise what a
splendid set of men we have from the point of view of
physique. Some turn the scale at over 190 lbs., and
several at over 180 lbs., without an ounce of superfluous
fat ; and though in some cases we can equal the blowing
powers of these individuals, we cannot compete with
their grips ; in fact, a specially strong instrument is
usually employed to prevent all chance of the ordinary
one being wrecked.
' The further monthly examination of our physical
condition consists in an examination of our blood. Our
senior surgeon goes to each individual in turn with a
special needle and a small test-tube ; the former is
plunged into the finger of the victim, and as the blood
i902] PHYSICAL-CONDITION TESTS 309
oozes out, it is drawn up and transferred to the test-tube.
The first test is to dilute a given quantity with water and
to compare the resultant colour with a standard ; water
is added until the colours are equalised in shade, and the
richness of the blood is of course in proportion to the
quantity of water added. The next test is carried out
by putting a drop of blood on a graduated slide under
the microscope and counting the numbers of red and
white corpuscles which lie in one square millimetre. To
obtain samples of blood from forty-five people and to
examine them in this manner takes a considerable time,
and Koettlitz is kept extremely busy for some days.
So far we have always published the results of the
examination as well as the weights and measure-
ments, principally because they display no sign of any
change in the general condition ; there has been a falling-
off in weight in a few cases, but others have put on
more than the number of pounds lost ; measurements
and strength have shown merely slight fluctuations, but
with few exceptions the blood has grown richer. I have
no clear idea as to what the meaning of this may be, and
I do not think that the doctor has either, but we are
inclined to look upon it as a hopeful sign of our well-being.
* But to return to the manner in which our officers pass
their days. It would be difficult to say who is the most
diligent, but perhaps the palm would be given to Wilson,
who is always at work ; every rough sketch made since
we started is reproduced in an enlarged and detailed form
until we now possess a splendid pictorial representation
of the whole coastline of Victoria Land. Wilson starts
310 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
his day early by an examination of the breakfast food ;
his next business is to see to the ventilation of the living-
spaces, which he does so thoroughly that when we come
to breakfast there is no complaint about the freshness of
the air, though occasionally people appear in fur mits as
a mute protest against the temperature. He next takes
the eight o'clock meteorological observations, and after
the men are told off for the work of the day his business
takes him to the superintendence of those who are de-
tailed for bird-skinning and who carry on this work in
the main hut. Under his direction a few of the men,
and especially Cross, have become quite expert taxider-
mists, and the collection of prepared skins is gradually
growing.
1 The rest of his day is devoted to working up
sketches and zoological notes, making those delightful
drawings for the " South Polar Times," without which
that publication would lose its excellence, and perform-
ing a hundred and one kindly offices for all on board.
He and Shackleton generally journey together to the
top of Crater Hill, a height of 950 feet, each day, and
return with a record of the temperature at our second
outlying station. It is curious that although this tem-
perature is generally lower than that in the ship's screen,
it is rarely as low as that off Cape Armitage, and the fact
almost seems to point to an inverted temperature gra-
dient over the great ice-plain.
1 The day starts early with Royds, our first lieutenant,
also, for he must be up to see the men started at their
various jobs. His special care is the meteorology, and
i902] ST. CECILIA'S HOUR 311
the manner in which he sticks to what might well be
considered a monotonous task is beyond praise. Rough
or fine, every two hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. he
journeys forth on his round of observations. Regularly
each morning the fair record books are produced on the
wardroom table, and the rough observations of the pre-
vious day neatly entered in their columns. With the care
of the ship's work, the maintenance of the various instru-
ments in good working order, and many a stray task, it
can be imagined that he has few idle hours. But one at
least he finds — that immediately before dinner, when he
goes to the piano and plays it, sometimes with and some-
times without the aid of the pianola ; in either case we
others in our various cabins have the pleasure of listen-
ing to excellent music and feel that the debt of gratitude
we owe to our only musician is no light one. This hour
of music has become an institution which none of us
would willingly forego. I don't know what thoughts it
brings to others, though I can readily guess ; but of such
things one does not care to write. I can well believe,
however, that our music smooths over many a ruffle and
brings us to dinner each night in that excellent humour,
when all seem good-tempered, though " cleared for
action " and ready for fresh argument.
' Shackleton is editor of our monthly journal, the
" South Polar Times " ; he is also printer, manager, type-
setter, and office boy, and consequently a week before
that publication appears he is kept pretty busy. At
slacker seasons he conducts experiments to determine the
salinity of the sea-ice and the sea- water about the ship,
312 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
sees that the dogs are properly cared for, besides many
other odd jobs, and at all seasons he is responsible for
the serving-out of provisions and for the proper regula-
tion of the cooking and general galley arrangements.
'Hodgson, our biologist, goes steadily on with his
outdoor work, and I think this is the first instance of
dredging being carried on throughout a polar winter. He
is rather inclined to scorn assistance, and seems almost
to prefer to do everything himself — the manual as well as
the expert work connected with his task. Lately he has
accepted the assistance of a single man, but it is currently
reported that this individual is required to look on whilst
Hodgson digs, and much digging and a great deal of
preparation is necessary before the nets can be actually
used, so that it is only occasionally that a frozen mass is
borne into the wardroom, which, on being thawed out,
discloses the queer creatures that crawl and swim on the
floor of our polar sea. Hodgson tells me he had ex-
pected to be obliged to devote the winter to working
out his summer catches, and that it was a pleasant
surprise to find that he could continue his collecting
work during the dark season. No doubt it is also an
excellent thing for his health, and he certainly remains
surprisingly fit.
' Bernacchi up to the present has found plenty of
employment in the care of his magnetic instruments ; in
addition to taking and developing the records, he has
spent much time in tending the heating lamps in the huts
and in endeavouring to render them more efficient. By
banking up the principal hut with snow he has been able
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i902] TAKING SEA-TEMPERATURES 313
to keep it at a more equable temperature, but he tells me
that even yet it is by no means satisfactory, which I very
much regret to hear, as we are making very great sacri-
fices of oil in order that his lamps should be kept going —
sacrifices which would land us in an uncomfortable pre-
dicament were we obliged to remain a second winter.
In Bernacchi's department are also included electro-
meter, auroral, seismic, and gravity observations ; the
which leave him no time for other physical work. As far
as I can see at present, this is the point at which we are
most lacking ; with such curious formations of land and
sea ice around us, we should possess a physicist and
chemist who could devote his time principally to the many
curious phenomena which they present.
' Of the lovers of fresh air, Barne is pre-eminent ; it
seems to bore him much to be cooped up on board ; at
any rate, in nearly all weathers he is out and about. He
generally leaves the ship early in the day with his own
special sledge on which are mounted a sounding machine
and a box containing reversible sea thermometers. With
these he vanishes into the darkness and rarely reappears
much before dinner. It is a curious sort of picnic life,
and one which I imagine would be appreciated by very
few. With a few sticks of chocolate in his pocket he
journeys away to some distant crack or seal-hole, and
there with the assistance of a flickering lantern he spends
long hours, often in the intensest cold, letting down
a string of thermometers, laboriously winding them to
the surface, and recording the temperatures shown at
the various depths. Could a more uninviting task be
3H THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY1 [April
imagined? Indeed, it is doubtful if it even possesses
the advantage of being useful. He sounds in depths
of 200 to 400 fathoms, and rarely gets differences of
much more than a tenth of a degree in the various
layers, as naturally all the water in the strait is close
on the freezing-point or something under 290 F. There
will be interest, however, if we can continue the series
when the summer approaches.
' Unlike the other officers, our geologist, Ferrar, in-
habits a cabin at the fore- end of the ship, and there also is
situated his small laboratory, the only one that is habit-
able under present conditions. Between meals Ferrar is
rarely to be seen, for his tasks are numerous. Out on
the hillsides and on the floes signs of him can be
observed — here a line of sticks, and there a few stones
so weirdly disposed that one might almost imagine they
served some fetish or enchantment rather than the object
of discovering the physical conditions of our surround-
ings. On board one may see a shaft of ice bending
under a weight with a notice, " Do not touch. — H. T.
Ferrar." Below one may find the officer himself, sorting
a box of geological specimens or polishing a section on
his lapidary's wheel, but always busy in some way or
another. It is a curious fact that I rarely meet
Ferrar in my walks, and yet cannot speak of any
feature of the numerous hill-slopes and valleys about
our winter quarters without finding out that he knows
it \vell.
1 Skelton, our invaluable engineer, is also our photo-
grapher in chief, and has had a great deal of work in sorting
i902] OUR INVALUABLE ENGINEER 315
and arranging the large numbers of photographs taken
by various members of the expedition ; the prints which
he has already managed to get together are extraordi-
narily interesting, and if we can get good photographic
results on our sledge journeys our collection should be
quite unique. But photography is now the smallest part
of Skelton's duties ; every officer in every department
has had need sooner or later to solicit his services. The
amount of mechanical work that is needed to make good
every defect in such an expedition as this is truly sur-
prising, and the work varies from the roughest to the
most delicate task ; without mechanical skill we should
have been hopelessly at sea, and it is not too much to
say that the majority of our scientific observations would
have been brought to a standstill. To give only a few
instances of the jobs which have been done of late suffi-
ciently illustrates this statement : a short while ago the
clockwork of the Dyne's recording anemometer refused
to act, and it was found that the hair-spring was rusted
through ; the only spare escapements were of a different
pattern, but by drilling new holes one was eventually
fitted to the instrument, which has been going continually
since, though not of course at precisely the same speed
as it maintained before.
1 Last week, again, Hodgson found that his imple-
ments were unsuited to digging the slushy ice in his
fishing holes. The only possible remedy was to forge
new ones on a fresh design, and of course this was done.
Quite lately our engineering skill has been called on for
an extraordinarily delicate task connected with the cover
316 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April
of the gravity apparatus. This cover is placed over the
pendulums, and its metal flange is supposed to rest so
truly on the base that it forms an air-tight joint when
the space beneath the cover is exhausted ; on trial of
our instrument, however, it was found that the joint was
not true, and there was considerable leakage. How the
flange became strained is not known, but the delicacy of
bringing it into perfect truth again can be easily
imagined. Yet this has now been done, and the pendu-
lums are being swung as they should be in a good
vacuum, which would certainly not have been the case
had we not possessed engineering skill competent to deal
with the situation. These instances are only some of
many ; all day long repairs, great and small, pour in upon
the engine-room department, and one cannot exaggerate
the importance of possessing a staff which is capable of
undertaking them.
' I have written much to-day concerning our daily
life, but as I proceeded it occurred to me to think
of the view which those at home would take of a party
of their fellow men condemned to four months of dark-
ness, and I have thought that they would probably
imagine a life in which there was a maximum amount of
sleep and little more activity than was necessary for the
preparation and consumption of food. How far other-
wise is the reality can be gathered herein, and to explain
this must be my excuse for carrying description to such
detail. Also, at home many no doubt will remember the
horrible depression of spirit that has sometimes been
pictured as a pendant to the long polar night. We cannot
i9o2] WEATHER CONDITIONS 317
even claim to be martyrs in this respect : our life seems
in every way normal ; with plenty of work the days pass
placidly and cheerfully.'
Life throughout our polar winters ran so smoothly
that there was little to record from day to day but the
changes of weather and those trifling adventures and
incidents which loom so large at the moment, but dimi-
nish in importance as they recede into the past. My
diary presents a running record of such circumstances
and events, with here and there some lengthy digression
explanatory of the general conditions under which we
lived. It is difficult to extract from these memoirs in
connected fashion, and at the same time to observe a
chronological sequence of events, without falling to some
extent under the influence of the diary form, but in
adopting this form I shall suppress as far as possible the
repetition of entries which might weary the reader.
It can be readily understood, however, that what is
usually conceded to be an easily exhausted conversational
topic, the weather, was to us at this time a matter of
extraordinary importance. In this respect it has rarely,
if ever, been the lot of a polar expedition to be so unfor-
tunately circumstanced as we were, and consequently we
had much that was novel in our situation, even when the
experiences of former expeditions are considered.
Almost without exception the North Polar winter has
been recorded as a period of quiescence, when, although
the thermometer has fallen to low limits, the atmosphere
has remained comparatively undisturbed ; but with us
calm weather was the exception, and we eagerly looked
318 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [May
to take full advantage of such breaks as occurred in the
monotonous round of windy days.
* April 30. — . . . Wind still blowing from the old
quarter, with temperature fallen to — 27V
'May 2. — ... A moderate breeze in the forenoon
developed into a southerly gale during the afternoon, and
in the evening it was blowing in furious squalls. Word
was brought down that the windmill was straining badly,
although it was feathered to the storm — a precaution
which the engine-room staff have been careful to take in
good time since the last breakdown ; at about 8 p.m. it
snapped off short, and now lies a wreck on the fore-
castle. So this is the last of our electric light, though
for some time it has seemed hopeless to expect the
system to work satisfactorily. It is some comfort to know
that this last breakdown could not have been prevented ;
it reveals a radical weakness in the windmill itself, and
entirely supports an opinion expressed to the expert who
fitted it.
' Outside, the snowdrift is so thick that one can-
not see a yard in front of one's face ; it is whirling and
eddying about the ship in such a manner that were one
to lose touch of a guide-rope he would be immediately
lost. No one has been outside for more than a few
minutes, except the observers, and to-night even they
are not going beyond the ship. Five minutes in the
open is sufficient to powder one from head to foot, and
though the temperature is comparatively high, the snow
crystals lash so sharply in one's face that it is neces-
sary to protect it with a mit, and even thus there is
WIND AND DRIFT.
i902] HEAVY BLIZZARD AND ITS EFFECTS 319
imminent danger of frost-bites. The awning is swaying
about in the most alarming manner — it seems a great
question if it will last the night ; the drift is almost as
thick beneath it as outside. The tops of the chimney-
funnels have come off and gone heaven knows where ;
the result is a down-draught in the chimneys which at first
filled the living-spaces with choking smoke until the fires
were put out and skylights and doors opened. The
latter have now been closed again, and as we sit in
rather chilly comfort below we can hear the wind howl-
ing through the rigging and the awning flapping noisily
in its wild efforts to escape.
' Notwithstanding her icy surroundings one can
actually feel the ship give to the more furious squalls,
and the tide-gauge is moving up and down as much
as five or six inches at irregular intervals ; it looks as
though the ice-crust of the strait is depressed as the
heavier gusts sweep over it. In spite of the din
without, the fireless condition within, and some anxiety
as to what we shall find missing after the gale, we
have had quite an interesting debate in the wardroom on
"Women's Rights" ; each man was allowed a period of
twelve minutes in which to set forth his views, and
managed to cram into it as much nonsense as he could
think of in that space of time ; even the married men felt
that it was an occasion on which they could speak with
the utmost freedom/
The gale continued throughout the whole of the 3rd.
In the short lulls we could see that the snow was drifting
high about the ship ; all our instruments had long been
320 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [May
choked up ; the temperature in the fireless living-spaces
fell to 350, outside the thermometer stood at — 50, but we
had some comfort on seeing the gradual accumulation
of snow weigh down the awning into a more secure
position.
'May 4. — The wind has gone to theS.E.,and though
there is still some drift, we have been able to get out
and observe the results of the gale. The first discovery
was that the strait was clear of ice within 1 50 yards of
the ship, and here, almost in the middle of winter, we
find open water little more than a couple of ships' lengths
ahead of us. Not only has all the ten-days-old ice gone,
but a considerable portion of that which was formed five
weeks ago has broken away. I once thought of the
possibility of wintering in Arrival Bay ; that place is now
quite free of ice, and where we should now be had we
adopted that plan is beyond the power of guessing. The
snow lies in mountainous drifts around the ship ; from a
few hundred yards' distance she looks to be buried. On
the starboard and lee side the drift slopes down from the
gunwale itself, and on the port side it stands higher,
but between it and the ship there is a deep trench almost
free of snow ; this is always the manner in which snow
drifts about an object.
' The meteorological screen has drifted up to six feet,
and somewhere far beneath the present surface lies the
snow-gauge — a fact that makes comment on the utility
of that instrument unnecessary. The Dyne's anemo-
meters have been drifted up since the earlier hours of
the storm, and thus fail to record the wind at exactly the
FINAL WEECK OF THE WINDMILL.
THE SCREEN SNOWED UP.
[See p. 320.
i9o2] THE KENNELS 'SNOWED UNDER' 321
time when such a record would have been most valuable.
On such occasions even the Robertson anemometer
seems unreliable, as the caps get partially filled with the
clinging snow-crystals. The awning is heavily weighted
with snow and sadly torn : the boats' crutches and other
projections have made clean breaches in it. The wind-
mill lies an ugly wreck on the forecastle, and the shaft
and standards which still remain up look particularly
forlorn. We cannot yet get at the chimneys to repair
them, and though the fires have been restarted we get
a plentiful supply of smoke in our quarters.
6 The dogs, or rather their kennels, were dug out this
morning and found none the worse ; we have lately
brought them from the shore and disposed them near the
bows of the ship, and luckily none were placed where
the worst drifting took place. It is evident, however,
that the dogs do not like the idea of being drifted up ;
very few had used their kennels during the storm, pre-
ferring to coil themselves down outside, where they could
break out when the weight of snow got too great.
' May 5. — We still have some wind from the east-
ward, but curiously the temperature has gone up to + 50,
so that it is positively enjoyable to walk about outside.
The storm has buried the ice in the bay by about
three feet on an average, though the snow is very much
deeper about the ship and close to the ice-foot. It is
strange that we had little or no warning of this gale from
the barometer, though the pressure fell during the blow.
Bernacchi found exceptionally high electrometer readings
as much as twelve hours before the wind came on ; one
vol. 1 Y
322 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [May
wonders whether this instrument can be relied on to give
warning of a blow — it would seem not altogether improb-
able. The dogs have now got over their recent
unclothed state and have grown very thick, shaggy-
coats.'
Except when we said farewell to our winter quarters,
I do not think we ever had quite so heavy or so pro-
longed a gale as that which has just been described.
The wind swung round also in a manner which gave all
the indication of a revolving storm whose centre had
narrowly missed us, and the gale was followed by a
result which we did not experience again, or at least only
to a much smaller extent. The temperature remained
extraordinarily high for several days after the storm ;
on one occasion it rose to + 1 70, and it was not until
the 9th that it fell again below zero, and then it fell
rapidly. On other occasions the temperature rose
regularly with a southerly wind, but fell when the wind
dropped or changed direction. The whole subject of
this astonishing and inexplicable wave of warm air is
so interesting that it is well to remember that the condi-
tions under which it occurred were not always precisely
the same. With the warm air on this occasion came a
comparatively high degree of evaporation ; the drifts
about the ship diminished rapidly as the snow settled
down and packed, and we could observe for the first time
some of the extraordinary conditions under which packed
snow-crystals adhere.
* The snow has drifted and hardened against the side
of the magnetic hut, forming a coating from three inches
cb
I9o2] A FASCINATING STUDY 323
thick at the bottom to about one and a half inch at the
top. For some reason, possibly change of temperature,
the inner surface has been severed from the side of the
hut, and the sheet has gradually bent back until it
described a complete semicircle. A similar sheet curled
back from the ship's stern shows her name clearly im-
pressed on its surface.'
Around the cape the gale had produced high under-
cut snow-waves or sastrugi, whose thin overhanging
edges would reverberate with a deep note when struck
with a ski pole. Again from the summit of each
perpendicular ice-face there were now single, double, and
even triple cornices hanging in graceful festoons, actually
formed by the adhesion of the whirling snow particles,
but appearing to be formed by the overflow of the white
sheet on the slopes above. This ever-changing condi-
tion of the snow was to many of us a fascinating study ;
it was not only that it lent to our walks a delightful
variety, but we realised that it had a highly practical
bearing on our sledge travelling. From start to finish
of our journeys we must haul our sledges over this fickle
substance, and according as its surface was hard or soft,
sticky or clean, waved or smooth, so must our progress be
measured. Those who have only seen snow under the
soft, flaky guise which it assumes in a temperate climate
must find it difficult to appreciate its infinite variety and
bewildering changes under more rigorous conditions,
which even the sledge traveller, whilst he is forced to
appreciate, finds it impossible wholly to explain.
* May 12. — Fine, calm day ; quite pleasant to be out in
Y2
324 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [May
the morning. In the afternoon the temperature fell to
— 370 ; as it fell the calm stillness on deck was interrupted
by the continuous crackling of the contracting rigging, a
succession of sharp, clear reports like muffled rifle-shots.
In such calm weather, too, there are similar but inter-
mittent reports at the tide-crack ; as the water rises or
falls with the tide the ice at the edge appears to hang for
several minutes and then to break up or down suddenly,
starting from one end of the bay and running quickly
through to the other with the sound of a miniature
cannonading. The western sky was very beautiful this
afternoon when I went for my walk after tea ; the hills
in deep shadow were sharply outlined against a back-
ground of crimson, fading through saffron to pale green,
which merged into the slaty blue of a greater altitude.
As the light failed the stars shone forth wonderfully
bright and clear. . . .
' May 1 3. — For a wonder another fine day, tempera-
ture down to —43°, the lowest we have had in winter
quarters. It is not the low temperatures that annoy,
but the wind and foul weather, and we should suffer few
inconveniences if we had not the latter to face so con-
stantly. A party of four of us went round to Seal Bay
to examine the ice-ridges, where the temperature was
evidently much lower, though we had no thermometer.
Beyond the necessity of occasionally warming our noses
and cheeks, however, we were quite warm and comfort-
able. We passed a seal blow-hole at which the owner
remained placidly breathing under a dome-shaped cover-
ing of snow, even when the dogs barked and scratched
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i9o2] AN ALARMING EVENING 325
the snow down on his nose. There is not much light
now, even at noon, and by two it is quite dark. Can
one hope that the last few days of calmer weather are an
earnest of better conditions to come ? '
1 May 16. — Wind blowing harder than yesterday — in
fact, over forty miles an hour — with temperature down to
— 350. There is happily no sign of the ice breaking up
again, but this is scarcely in keeping with the more settled
conditions hoped for. Nobody is very anxious to be
out : the wind cuts like a knife at this temperature. Poor
Bernacchi had a very bad night, as it was his term-day,
and he had to make several visits to the hut, and got
frost-bitten in consequence.
''May 17. — . . . Had an alarming evening. The
wind having lulled this afternoon, the boatswain and
second engineer started off at 2.30 for a walk round
Castle Rock, without giving warning of their intention
except by a few casual remarks dropped in their mess.
Later it came on to blow hard with heavy drift, but I was
not informed of the absence of the men till eight o'clock,
some hours after their messmates had begun to grow
anxious. We immediately organised two search parties,
and having made elaborate plans and fully dressed our-
selves to face the elements, we stepped forth — to meet the
absentees returning over the gangway. It appears they
had an idea that our peninsula was an island, and started
to walk round it. Not finding the other end, they got
farther from the ship than they had intended, and then
the drift coming on, they had to feel their way along
the land to get back, and so reached the ship in a very
326 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [iv^y
exhausted and frost-bitten condition. There must be
no more of this casual wandering about'
' May 19. — Still the never-ceasing easterly wind ; the
barometer has risen very high, but, high or low, the
wind persists, lulling and rising, and again lulling and
rising, till one grows heartily sick of it.'
'May 21. — . . . Wind from the eastward, increasing
during the day to a howling gale between five and nine.
It is curious how clearly I can hear the wind in my bunk
at night. Each gust is distinct as it shrieks through the
rigging, and it is not inspiriting to lay awake and think
to this weird and rather dismal accompaniment ; one
begins to wonder whether it ever will be calm again. On
the other hand, as the sound is precisely that of a storm
at sea, one cannot but take great comfort in reflecting how
infinitely pleasanter it is to listen to it under such restful
conditions rather than when tossed about on the moun-
tainous seas of the Southern Oceans. Overhead to-day
it is calm and bright, with peculiar luminous cirro-stratus
cloud towards the south, but for some feet from the
surface the air is thick with driving snow. How used
we are getting to the sound of this driving snow ! I
seem to have heard the same as the dust was swept
along a hard, sandy road ; it is almost like the patter of
hail ; to all intents and purposes our snow is fine sand.'
'May 22. — A day of hard wind, ending in a beauti-
fully fine calm moonlight night. We all went out in the
evening, and in the clear silvery light were able to see
about us for the first time for many days. The scene
was perfect in the pale white light and silence. Later
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MOONLIGHT SCENE.
i902] A WEIRD SCENE 327
there was a curious effect of frozen fog ; the nimbus
cloud seemed to descend on the hills and roll over us,
leaving the ship free, but though all around us was clear,
there was a heavy deposit of ice-crystals on masts and
ropes which shone and sparkled in the moonlight. Now
the ship looks spectral in her white shimmering robe, the
mist-clouds are rolling down the hillsides into the snow-
covered hollows, and a strong wind can be heard high
above us, though all below is calm. The whole scene is
so weird that it gives one a positively eerie feeling.'
The foregoing extracts show how persistently the wind
annoyed us about this time, and, indeed, so matters con-
tinued, with occasional calms, when we could enjoy our
outdoor strolls, and occasional gales from the south,
when, though the temperature rose comparatively high,
it was unsafe to venture far from the ship.
'May 31. — Temperature abnormally high ( + 8°).
Went well out over the ice to the westward, where the
recent snowfall has improved the surface for ski ; found
three seals up on the ice, the first that have ventured up
for a long time. In the cold weather they never seem to
quit the water ; evidently they know when the thermo-
meter rises. It is now pretty dark, even at noon, and
dismal enough when the fine snow is driving past and
the sky overcast. Regret to say one of the dogs,
" Paddy," was found dead this morning. A post-mortem
revealed a deep wound in his side, and when " Nigger,"
acknowledged king of the pack, approached with the
most innocent air and wagging tail, and it was found
that he must have slipped his collar in the night, there
328 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY' [June
was little difficulty in guessing the cause of the disaster
and fixing the guilt. The curious thing is that " Paddy"
appeared to be " Nigger's " sole and only friend ; their
kennels were adjacent, and as " Paddy " was always
content to play second fiddle, there seemed no chance of
a rupture. The deed must have been done in the silent
hours of the night, and, alas ! we shall never know the
cause. There is nothing to be done but to bore an
extra hole in " Nigger's " collar. I trust we are not to
lose more of our dog team ; this is the second loss since
the winter set in, as poor " David " died last Sunday from
causes unknown.
' I do not think it would be possible to take more
care of the dogs than we do. Each dog has his own par-
ticular master among the men, and each master seems to
take a particular delight in seeing that his animal is well
cared for. The most thoughtful are constantly out build-
ing extra shelters, covering the kennels with sacking, and
generally endeavouring to make their charges comfort-
able. '
'June 2. — ... As far as winter conditions are con-
cerned, our clothing arrangements are satisfactory, and
although the outlay in this direction was heavy, the
excellent quality of our garments fully justifies it. Prac-
tically men and officers are clothed alike, such minor
differences as exist serving only as a useful distinction of
costume on board the ship, and not signifying any differ-
ence in the quality or comfort of the garments worn by
either.
1 Everyone wears the thick warm woollen drawers
1902]
WINTER CLOTHING
329
and vests supplied by the expedition, and over these a
flannel or woollen shirt and pilot-cloth trousers. On
board the ship the outer upper garment of the men is a
dark woollen jersey, but that of the officers a brown
" cardigan " jacket. Some of the more chilly individuals
put on an extra waistcoat, but few wear the thick jacket
which is supplied with the pilot-cloth trousers, the jersey
or cardigan giving excellent freedom to the limbs and
movements. The men's jerseys come well up around
the throat, and they need no additional neck protection ;
RUSSIAN FELT BOOTS.
but the officers wear a variety of comforters or scarves,
or sometimes a flannel collar. Dressing for dinner is a
more or less punctilious performance, and generally
means the donning of the Sunday cardigan and neck-
scarf.
' For ship wear there are some warm, comfortable
slippers provided for both officers and men, but many
prefer to remain in their Russian felt boots. These were
especially obtained from Russia at a very small cost, and
are perhaps the most satisfactory foot-wear we possess
33Q THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [June
\
for general purposes, now that we have modified them to
suit our requirements. The modification consists in
adding a sennet sole made from ordinary spun yarn and
secured to canvas which is closely fitted and sewn to the
boot ; by this device the felt of the boot is protected
from wear, and our people are able to do a great deal of
work both inside and outside the ship in this comfortable
foot-gear. The only drawback is that when it is snow-
ing or drifting the fine powdery snow clings to the felt,
and on being brought into the living-spaces melts and
wets the boots. Even in fine weather this happens to
SKI BOOTS.
the sole, and for the sake of the boot it is really wiser to
change before going out of doors. For walking abroad
or climbing over rocks these boots are not well adapted,
though there are individuals who from perversity or lazi-
ness continue to wear them for the purpose ; the majority,
however, change their foot-gear when they leave the
immediate neighbourhood of the ship.
' English leather boots were soon found to be far
too chilling to wear on such excursions, though better
adapted to climbing over the sharp, jagged rocks than
anything we possess ; but for a long time we clung to the
i9o2] FOOT-GEAR 331
Norwegian leather ski boot, which is a looser and easier
fit, and therefore allows a much freer circulation in the
foot ; in fact, ski boots are still worn, and in some cases
have been fitted with a stouter sole by the cobbling
abilities of that excellent man-of-all-trades, Lashly. But
most of us have by this time taken to wearing fur boots
on our walks abroad, and now that we can always dry
them on our return they are the most warm and com-
fortable foot-gear imaginable ; the only trouble is that
they wear out rapidly, especially on the sharp, stony
hillsides, and as we may need many pairs for our sledge
journeys we cannot afford to be too lavish in serving
them out during the winter.
* These fur boots are made of selected reindeer
skin and sewn with gut ; the sole is made from the
covering of the forehead both on account of the thick-
ness of the pelt in this part, and also to obtain the twist
in the growth of the hair which gives the boot a better
chance of gripping on a slippery surface ; the upper part
of the boot is made from neck-pieces and is soft and
pliable. Already we see that our stock varies greatly in
quality, and that for our sledge journeys we shall have
to make a most careful selection ; but by wearing them
now we are gaining experience of what constitutes a
good boot, which is not at all the sort of fact that can
be discovered at the first glance. Some officers and men
have already resoled their " finneskoes," as these fur boots
are called, with sealskin, but it is doubtful if there is much
wear in the latter, though it is thick and hard ; however,
it is interesting to try the purposes to which the natural
332 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [June
productions of our desolate region can be put, and it is
to be hoped that our sealskin will be available for some-
thing more useful than the leggings, tobacco pouches,
and knife sheaths which have so far been made from it.'
I may add that we never found this sealskin of
much use : it was far too weak and brittle. Though
possibly we were not very expert in preparing it, it
may be added that similar skins landed in Dundee some
years ago were found to be practically valueless for
the purposes for which the skin of the Northern hair-seal
is employed. I do not know the reason for this fact, but
it is evident that it should go far to ensure a peaceful
existence to the Southern seal.
' Everyone is provided with a complete suit of wind
covering for outdoor wear, and a second suit is held in
readiness for sledging. This is made of a thin water-
proof gaberdine material supplied by Messrs. Burberry,
and will doubtless be excellent for our sledging, but for
constant winter wear it is not adequate, and already we
have strong regrets that we do not also possess suits of
a thicker, tougher material. A light canvas would be
just the thing for this rough winter wear, though it
might become too stiff and icy on a sledge journey. It
would have been better also and cheaper had we brought
the material only, instead of the made-up garments, for
our wind clothing ; both officers and men can ply a needle
more or less handily, and although everyone conforms to"
the same general cut of trousers and blouse, each has his
own ideas in matters of detail, concerning the collars and
cuffs, &c. It is doubtful if the original making of gar-
I9o2] HEAD-COVERINGS 333
ments would have taken much more time than the very
numerous alterations that have been made to suit indi-
vidual taste, and even if it had, there is now ample
opportunity for such work.
1 The necessity of continually facing a blighting wind
is calling forth original genius and inventive talent in
devising a headgear which shall protect one's neces-
sarily exposed features. Our helmets are made of a
thick fleecy material woven of camel's-hair, which is
satisfactory enough for winter wear, though many of
us are not in favour of it for sledging. When buttoned
across, this helmet comes low on the forehead and
circles round over the chin and close under the mouth,
leaving only the cheeks and nose exposed ; but in a
cold wind it takes all one's time to keep even these
members from being frost-bitten. At first talent was
devoted to finding some practicable form of " nose-nip,"
a semi-attached piece which can be disposed to cover the
nose and cheeks in windy weather, but in spite of all
efforts the same difficulty always arises : one's breath is
caught as it ascends and freezes on it, gradually accumu-
lating until one's face is covered with a mass of ice. The
same drawback is found to occur to a greater degree with
any form of face-mask. A new departure is now being
developed by which a sort of blinker is placed on each
side of the helmet, and each blinker is capable of being
pushed forward according to the direction of the wind.'
The development of this new idea finally put us in
possession of a device which proved really admirable,
and which I can confidently recommend to expeditions
334 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [June
that may be called on to face equally windy condi-
tions. A light peak about two or two and a quarter
inches deep, constructed of gaberdine stiffened with
canvas, was carried across the forehead and down on
each side of the face well below the chin, and attached
to the edge of the helmet aperture ; in its ordinary posi-
tion, it lay flat back against the helmet, but either side
could be thrust forward separately, or both together.
The beauty of this device was that with the wind on
either side one had but to push forward the guard on
that side to obtain shelter, whereas if the wind was
ahead one pushed forward both sides and, securing the
lower edges together, obtained a funnel-shaped protec-
tion which held the air immediately in front of the face in
comparative rest. With a very strong wind and a low
temperature, no possible device can prevent frequent
frost-bites, but this one went a long way towards miti-
gating the evil, and it had also the advantage that by
peering beneath the guard of a companion, one could
readily tell if the frost had attacked him.
* We find not only that furs are unnecessary for
winter wear, but cannot imagine that they would be
otherwise than positively objectionable. It is reported
that some of the old Arctic expeditions wore furs ; the
mess-deck under such conditions cannot have been very
attractive. We wear furs only on our feet and hands,
the latter are also protected by excellent woollen half-
mits, which extend from the knuckles nearly to the
elbow ; armed with these and with one's fists thrust into
a lined fur mit, one's hands may be comfortable in any
1902] JACK AND HIS KIT 335
weather. We have also excellent felt and woollen mits,
which the men use for outdoor work. Should the wind
get through these, the best plan is to wet them, as the
ice forms the best possible protection.
' I regret to say that the clothing issue displays the
fact that the sailors are extremely careless of their
clothes ; they seem to have an idea that there is an
unlimited stock of socks, mits, and such like, and have
an obvious contempt for the " stitch in time." Of course
there are the few careful ones by whom the others can
be judged. More than once I have had to speak
seriously about the wasteful use of food, clothes, and
various articles of our equipment, but I am bound to
confess that my words have not had any great result ; in
fact, even the cutting-off of supplies does not seem to
have any lasting effect. One may well wonder whether
in any circumstances it would be possible to alter
their happy-go-lucky nature. On the other hand, such a
nature has its obvious advantages. One knows with
these men that their resource will always be equal to the
occasion, and even if they run short of clothing, one has
a feeling that they will manage somehow.'
'June 10. — ... In considering the excellent manner
in which we are getting through the long winter and
the good health enjoyed by all, the share which our
material comforts have had in the result must not be
forgotten. We have fresh well-baked bread continuously,
seal meat three times a week, pies and other dishes of
tinned meat three times, and fresh mutton once. To this
is added a good supply of butter, milk, cheese, jam, and
336 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY' [June
bottled fruits, whilst cakes are constantly made for all.
There is of course a certain amount of sameness in the diet,
and preserved foods are more likely to become wearisome
than fresh, and of course also appetites are tending to grow
fastidious from the inactive life ; but, taking it all in all,
the food is quite good enough to tempt us to eat a suffi-
ciency, whilst, as may perhaps be equally fortunate, it
is not so attractive as to leave us with any desire to take
more than that sufficiency. The main point is that we all
seem to thrive well on it. Perhaps the articles we miss
most are fresh vegetables ; tinned vegetables are always
a poor substitute, and with the exception of the potatoes
ours are unfit for food. Our preserved potatoes are as
good as such things can be, but the best preserved pota-
toes are dull and uninteresting. The greatest drawback
to the galley productions, however, is the cook. We
shipped him at the last moment in New Zealand, when
our trained cook became too big for his boots, and the
exchange was greatly for the worse ; I am afraid he is a
thorough knave, but, what is even worse, he is dirty — an
unforgivable crime in a cook. I think if the men were
free to deal with him it would be " something slow with
boiling oil " ; but, alas ! one cannot be rid of the most
undesirable in this far-off land ; one is forced to make the
best of a bad job. Luckily, he is a comparatively isolated
blemish. Luckily, also, our cook's mate is a good man
and an excellent baker ; it is he who provides us with
our good bread and toothsome cakes.'
'June 12. — . . . We keep a very regular weekly
routine ; each day has its special food and its special
' WE ALSO ENJOY THE WEATHER.'
NOT IN HIS ELEMENT.
i9o2] SUNDAY ROUTINE 337
tasks, and as far as possible we stick to what the sailor
calls " man-of-war fashion." The week's work ends on
Friday ; Saturday is devoted to " clean ship," and though
we don't polish bright work, we do our share of scrub-
bing. In the forenoon the living-spaces are thoroughly
cleaned, lockers and other articles of furniture are moved,
holes and corners are searched, and whilst the tub and
scrubber hold sway, the deck becomes a " snipe marsh."
At this time also the holds are cleared up, the bilges
pumped out, the upper deck is " squared up," and a fresh
layer of clean snow is sprinkled over that which has
been soiled by the traffic of the week. On this follows
a free afternoon for all hands, and after dinner in the
wardroom the toast is the time-honoured one of " Sweet-
hearts and Wives."
' On Sunday we don a different garment ; it need not
necessarily be a newer or cleaner one — the thing is for it
to be different from that which has been worn during the
week. By 9.30 the decks have been cleared up, the
tables and shelves tidied, and the first lieutenant reports
" All ready for rounds." Then follows a humble imitation
of the usual man-of-war walk-round Sunday inspection,
and in solemn procession we pass through the now empty
mess-deck and on to the other inhabited parts of the
ship. I am more than ever convinced that this routine is
an excellent thing ; not only has it the best effect on the
general discipline and cleanliness of the ship, but it gives
an opportunity of raising and discussing each new arrange-
ment that is made for the better comfort of all on board.
1 After the inspection of the ship comes that of the
VOL. I. Z
338 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [June
men, who are fallen in under the awning on deck.
Though it is only possible to see them in the rays of the
flickering lantern which the boatswain bears ahead of me,
I see enough to assure me of the general good health
and cheerfulness of the company. Then come the only
military orders of the week. The first lieutenant says,
" Front rank, one pace forward — march." We pass
between the ranks, and the men are dismissed.
1 After this the mess-deck is prepared for church ;
harmonium, reading-desk, and chairs are all placed
according to routine, and the bell is tolled. The service
is read by me, the lessons by Koettlitz, and Royds plays
the harmonium. As he plays it extremely well, the
responses are chanted and the three hymns are so
heartily sung that I have no doubt they could be heard far
over the floe. Service over, all stand off for the day,
and look forward to the feast of " mutton," which is
also limited to Sunday ; by using it thus sparingly
the handsome gift of the New Zealand farmers should
last us till the early spring. But it is little use to think of
the sad day when it will fail ; for the present I must
confess that we always take an extra walk to make quite
sure of our appetites on Sunday.'
'June 15. — ... It would be idle to say that we live
in complete, comfort below ; perhaps it is as well that
there should be difficulties to overcome. We have
several weak places as regards damp and cold ; the mess-
deck is the best part of the ship ; except for a little damp
on the side there is not much to complain of ; but the
wardroom in general, and the after cabins in particular,
i902] DEFECTIVE INSULATION 339
are not so happily situated. We can now see that our
insulation scheme is very imperfect. The upper deck
is lined with asbestos, and is satisfactory ; but the ship's
side is not lined, and wherever the bolts come through
the region inside is covered with a hard, spiky mass of
ice. This ice accumulates in time, especially in the
region of the bunks, and lately several people have
had literally to chip out their mattresses, which were
solidly frozen to the ship's side. At the after-end of my
cabin there is an iron bulkhead ; it is lined with asbestos,
but I imagine the latter must have slipped down, as the
whole bulkhead inside is a solid mass of ice. Another
very stupid arrangement is the plan of the small cabin
deck-lights ; these are made in a single metal casting,
with double glasses ; of course the metal forms a free
conductor between the outside and in, and the fitting is
consequently a natural ice-trap.
' But the worst feature of the wardroom is the deck
below it, which has no lining, and out of which the
caulking has fallen into the bunker. Except for the
linoleum on top there is little in this floor to protect us
from the temperature of the bunker, and the latter,
being in direct communication with the engine-room and
thence with the open air, is always considerably below
freezing-point. As a consequence of this we get very
cold draughts in the wardroom, and a thermometer
placed on the deck anywhere but near the stove falls to
3 20 or 340. A week or two ago it was so bad that I was
obliged to sit in my cabin with my feet in a box of hay,
an efficient but inconvenient foot warmer.
Z2
340 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [June
' Before the gale in May, when we had no snow
about us, the ship was getting very badly iced up inside,
but after that gale we were able to improve matters, and
now they are a good deal better. At the end of April
the temperature in my cabin averaged about 400 during
the daytime and 330 during the night, a condition under
which one was not tempted to dawdle over the processes
of dressing and undressing ; now the temperature keeps
up to nearly 500, except near the floor, where it is much
colder. The course of improvement was accompanied
by much thawing, and for some time we had a general
dripping, which was much worse than the ice and infi-
nitely more ruinous to our effects, amongst which mildew
is already making rapid strides. In this way, as in others,
we have had to buy our experience, and since May we
have been fighting the evil by banking up snow without
and by nailing up quantities of felt within.
' The most difficult place to fight is the galley-space,
because here it is impossible to avoid the volumes of
steam given off by the cooking ; directly this steam
strikes against the cold sides of the compartment it con-
denses, and during cooking-hours this space is very much
like a shower bath. We have improved matters a little
by trying to guide the steam up through the skylight,
but the place is still very bad.
' Our stoves have also been a source of trouble to us,
and are likely to continue to be so. They are of the
slow-combustion type, designed to burn anthracite coal,
and though it was claimed that they would be equally
efficient with our steaming-coal, we find that to burn it
i902] HEATING AND VENTILATION 341
at all we must greatly increase the draught, and conse-
quently we do not achieve the economy of fuel we ex-
pected. Under the impression that we should require
them whilst magnetic observations were being taken on
board, they were made of phosphor bronze (a non-mag-
netic material), and we now find that this metal burns so
easily that one stove is already practically destroyed, and
the other is in a bad way ; luckily we have spare ones
which are made of iron. But the worst trouble in this
connection is perhaps not so much the fault of the stove
itself as of the chimney ; we find that with certain direc-
tions of wind it is impossible to avoid a down-draught,
and directly the wind turns to this quarter we have to
draw fires with all speed and remain fireless till the
weather becomes more favourable.
' But the stove arrangement has its good points as
well as its bad : it is satisfactory to find that we can do
well with a single stove in each compartment instead of
the two that were originally fitted, and the flat stove
itself, with its broad grate and transparent talc windows,
not only forms a very cheerful object, but affords an
excellent toasting surface, and as we gather round it
before our cheerful midday tea we are not inclined to
quarrel with its shape.
i It is laid down by Parry, I think, that no artificial
ventilation is necessary in a ship wintering in polar
regions, as the difference in temperature without and
within is sufficient to cause a speedy interchange of air
through the cracks or on the opening of doors. Such a
dictum would hold at a time when it was exceedingly
342 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [June
difficult to make a ship tight, and no doubt it would
hold also in the present condition of the " Discovery " ;
but if our decks had been thoroughly caulked some form
of air inlet would have been necessary, and an ideal living-
space for polar regions should certainly possess a venti-
lating system capable of regulation and an entire freedom
from casual draughts. An efficient ventilating system,
however, is a difficult thing to provide in a ship at the
f-i
Exhaust
4
Upper Deck '■
ISkyiigift
f\ Supply
fl
~CT
Exhaust
u
~D
U
IT
WARD ROOM
Supply
Large Stove
always in use
Small Stove
rarelyused
-Supply <*— =3d
Plugged up
VENTILATION OF WARDROOM.
best of times, and under polar conditions there are many
circumstances which tend to increase the difficulty.'
As ventilation must always be a subject of serious
consideration to polar explorers, it may be of interest
to describe the somewhat ingenious system which was
fitted in the ' Discovery,' and to point out in what
respects it failed.
The sketch represents the system as fitted in ward-
room and crew-space. The idea was that fresh air
entering should pass into a chamber and there become
warmed by the small stove before entering the compart-
o
i
i902] A SKYLIGHT CONTROVERSY 343
ment ; the vitiated air was to be drawn up through the
exhaust which surrounded the funnel of the large stove,
the heat of the funnel being expected to cause an up-
draught. Of course, in addition to the air passing out at
the exhaust under this system, a large volume of air would
have to enter to supply the combustion of the stoves, but
as long as there was an up-draught through the exhaust the
heated vitiated air in the upper part of the compartment
would be drawn off. When we found that we obtained
sufficient heat from the large stove alone, much of the
theoretical benefit of this scheme vanished ; but in spite
of this, the passage of air through the compartment was
usually in the direction shown in the sketch, though with
changes of wind we had often to contend with practical
difficulties, and there were times when the system was
the object of universal contumely.
The question of fresh air and ventilation was one
which afforded us a constant field for argument, and
even our medical officers were divided in opinion, one
making a bold stand for equable warmth, whilst the
other contended that at all costs the purity of the air we
breathed should be assured. In consequence of this, the
community was divided into two camps, for and against
the opening of the skylights ; and as the members of
each camp were desirous of arranging matters to suit
themselves, the skylights were constantly flying up and
down until a compromise was effected. It was decided
that the skylight and the door of the companion should
be opened every morning at 7.30, and not closed until
the air in the compartment was thoroughly renewed, and
344 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [June
that after that hour it should only be opened by general
consent, and should the temperature rise above 6o°.
'June 23. — We kept our mid-winter festival to-day,
as yesterday was Sunday, and the ship has been en f£te.
The mess-deck was gaily decorated with designs in
coloured papers and festooned with chains and ropes of
the same material, the tables were loaded with plum
puddings, mince pies, and cakes, mostly of home manu-
facture, but none the less " Christmasy " in appearance.
It seems that there has been quite a rivalry amongst the
messes with respect to their adornment, and the results
which have been achieved with little more than brightly
coloured papers, a pair of scissors, and a paste pot are
really quite astonishing. On each table stands some
grotesque figure or fanciful erection of ice, cunningly
lighted up with candles from within and sending forth
shafts of sparkling light.
' At 12.30, when all was ready, I went round in
procession with the officers, exchanging greetings for
the season and accumulating sweetmeats, cakes, and
such dainties, offered by each mess as a tribute of
good will, and incidentally an evidence that we possess
no inconsiderable amount of confectionery talent. Next
came the unpacking of a large box of presents provided
by the kindly thought of Mrs. Royds, the mother of our
first lieutenant, and the distribution of these and other
Christmas gifts sent by friends in the Old Country to
gladden our winter season. Everyone was remembered,
and with all in high spirits the distribution occupied
the time with jest and laughter, until we left the men
i9o2] MID-WINTER DAY 345
to enjoy their Christinas fare with an extra tot of
1 At six we had our dinner in the wardroom,
with the table decorated and the display of all our
plate. Starting with turtle soup, we passed on to a
generous helping of mutton, and from that to plum pud-
ding, mince pies, and jellies, all washed down with an
excellent dry champagne. With a largely assorted
dessert of crystallised fruits, almonds and raisins, nuts,
&c, came the port and liqueurs, which brought us into
good form for the enthusiastic speeches that followed.
With such a dinner we agreed that life in the Antarctic
Regions was worth living, and those who didn't make
speeches felt that they must sing ; and starting with " For
he's a jolly good fellow," twice repeated, the evening
continued with a regular " sing-song," when everyone,
regardless of talent, had to contribute something for the
common entertainment. One could not help wondering
what would have been the feelings of those sympathetic
friends who imagined the polar night to be filled with
gruesome horror, had they been permitted a glimpse
of this scene of revelry.
' In the early hours we went out to cool our heated
brows. It was calm and clear, and the full moon, high in
the heavens, flooded the snow with its white, pure light;
overhead a myriad stars irradiated the heavens, whilst
the pale shafts of the aurora australis grew and waned
in the southern sky. It was sacrilege to disturb a scene
of such placid beauty, but for man it was a night of frolic,
and as the dogs quickly caught the infection, the silence
346 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [June
was soon broken by a chorus of shouts and barking
which was continued long after the bare ears and fingers
should have warned their possessors that the tempera-
ture was nearly into the minus thirties. Eventually
even exuberance of spirit was forced to give way to
rapidly growing frost-bites, and we retired within to con-
template, rather sadly, our extremities swelling as they
thawed. Clearly under no conditions can one play tricks
with our climate. *
* We are half-way through our long winter. The sun
is circling at its lowest ; each day will bring it nearer our
horizon. The night is at its blackest ; each day will
lengthen the pale noon twilight. Until now the black
shadow has been descending on us ; after this, day by
day, it will rise until the great orb looms above our
northern horizon to guide our footsteps over the great
trackless wastes of snow. If the light-hearted scenes of
to-day can end the first period of our captivity, what
room for doubt is there that we shall triumphantly
weather the whole term with the same general happiness
and contentment ? '
1902] 347
CHAPTER IX
WINTER PASSING AWAY
Our Settlement in Winter — The Large Hut— Lighting Arrangements on
Board — Prevention of Fire — A Night on Duty — Smoking Habits — The
' South Polar Times ' — Aurora Australis — Mishap to our Boats — Moon-
light Effects — Lost in a Blizzard — Theatrical Entertainments — Nigger
Minstrels— Increase of Light — New Arrivals — Concerning the Dogs —
Return of the Sun — View from our Hills — Walks in Daylight — Prepara-
tions for Sledging — Ready to Start.
Here Winter holds his unrejoicing court,
And through his airy hall, the loud misrule
Of driving tempests is for ever heard. — Thomson.
Morn
Dawns on this mournful scene, the sulphurous smoke
Before the icy wind slow rolls away,
And the bright beams of frosty morning dance
Along the spangling snow. — Shelley.
'July 1 8. — . . . The moon has greatly favoured us this
winter by achieving its full dimensions during its monthly
stay above our horizon ; or, in other words, the full moon
has approximated with its most southerly declination.
The clear outline of the hills, the cold blue of the sky
crowded with brilliant stars, and the luminous sparkle of
the snow make our moonlit days more beautiful than can
be easily imagined. I have just returned from a walk
around the settlement, when the moon to the south was
yellowed by the mysterious noon twilight and the
348 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [July
northern sky was a flame of crimson. One dresses with
care even on these calm days, knowing that the thermo-
meter stands low and that there will be a keen bite in
the lightest flickering puffs of air. Well protected, there-
fore, one closes the wardroom door on the bright yellow
light and comfortable warmth within, and climbs the
steep ladder to the entrance porch. These porches, with
their double doors and insulated sides, are eminently
satisfactory, and although they are thickly crusted with
ice inside, and have occasionally to be chipped out, they
save us from the keenest draughts and give space in
which the snow of the outer world can be shaken off by
those who enter. On arriving on deck one treads
carefully over its soft snow covering, for here, beneath
the winter awning, the gloom is deep, obstacles are
numerous, and although fur boots may be an excellent
protection against the cold, they are but a poor one
against the sharp corner of a hatchway or the business
end of a pick-axe ; and indeed one is lucky if one reaches
the flap-door of the awning without coming into violent
collision with some obstacle, and feeling tempted to
use equally violent language concerning the person or
persons unknown who have unwittingly prepared the
trap. From the ship's 'starboard or inshore side a
gangway of stout poles and planks slopes to a snow plat-
form, and is fitted with battens and guard rails, from the
ends of which one guide rope supported on poles leads
sharply to the right towards the meteorological screen,
whilst the other shows the way to a cutting on the ice-
foot, whence an easy path leads to the rocky patches on
i902] THE LARGE HUT 349
which stand our little group of huts. The main hut is of
most imposing dimensions and would accommodate a very-
large party, but on account of its size and the necessity
of economising coal it is very difficult to keep a working
temperature inside ; consequently it has not been avail-
able for some of the purposes for which we had hoped
to use it. One of the most important of these was the
drying of clothes ; for a long time the interior was hung
with undergarments which had been washed on board,
but all these water-sodden articles became sheets of ice,
which only dried as the ice slowly evaporated. When
it was found that this process took a fortnight or three
weeks the idea was abandoned, and the drying of
clothes is now done in the living-spaces on board. A
drying-room would be an excellent thing to have on a
polar expedition, and had the space under our forecastle
been properly insulated and fitted with a stove it might
well have served the purpose. As it is, with the present
system, the dampness of the living-spaces must be
increased, though, curiously enough, we do not notice it.
We have erected long clothes-lines on each side of the
wardroom, which carry a full exposd of our clothing
economy, but whatever is ludicrous in this Arcadian sim-
plicity, whatever is incongruous with the more artistic
background, we have long ceased to notice0 We find
that we can eat our dinner with the usual regard to the
forms of social politeness even when seated beneath our
socks and nether garments.
' But although the hut has not fulfilled expectation in
this respect, it is in constant use for other purposes.
350 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [July
After the sledging it came in handy for drying the furs,
tents, &c. ; then it was devoted to the skinning of birds
for a month or more, a canvas screen being placed close
around the stove, whereby a reasonable temperature was
maintained in a small space ; then various sailorising
jobs, such as the refitting of the awnings and the making
of sword matting, were carried on in it ; and finally it has
been used both for the rehearsal and performance of
such entertainments as have served to lighten the
monotony of our routine, and in this capacity, when fitted
with a stage and decked with scenery, footlights, &c, it
probably forms the most pretentious theatre that has
ever been seen in polar regions. Of late a solid pedestal
of firebricks has been built in the small compartment and
on this Bernacchi will shortly be swinging his pendulums
for gravity observations ; while in the spring I hope that
we may be able to use the larger compartment as a
centre for collecting, weighing, and distributing the food
and equipment of the various sledge parties.
1 On the whole, therefore, our large hut has been and
will be of use to us, but its uses are never likely to be of
such importance as to render it indispensable, nor cause
it to be said that circumstances have justified the outlay
made on it or the expenditure of space and trouble in
bringing it to its final home. It is here now, however,
and here it will stand for many a long year with such
supplies as will afford the necessaries of life to any less
fortunate party who may follow in our footsteps and be
forced to search for food and shelter.
* Beyond the large hut stand the smaller magnetic
I *
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i9o2] LIGHTING ARRANGEMENTS ON BOARD 351
huts, and from the eminence on that point the little clus-
ter of buildings looks quite imposing. In the midst of
these vast ice-solitudes and under the frowning desolation
of the hills, the ship, the huts, the busy figures passing
to and fro, and the various other evidences of human
activity are extraordinarily impressive. How strange it
all seems ! For countless ages the great sombre moun-
tains about us have loomed through the gloomy polar
night with never an eye to mark their grandeur, and for
countless ages the wind-swept snow has drifted over
these great deserts with never a footprint to break its
white surface ; for one brief moment the eternal solitude
is broken by a hive of human insects ; for one brief
moment they settle, eat, sleep, trample, and gaze, then
they must be gone, and all must be surrendered again to
the desolation of the ages.'
'July 19. — . . . One of the most important con-
siderations for our comfort during the polar night is the
manner of lighting the ship. The breakdown of the
windmill was a blow, as a supply of electric light would
have been the greatest boon ; but, luckily, we never over-
estimated the possibility of success in this respect, and
the breakdown found us amply supplied with alternative
means. From the first, paraffin suggested itself as the
most suitable illuminant for our purpose, and from the
first also it had been decided to use this oil as fuel during
our sledge journeys. On the other hand, paraffin is not
a desirable oil to carry in a ship in any quantity, and in
our case it was rendered less desirable by the fact that
we had to take it at a low flash-point in order that it
352 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [July
might remain liquid at the lowest temperatures. The
flash-point of our oil is 1050, it begins to turn milky when
the thermometer falls below — 400, and we have not yet
experienced a temperature in which it will not flow freely.
' We decided in London that the best position to carry
the large quantity which we required was on the upper
deck, and consequently we had a number of tanks of
considerable capacity constructed to fit into odd spaces
where they would be least likely to obstruct the working
of the ship. In this manner we managed to find room
for over 1,500 gallons, which is now served out under
the care of the engine-room department.
' Our luckiest find was perhaps the right sort of lamp
in which to burn this oil. Fortunately an old Arctic
explorer, Captain Egerton, presented me with a patent
lamp in which the draught is produced by a fan worked
by clockwork mechanism, and no chimney is needed.
One could imagine the great mortality there would be in
chimneys if we were obliged to employ them, so that
when, on trial, this lamp was found to give an excellent
light, others of the same sort were purchased, and we
now use them exclusively in all parts of the ship with
extremely satisfactory results. We also have on board
a goodly number of candles, which are served out as
occasion requires ; but over both oil and candles it is
necessary to keep a very tight hold, as people are
inclined to be extraordinarily wasteful.
' The necessity of heating the magnetic huts was not
included in our estimate, and is therefore an unexpected
drain on our resources ; but apart from this our expen-
i9o2] A FORTUNATE OVERSIGHT 353
diture of both oil and candles is a great deal too large at
present, and everyone has been warned that in case of
a second winter the allowance will be largely curtailed.
Although I realise that we are going too strong in this
respect, I have not the heart to cut things down at
present ; the probability is we shall only do one winter ;
why not let it be as comfortable as possible ? It is in the
nature of a gamble, but if the worst comes to the worst,
we can always fall back on blubber.'
It was perhaps a fortunate oversight that in the
general comfort of our situation with regard to light we
gave no thought to the adaptation of a still brighter
illuminant which lay within our reach in the shape of
acetylene. For when it became evident that we should
have to spend a second winter in the same spot and
there was no guarantee that this might not be prolonged
to a third or even a fourth, the question of lighting the
ship became a much more serious problem, and our
thoughts flew at once to the calcium carbide which had
been provided for the hut and which we had not pre-
viously thought of using. Once brought into working
order, this illuminant proved to be the most delightful
and the most easily worked that it would be possible to
imagine. All that was necessary was to arrange a
system of piping which led to the entrance porch ; here
the generator which regulated the mixture of the carbide
with water, and so the production of gas, was placed, and
here it continued to work in spite of the temperature, as
the chemical action by which the gas was produced gave
off sufficient heat to prevent the water from freezing on
vol. 1. a A
354 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [July
the coldest days. In this manner the darkness of our
second winter was relieved by a light of such brilliancy
that all could pursue their occupations by the single
burner placed in each compartment. I lay great stress
on this, because I am confident that this is in every way
the best illuminant that can be taken for a polar winter,
and no future expedition should fail to supply themselves
with it. The single drawback is the danger of carrying
the carbide on shipboard. It must of necessity be kept
in a dry place, but the danger can be greatly diminished
by careful packing, and there is no reason why the
sealed tins containing it should not be stowed in boxes,
which are likewise made water-tight, and so assurance
be made doubly sure.
I may mention that our stock of candles had also to
be carefully considered in the second winter, and we
thought it good policy to exaggerate our destitution to
encourage greater care. As the result of a limited allow-
ance it was possible to see widely different methods of
consumption, and each person preserved with care a box
in which he kept the grease which had guttered over
from his own candles or from any others that he could
lay his hands on. As soon as sufficient was collected he
would set about casting fresh candles, and so eke out his
own scanty supply ; later it was found that by mixing
this surplus grease with blubber still greater economy
could be achieved, and in the end comparatively firm
candles were made containing two parts of blubber to
one of the original composition. Such are the teachings
of adversity !
1902] PREVENTION OF FIRE 355
' The subjects of illumination and paraffin lead me
naturally enough to consider the question of fire, which
at first gave me some anxiety, and the adequacy of our
pumps to meet this important contingency. During the
summer cruise the ship continued to leak, the main hold
slightly, the fore peak rapidly ; this leakage continued
for some time after we were frozen in, but gradually, as
the ice thickened around the ship, it diminished until
finally it practically ceased. But our experience with
the pumps in relieving the leak was sufficient to show
their defects. Whilst the temperature was high they
acted well, but when it fell they froze solid immediately
after use, and to be brought into action again they had
to be opened up and thawed out with a blow-lamp, a
task which occupied from twenty minutes to half-an-hour.
Obviously it would be futile to rely on such pumps for
coping with a fire during the winter, and I could see no
possible object in keeping open a firehole in the ice on
the vain supposition that we should then have water at
our disposal. Consequently, I had to consider the pos-
sibility of fighting a fire without water. Some reflection
showed me that with a few precautions the risk of fire
would be reduced to a minimum, and that if in spite of
these it should break out, the strong probability was that
it would be discovered at once.
1 In the living-spaces safety lies in the fact that they
are always occupied ; with the additional safeguard of a
box of earth it may be granted that a fire could not make
any headway in these parts. On the rare occasions
when people work in the holds or other parts there is
A A 2
356 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [July
always a responsible officer in charge, as well as the most
stringent regulations with regard to lights. In the
engine-room it would be very difficult to start a fire, and
an officer goes round after working-hours to see that all
is in order. Should fire occur despite such precau-
tions our best means of coping with it would be to stifle
it with fur and woollen clothing, of which there is
always an abundance to hand. On the whole, one
feels that there is much less risk of fire whilst the
ship is steady than when she is knocking about at sea,
but the grave consequences keep one always alive to
the risk.'
'July 20. — ... A southerly gale blew all yester-
day and through the night, bringing quantities of snow,
as in May ; the temperature rose as high as + 1 20, and
all the out-stations show a corresponding increase. The
fore-end of the awning was split, the boats entirely
covered, and the drifts about the ship again raised to a
height of ten or twelve feet. The fine snow penetrated
everywhere ; it raised our deck layer several inches under
the awning, crowded in through a small ventilation hole
in the magnetic observatory, completely covering the
instruments, and snowed-up the kennels, the occupants
of which have had to be temporarily housed on board.
More than once our efforts to light the stove filled the
Wardroom with thick smoke, until we were glad to fly on
deck for fresh air, and subsequently to go tireless.
Luckily, the high temperature made this no great incon-
venience. To-day the wind has gone back to the east-
ward, from which direction it sweeps along the loose
i902] A NIGHT ON DUTY 357
snow with a rapidly falling temperature and a most com-
fortless outlook.'
K July 21. — ... It was my " night on " last night. As
I have said, we take it in turn to make all the two-hourly
observations from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Each of us has his
own way of passing the long, silent hours. My own
custom is to devote some of it to laundry -work, and I
must confess I make a very poor fist of it. However,
with a bath full of hot water I commence pretty regularly
after the ten o'clock observation, and labour away until
my back aches. There is little difficulty with the handker-
chiefs, socks, and such-like articles, but when it comes to
thick woollen vests and pyjamas, I feel ready to own my
incapacity ; one always seems to be soaping and rubbing
at the same place, and one is forced to wonder at the
area of stuff which it takes to cover a comparatively small
body. My work is never finished by midnight, but I
generally pretend that it is, and after taking the observa-
tions for that hour, return to wring everything out. I am
astonished to find that even this is no light task : as one
wrings out one end the water seems to fly to the other ;
then I hang some heavy garment on a hook and wring
until I can wring no more ; but even so, after it has been
hung for a few minutes on the wardroom clothes-line, it
will begin to drip merrily on the floor, and I have to
tackle it afresh. I shall always have a high respect for
laundry-work in future, but I do not think it can often
have to cope with such thick garments as we wear.
1 Washing over, one can devote oneself to pleasanter
occupations. The night watchman is always allowed a
358 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' []uly
box of sardines, which are scarce enough to be a great
luxury, and is provided with tea or cocoa and a spirit-
lamp. Everyone has his own ideas as to how sardines
should be prepared, and of course puts them into prac-
tice when his turn of night duty comes, but the majority
like them cooked in some form, so that nearly every
night the sizzling of the frying-pan can be heard in the
early hours and the odour of cooking is wafted into the
adjacent cabins, I scarcely like to record that there is a
small company of gourmets who actually wake one
another up in order that the night watchman may pre-
sent his fellow epicures with a small finger of buttered
toast on which are poised two sardines " done to a turn."
The awakened sleeper devours the dainty morsel, grunts
his satisfaction, and goes placidly off into dreamland
again.
1 I find that after my labours at the wash-tub and
the pleasing supper that follows, I can safely stretch
myself out in a chair without fear of being overcome by
sleep, and so, with the ever-soothing pipe and one's
latest demand on the library bookshelves, one settles
down in great peace and contentment whilst keeping an
eye on the flying hours, ready to sally forth into the
outer darkness at the appointed time. The pleasure
or pain of that periodic journey is of course entirely
dependent on the weather. On a fine night it may be
quite a pleasure, but when? as is more common, the wind
is sweeping past the ship, the observer is often subjected
to exasperating difficulties, and to conditions when his
conscience must be at variance with his inclination.
I9o2] SMOKING HABITS 359
Sometimes the lantern will go out at the screen, and he
is forced to return on board to light it ; sometimes it
will refuse to shine on the thin threads of mercury of the
thermometer until it is obvious that his proximity has
affected the reading, and he is forced to stand off until
it has again fallen to the air temperature. He will climb
to the indicator of the Robinson anemometer, and find it
so difficult to see that the glass has frosted over before
he has accomplished the reading, and he is obliged to
scrape away the film of ice that covers it with his bare
hand. Occasionally he has to cherish water with tender
care against its freezing until he can re-wet the wet-
bulb thermometer ; and, again, he may have to remain
stationary with upturned face for several minutes to
determine the direction of motion of some elusive upper
cloud. All these and many other difficulties in taking
observations which may be in themselves valueless are
met in the right spirit. I think we all appreciate that
they are part of a greater whole whose value must stand
or fall by attention to detail.'
'July 24. — . . . " Pipe, money, baccy, matches."
I have forgotten the origin of this formula, but it is one
which I have used for many years to remind myself of
the indispensable contents of my pockets for a run on
shore. I thought of it as I went out to-day, and,
wondering what formula would replace it under present
conditions, decided that there was none, as one has no
requirement out of doors here but suitable apparel.
Few, if any, smoke outside — in fact, it would be an im-
possible performance when the wind is blowing ; and as
$6o THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [July
for money, I look with mixed feelings at a sovereign
which is gradually growing tarnished in the drawer of
my desk ; few coins have had such a restful time as
this sovereign — and for the matter of that, few persons
such a restful time as its owner — but I expect for neither
of us will there be much repose when we get back to civili-
sation. Meanwhile it is rather fascinating to consider
the moneyless condition in which we live. With absence
of wealth, community of interest, and a free sharing of
comforts and hardships, we must realise much that is
social istically ideal, yet in recognition of rank and supre-
macy of command the government must be considered
an autocracy ; and, indeed, just at present I can the more
fully realise my position as autocrat when I see how
eagerly everyone is awaiting the sledging programme
which is to foreshadow their lives for the coming season.
' Although no one smokes out of doors, many smoke
within, and a few, amongst whom I must number myself,
are inveterate victims of the habit. And yet, speaking
generally, the consumption of tobacco is not so great as
might be expected in the circumstances. Of eleven
officers in the wardroom three are pretty constant
smokers, four indulge moderately, and four are practi-
cally non-smokers. The first three may possibly con-
sume about i^ lb. each month, the moderate men may
account for something over ^ lb. apiece, whilst the
amount used by the remainder is practically negligible,
so that the whole consumption for the eleven officers
does not exceed 6 or 7 lbs. per month, at which rate our
stock will last for many a year. On the mess-deck also
i902] AN OBJECTIONABLE PRACTICE 361
there are a few who do not smoke at all, and many who
are extremely moderate. The allowance is 1 lb. per
month, and there has never been any request for an
increase. No doubt the moderate smokers help those
who are more addicted to the habit, but I should doubt
whether any consume much more than their allowance,
though from force of habit they prefer a very much
stronger tobacco than that smoked aft, and in readiness
for this preference we shipped a quantity of tobacco in
the leaf which has proved very popular ; the men like
rolling it up for themselves in the good old naval fashion.
There is now little or no restriction as to time or place
of smoking, and apart from the sympathy that I should
naturally have with freedom in this respect as a great
smoker myself, I cannot see that anything would be
gained by limiting the practice as long as there is no one
who is inconvenienced by it — and, luckily, we are in the
happy position of possessing non-smokers who have not
the least objection to sitting amongst many pipes.
' There is another habit indulged in by a few of the
men which I thought had almost universally died out o.
fashion — namely, that of chewing. The objection to this,
in my mind, is that it is carried on during the outdoor
work, and it will, therefore, be a temptation for them to
continue it during the sledging, and I feel sure that such
a habit will detract from their marching powers. I have
said nothing at present, but I propose that both smoking
and chewing shall be forbidden on the march, and though a
small allowance of tobacco will be permitted for smoking
in camp, I hope to discourage chewing altogether.'
362 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [July
i July 25. — . . . The fourth number of our excellent
monthly publication, the " South Polar Times," has
recently appeared, and maintains the same excellence as
former issues. The scheme for this publication was
discussed long before the sun left us, and by general
consent Shackleton was appointed editor. It was decided
that each number should contain, besides the editorial, a
summary of the events and meteorological conditions of
the past month, certain scientifically instructive articles
dealing with our work and our surroundings, and certain
others written in a lighter vein. As the scheme de-
veloped it was found that other features, such as full-page
caricatures, acrostics, and puzzles, could be added ; and now
each month sees the production of a stout volume which
is read with much interest and amusement by everyone.
One of the pleasantest points with regard to it is that the
men contribute as well as the officers ; in fact, some of the
best and quite the most amusing articles are written by
the occupants of the mess-deck, of whom one or two show
extraordinary ability with the pen. But beyond all else
the journal owes its excellence to the principal artist,
Wilson, who carries out the greater part of the illustration
and produces drawings whose charm would be appreciated
anywhere.
s Once or twice lately we have discussed the pos-
sibility of these volumes being interesting to a larger
public, though there was no such idea in anyone's mind at
the start. It is certain, however, that the journal is more
ambitious in intention, and far more effective in its real-
isation, than any of its predecessors of the North Polar
&
OUTH JOLAR XIKES
1902 •— I90S
T
THE ARMS OF THE ' DISCOVERY.'
i9o2] THE 'SOUTH POLAR TIMES' 363
regions. On the one hand, we have some reading matter
and many delightful sketches that would be appreciated
by all ; on the other, it has to be remembered that the
humour and many of the references are local and would
convey little or nothing to the uninformed reader, how-
ever much they may appeal to us " who are in the know."
It is obvious that we cannot decide this matter for our-
selves, but must take the opinion of outsiders more
capable of judging.
' Before the appearance of the first number of the
"S, P. T.," which came out with the departure of the
sun, the editor had to face a rather delicate situation :
it was announced that contributions need not be signed,
but must be dropped into the editor's box by a certain
date. When the date arrived it was found that the
novelty of the venture had aroused such widespread
interest that the box was crammed with manuscripts,
and though there was not much difficulty in making a
selection, there was some danger of wounding the feel-
ings of those literary aspirants whose contributions were
rejected. In this dilemma the editor decided to issue a
supplementary journal, to be named the " Blizzard," and
one number of this redoubtable publication was pro-
duced, but fell so lamentably short of the " S. P. T."
that the contributors realised that their mission in life
did not lie in the paths of literary composition, and
thereafter the editor's box contained only what that
astute individual required for the original periodical.
' The anonymity of articles could not long be
observed in such a small community, and after the ap-
364 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [July
pearance of the first numbers the style of different indi-
viduals was more or less easily recognised ; but even the
later numbers have contained some articles concerning
the authorship of which there has been much erratic
guessing. In mentioning the " Blizzard " I ought to
remark that it has redeeming features in some capital
line caricatures and a distinctly humorous frontispiece by
Barne.'
'July 26. — . . . On the whole, the displays of the
aurora australis have been disappointing ; we had
expected them to be more brilliant. When the sky is
clear there is generally some auroral light, but it is rarely
vivid, and never bright enough to be photographed. In
hopes of obtaining the spectrum of this light, a rapid
plate has been exposed to it for hours, and even days
together, but as yet there has not been the least impres-
sion on it. In general the light is so faint that stars of
even a small magnitude can be seen distinctly through it ;
but of late there has been an improvement, and the con-
trast on the dark nights has given us a very beautiful, if
not a very brilliant, effect to the southward. Lately it
has commenced about three by a bright but low curtain
to the E.N.E., where unfortunately the hills partly hide
the view ; but later it seems to spread up and towards
the south, so that usually in the evening there are shafts
and patches of light scattered about in full view of the
ship with sometimes a well-formed corona to the south.
' Often when the weather has been calm and clear J
have been up and over the hills in the afternoon to see
the easterly display. There is something very weird
THE 'AUEOEA AUSTRALIS.'
I9o2] AURORA AUSTRALIS 365
and awe-inspiring in a phenomenon so fleeting, so
intangible and so difficult to describe. The light grows
and wanes, but one cannot mark the moment of its
coming or its going. It distinctly moves, but one cannot
say how ; sometimes it appears to roll forward or to the
side, sometimes it seems to spread itself as though
anxious for greater space. For no two instants is it the
same, and yet the change is so subtle that one cannot
grasp it until some new development has robbed one of
the picture.
1 As I arrived on the hill summit to-day the sky was
clear and dark, but as I walked forward a narrow arched
band of light appeared across the east ; it seemed to
rise, to halt. Little fibrous shafts spread out above and
below ; a moment more, and the fibres became luminous
cloud masses rolling towards the south ; in the next they
had ceased to move ; the light was spreading and wan-
ing, was gone. Then shafts of light flashed up like mighty
search-light beams cast to the zenith ; but before I could
well note them, they were bent in fantastic convolutions,
some curling to spiral columns. In a few moments all
this had come and gone, and the broad clean arch of a
corona seemed to be rushing towards me from the south.
As it rose, a second arch flashed up beneath ; then, as
though some giant hand had swept across the skies, the
whole scene was changed, and only some vague luminous
patches remained.
' It appears to me that the sharpest contrasts are formed
by the vertical shafts, or at the lower edge of the arches
where the light is brightest and is clearly outlined against
366 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY,' [July
the vaulted blue of the sky ; elsewhere the light merges
indefinitely into shade.
' Since the phenomenon of the aurora has been repro-
duced artificially, its study has advanced to a stage rather
beyond the comprehension of the ordinary man, and
after the countless observations which have been made
in the North it does not seem likely that our observations
or any observations of the actual phenomenon itself can
add greatly to our knowledge ; but considering that the
luminosity of the aurora must be an electrical effect
closely connected with the magnetism of the earth, it
may be of some interest that in our observation it always
appears to the south-east or away from the magnetic
pole. The auroral light is usually a pure white, but we
have observed it with a distinct green tinge, and on rare
occasions with a reddish shade. Last night there were
large patches of light in the zenith, and, what is also rare,
several shafts in the west'
' July 28. — . . . The latest southerly gale has
awakened us to a most unpleasant fact, though at present
it is impossible to gauge the exact extent of our difficulty.
The question of the moment is, What has become of our
boats ? Early in the winter they were hoisted out to
give more room for the awning, and were placed in a
line about 100 yards from the ice-foot on the sea-ice.
The earliest gale drifted them up nearly gunwale
high, and thus for two months they remained in sight
whilst we congratulated ourselves on their security. The
last gale brought more snow, and, piling it in drifts at
various places in the bay, chose to be especially generous
THE BUKIED BOATS.
t&JLs^ W^flrY~*fc;
M
^&$gp»~
'^****m^ki
BEMOVING SNOW FROM OUB BOATS.
i9o2] MISHAP TO OUR BOATS 367
with it in the neighbourhood of our boats, so that after-
wards they were found to be buried three or four feet
beneath the new surface. Although we had noted with
interest the manner in which the extra weight of snow in
other places was pressing down the surface of the original
ice, and were even taking measurements of the effects
thus produced, we remained fatuously blind to the risks
our boats ran under such conditions. It was from no
feeling of anxiety, but rather to provide occupation, that
I directed that the snow on top of them should be re-
moved, and it was not until we had dug down to the
first boat that the true state of affairs dawned on us.
She was found lying in a mass of slushy ice, with which
also she was nearly filled. For the moment we had a
wild hope that she could be pulled up, but by the time
we could rig shears the air temperature had converted
the slush into hardened ice, and she was found to be
stuck fast. At present there is no hope of recovering
any of the boats : as fast as one could dig out the
sodden ice, more sea-water would flow in and freeze.
The only hope is to prevent bad going to worse before
the summer brings more hopeful conditions. The danger
is that fresh gales bringing more snow will sink them
so far beneath the surface that we shall be unable to
recover them at all. Stuck solid in the floe they must
go down with it, and every effort must be devoted to
preventing the floe from sinking. At present all hands
are removing the snow on top of the boats and for a
distance of ten yards around, and are forming a snow-
wall on the outskirts of this area. It is a long job, and
368 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Aug.
will probably have to be repeated after every gale.
Meanwhile our stupidity has landed us in a pretty bad
hole, for we may have to leave this spot without a single
boat in the ship.'
From this time we had a hard fight for our boats.
Day after day parties were digging away at their snow
covering, and in the course of months many tons must
have been removed. After each gale our hearts sank,
as to all appearance we were forced to begin all over
again ; but we knew that, although there was so little to
show for our labours, our work must tell in the long
run, and that in it lay the only hope of keeping the boats
within our grasp until the climate should be more favour-
able. So, however deeply the snow fell after each new
southerly blow, the work was renewed with vigour, and
we bowed to the inevitable whilst we heartily cursed
the folly which had landed us in such a predicament.
It was not until December, five months later, that Mr.
Royds and our excellent boatswain were able to attack
the question of release with any chance of success, and it
was in this month that, after much sawing and blasting,
the boats were finally liberated, though by no means
without injury.
'August i. — There can be few scenes more beautiful
than that which is about us on a calm moonlight night.
During the noon hours the silver rays are lost, and the
moon itself is changed to a deep orange yellow in the dif-
fused twilight cast by the gleaming crimson band to the
north ; but as the red glow slowly travels around and is
lost behind the western hills, our white world is left
MOONLIGHT ON A FROZEN SEA.
I9o2] MOONLIGHT EFFECTS 369
alone with the moon and the stars. The cold, white
light falls on the colder, whiter snow against which
the dark rock and intricate outline of the ship stand out
in blackest contrast. Each sharp peak and every object
about us casts a deep shadow, and is clearly outlined
against the sky, but beyond our immediate surroundings
is fairyland. The eye travels on and on over the gleam-
ing plain till it meets the misty white horizon, and above
and beyond, the soft, silvery outlines of the mountains.
Did one not know them of old, it would sometimes be
difficult to think them real, so deep a spell of enchant-
ment seems to rest on the scene. And indeed it is not a
spell that rests on man alone, for it is on such nights
that the dogs lift up their voices and join in a chant
which disturbs the most restful sleepers.
' What lingering instinct of bygone ages can impel
them to this extraordinary custom is beyond guessing ;
but on these calm, clear moonlit nights, when all are
coiled down placidly sleeping, one will suddenly raise
his head and from the depths of his throat send forth
a prolonged, dismal wail, utterly unlike any sound he can
produce on ordinary occasions. As the note dies away
another animal takes it up, and then another and another,
until the hills re-echo with the same unutterably dreary
plaint. There is no undue haste and no snapping or
snarling, which makes it very evident that this is a
solemn function, some sacred rite which must be per-
formed in these circumstances. If one is sentimen-
tally inclined, as may be forgiven on such a night, this
chorus almost seems to possess the woes of the ages ;
vol. 1. B B
370 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
as an accompaniment to the vast desolation without, it
touches the lowest depths of sadness.
1 But if one is not sentimentally inclined, and rather
bent on refreshing sleep, it possesses so little charm that
one endeavours to correct matters by shouts and pieces
of ice. As a rule the animals are so absorbed in their
occupation and so lost to their surroundings that even
these monitions have no power to disturb them, and one
has at length to bribe them basely with a biscuit or a
piece of seal-meat,
' Generally in calm, bright weather, the temperature is
low, and to-night, when the thermometer stood below
— 400, we observed a curious fact which I do not remem-
ber to have seen mentioned before. If one is standing
still and bareheaded, and exhales a deep breath, one can
actually hear one's breath freezing a moment or two
after it has left the mouth. What one hears I do not
precisely know, unless the actual formation of ice-crystals
produces a sound, as appears to be the case. The
sound itself is not easy to describe ; it is rather like
that produced by the movement of sand on a beach when
a wave washes up. Koettlitz says it is like the minutest
crepitations, and though few of us knew what the word
meant till we consulted the dictionary, we have adopted
his description.
' A curious effect of the cold snaps is a mist which
arises off the land, very thin and very white, and in
the silvery moonlight beautiful beyond description. It
spreads like the finest gauze-web over the sharp outlines
of the near hills ; the white snow-slopes and dark shadows
i9o2] LOST IN A BLIZZARD 371
of the rocks are softened in its shimmering folds, and
seem to rest on the lightest foundations of silvery cloud.'
' August 4. — . . . The driving snow has again en-
veloped everything. The boat clearance is covered. The
only thing is to go on steadily digging away at it ; but if
the snowfall continues in the spring it will mean a lot of
work. Still, by hook or by crook the boats must be kept
above water. We now feel a great drawback in the
scarcity of picks and shovels. It is wonderful what has
been done already with the mere dozen which were sup-
plied, considering that they have been in use every day
and all day ; but a good many are now hopelessly broken,
and the remainder are not very efficient. We shall have
to rely on the engine-room department once more, but
although they can make shovels, I doubt if they will be
able to cope with the picks for want of materials. The
temperature since the gale has been extraordinarily high.
To-day it has been above zero, and light snow is falling.
The daylight is coming on apace ; at noon, when it is
cloudless, the details of the land can be seen very clearly
on all sides, and it is pleasant to be out when the snow
is not driving.
' Bernacchi and Skelton are just completing a set of
pendulum observations in the main hut, and last night
when the gale was rising with blinding drift they had an
adventure from which they were extremely lucky to
escape unscathed. In the evening the hut was fully
occupied, Bernacchi and Skelton being at work in the
smaller compartment, whilst Royds was busily rehearsing
his nigger minstrel troupe in the larger one ; but shortly
B 2
372 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
after the rehearsal began, either because it proved a
somewhat disturbing element or because their work was
finished, the two scientific workers left to return to the
ship. It was fully an hour and a half after this that, the
rehearsal being finished, Royds and his party, numbering
more than a dozen, started back. They found that the
gale had increased, and that in the whirling snow they
could see nothing ; but, being in such numbers, they were
able to join hands and sweep along until they caught the
guide rope leading to the gangway. As they travelled
along it, they heard feeble shouts wafted on the storm,
and again extending their line they swept on in a chain
and suddenly fell on Bernacchi and Skelton, who,
although they had left the hut an hour and a half before,
had entirely lost their bearings and were reduced to
shouting on the poor chance of being heard and rescued.
1 Meanwhile on board the ship we had not the smallest
suspicion that anything unusual had taken place, and
remained in ignorance until the rescuers and the rescued
burst in upon us ; the latter were severely frost-bitten
about the face and also in the legs, as they had not
been prepared for such a long stay in the open ; and as
they had not been provided with wind covering, their
garments inside and out were thickly coated with ice and
snow. As soon as we had revived them we learnt what
little tale they had to tell.
1 On leaving the hut they had started for the ship,
steering through the blinding drift as best they could.
After walking for some distance they came to the con-
clusion they must have missed her, and proceeded to
CAUGHT IN A BLIZZARD.
i902j A VALUABLE LESSON 373
grope their way back to the land. When they reached
the tide crack they found some difficulty in deciding
which way they should go, but finally they reached a
spot which they recognised, and, calculating the position
of the ship, they again made tracks for her, and again
found that they had missed the mark. They then decided
to try to search around in circles, and so the time
passed whilst they wandered more or less aimlessly
about until they became alarmed, and tried to attract
attention by shouting. In the nick of time they were
rescued within thirty yards of their goal, but without any
knowledge of the fact.
1 The hut is certainly not more than 200 yards from
the ship, and the ship is not only a comparatively big
object, but is surrounded by guide ropes and other
objects which if encountered would have informed the
wanderers of their position. These officers were neither
of them likely to have lost their heads and both might
be trusted to take the most practical course in such a
difficulty. In these circumstances the fact that they
should have been lost for two hours would have been
incredible had it not actually occurred. It is the most
convincing lesson on the blinding, bewildering effect of
a blizzard that we have had, and shows clearly what care
will be necessary with our sledge parties if such weather
continues in the spring. Throughout the greater part of
the winter we have had a guide rope which continued as
far as the hut, and had this been in order last night all
trouble would have been avoided ; but recently it has
sagged between the poles and become buried beneath
374 THE VOYAGE OF THE * DISCOVERY' [August
the snow, and it was not available, therefore, for parties
leaving the hut.'
Throughout our stay in these regions I had constantly
a lurking anxiety that disaster might attend the over-
bold habits of some of our officers in making long excur-
sions from the ship, especially during the winter months.
The trouble lay chiefly in the impossibility of predicting
the weather conditions ; the barometer told nothing, and
such other signs of bad weather as came under our
observation were so uncertain that it was impossible to
legislate on them. Threats of a storm were so con-
stantly unfulfilled that to have kept all hands within
bounds on their account would have been irksome to
individual feeling and discouraging to individual work.
The only satisfactory course was to rely on the discretion
of distant workers to hasten home directly the weather
looked ugly, and to trust that the coming storm would
not develop before they had reached a position of safety ;
but, needless to remark, this happy result was not always
realised, and my diary throughout the two years records
many hours of anxiety caused by the prolonged absence
of some person, and some occasions on which search
parties were rapidly organised to find such a belated
worker. In the course of time this naturally became an
easier task, as we all became better acquainted with the
features of the tide crack and the various patches of rock
and with their relative bearings. In course of time also
our system of relief became better organised ; and although
we did not put it in practice, it may be well to record our
final arrangement in this respect as a hint to those who
i9o2] THE ROYAL TERROR THEATRE 375
may live under like conditions in the future. In outline
our ultimate plan for searching was to spread out the
search party in a very extended order, connecting them
by a fine strong line, and so to sweep round the floe sys-
tematically until the object of our search was recovered.
Experiences of this sort taught us the valuable lesson
of never leaving our sledges on our long sledge journeys
except under the most favourable conditions. It can be
imagined that one was often tempted to do this to get a
better knowledge of some object which lay off the line of
march, but when such a ddtour became necessary, wisdom
suggested that the sledges should be taken as far as
possible towards the object, even if the ground were
rough ; and although we often marched in threatening
and stormy weather, it was always with our temporary
home behind us.
The idea of requisitioning our large hut as a place of
entertainment had occurred to us early in the winter,
and in this connection it was first used for a concert
given during the first week in May. Royds, who took
much pains in getting up this function, arranged a long
programme in order to bring forth all the available
talent ; but although we were not inclined to be critical
of our amusements, one was fain to confess that our
company had not been chosen for their musical attain-
ments. However, there were exceptions to the mediocrity,
and some exhibition of dramatic talent, which prompted
the conception of a modified entertainment for a future
occasion ; so Barne was entrusted with the task of pro-
ducing a play, and after much casting about succeeded in
376 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
getting his company together. All became very diligent
with rehearsals, and as these were conducted in the
hut with all due secrecy, the audience remained in ignor-
ance of even the name of the play until the night of its
production. It was decided that this should be imme-
diately after our mid-winter celebrations, and my diary
for June 25 gives some account of this great night :
< At seven to-night we all journey across to the hut,
forcing our way through a rather keen wind and light
snowdrift. The theatre within looks bright and cheer-
ful, but as there are no heating arrangements other than
the lamps, one conquers the natural instinct to take off
one's overcoat and head covering, and decides that it
will be wise to retain these garments throughout the
performance. On one side of the large compartment a
fair-sized stage has been erected, raised some two feet
above the floor ; the edge is decorated with a goodly
row of footlights, immediately behind which hangs a drop-
curtain depicting the ship and Mount Erebus in glowing
colours, and boldly informing one that this is the " Royal
Terror Theatre." The remainder of the compartment
forms an auditorium of ample size to accommodate all
who are not performing, with a stray dog or two brought
in to enliven the proceedings.
1 In front stands a row of chairs for the officers, and
behind several rows of benches for the men ; the apartment
is lighted by a large oil lamp, and when all are seated
one must own to having seen theatricals under far less
realistic conditions. When all are seated also, and when
pipes are lit, there is a perceptible improvement in the
EH
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i9o2] A 'SCREAMING COMEDY' 377
temperature, a condition that one feels will be very-
welcome to the lightly clad actors.
1 In due course programmes are passed round, inform-
ing us that Part I. will consist of several songs rendered
by popular singers, and that for Part II. we shall have
the ''Ticket of Leave," "a screaming comedy in one
act." These programmes, I may remark, are correct at
least in one respect, in that there is some difficulty in pick-
ing out the information from amongst the mass of adver-
tisements. Presently the curtain rolls up and discloses
Royds at the piano and the first singers in true concert
attitude. We have a duet, followed by several solos, and
occasionally a rousing chorus, when one rather fears that
the roof of the Royal Terror Theatre will rise. On the
whole the first part passes decorously, and we come to the
interval, when the wags advertise oranges and nuts.
' Then we have Part I L, which is what we are here for ;
the " screaming comedy " commences and proves to be
fully up to its title. There is no need for the actors to
speak — their appearance is quite enough to secure the
applause of the audience ; and when the representatives of
the lady parts step on to the stage it is useless for them
to attempt speech for several minutes, the audience is so
hugely delighted. Thanks to Mr. Clarkson and his
make-up box, the disguises are excellent, and it soon
becomes evident that the actors have regarded them as
by far the most important part of the proceedings, and
hold the view that it is rather a waste of time to learn a
part when one has a good loud-voiced prompter. As the
play progresses one supposes there is a plot, but it is a
3/8 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
little difficult to unravel. Presently, however, we are
obviously working up to a situation ; the hero, or perhaps
I should say one of the heroes (for each actor at least
attacks his part with heroism), unexpectedly sees through
the window the lady on whom he has fixed his affections,
and whom, I gather, he has not seen for a long and weary
time. He is evidently a little uncertain as to her
identity, and at this stirring moment he sits very care-
fully on a chair — he almost dusts the seat before he does
so. Seated and barely glancing at the window, he says
with great deliberation and in the most matter-of-fact
tones, " It is — no, it isn't — yes, it is — it is my long-lost
Mary Jane." The sentiment — or the rendering of it — is
greeted with shouts of applause. Later on we work up
to a climax, when it is evident that the services of the
police force will be required. This part is much more to
the taste of the players ; somebody has to be chucked
out ; both he and the " chuckers-out " determine to make
their parts quite realistic, and for several minutes there is
practically a free fight with imminent risk to the furniture.
And so at last the curtain falls amidst vociferous cheering,
and I for one have to acknowledge that I have rarely
been so gorgeously entertained. With renewed cheers
we break up and wander back to the ship, after having
witnessed what the " S. P. T." may veraciously describe
as "one of the most successful entertainments ever given
within the Polar Circle " — and indeed they might with
some truth add ■' or anywhere else." '
From the above it will be seen that our first essay at
acting met with very hearty approval, if it did not show us
i9o2] NIGGER MINSTRELS 379
to be possessed of great histrionic talent. We had always
intended to call again on our dramatic company, but
owing to the work of several of its members and other
circumstances our plans slipped through ; later on, how-
ever, Royds undertook to organise a nigger minstrel
troupe, and towards the end of the winter succeeded in
getting them together and in rehearsing their various parts
through many a cold hour spent in the freezing theatre.
On August 6, the date fixed for this performance, we
were in the midst of a cold snap, but although the tem-
perature had fallen below —40°, it was decided that the
programme should be carried out as intended.
* To-night the doors of the Royal Terror Theatre
opened at 7.30, and as the temperature was — 400 and
there was a strong wind, everybody did his best to make
a record in reaching it. Even inside the temperature
must have been well below zero ; I wonder how the
ordinary theatre-goer would appreciate sitting in stalls
under such conditions.
1 One was not sorry when the curtain rolled up and
disclosed our twelve minstrels with blackened faces
sitting in a row with " Massa Johnson" in the centre.
A programme with an illustrated cover informed us
that this was the " Dishcover Minstrel Troupe." There
is no doubt the sailors dearly love to make up ; on this
occasion they had taken an infinity of trouble to prepare
themselves ; calicoes of all sorts had been cut up and
sewn together to make suits of the most vivid colours
and grotesque form ; shirt fronts and enormous collars
of elaborate design had been made from paper ; wigs
380 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
had been manufactured from tow, in some cases dipped
in red ink, and an equal ingenuity had been displayed
in producing the enormous boots and buttons which
constitute an important part of the nigger minstrel's cos-
tume. " Bones" and "Skins" had even gone so far
as to provide themselves with movable top-knots which
could be worked at effective moments by pulling a string
below.
4 As everyone knows, a nigger minstrel performance
consists of a number of songs and choruses, between
which the ball of conversation is kept rolling amongst the
various minstrels in the form of weighty conundrums,
which, after numerous futile attempts from others, are
usually answered by the propounder himself. I don't
know why a joke should sound better in nigger language,
but I rather think the class of joke made on these occa-
sions does so.
' To-night the choruses and plantation songs led by
Royds were really well sung, and they repay him for the
very great pains that he has taken in the rehearsals. Of
course in the choruses of " Marching through Georgia,"
" Golden Slippers," " Suwanee River," and such songs,
the audience felt that they must also " lend a hand," and
did so with such a will that the rafters shook. The
jokes were nearly all home-made and topical, but
amused us none the less for that ; everyone had some
sly shaft of wit aimed at him, but all in the best of good
humour, and so the merry jests went round until some-
thing had been said about the ship, the dogs, the wind-
mill, the people, and every imaginable or unimaginable
THE NIGGER MINSTREL PARTY.
[See p 384
RIDGES BEYOND PRAM POINT. MOUNT TERROR IN THE DISTANCE."
i902] THE DARKIES' CATECHISM 381
thing about us, and on the whole they afforded us a
good deal of hearty laughter.
' I can remember but few of these jocular efforts ; I
recollect that the cook was likened to a cooper round a
cask — because he was always going round " doing a tap."
Another question which puzzled me for some time was,
" Can you told me, Massa Bones, what am de best way to
clear lower-deck in de Dishcubry ? " Bones suggested
that it was to turn on a southerly wind (when the stoves
begin to smoke badly), but the correct answer was much
truer : " You tak' an' open a tin of 's Brussels
sprouts." Another, and perhaps better, question was,
" Can you told me what am de worst vegetable as we took
from Englan' ? " One naturally thought that some such
answer as the above might have fitted here, but the
proper reply was stated to be " The Dundee leak."
When we got back to the ship after the performance we
decided that in spite of the cold we had spent an ex-
tremely pleasant evening.'
' August 7. — The cold snap continues, and to-day is
calm. Barne is far out with a small sledge and sounding
machine ; Shackleton and Hodgson still farther, digging
up a fish trap. Many others are scattered about in
various directions, and all rejoicing in the absence of
wind. The sky is clear overhead and the light fairly
good, but to the north hangs a yellowish brown haze,
now rather common. It seemed to grow colder as I
went outwards over the floe, and a light wind persistently
attacked my most vulnerable feature, my nostrils. I could
feel them pricking and tingling on the road to frost-bite,
382 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
but as I was talking to Barne on my way back this
feeling suddenly ceased, the air seemed to grow much
warmer, and on going to the screen I found the tempera-
ture was — 360, whereas a short time before I had left it
at — 51 -J-°. It was a striking example of the waves of
temperature that occur in this comparatively calm, clear
weather. Koettlitz, who has been to his thermometer
off the cape, reports a minimum of —62° and a present
temperature of —57 '5°, which is probably the degree of
cold in which Shackleton and Hodgson are now labour-
ing to clear the latter's fish trap, a task in which they are
consequently not much to be envied. The cold is push-
ing through the weak spots in our defences below, and
makes itself known as usual by an increase of ice on the
bulkheads and over the bolts, but we have not much
difficulty in keeping the air in the wardroom up to 50V
1 August 9. — Preparations for sledging are being
pushed on apace ; it is astonishing what a lot of time
and attention it all takes.
' There is now a bright orange light to the northward
at noon, and each day brings a nearer approach of the
sun ; in a week we shall have good light for several
hours, and in a fortnight we shall be welcoming back
the sun.
' The result of the snowless wind which we have had
of late has been to harden and polish the surfaces
of the floes and the hill slopes. I find it impossible to
maintain footing on slopes which I could climb easily
a fortnight ago. Seals have ceased to appear on
the ice for a long time, but they are still about beneath
1
i902] MYSTERIOUS NOISES 383
it, and can be heard at the tide cracks and at their
snow-covered breathing-holes ; occasionally they come
under the ship and give a prolonged whining snort,
unlike any sound one can recall, but which can be
distinctly heard within. In the early winter we were
much puzzled by this noise, and many declared that it
was caused by the ice, but we have since traced it with-
out doubt to the seals.
' Many times lately we have heard mysterious noises
on deck when the temperature is falling. Amidst the
sharp crackling of the rigging which always accompanies
this condition, there is occasionally a loud report like the
fall of some heavy weight. In whatever cabin one may
be, it seems to be immediately overhead. Again and
again we have dashed on deck to discover the cause, but
always without result. It is so uncanny that we now
feel confident that it is the manifestation of our own
particular ghost.'
'August 12. — Another blizzard, so thick that one
cannot see one's hand before one's face. Two days ago
we had almost cleared the snow from off the boats ; now
they will be completely covered again. No one goes
out on these occasions ; the drifting snow has very much
the effect of a sand blast — it positively pricks the skin
and brings frost-bites with alarming rapidity. Though
it is now moderately light at noon, we could see nothing
to-day but a whitening of the whirling cloud about us.
The dogs, whose kennels were likely to be drifted up,
were brought on board early in the storm ; they are
generally rather sad and subdued on such occasions, and
384 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
can be safely huddled together without fear of a fight,
always excepting the redoubtable " Nigger," who is
given a corner to himself. With him action follows so
quickly on thought, and is so immediately effective, that
it is considered advisable to take no risks.'
'August 13. — . . . Walked to-day round the cape
to Pram Point ; it is between three and four miles from
the ship, and is a spot that has been visited by us often
throughout the winter. A little beyond this point lies
the limiting line up to which the sea-ice broke away in
the autumn, and consequently on the farther side of this
line lies ice of an unknown age whose surface gradually
rises to the level of the barrier, whereas on the near side
the ice is all of recent formation. The centre of interest
lies in the ridges which have formed and are continuing
to form in this region. The coastline beyond the point
runs towards Erebus, only slightly curving, and fringed
with steep ice-cliffs and crevassed slopes.
1 The ridges in the ice are parallel to each other and
to the coastline, and extend for a considerable distance
along it. From the heights above they look like heavy,
round-crested rollers of the sea that are preparing
to fling themselves on the shore, so smooth and regular
do their undulations appear, and so gradually are they
lost in the plain beyond ; and from the same heights also
they have frequently been counted, and I think most of
us have made their number to be seventeen. But
amongst the ridges it is possible to see that their summits
are cracked in an irregular fashion, and that they are by
no means regular in height. This may well be accounted
W
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i902] PUZZLING ICE-FORMATIONS 385
for by the varying amount of snow which has fallen in
the hollows. To-day I measured two of these ridges
from crest to hollow, and found one to be 18 feet, whilst
another nearer the shore was 14 feet. There can be
little doubt that this formation is due to the ice-sheet
pressing up from the south ; and, large as the disturbance
is, when the mighty nature of the cause is considered, it
vanishes into insignificance.
' Whatever the cause may be, it is still active, for
the freshly formed ice to the southward is gradually being
waved up in the same fashion. The whole thing is
puzzling, because one is at a loss ta account for the
absence of ridges further to the north, and because, if
this is a measure of the movement of the great ice-sheet,
that movement must be extremely small, as the whole
extent of the pressing-up of the new sea-ice cannot be
more than a collapse of twenty or thirty yards at the out-
side. In any case it will be an interesting thing to watch
for further developments in this movement, and to see
whether there is any difference in its rate in summer.'
What was at this time comparatively new sea-ice
remained fast throughout the following winter, and we
saw the ridges in it gradually rising in a slow, silent,
uncanny fashion, until they presented a huge confusion
of upreared ice-blocks such as are shown in the accom-
panying photograph.
' August 16. — . . . We have now three litters of
puppies in various stages of development. " Vincka,"
Armitage's pet Samoyede, has four which were born
a month ago and are now capable of snarling and
vol. 1. c c
386 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
snapping on their own account. " Blanco " produced five
on the nth. She has since succeeded in killing two,
but the remainder of her family are just opening their
eyes on this strange new world and rolling about their
warm nest with shrill squeals. To-day " Nell " has
added seven to the puppy population ; they look like
seven little blind rats, but she guards them very jealously
with ominous growls when anyone approaches. We
shall probably reduce this last litter to four or five, and
so remain the possessors of about a dozen in all.
' Each mother has her own comfortable nest under
the shelter of the forecastle, and gets sufficient warmth
from the straw and sacking which are plentifully dis-
tributed about it. "Vincka" takes her maternal duties
very lightly, and spends the day in teasing her off-
spring, apparently under the impression that they exist
to romp with her. But her pups don't see it in the same
light : their small minds are seriously bent on ex-
ploration, and they become so annoyed at their mother's
levity that they growl and snap at all her playful efforts,
and occasionally fly into paroxysms of rage. " Blanco "
is a lady possessed of much low cunning, which has
made her very unpopular with the men. It was not ex-
pected that she would prove a good mother, and she
certainly is not ; her three small mites would find it
hard to get a living without human assistance. But
"Nell" promises to be in all respects a model parent.
She has always possessed a very uncertain temper, and
the responsibilities of a family have rendered her abso-
lutely fierce. One has to approach her nest with great
' NELL ' AS A MODEL MOTHEE.
ENJOYING A FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE SUN.
[See p. 400.
i902] CONCERNING THE DOGS 387
caution and be extremely careful not to do anything that
she may consider suspicious ; but when she is assured
that one's intentions are friendly, she will condescend to
accept ministrations to her wants.
1 We have had " Brownie," another of the dogs,
under shelter for some time ; he is a very handsome
beast, with nice affectionate manners which make him
rather a pet with all, so that when he was found shiver-
ing violently in the cold, pity was taken on him and he
was brought under the forecastle. Careful observation,
however, showed that he is really rather a rascal, and
that he is in the habit of putting on his shivering fits
when anyone appears in sight ; he is evidently aware
that if he is taken on board he will not only get a
warmer nest, but certain tit-bits which his soul desires.
So to-day we have hardened our hearts and put him
out again.
■ There is a world of character in these animals of ours.
One of the greatest pities is that they cannot be made to
follow or to obey a word of command unless they are in
harness. They are great losers by it in missing many a
walk. To lead them continually about on a string is
very trying, as they pull hard the whole time, and it is
odds that the dog rather than the man directs the course
of the walk ; at other times they will be particularly
meek and ingratiating, trotting alongside and pressing
their noses into one's mit, all in the most companion-
able spirit, until one rashly slips the leash, when in a
moment they are off on their own devices, and are seen
no more until a wild hubbub at the kennels signifies
c c 2
388 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
their return, and someone has to rush out to prevent a
fight.
' The sport they most dearly love is to worry a
seal. The hunting instinct is paramount ; the most list-
less, weary, bored-looking dog or team of dogs has only
to catch sight of the black dots afar off over the snow
which signify the presence of seals, to become electrified
into a state of wild excitement. If a person has a single
animal on leash, the chances are that he is caught un-
prepared and the next moment finds himself without a
dog or being dragged violently along on his stomach : if
he is with a team harnessed to a heavy sledge, a load
which a moment before appeared to be taking all heart
out of the animals, becomes the merest bagatelle, and
he is lucky if he has time to add his own weight and
so prevent himself from being left behind.
In the early part of the winter, when the seals came
up frequently, loose dogs immediately made for their
haunts, and the distant furious barking would soon tell
what was going forward. We did our best to capture
these stray animals and prevent the slaughter of the un-
fortunate seals, but of course we were not always success-
ful, and more than one lifeless form was found to tell the
tale of these ravages. In each case the wretched seal had
been literally worried to death ; there were no wounds on
the body worth mentioning — in fact, the hide is far too
thick and tough for a dog's teeth to penetrate. The fiends
must have danced round their unfortunate victim, rushing
in and snapping at him from every side and giving him
not an instant's peace until life was extinct. The tor-
1902] 'SHORT COMMONS' 389
mentors did not attempt, and in fact it is doubtful if they
would have been able, to feed off their victim. Soon after
he ceased to show sport they must have quietly trotted
away in search of fresh excitement. The fact that they
cannot get food in this manner is a distinct advantage, as
it means that they are forced eventually to come back to
the ship.'
Later on a rather curious incident occurred in this
connection. A few days before the dog team was
required for a sledge trip to the south, the masters of
two dogs — ' Birdie,' a powerful, timid, nervous beast,
and ' Snatcher,' a lighter-built animal — took them for a
walk on leash, and after a time somewhat stupidly let
them run with their chains, thinking that thus handi-
capped they could be caught again without difficulty ;
but the animals, rejoicing in their freedom, soon disap-
peared from sight. Days went by and there was no
sign of them, and finally, much to my annoyance I had
to start without them. On my return a fortnight later, I
learnt that after a long absence ' Snatcher ' had suddenly
appeared, very worn out, thin, and hungry ; and guessing
seals were at the bottom of the trouble, a search party had
gone some way along the coast to the north and even-
tually discovered ' Birdie ' in a starving condition and
pinned close down to the snow by his chain, which was
solidly frozen beneath the body of a huge dead seal.
The dogs must have worried the seal to death, and
in the scrimmage the latter must have rolled over
' Birdie's ' chain, holding him a fast prisoner ; but it is
curious that he lay there and starved within reach of
390 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [August
plenty, and one wonders also how long the other animal
voluntarily submitted to starvation rather than desert his
companion. One never quite learns what are the rights
of a story like this in real life.
'August 19. — From the hills to-day I was astonished
to see that there was open water within nine or ten miles
of us. It cuts round close to the islets in Erebus Bay
and sweeps in a curve across the strait ; and although
young ice is again forming, not a scrap of the old can be
seen beyond this line. I do not think that a ship was
ever frozen in in polar regions with the sea so constantly
and completely clearing within view ; and wholly igno-
rant as we were of these conditions on our arrival, it is
certainly providential that we should have fallen on such
a secure spot for our winter quarters. Except, perhaps,
for New Harbour on the opposite side of the strait, I
doubt if there is a place for many miles where we could
have lain without being subject to appalling dangers and
difficulties. During the gales our over-bold members
have had difficulty in finding their way back to the ship
over the solid firm floe : what would have been their
case if these same gales had broken up the floe and
swept it away to the north ?
' Shackleton has invented a new sledge, or rather a
vehicle to answer the same purpose, much to the amuse-
ment of his messmates, who scoff unmercifully. The
manufacture of this strange machine has been kept the
profoundest secret between the inventor and the maker,
our excellent carpenter. It was to burst suddenly on our
awestruck world, to carry immediate conviction as it
[See p. 388.
A WEDDELL SEAL ANNOYED.
It will be seen how ill adapted his teeth are for defence.
:
SHACKLETON'S PATENT.
The figure shows typical winter clothing, with Russian felt boots.
i9o2] A QUEER INVENTION 391
trundled easily over the floe, to revolutionise all ideas of
polar travelling, and once and for all to wipe the obsolete
sledge from off the surface of the snow. An inventor in
our community can make certain of receiving critical
attention and outspoken advice, and in this case there
was no reticence at all. Advice was most freely given,
but it was generally to the effect that it would be kind
to remove such an eyesore by immediate burial and
oblivion. But the inventor refused to be drawn, and
rolled his machine with difficulty, but with the light of
enthusiasm still burning in his eye. It was the queerest
sort of arrangement, consisting of two rum-barrels placed
one in front of the other and acting as wheels to a frame-
work on which the load was intended to be placed ; the
manner in which the whole machine wobbled as it was
pushed forward on such ungainly rollers can be well
imagined. This new toy continued to give pleasure to
the inventor, and incidentally to many others, for some
hours ; and as I came in, Barne was assisting Shackleton
to rig it with the dinghy's sails — I do not know with
what success, but I can very well imagine.'
Of course this machine was very soon neglected and
forgotten, but in justice to the inventor it ought to be
added that there were times when the snow surface about
us was so hard that it would have been quite possible to
resort to wheeled traffic, and I am sure that for many
purposes a very light cart with broad-tyred wheels
would have been extremely useful. But I cannot con-
ceive that a rum-cask would ever prove a desirable
addition to a vehicle !
392 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [August
1 August 21, — . . . The sun returns to us to-day,
but, alas and alack ! we could get no sight of it. A few
hours of calm in the morning were succeeded by whirl-
ing snow-squalls from the south, and each lull was
followed by a wild burst of wind. I was glad enough to
have everyone on board under such unsettled conditions,
and at noon, when we had hoped to be far over the hills,
we could see only vast sheets of gleaming snow.
'August 22. — . . . An ideal day for our first view
of the long-absent sun : the sky was gloriously clear, and
in its vaulted arch the strong returning light of day hid
all except the brightest stars, and these wore but a pale
semblance of their winter aspect. The air was mild and
the temperature ranging up to 50, as, in high spirits,
many of the officers started to mount the steep hill-
slopes, determined to have a good look at our long-
absent friend. I went myself to the top of Crater Hill,
a thousand feet above the floe, to watch for the returning
orb ; at noon, when it was due north, it rested behind
the long foot-slope of Erebus, but as it travelled west-
ward its altitude decreased far less rapidly than that of
the slope, and gradually the refracted glowing ellipse
crept from behind that obstacle and stood clear, dazzling
our unaccustomed sight with its brilliancy. For long our
blinking eyes remained fixed on that golden ball and on
the fiery track of its reflection ; we seemed to bathe in
that brilliant flood of light, and from its flashing rays to
drink in new life, new strength, and new hope. This
glorious sun was bringing the light of day and some
measure of warmth to the bleak, desolate region about
i9o2] VIEW FROM OUR HILLS 393
us, and heaven only knows how far prophetic thoughts
took us over its trackless wastes before those beneficent
rays should again vanish and sombre darkness once more
descend. And so we gazed, saying little but thinking
much, until the chill of the air reminded us that, however
great the promise, summer itself was not yet upon us.
' With full daylight each detail of our landscape once
more stands clear, and the view from Crater Hill is
magnificent.
4 From Arrival Bay a line of rocky ridges runs
towards Castle Rock, facing the north-west and gradually
rising in height, with four distinct eminences, of which
two are well-formed craters ; the fourth is almost on a
level with Crater Hill, and therefore nearly touches the
sky-line ; behind it Castle Rock, rising to 1,350 feet,
shows in sharp precipitous outline, a black shadow
against the snowy background of Erebus. It is a high,
hilly country, this foreground, with many a black mass
of rock and many a slope of smooth white snow ; in
itself it might be called a fine rugged scene, but how
dwarfed it all is by that mighty mountain behind, which,
in spite of its twenty geographical miles of distance, seems
to frown down on us. Even Castle Rock, with its near
bold eminence, is but a pigmy to this giant mass, which
from its broad spreading foot-slopes rises, with fold on fold
of snowy whiteness, to its crater summit, where, 13,000
feet above the sea, it is crowned with a golden cloud of
rolling vapour.
' The eastern slope of Erebus dips to a high saddle-
backed divide, beyond which the snowy outline rises
394 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
to the summit of Terror, whence a long slope runs
gradually down to sea-level far to the east. From
point to point these two huge mountains fill up nearly
900 of our horizon, and from this southern side offer
almost a complete prospect of snow-covered land.
Beyond Castle Rock commences the low isthmus which
connects our small peninsula to the main island, and as
it bends slightly to the east it can be seen from Crater
Hill. In running towards the right slope of Erebus and
gradually broadening to its foot-slopes, it sweeps out on
either side a huge bay.
■ The eastern bay is filled with the perpetual level plain
of the fast barrier-ice ; scarce a vestige of bare rock is
to be seen in the vast extent of its coastline, and it would
appear that climatic conditions have rendered it a focus
for snow, though an area little swept by wind ; the mere
view in this direction suggests the idea, and the experi-
ence of the Terror sledge party goes far to substantiate it.
1 The western bay is cleared of ice in the summer ; its
northern limit is marked by a bare rocky cape, and in a
few other spots on its coastline the bare rock stands
boldly out. Three black volcanic islets stand well within
its shelter, and it is to these that the open water has
extended since the late gales. This open water is now
again frozen over, but the dark colour of the young ice
forms a strong contrast to the older snow-covered
surface, and this darker shade stretches to the north-west
beyond sight.
' Looking to the eastward from Crater Hill, one has
Pram Point almost beneath one's feet, and one gets a
D^tvutj. Til— u . * wV^ ■He,3k'3 • K. v^, s— <"«r- *
VIEW FEOM CEATEE HILL.
it ttirfT.u* CJv>>-t
U^b -
r<
z&S&'&t' "''■*?
e^'15^
tor7>wti
OBSEEVATION HILL AND THE GAP.
i902] HIDDEN MYSTERIES 395
good view of the regular parallel ridges that fringe the
coast ; beyond these ridges stretches the immeasurable
barrier surface, limited to the eye by one long clear sweep
of perfectly regular horizon stretching from the eastern
slopes of Terror through more than 700 of arc to the
eastern slope of White Island. Beyond this long stretch
of uniformity the eye can follow the sky-line over the
three comparatively low craters of the White Island, till
it dips once more for a short space to the horizontal, and
rises over the sharp steep end of the distant bluff. One
is now looking south, in the direction which involves
most of our hopes and fears ; and as one gazes on the
light shades of the distant snow-fields, one realises the
impotence of speculating on what may lie beyond, and
grows ever more impatient for the hour when we shall
march forth with the high hope of solving the mystery.
' Leaving the south once more, the eye, following
the sky-line, passes on over the high outline of Black
Island, if island it is, and then rises and traverses the
lofty peaked cone of Mount Discovery, from which it
falls slightly to an elevated saddle-back ; and then sud-
denly it travels to a far greater distance, and towards
the south-west it rests on very distant hills in front
of which a huge glacier descends to sea-level. Here
one pauses to consider, for this also may be a direction of
promise. Can this be the road to the west, the path by
which we shall pierce that rock-bound coastline ? Again
one sees the futility of speculation : we must go and see.
1 Meanwhile the eye has passed on to scan that great
frowning range of mountains to the west which has
396 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [August
looked down on us in such ghostly, weird fashion through-
out the winter months. Seen now in the daylight, what
a wild confusion of peaks and precipices, foothills, snow-
fields, and glaciers it presents ! How vast it all is ! and
how magnificent must be those mountains when one is
close beneath them ! But what of our travellers to the
west ? Here the sky-line runs from peak to peak with
ridges that can rarely dip below 12,000 feet, and it is
beyond hope that they can scale to such heights.
■ But northward of west these lofty ridges fall again,
and the ranges which stretch on beyond till they are
lost in the fiery glow of the sun are lower than
this monstrous pile to the west. Perhaps it is in
this direction that we shall conquer the western land.
It is to the west more than anywhere one realises the
impossibility of understanding the conditions until our
parties have been forth to face them ; that there will be
immense difficulties there can be little doubt. To ex-
pect to find a smooth and even road in that great chaos
of hills and glaciers would be to expect the impossible,
and I feel that if we ever do get beyond those mountains
we shall have deserved well of our country.
' Not more than fifteen miles away in this direction
one can see the long shadow marking the decayed pin-
nacled ice which puzzled us so much as we approached
our winter quarters. One cannot trace the position and
direction of its origin, but if, as we suppose, it is a dis-
charge of the inland-ice, and if it continues as we saw
it at the end, it is certain to form a most formidable
obstacle to our western exploration.
CASTLE ROCK FROM ARRIVAL HEIGHTS.
EXTINCT CRATERS ABOUT WINTER QUARTERS.
i902] GORGEOUS SUNLIGHT EFFECTS 397
* Finally, from the vantage point of Crater Hill one
can now obtain an excellent bird's-eye view of our own
snug winter quarters. Even from this distance the
accumulation of snow which has caused us so much
trouble can be seen ; the ship looks to be half buried,
and a white mantle has spread over the signs of our
autumn labours and over the masses of refuse ahead of
the ship. Hodgson's biological shelters show as faint
shadowed spots, and numerous sharp black dots show
that our people are abroad and that work is being pushed
ahead.
' Over all the magnificent view, the sunlight spreads
with gorgeous effect after its long absence ; a soft
pink envelops the western ranges, a brilliant red gold
covers the northern sky ; to the north also each crystal
of snow sparkles with reflected light. The sky shows
every gradation of light and shade ; little flakes of
golden sunlit cloud float against the pale blue heaven,
and seem to hover in the middle heights, whilst far
above them a feathery white cirrus shades to grey on
its unlit sides.
1 Returning to the floes about one o'clock, inspired
by the scenes which we had just witnessed, we in-
formed the men that the sun could now be seen from
Hut Point. To our astonishment there was little or no
enthusiasm. Everyone seemed extremely pleased to
hear it was there, and glad to think that it had kept its
appointment so punctually ; but, after all, they had seen
the sun a good many times before, and in the next few
months they were likely to see it a good many times
398 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [August
again — there was no object in getting excited about it ;
so a few set off at a run for the point, some followed
at a walk, as it seemed the right thing to do, but a good
number remained on board and had their dinner. It is
perhaps as well that we do not all take our pleasures in
the same way or rejoice in the same sentiments, and, at
any rate, it is evident that those who can so passively
observe the coming day cannot have been deeply affected
by the vanishing night'
'August 23. — A glorious morning ; have been away
over the hills, clambering along Arrival ridges on the
sharp angular stones heedless of the wear of my finne-
skoes, and sliding down the snow-slopes regardless of
the wear on other articles of clothing. This latter has
been a very common practice of mine during the winter ;
on the smooth hard snow one can get up a capital speed
without the assistance of a toboggan, but the practice
has meant the frequent renewal of a patch behind.
1 The air to-day was splendidly exhilarating, with a
temperature of — io° and a wind just sufficiently keen to
make climbing a pleasure. Erebus showed a column
of golden smoke rising perpendicularly for about five
hundred feet and then streaming horizontally to the east ;
to have had this splendid beacon giving throughout our
winter a continuous record of the upper air currents is
luck indeed.
' What unique and glorious mountains we have about
us ! Nowhere else can there be such vast masses
snowed to the base, and hence possibly nowhere such
great altitudes above the snow-line. One wonders
CO
D
W
W
H
55
P
C
o
w
c
w
EC
C
h
u
i902] DISENCHANTMENT 399
when the mountaineer, having conquered all the peaks
of the known world, will descend on this lonely region,
for here indeed lies a field where the boldness of man
might have play for many a year ; as parties could be
left and relieved in successive seasons with practical
certainty, the idea is by no means inconceivable.
' To-day one could see the islets to the north looking
very black and grim ; besides the group of three or four
some ten miles away, there is a curious turtle-backed
rock not more than three or four miles from Castle Rock,
and far across the strait I could count five distinct islets
bearing about W. by N. A low bank of cloud to the
north shut out the sun, whose position was only marked
by the intensity of the golden-red glow above : small
fleecy intermediate clouds were floating about Erebus,
golden or grey as they passed from light to shadow.
' The scene is so rarely beautiful that on the hill-
tops one seems to breathe inspiration from the keen
air and one's thoughts are compelled to soar out of the
commoit groove ; but as one descends to the ship they
fall back on the more practical details of our life, and
little remains in the memory. Here below the broad
light of day has revealed not a little that is ugly. The
ugliness lay concealed under the glamour of the dim
mysterious twilight, but now the traces of man are all
too obvious : here is a little heap of dirty rubbish, there
an empty tin with a gaudy label, and everywhere the
soil of traffic staining the purity of the snow. It is all
a little too much like a Bank-holiday picnic.
* It is a curious fact that throughout the winter most
4oo THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [August
of the officers have preferred to take their walks alone.
Many, no doubt, would think that the fact was by no
means curious, and that one would naturally wish to
escape from companionship which he was so constantly
forced to endure ; and, indeed, before we sailed I con-
stantly heard the remark, (i How sick you will get of one
another ! " As a matter of fact, we are not at all sick of
each other's company, and if it transpires that the plans
of two individuals coincide as regards the day's walk,
they are only too delighted to go together. The real
reason for separation is that plans rarely do coincide.
Nearly everyone likes to walk with an object, and no two
people have precisely the same object, and if they have,
it is probably not convenient to their work to leave the
ship at the same hour. It has also to be remembered
that when two persons are muffled up with little showing
but their noses, conversation can only be carried on with
difficulty, and an argument is impossible.'
'August 25. — . . . Yesterday we kept the Feast of
the Sun, and celebrated it with an excellent dinner.
Turtle soup, tinned fish, seal cutlets, and mutton, washed
down with " Heidsieck, '95." The warrant officers joined
us at dinner, and afterwards we had the usual small con-
cert, and proceedings were kept up late and with the
greatest hilarity. Armitage brewed punch, but after
previous experience few were rash enough to partake of
it, and the few are repenting heartily to day.
' Everywhere on board now is stir and excitement ;
sledges are being put together, provisions weighed out,
dog-harness prepared, fur clothing overhauled, and each
i902] PREPARATIONS FOR SLEDGING 401
item of equipment carefully reconsidered. Everything is
being pushed forward for a start on Monday next ; the
first party away, others will quickly follow, and soon, it
is to be hoped, our travelling will be in full swing.'
'August 29. — . . . For some time past it has been
amusing on entering the warm, comfortable living-quar-
ters, to see the table strewn with garments, reels of
cotton, skeins of thread, tape, thimbles, packets of needles,
and every other necessary of the tailor's art, and to see
gathered around the table our whole company plying their
needles as though they were being sweated by some
iron-handed taskmaster. Indeed, I am not sure that
this is not the case : if we consider " King Frost " as a
taskmaster, he is certainly an exacting one. This sort
of thing is bound to go on until we actually start on our
journeys, because no one is ever quite satisfied with what
he has made, and when a garment is completed there is
always some suggested alteration that promises to be a
slight improvement ; and after the spring journeys, when
we have had more experience, the probability is that
nearly everything will be altered again. However, it is
very cheering to see so much enthusiasm displayed, and
it augurs well for our work that everyone should be
taking it so seriously, and should be so evidently bent
on making it a success.
' So our only sewing-machine clatters away all day
long, whilst bent figures are stitching busily, and the
whole ship is alive with the bustle of our active prepara-
tions. I have issued orders for sledging to commence
vol. 1. d D
402 THE- VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
next week, and for the gear to be ready for packing on
Monday.'
'Monday, September i. — ... All will be ready for
a start to-morrow. The wind has sprung up again, but
it is comparatively mild, and we are packing the sledges.
To-morrow at this hour I hope we shall be spinning
along to the north with the dogs, to test our arrange-
ments, the climatic conditions, and the discipline of the
animals ; whilst Armitage and Barne, with a party of ten
men, go forth on a similar errand, as well as to bring
back the depot which we established last year under such
uncomfortable conditions. From this commencement we
shall work up to our more ambitious projects.'
So now the long winter, with its darkness and forced
inactivity, was at an end. Although our faces looked
pale and white in the glare of the returning day, beneath
the pallor lay every evidence of unimpaired vitality ; and,
believing ourselves to be in the perfection of health,
as we were of spirits, all thoughts turned to the coming
season and to prospects which could look nothing but
bright and hopeful.
SHIP AT THE END OF THE WINTEE.
1902] 403
CHAPTER X
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF SLEDGE TRAVELLING
History of Polar Sledge Travelling — Early English Sledge Travellers —
ross — McClintock — Peary — Nansen — Visit to Christiania — Difficulties
in Selecting Articles of Equipment — Comparison of Sledging Conditions
in the North and South Polar Regions — Objects of the Sledge Traveller
— Description of our Equipment — The Sledge — The Tent — The Sleeping-
bag — Sledging-food — Calculation of Allowances — Packing — Cooking-
apparatus — Cooking-lamp — Permanent Weights of a Sledge Party —
Spare Clothing— Medical Bag — Details Concerning Clothing and General
Equipment.
Much more in this great work should we survey
The plot of situation, and its model,
Question surveyors, know our estate,
How able such a work to undertake.— Shakespeare.
It may be fairly claimed that polar sledging is an
English production ; it is the direct outcome of that
feverish energy in exploration which has distinguished
our race for so many centuries and has led them to
the performance of such glorious pioneer work within
the Arctic Circle. To give my readers some idea of the
history of sledge travelling, I cannot do better than quote
the words of one who had perhaps the largest share in
its making, and who gave more care and attention to the
subject than has anyone before or since. The following
words were written by Sir Leopold McClintock more
than thirty years ago, and give a good idea of the
D D 2
404 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
conditions under which this mode of travelling was
evolved, the objects it sought to accomplish, and the
state of perfection to which it had then been brought :
1 In early Arctic voyaging the ship alone was relied
upon for penetrating into unknown seas ; it was not until
the second and third voyages of Parry and the second
voyage of Sir John Ross — that is, between 1821 and 1834
— that sledging was commenced and a number of short
journeys were made, mainly by the assistance of the
Esquimaux, whose methods were closely observed and
more or less imitated.
4 But our seamen had not yet familiarised themselves
with the idea that it was quite possible for well-equipped
Europeans not only to exist, but to travel in an Arctic
climate, as well as the Esquimaux themselves ; and it
was not until the Franklin Search Expeditions were
sent out, between 1848 and 1854, that men seriously
reflected upon the possibility of any extensive explora-
tion on foot ; and no more powerful incentive could have
been imagined to rouse the utmost energies of the
searchers than the protracted absence of the missing
expedition.
' The endurance of the hardiest was called forth, and
the talent of invention evoked and stimulated, until at
length a system of sledging was elaborated such as I will
now proceed to describe.
1 . . . The late Sir James Ross, who had served with
very great credit in all the six voyages of Parry and
John Ross from 18 18 to 1834, formed the connecting link
between them and the searching expeditions which com-
i902] SIR L. McCLINTOCK ON SLEDGING 405
menced in 1848, and the first of which he commanded.
He was acquainted with the flat sledges of the Hudson
Bay Territory, which alone can be used in deep soft
snow, gliding as they do over its surface ; he was also
acquainted with the Greenland dog sledge, with its high
narrow runners shod with ivory or bone, and which cuts
down through the usually thin layer of snow and runs
upon the ice beneath ; he was familiar with the various
modifications of these typical forms which had been
used in the Arctic expeditions of Parry and John Ross.
' He had moreover made several journeys with the
natives of Boothia Felix, culminating in his discovery
of the Magnetic Pole, and on one of these journeys he
was absent from his ship for the then unprecedented
period of twenty-nine days. It was under his directions
that our sledges and tents were made in 1848 ; and these
designs, with comparatively slight modifications, have
continued in favour in all subsequent expeditions.
1 The tent requires little description. It is a
pent-roof about seven feet high along the ridge, sup-
ported on boarding pikes or poles crossed at each end,
and covering an oblong space sufficient to enclose the
party when closely packed together ; its duty is merely
to afford shelter from the wind and snowdrift. . . .
The sledge is a more important article of equip-
ment. That which our experience has proved to be
the most suitable is a large runner sledge ; the run-
ners are rather broad — that is, three inches — and they
stand high, carrying the lading about a foot above the
ice. An average sledge is three feet wide and ten feet
406 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
long, and is drawn by seven men. It is constructed with
only just so much strength as is absolutely necessary,
since every pound of weight saved in wood and iron
enables so much more provisions to be carried. All our
sledges have been drawn by the seamen, and the labour
of doing so is most excessive. The first sledge expedi-
tion in the search for Franklin was led by Sir James
Ross in person. By very great efforts a distance out and
home of 500 statute miles was accomplished in forty
days ; but out of the twelve picked men by whom the
two sledges were drawn five were completely knocked
up, and every man required a considerable time under
medical care to recruit his strength after this lengthened
period of intense labour, constant exposure, and insuffi-
cient food.
4 It is necessary to apprehend clearly the nature of
the surface over which our sledges had to travel. People
unacquainted with the subject commonly fall into one or
the other extreme, and suppose that we either skate over
glassy ice or walk on snow-shoes over snow of any con-
ceivable depth. Salt-water ice is not so smooth as to be
slippery ; to skate upon it is very possible, though very
fatiguing. But hardly is the sea frozen over when the
snow falls and remains upon it all the winter. When it
first falls the snow is soft and perhaps a foot or fifteen
inches deep ; but it is blown about by every wind until,
having become like the finest sand and hardened under
a severe temperature, it consolidates into a covering of a
few inches in depth and becomes so compact that the
sledge-runner does not sink more than an inch or so. , . .
i902] SIR L. McCLINTOCK ON SLEDGING 407
This expanse of snow is rarely smooth ; its surface is
broken into ridges or furrows by the strong winds.
These ridges are the sastrugi of Admiral Wrangell ; and
although the inequalities are seldom more than a foot
high, they add greatly to the labour of travelling, espe-
cially when obliged to cross them at right angles, . . .
' . . . Having accompanied Sir James Ross on his
sledge journey in 1849, I was entrusted with the pre-
parations for sledge-travelling in the second and third
search expeditions under Austin and Belcher ; and this
method now became recognised as an important feature
of these voyages.
' The utmost attention was devoted to the travelling
equipments and the methods adopted by Wrangell and
other distinguished Arctic travellers ; and the spring
parties of the second expedition set out in 1 851 on
April 15, instead of May 15 as in 1849, and sledges
carrying forty days' provisions were dragged with less
labour than thirty days' rations had previously oc-
casioned. Moreover, the allowance was a more liberal
one. The result was a corresponding increase of work
done — one party remaining absent for eighty days and
making a journey of 900 miles. But in 1853 and 1854
the sledge parties of the third searching expedition did
still better service — one party accomplished about 1,400
miles in 105 days. Another party, having several depots
along its line of route and favourable circumstances gene-
rally, travelled nearly 1,350 in seventy days.'
From the above it will be clearly seen that to the
English explorers of the early nineteenth century belongs
408 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
the honour of being the first to discover that, again to
quote Sir Leopold, ' the ice which arrests the progress of
the ship forms the highway for the sledge'; they were
the first civilised beings to use that highway, and on it
they accomplished work which has remained, and will
probably remain, unsurpassed. Of his own share in this
development Sir Leopold speaks most modestly, but a
comparison of the periods of absence and the distances
covered by the parties of the 1853 expedition with
similar records in 1849 are sufficient to show how great
it was, more especially when it is known that it was he
himself who conducted the longest journey of the later
expedition.
To realise the great revolution which had been
effected in Arctic exploration, it has but to be considered
that in 1820 the fact of an explorer venturing beyond
his ice-bound ship had barely been considered, whereas
little more than thirty years later it could be written of
these far Northern regions : 'It is now a comparatively
easy matter to start with six or eight men and six or
seven wTeeks' provisions, and to travel some 600 miles
across snowy wastes and frozen seas from which no
sustenance can be obtained.'
Although these sledging records of half a century
ago have not been surpassed, it would be incorrect to
say that there has been no improvement in sledging
methods ; with the march of the times and the advance
of mechanical skill many details have been improved,
whilst the comfort of the sledge-traveller has been
increased and his hardships mitigated ; but that the
1902] LATER DEVELOPMENTS 409
fundamental principles have remained unaltered is suf-
ficiently proved by the figures.
Since the high-tide mark of 1853 England has not
maintained her reputation in the sledging world ; one
effort of importance alone has been made — when in
1875 the 'Alert' and 'Discovery' were sent forth.
The sledging outfit of this expedition was again ar-
ranged by Sir Leopold McClintock, but the margins
of strength and safety were rather enlarged, so that in
many respects the equipment had retrograded. In spite
of this, long journeys were made in very adverse
circumstances ; and had the expedition been able to con-
tinue its work for more than a single year, improvements
in the outfit would doubtless have been tried and further
advancements suggested. In the last years of the
century the Jackson- Harmsworth expedition spent three
winters in Franz- Josef Land and carried out several
sledge expeditions with dogs and ponies ; but here, again,
the effort was not sufficiently sustained to add greatly to
our knowledge.
Since 1853 whatever improvement has been made in
sledging methods has been developed abroad, and it is
abroad therefore that the modern traveller must look for
all that is latest and best in this respect. But here also he
is met by a want of continuity and system ; and whilst he
pauses to admire the splendid efforts of individual travel-
lers he cannot but deplore the absence of a more systematic
correlation of their experiences, enabling each to benefit
more fully by the difficulties which his predecessor con
quered. Notwithstanding this drawback, however, there
410 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
is much to be learnt from these experiences : the inquirer
will at least have embarked on a history of absorbing in-
terest, and he cannot but emerge a wiser man if he follows
it through the wild and sometimes tragic expeditions of
the latter half of the nineteenth century and studies the
historic journeys of such great explorers as Peary and
Fridtjof Nansen.
The sledge equipment which we took to the South
was the result of much consultation ; in arranging it, I
had to depend largely on the experience of others, and
especially on the experience of one, Mr. Armitage, whose
interests were identified with the expedition. From the
commencement of that busy year of preparation which
preceded the departure of the expedition, when on my
own inexperienced shoulders alone rested the responsi-
bility of every department of an undertaking of such
considerable magnitude, I realised the primary importance
of an efficient sledging outfit, and I strove to glean from
every source such information as should serve to see us
properly provided in this respect.
The difficulties were great. In England a quarter of a
century had elapsed since sledging expeditions of magni-
tude had been accomplished, and during that time not a
single sledge, and very few portions of a sledge equipment,
had been made in this country. The popular accounts of
former expeditions were not written with a view to supply
the minute detail that was required, and no memory could
be expected to retain these details after the lapse of such
a time : the art was lost. But, fortunately, the genius
of Nansen had transferred it or built up a new art in
i9o2] VISIT TO CHRISTIANIA 411
Norway. Having modernised the methods of the older
English sledge- travellers, he had gathered about him a
small body of tradesmen cognisant of his ideas and
capable of carrying them out. Christiania had become,
so to speak, the centre of the sledging industry, and within
easy reach of the city lived and worked the man who
had made it so, always ready to give advice and assist-
ance to all who needed it, and always ready to help those
who, like myself, were embarking on the field of explora
tion in which he had played so eminent a part.
In the autumn of 1900 I visited Christiania, and in
Nansen's company interviewed the various tradesmen who
worked under his superintendence, whilst obtaining many
a practical hint from the explorer himself. But now, as
always, Nansen was an extremely busy man, and, kind
and considerate as he was, it was impossible not to realise
that one was robbing him of hours which he could ill
afford to spare.
Moreover, my own work was of such a nature as
to necessitate haste ; with so much to be done in
England delay was not permissible, and much as I
should have liked to linger and increase my knowledge
in this province, I was forced to curtail my visit to
the shortest possible limits. However, I had learnt
enough to give me a practical idea of the basis on which
our equipment should be collected. It seemed evident
that we should have to purchase in Norway some impor-
tant part of our outfit, but I saw no reason why the main
portion should not be made underour own superintendence
in England, provided we could supply patterns or full
4i2 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
instructions to the makers. Sledges, ski, and furs
could be made and supplied from Norway at a price
and of a quality which we could not hope to equal in
England, even had we been prepared to issue the fullest
instructions and specifications, which we were not. On
the other hand, tents, clothing, cooking-apparatus, and
other details could be obtained in London if the necessary
superintendence were available.
Having some ideas and notes as to what our require-
ments were, the question now in my mind was how
these ideas should be put into effect ; with such a vast
amount of work connected with other departments, I
could not possibly devote the necessary time to these
details, and even had I attempted to do so I should
have been handicapped at every turn by my want of
practical experience. I was for some time in this
dilemma before Sir Clements Markham forwarded me
a letter written by Mr. Armitage, who was at that
time serving in the P. and O. service in the Far East.
Armitage, as I knew, had served in the Jackson- Harms-
worth Expedition, but it was not until I read this letter
that I realised how invaluable such an experience might
be ; the letter was written with the intention of suggest-
ing the lines on which our sledging outfit should be
prepared, and I saw at once that it contained the ideas at
which I had been so ineffectually attempting to grasp.
Armitage met me on his return to England, and agreed
to serve as second in command of the expedition, provided
the permission of his directors could be obtained. This
was granted, and within the month, after numerous con-"
i902] SLEDGING CONDITIONS COMPARED 413
sultations, Armitage was in full direction of that important
part of our preparation the sledging outfit. Time was
all too short for the excessive care and attention that were
needed, but, thanks to untiring efforts, we had collected
all that was necessary in this respect before the expedi-
tion left the London Docks in July 1901.
In describing the various articles of this equipment,
I shall explain in some detail their origin, and endeavour
to point out in what respects they suited our purpose,
and in what respects they failed. It must be remem-
bered that in making long sledge journeys in the South
we had no previous experience to go on except that
which had been gained in the North ; we were forced to
assume that Southern conditions were more or less
similar to those of the North, and in so far as they proved
different our sledging outfit ran the risk of failure.
We found, in fact, that in many respects our sledging
conditions differed from those in the North, and it is just
to consider all our sledge journeys as pioneer efforts. It
is perhaps as well to indicate these differences here ;
they are essentially climatic and geographical.
In regard to climate, the conditions in the South
are more severe than those in the North ; the spring
temperatures are lower, and the summer temperatures
far lower. The early spring travellers in the North have
rarely recorded a temperature below — 500, whereas with
our early parties the thermometer frequently fell below
— 6o°, and at its lowest stood at —68°; in the Arctic
summer travellers have experienced temperatures of
+ 400 and even + 500, whilst in the height of our
4H THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
Southern summer the thermometer rarely rose above
freezing-point, even on the great snow-plains adjacent
to the sea-level ; and when we were forced to explore at
great altitudes, we were fortunate if it showed higher
than — io° at this season.
The effect of these generally low temperatures was
naturally to increase the hardships to which the sledge-
travellers were exposed, and of which so much has been
written, while it is doubtful whether we could have so well
withstood this greater intensity of cold had we not been
possessed of those improvements to the sledging outfit
which have been added in the years that have elapsed
since the great English journeys of 1850. But the low
summer temperature has one advantage, although we
were not fated to gain greatly by it, in that the snowy
surface of the sea-ice never gets into that sodden, slushy
condition which obtains in the latter part of the Northern
summer, and which prevents sledging operations being
undertaken after the month of June in the Arctic Regions.
Except in a few places where dust or grit has been
blown on to it, the surface of the Southern sea-ice re-
mains hard throughout the summer ; and as there are
many places where it does not break up until the latter
part of February, it is quite possible to conceive sledging
being carried on over its surface until that month, which
corresponds with the Northern August.
A circumstance, however, that is far more objection-
able to the Southern traveller than the extremity of tem-
perature is the frequency of wind. It is perhaps too
broad a generalisation to say that Arctic journeys have
i9o2] NORTH VERSUS SOUTH 415
usually been made under fine-weather conditions, but
few, if any, Arctic travellers have been subjected to the
distressing frequency of blizzards and strong winds that
added so much to our discomfort in the South. Here
again, therefore, the Southern traveller is at a disadvan-
tage from a climatic point of view, and the effect is to
increase his discomforts and reduce the distance he is
able to march, for it is only on the very rare occasions on
which a sail may be used that wind brings any com-
pensating advantage. In general, therefore, from a
climatic point of view, the South is at a considerable
disadvantage as compared with the North in sledge-
travelling.
The geographical difference between the work of the
Northern and the Southern sledge-traveller is as great
as the climatic, if not greater. With the exception of
Nansen's and Peary's journeys into the interior of
Greenland, the sledge journeys of the North have almost
invariably been performed over level if not smooth sea-
ice, and it is especially to be remembered that those
record journeys to which Sir Leopold McClintock refers
were made amongst the frozen channels of an archi-
pelago. If sea-ice is much broken up and hummocked,
it may constitute one of the worst travelling surfaces,
but if it is smooth it is undoubtedly the best that
exists. In very general terms, therefore, with the ex-
ceptions I have mentioned, the travelling of the North
has been carried on over a comparatively good sur-
face, and those travellers who constitute the exception
in having ventured on the inland surfaces have made it
4i6 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
abundantly clear that the difficulties are far more
formidable than are found on anything but the most
hummocked sea-ice. Turning now to the South, it will
be seen that everywhere the explorers' ship is brought
up by solid land or by some mighty wall resembling that
of the Great Ice Barrier ; to pass beyond his ship, there-
fore, the explorer must either travel over land or over
great and ancient snow-fields which possess a similar
surface. Judging from our present knowledge of the
Antarctic Regions, it is doubtful whether extensive
journeys will ever be made over the sea-ice.
We have, therefore, this great geographical difference
between the North and the South : the greater part of
Northern travelling has been and will be done on sea-ice,
but the greater part of Southern travelling has been and
will be done over land surfaces, or what in this respect
are their equivalents.
The relative merits of these surfaces, always excepting
the very rough hummocked sea-ice, is a matter which
has been placed beyond doubt by travellers in the North,
and hence it is of interest to relate our own experience
with regard to it. On travelling over the Great Barrier
to the south, I was constantly impressed by recognising
the difficulties of surface so graphically described by
Nansen in his ( First Crossing of Greenland,' and I came
to the conclusion that the conditions were very similar.
But I was still more impressed by the obvious impossi-
bility of dragging a sledge over such a surface at the rate
maintained by the old English travellers on the Northern
sea-ice. I was so exercised on this score that I was
1902] DIFFICULTIES OF THE BARRIER 41;
forced to wonder whether it might not be our own
incapacity for walking that caused us to fall so far short
of those old records, and the thought that the British
race of explorers had deteriorated so rapidly and so
completely in stamina was by no means a pleasant one.
In the following year, in carrying out our exploration to
the west, I made no fewer than six crossings over the sea-
ice of the strait, a distance of about forty-five statute
miles, and the mystery was revealed when we found that
we could cover this distance with full weights in two and
a half days, while with light weights we actually got
across in one and a half day, covering over thirty-six
miles in a single day.
It was consoling to be free from immediate alarm in
regard to our racial stamina, but a flood of light was
thrown on the comparatively difficult nature of the barrier
surface ; we saw that the difficulties we had met in
crossing it were by no means existent only in our
imagination. The barrier surface varied greatly, but,
taking an average condition, I doubt whether we should
have approached twenty miles over it by expending an
equal amount of energy to that which gave us the thirty-
six miles over the sea-ice. This argues a great differ-
ence, and it is one that cannot be wholly explained. Of
course the primary condition of importance on which the
excellence of a surface depends is its relative hardness.
The snow surface of the sea-ice, when we crossed it so
rapidly, was so hard that the sledges left but a faint
track ; at the same time, it was not too hard to prevent
one's fur-clad foot from getting some grip at each step.
vol. 1. E E
418 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
On the other hand, the sledges always left a well-marked
track in the barrier surface, and at each step one sank
ankle-deep and sometimes even deeper. But this is by
no means the only factor that governs a surface ; wind,
sun, temperature, and the age of the snowfall are all
elements that affect it, increasing or decreasing the
friction on the sledge-runners in a manner that is often
inexplicable and sometimes exasperating. All such
changes, however, will be dealt with in the accounts of
our sledge journeys ; for the present it is only necessary
to point out that it is difficult to define exactly what con-
stitutes a good or a bad sledging surface.
Besides being dependent on the climatic conditions
and on the nature of the snow over which he journeys,
the sledge-traveller has to consider other obstructions
which more obviously hinder his progress. On the sea-
ice he may meet with those elevated fragments pressed
up by the movement and distortion of the ice-sheet,
which are commonly called hummocks ; on sea or on land
he may encounter regions where the wind has ploughed
the snow into furrows, the waves between which are
technically termed sastrugi ; on the land-ice he may meet
vast ridges and chasms, cracks and crevasses, mild and
gentle undulations, or any other resultant of the irresis-
tible movement of an ice-sheet. All such obstacles are
very obvious deterrents, and exist both in the North and
in the South, but to a different degree. Sea-ice in the
South, as far as we know it, is extraordinarily free from
hummocks, and such is its geographical situation that the
probability is there are few places in the Antarctic
i902] ANTARCTIC DISADVANTAGES 419
Regions where the ice will be found much pressed up ;
while in the North hummocks have been the bane of
many a sledge journey. In regard to sastrugi, it is
probable that such a wind-swept area as the Antarctic
outvies the more placid North ; indeed, I doubt whether
snow-waves have ever been seen before of such giant
size as some which we observed abreast of our windiest
gullies or on the high plateau of Victoria Land. In
regard to the disturbances of the vast land ice-sheets it
is difficult to institute any comparison with the North,
but these formed a sufficiently solid obstruction to many
of our sledging efforts.
A general comparison of the sledging conditions met
with in the North and in the South cannot be said, there-
fore, to be in favour of the latter, and it must be conceded
that the Antarctic sledge-traveller journeys under con-
siderable relative disadvantages : he has to meet severer
climatic conditions, he has to pull his sledges over
heavier surfaces, and he is not likely to encounter fewer
obstacles in his path. Hence it is probable that the
distances recorded by the Northern travellers -will never
be exceeded in the South.
I do not wish it to be inferred from what I have
written that the sledge-traveller does or should go forth
in order to make marching records ; but whatever his
objectives may be, it is obvious that they are best
achieved by speed on the march ; and hence where con-
ditions are equal, speed and the distance travelled are a
direct gauge of the efficiency of sledging preparations and
of the spirit of those who undertake this arduous service.
E E 2
420 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
From the summary, necessarily brief, of the history
of the development of sledge-travelling which I have
given, and the equally brief account of the physical
conditions under which it is conducted, the reader will
see that the object of the traveller is to journey as far as
possible beyond the limit to which his ship can attain,
and some idea of the problems that are encountered in
pursuit of this object will have been conveyed. The
weight which can be dragged by a party is limited by the
draught-power they possess, but it is also dependent on
the surface, the state of the sledge-runners, the manner in
which the sledges are loaded, and many other details.
The greater the proportion of food in this weight, the
longer is the possibility of absence ; but sledges must
possess strength, and therefore weight ; man must be
sheltered and clothed, and this cannot be done without
weight ; and civilised man requires hot food, and must
therefore drag the weight of his cooking-apparatus and
fuel.
The less that is eaten by any individual, the longer
the food will last ; but there is a limit where economy
ceases, and insufficient food produces loss of strength
and reduction of marches. The longer the marches, the
greater the distance covered ; but staleness awaits the
over-pressed marcher.
Good sledging is the nicest balance of all these con-
flicting elements, and it is clear that it can only be
accomplished by the utmost attention to detail in pre-
paration, the complete exclusion of all but the bare
necessities of life, and, above all things, by the display of
i902] DESCRIPTION OF OUR EQUIPMENT 421
an unconquerable determination to carry it through in
face of all risks, dangers, or hardships.
Perhaps the most important part of the sledge -
A SLEDGE.
traveller's outfit is the sledge itself. Our sledges had
been made in Christiania, to comprise all those modifi-
SLEDGE FROM ABOVE.
cations and improvements which had been suggested by
the experience of Nansen, and on the whole it is doubtful
SLEDGE FROM ONE SIDE.
if we could have provided ourselves with sledges more
suitable to our various purposes. The main differences
between these sledges and those used by older explorers
422 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
were a decrease in breadth and an increase in runner
surface.
Such a sledge as we used consists of two long
runners, slightly rounded beneath, with a strengthening
rib above, and curved up at each end. The strengthen-
ing rib is pierced with holes at intervals, into which
are tenoned the uprights, short pillars of wood about
four inches in length ; adjacent uprights are joined by-
cross-bars, and the heads of the uprights on each side
are connected by long thin strips of wood, which end
in junction with the upturned ends of the runners.
There are four, five, or six pairs of uprights and cross-
bars, according to the length of the sledge.
In the numerous joints thus created only those
which connect the uprights to the cross-bars are rigid,
and these are strengthened by small steel stays bound
to the frame with wire. It is of the utmost importance
that all other joints should be flexible, in order that
the sledge may have the fullest play over a rough
surface, and therefore all these joints are made with
lashings of either hide or tarred hemp. Hence the
sledge, when put together, is by no means a rigid
structure. Lifted by one corner, it can be distinctly seen
to sag in the centre ; and as it is dragged over a rough
snow surface it is rarely possible to see any portion of
the runner which is not in contact with the snow — in fact,
it is very fascinating to watch a heavily laden sledge
winding its way over rough ground in this snake-like
manner : the load being distributed over a great area,
no part sinks too deeply.
i902] THE SLEDGES 423
Measured across from the centre of one runner to
the centre of the other, our sledges were all, with one
exception, 1 foot 5 inches. The runners themselves were
3f inches across, so that the sledge track from side to
side measured about 1 foot 8f inches. In all we had
twenty sledges when we began, and this allowance
proved barely sufficient for our two years' work ; we
could, indeed, well have done with half as many again,
but this was owing to much of the travelling being
over extremely rough country. These sledges were of
various lengths ; we had two of 1 2 feet, six of 1 1 feet,
nine of 9 feet, and three of 7 feet ; of these the 1 i-foot
sledges proved by far the most convenient for our work,
though the 9-foot were much used. A length of 12 feet
seemed to pass just beyond the limit of handiness ;
whereas the very short sledges were comparatively stiff,
and skidded about so much on a rough surface that they
were often more troublesome to pull than the heavier
and longer ones.
Taking 1 1 feet as about the best length for this
type, it will be seen that we have a comparatively long
and narrow sledge at considerable variance with the old
Arctic type, which was 10 feet long and 3 feet broad.
The advantages gained by the longer sledge are an
increased strength against racking strains and an easier
motion over inequalities of surface ; on the other hand,
the broader type has more stability and a greater and
more convenient stowage capacity. Our own sledges
had to be stowed with great care so as to bring the
weight low, and even thus over rough sastrugi they
424 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
would frequently capsize ; in spite of such disadvan-
tages, however, I am inclined to favour the longer
and narrower form. The increase of runner surface,
which was adopted by Nansen in what he named his * ski
runners,' was a comparatively natural outcome of the new
condition of surface for which he prepared on his inland
journey, and as our conditions were very similar, it is a
fortunate thing that we possessed broad runners. There
were many occasions on which they were not needed, and
when a light narrow runner would have been all that
was required ; but there were others when we needed
every inch of bearing surface we possessed to support
the sledges on the light soft snow.
The weight of an 1 1 -foot sledge such as I have
described may be anything between 40 and 47 lbs., and
this was none too light for some of our purposes where
the full strength of the structure was required ; but on
the level barrier I think it would be possible to travel
with a considerably lighter sledge. The weight which
can be placed on such a sledge varies according to cir-
cumstance, but in general the full load may be said to be
about 600 lbs.
These sledges are made of ash, and it is of great
importance that the wood should be thoroughly well
selected and seasoned. In some of our sledges the
wood was not above suspicion and caused some incon-
venience. The most important part is the runner, in
which the grain should be perfectly straight and even,
otherwise it will splinter even when running over snow.
It is surprising what a lot of wear a good wood runner
i902] SLEDGE-RUNNERS 425
/
will stand provided it is only taken over snow. Some of
our 9-foot sledges must have travelled over 1,000
miles, and there was still plenty of wear left in the
runners.
The older Northern sledges were shod with iron or
steel, and Nansen covered his Greenland sledge-runners
with the same material. The drawback to this is that it
is liable to rust, and in a rusty state the friction is of
course much increased. In his Northern journey Nansen
substituted German silver, a non-corrosive metal, for
steel, and reported the result as satisfactory; in conse-
quence the runners of all our sledges were covered with
this metal, which added considerably to their weight,
though that quoted for the 11 -foot sledge includes this
item. This shoeing gives rise to a difficulty since
there are certain conditions of surface when German
silver offers great friction, whereas it is impossible to
strip the runners to meet these conditions and then to
replace the metal. To get over this difficulty Nansen
devised thin under-runners of wood with light steel
attachments, thus providing for the condition when
a wooden surface for the runner would be desirable,
but again adding to the weights carried. As far as
our experience went, both the German-silver shoeing
and the wood under-runner proved unsatisfactory ; in
nine cases out of ten on the snow surfaces over which
we travelled, wood runners offered less resistance than
metal, and though the idea of the under-runner is theo-
retically good, we found that practically the thing was too
flimsy ; the snow tended to pack above it, and it was
426 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
\
liable to become loose and distorted. Moreover, it intro-
duced a complication where simplicity should be the first
consideration. As far as all our journeys made over the
flat on snow surfaces were concerned, the plain wood
runner of the sledge itself, without any covering, would
have been amply sufficient, and in fact, as I have pointed
out, well-seasoned wood would stand far more wear than
could well be given it in the course of a single expedition.
But many of our journeys lay over hard rough ice or
places where sand and grit had been blown over the
snow, and where an unprotected wood runner would soon
be torn to shreds. It was here that the German silver
should have served us, and to some extent it did ; but in
the main we found it altogether too soft — grit was liable
to score it deeply, and the metal once pierced, the runner
gave an infinity of trouble.
The difficulties we were put to on account of our
sledges and sledge-runners will be mentioned in due
course, but it is as well to lay down here, for the guidance
of future travellers in these regions, such recommenda-
tions as arise out of our experience.
It may be safely said that the i i-foot ski-runner sledge
is a good type for general purposes in the Antarctic
Regions, whether it is to be hauled by men or dogs. It
would be a good plan to have sledges made of different
weights to suit special circumstances. Under ordinary
conditions such sledges may be allowed to run on their
wood runners, but if it is desired to ascend glaciers or
travel over rough ice, a steel-protected runner is necessary.
As a general rule, such a protection would only be
i902] SIZE OF SLEDGE PARTIES 427
required for a limited part of the journey, and I do not
think it would be difficult to devise one which could be
temporarily secured by clamps and detached when no
longer of use. The importance of selecting the wood of
which the sledges are made cannot be too strongly
urged. Though ash has been mostly used, I understand
the American hickory is also an excellently tough wood
for the purpose. Sledge-runners have also been made of
elm and maple, either of which offers little friction to the
snow.
Before leaving the subject of sledges it is well to
mention the necessity of providing strong heavy ones
for the ordinary work about headquarters, for the travel-
ling sledges would soon be knocked to pieces at this.
Three or four heavy rough sledges, with narrow iron-
bound runners, did all our heavy work about the ship
during her stay in the ice.
In point of numbers the * Discovery's ' crew was far
behind the old Northern expeditions ; it was this fact
that first decided us, in arranging a sledge equipment
for a condition where men, and not dogs, would do most
of the haulage, to divide our parties into the smallest
workable units. The old Northern plan had allowed for
parties of twelve, or at the least eight, who were in all
respects self-contained, but, having a common tent and
cooking-arrangements, could not be subdivided. With-
out necessarily limiting the number of men in our parties,
the system we aimed at was to divide them into units of
three which should be self-contained, so that whenever
it was advisable a party could be split up into threes, or
428 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
three could be detached from it, or, again, three people
could leave the ship without carrying more than was
necessary for their requirements. It is obvious that with
such a system each unit of three must have its own tent,
its own sleeping-bag, cooker, and so on ; and herein lies
a disadvantage, as economy of material and weight can
be better carried out with a large unit than with a small
one. It has also to be remembered that the risk of
accident is increased in a small party by the diminish-
ing of its capacity for mutual assistance. But with
our small crew it was clearly advisable that we should
be able to break up into small numbers, and in the
course of events we frequently did so. It will be
understood, therefore, why each article which I am about
to describe was designed to satisfy the requirements of
three men, and this fact should be remembered in
comparing any weights I may quote with those carried
by former expeditions.
The object of a tent is to provide shelter from the
wind and drifting snow. Those we used were bell-
shaped. Some were made of the lightest green Willesden
canvas, and others of thin gaberdine ; we rather preferred
the former, as they let in more light, and the green tint
was especially grateful to the eye.
Each tent was spread on five bamboo poles ; the
poles were seven feet in length, and united at the top,
and when spread, the tent was about five feet six inches
in height and about six feet in diameter on the floor. It
was kept more or less tight down on the poles by digging
out and piling blocks of snow on its vallance, or skirting
Hi fc '■ fr.
I I
K
a,
M
O
H
H
Q
i9o2j THE TENT 429
edge—a device which also effectually prevented the wind
and snowdrift from getting in beneath it. The entrance
was a hole about two and a half feet in diameter, and the
funnel-shaped door was sewn around its edge, so fitted
that the material of which it was composed could be
gathered up into a bunch and tied from the inside. This
bunch once tied up, the entrance was practically drift-
proof. There was one other hole in the tent close to the
top which was named the ventilator, but would have been
more correctly called the chimney, as it was rarely opened
except to allow the steam of the cooking to pass away,
instead of being condensed and frozen on the sides of
the tent. This orifice was closed in a similar manner to
the entrance.
On the floor inside the tent was spread a stout square
of waterproof canvas which prevented the sleeping-bag
or the occupants from coming into immediate contact with
the snow surface. This floorcloth spread on bamboos
likewise made an excellent sail, but could be used in this
capacity only when the wind was abaft the beam.
Such a tent, with poles and floorcloth complete,
weighed about 30 lbs., and I do not think it would be
safe to use a tent of less weight in the Antarctic Regions
owing to the heavy strains which are brought on it by
the frequent gales. In this respect our tents deserve a
high meed of praise. When we first travelled with them
in windy weather, and in their shelter were forced to
listen to the thunderous flapping of the canvas as
gust after gust swept across the plain, we were not a
little alarmed for their safety and our own ; it seemed
430 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
impossible that a thin shred of canvas could withstand
attacks of such violence. We went so far as to fit extra
guys on the principle of what is known to the sailor as
a euphroe, to assist in preserving the stability of the erec-
tion, and when it was possible we built snow walls as a
further protection against the extreme force of the wind.
But with greater experience we gained more confidence
in our tents, till finally we realised that if they were
properly secured with snow it would take little less than
a hurricane to uproot them. Before the second year, the
constant flapping had worn the canvas very thin and
threadbare, and as far as appearances went in the second
season they presented the most dilapidated aspect from
the numerous patches of various colours which we had
been forced to insert in the weak places. It was
when in this condition they still offered a bold front
to the wind, and saved us from the rigours of many
a storm, that we realised their excellent design and com-
plete suitability for Antarctic purposes. A tent made to
contain more persons would naturally economise material
and save weight, but I have already explained why we
chose ours of such small dimensions. Silk is a possible
substitute for the heavier material we employed, but,
strong as it is, I doubt whether it would have equal
wearing qualities, and should it fail in this respect one
might pay dearly for the saving in weight.
Experience teaches that the comfort of a tent de-
pends largely on banishing loose snow and snowdrift.
People learn to take the most extraordinary precautions
in brushing their clothes and their boots before entering,
1902]
NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS
43i
and in having the floorcloth well swept within — pre-
cautions which are a great aid in keeping the equipment
free from ice, and thus decreasing the weights carried as
well as the discomforts of the journey. But this care is
largely a question of personality ; and just as in a house
it is generally some particular person who deposits mud
on the carpets, so in a tent it is generally some particular
person who seems incurably desirous of adding to the
THREE IN A SLEEPING-BAG.
snow within. The qualities of a sledging companion,
however, are compounded of too many elements for him
to be condemned on such a trait alone, and in that small
community of three, where nothing can be hidden, and
good and bad must alike be judged, it is not improbable
that this very carelessness may serve to make the delin-
quent the more beloved.
Though it may not appear so on the surface, the
432 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
sleeping-bag is really a more important article of equip-
ment than the tent. In the bitter blast of an Antarctic
storm it would be possible to exist without a tent, but it
is doubtful if one could remain alive without the shelter
of ' the bag,' or some additional clothing which corre-
sponded to it. All our fur clothing had been purchased
in Norway ; we had some suits and mits made of wolf-
A SLEEPING-BAG FOR THREE.
skin, but the greater proportion of the furs were of rein-
deer-skin. The pelt of the reindeer does not possess a
fur in the sense which might be understood by ladies
who are accustomed to dress themselves in the soft ex-
pensive productions of a London furrier ; the reindeer
possesses only coarse hair, but the hair is closer and
thicker than on any other animal, and therefore, for reasons
i9o2] THE SLEEPING-BAG 433
which are rather too technical to be given here, the skin
is better suited for the polar traveller than any other.
We had never contemplated dressing in furs for our
journeys, but the many troubles to which sleeping-bags
give rise had induced us to consider the possibility of
replacing them by fur suits which would be adopted for
night wear only. Our autumn journeys had very soon
shown us the error of our ways. The sleeping-suits soon
got into such a hard, stiff state that it was almost im-
possible to get into them, and, once in, one was
practically incapable of motion ; in fact, we thought the
discomfort of a night when three persons thus clad
were striving for rest in a small tent would be difficult
to equal.
When the winter set in, therefore, our men were
soon busy converting the reindeer suits into sleeping-
bags ; and as besides the suits we had a quantity of
unsewn skins, there was plenty of material for the
change.
As can be imagined, the actual work of turning out
the bags, after a suitable design had been fixed upon,
gave little trouble to men who were accustomed to the
use of sail needles ; but this fact serves to indicate a
point which I hope to make abundantly clear — namely,
that there is no class of men so eminently adapted by
training to cope with the troubles and trials of sledging
life as sailors.
In this manner a few single sleeping-bags were
made, but the greater number were designed as ' three-
man bags,' so that all the occupants of a tent could
vol. 1. F F
434 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
sleep in the same bed. The single bag had certain
advantages ; in particular, when the temperature rose
it was pleasant to have shelter which was all one's own,
and for officers the single bag served as a receptacle
in which they could keep their diaries and note-books ;
but from a point of view of weight the advantage lay
all on the side of the • three-man bag,' a consideration so
important that eventually everyone used these bags on
the longer journeys.
The ' three-man bag ' was made with the fur inside,
and with an overlap at the head and at the sides, in
addition to a large flap which could be drawn up over
the occupants when they had settled themselves within.
This flap completely covered the entrance, and could
be secured to the top and sides with beckets and
toggles.
In the springtime these toggles were all rigidly
secured, and every effort was made to stop up the
gaps which might be left between the flap and the
bag ; one felt and found that it was impossible to be
too tightly sealed up, and many a pipe smoked under
these conditions showed that the icy draughts from
without could not be wholly banished. The warmest
position in the bag was naturally the middle, but it was
not always preferred. As an offset for his increased
comfort it was the duty of the centre occupant to toggle
up the bag — a task which, with bare cold fingers, was by
no means pleasant, and generally occupied a considerable
time.
Our three-man sleeping bags weighed a little over
i902] SLEDGING-FOOD 435
40 lbs. on starting from the ship ; on their return from the
spring journeys they were often found to be more than
twice that weight from the accumulation of ice which they
carried.
It would be possible to make such bags lighter by
using the skins of younger animals ; and here, again, it
is of importance that great care should be taken in
choosing the skins intended for use in an expedition.
In our case, the haste of our preparations prevented
sufficient care being taken, and in consequence we
found a good number of our skins unsatisfactory.
Nearly all had come from older animals, on which,
whilst the fur is heavier, it is not necessarily warmer.
To be stowed on the sledge each day the sleeping-
bag had to be doubled over, rolled up, and secured with
rope — no easy job when it was stiff and hard and the
weather was cold. As may be imagined, also, when snow
was drifting in the air very great caution was needed to
prevent it from getting inside the bag.
The most difficult matter to arrange on a sledge-
journey, and the matter on which there is likely to be the
greatest difference of opinion and the most controversy,
is the food.
The issue is clear enough : one desires to provide a
man each day with just sufficient food to keep up his
strength, and not an ounce beyond. It is certainly
suggestive of a normally overfed condition in civilised
mankind that when it is reduced to this allowance
it is conscious of much inconvenience from the pangs
of hunger. The great difficulty for the sledge organiser
F F 2
436 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
is to arrive at this happy mean, more especially as it can
be regulated by no food allowance given in other parts of
the world which enjoy a less rigorous climate. The
sledge-traveller seems to need not only a special allow-
ance, but also a specially proportioned allowance. If one
really goes into this matter with some thoroughness, as I
had the leisure to do, one is involved in a bewildering array
of facts and figures which it would be hopeless to attempt
to display with clearness to the reader ; but there are a
few facts which may be quoted with advantage, not only
on the chance of their being of interest, but because they
show the exceptional requirements of the sledge-traveller.
And it must be remembered that, apart from all theo-
retical conceptions in fixing the ultimate allowance for
our travellers, I had the benefit of a great deal of practical
experience, and can therefore speak with some know-
ledge of the subject.
The following is a physiological estimate of the pro-
portionate energy expended by an average man in a day
who does eight hours of hard mechanical labour :
Heart action and respiration expend . 62,100 kilogramme metres
Bodily heat produced expends . . 620,000 „ „
Mechanical work for eight hours . 125,000 „ „
Total 807,100 „ „
Assuming these figures to be even approximately
correct, the absurd disproportion of the energy expended
on work is noticeable, and hence man cannot be treated
like a machine and fed in proportion to the amount of
work he does. It has a very practical bearing on our
i902] CALCULATION OF ALLOWANCES 437
subject, since it has been remarked by even experienced
sledge-travellers that if a party are forced to remain in their
tents for a day they ought to go on half-food allowance,
and I have seen some of our own officers rather chagrined
to find that appetites remained almost as keen during a
period of forced inaction as when a long day's work was
being performed.
The above, therefore, shows that food cannot be
materially reduced whilst parties remain in camp, and
that the sooner they are on the march again the better it
is for the distance they will eventually be able to travel.
The figures which I have quoted also tend to show why
it is that a man requires more food in a polar climate
than in a temperate one, for it is evident that the
expenditure on bodily heat will be larger.
During our second year in the South I very carefully
calculated the food which was provided for my own
party, but I allowed other officers to modify this allow-
ance according to their own ideas. I then calculated
the result of my own and Barne's ideas to rank in the
following table. It is now pretty generally known that
our ordinary food can be placed under three headings —
the proteids, or nitrogenous food, such as is mainly
supplied by meats ; the fats ; and the carbohydrates, or
farinaceous foods. It is known also that man ordinarily
assimilates a given proportion of these various natures
of food. I do not vouch for the exact accuracy of this
table, more especially as I find authorities differ much
as to actual requirements in this respect ; the table
purports to give the number of ounces of water-free
438 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
food required under the different headings, and I have
neglected salts.
— .
Amount required for Man
in full Work according
to different Authorities
Prisoner
on Hard
Labour
Army
on War
Footing
My own
Allow-
ance
Barne's
Allow-
ance
Proteid
Fats ....
Carbohydrates .
4*5
3-0
14-2
4'8
4-1
12-4
4'4
2*0
17*6
4-0
1*5
19/0
4-8
I'O
18-8
8-6
4*4
15-6
7'9
4-2
17*0
Total
217
21-3
24-0
24*5
24-6
28-6
29*1
In my first year of sledging work I went south with
something considerably under the allowance given
above, when my party suffered much from hunger and
grew decidedly weaker ; in the second year, with the
allowance shown, our strength was fairly well maintained,
but there was still no doubt about our hunger. There can
be little question, therefore, that polar sledging ranks an
easy first as a hunger-producing employment, and in-
ferentially from that fact one can draw some conclusion
as to the arduous nature of the work.
But from the foregoing I do not wish it to be thought
that we were able to maintain our daily life on an
allowance of twenty-nine ounces of food per man. This
figure represents the water-free weight. Whereas absolute
freedom from water can only be calculated, it is never
achieved ; and herein lies one of the greatest difficulties
that face the sledge-traveller, since it is obvious that the
water is a dead and useless addition to his weights.
Some idea of the difficulty can be gathered from the
statement that ordinary cooked meat contains no less
than 54 per cent, of moisture. Hence, to the sledger, to
I902J
OUR DAILY PORTION
439
reduce the water in his food is of as much importance as
to curb his appetite. It is therefore of interest to quote
the actual nature and weight of food carried on the occa-
sions which I have taken for examples.
Ounces per Day per Man
Self
Barne
Biscuit
12*0
14*5
Oatmeal .
rs
i'5
Pemmican
7-6
7-6
Red Ration
IT
IT
Plasmon .
2*0
i*S
Pea Flour.
i'5
07
Cheese
2'0
i'5
Chocolate .
IT
IT
Cocoa
07
07
Sugar
3'8
3-8
33'3
34*o
One or two articles in this list need explanation.
Pemmican was, I believe, the name given in the Hudson
Bay Territory to a compound of dry buffalo meat and
lard. It was transferred to the dried beef and lard
carried by the Northern sledgers, and in that sense it is
still retained. The best of our pemmican came from
Messrs. Beauvais, of Copenhagen, and contained 50 per
cent, of lard and, what was not so pleasing, 20 per cent,
of moisture ; later on we received from the ' Morning '
some good pemmican made by the Bovril Company.
The red ration was a nondescript compound of bacon
and pea-flour. I am not very sure as to its food value,
and it was retained because it was starchy enough to
thicken our nightly soup and make it a mixture which,
as the sailors said, * stuck to your ribs.'
44Q THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Sept.
The remaining articles need no comment, but I
should not forget to add that the following were also
carried, though for purposes of comparison I have
omitted them from the first list. Each tent was allowed
per week :
075 lb. of tea.
0*5 lb. of onion powder.
0*25 lb. of pepper.
0*4 lb. of salt.
The totals compared with the figures given before
show the amount of water which was unavoidably
present, and without going into details I can assure the
reader that when one obtains over twenty-nine ounces
of food value out of thirty-four ounces of weight carried,
one can congratulate oneself on having one's food in
an exceedingly concentrated form.
Including the smaller matters which I have mentioned,
this total would be brought up to thirty-five and a half
ounces as the daily allowance per man. It is interesting
to compare this with the allowance given in Northern
expeditions. Greeley allowed thirty-six ounces ; Mc-
Clintock, forty-two ounces ; Nares, forty ounces ; whereas
Parry, in the early days, allowed only twenty-two ounces.
The journeys of the latter were not of great length, but
one can imagine how famished his party must have
been.
The trouble taken in apportioning the different
natures of food has an extremely practical bearing. The
object aimed at is that, whilst the traveller develops a
craving for food, it should not be for any particular form
of food. I have heard it said by members of the older
i9o2] PACKING 441
expeditions, ' The thing we craved for was sugar,' or
1 The thing we craved for was fat,' and without doubt this
argues that the party would have been better provided
had they carried a greater proportion of these articles,
and less of something else.
In this connection I may point out that Barne's
allowance contained more biscuit than mine, and I am
not sure that he was not right, as our biscuit was cer-
tainly on the short side, and we had a distinct craving
for more. On the whole, however, our parties went well
in this respect. Our people on getting back to the ship
wanted food and plenty of it, but did not especially
demand it in any particular form.
From the above list it will be seen that our variety
of food was not a very large one. Nansen seems to
have been of opinion that variety was of great import-
ance, but in this I cannot agree. During our long
absences our food was pretty much the same day after
day, and though we sighed for greater quantity we were
never particularly desirous of changing the quality. The
great drawback to a large variety is the complication
which is introduced into the packing arrangements ;
that these should be as simple as possible with
a party of men is of the greatest importance. Our
biscuit was packed on the sledges in boxes or in canvas
tanks specially made on board for the purpose, but
although the boxes were of the lightest Venesta packing
material, the additional weight involved by either tank or
box was considerable. The packing of biscuit is espe-
cially difficult, because if packed loosely it will grind
442 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
itself into fine powder with the movement of the sledge,
so that probably much will be lost.
All the remaining provisions were carefully weighed
out into amounts which constituted the allowance for
three men for one week ; this amount was placed in a
small light bag, and then all the small bags were placed
in a canvas tank on the sledge.
In addition to this, each tent party of three men pos-
sessed a ready-use bag containing all the small bags
allowed for the week. It will be seen that this was an
extremely simple arrangement ; all the trouble and care
had been taken on board the ship, and when once away
the arrangements went like clockwork. Each member
of the group of three living together in a tent would take
it in turn to be cook for the week. On the stated day he
would go to the provision tank and take out his allowance
of small bags ; these he would place in the ready-use
bag, which was always kept handy on the sledge. When
camping-time came and the tent was up, the cook would
get inside, with his provision bag and cooking-apparatus,
and with everything under his hand he was able to prepare
supper in the shortest possible space of time. Of course the
cook was responsible for the weekly allowance lasting out
its proper time ; if it ran short before, the inmates of the
tent had to go hungry, and this made the cook unpopular.
I have said there was little variety in our provisions,
but a good cook had some chance of showing his
abilities. Even in such a mdnage he could vary the
ingredients of his hoosh each night, provided he did
not outrun the constable, and a very wily cook would
1902]
COOKING-APPARATUS
443
save a bit here and there during his term of office so as
to end it up with one really thick ' stick to the ribs ■
hoosh, which kept his memory green for several days.
The weekly allowance of food for a tent I called a
provision unit, and I find I had to allow at least 6 lbs. for
the packing of each unit.
The habit of heating his food is about the only one
possessed by the sledge-traveller which can be said to
go beyond the bare necessity of life. Theoretically
I believe, the food would be as nourishing and sustain-
ing were it swallowed cold ; it would only lose its
immediate stimulating effect. Hence to some extent
fuel is a luxury, but even from this point of view not
entirely, for it would always be necessary to carry
some fuel and some vessel in order to obtain water for
drinking. As regards the heating of food, I can only
say that I should prefer to be absent from a party who
had decided to forego it. The prospect of a cold supper
after a long and tiring march
through the snow, with the
thermometer below zero, would
hold out no allurements, and
indeed, from my small ex-
perience of a shortage of fuel diagram of cooker packed up
. TO GO ON THE SLEDGE.
under these conditions, I be-
lieve that few, if any, sledge-travellers could continue
long without hot food.
So, at any rate for me, the sledge cooker is a matter
of great importance, and it is here, if anywhere, that an
immense advance has been made of late years in the
444 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY1 [Sept.
sledging equipment. The cooking-apparatus we adopted
was Nansen's, who, I consider, in devising this and
adapting to it a modern form of heating-lamp, con-
suming paraffin in a vaporised state, made his greatest
contribution to the sledge-traveller's requirements.
The principal requirement of a good cooking-appa-
ratus is that it should allow a minimum wastage of heat,
and though it is difficult to arrive at an exact figure, it is
probably stated with some reason that the Nansen
cooker expends usefully nearly 90 per cent, of the
heat supplied by the lamp beneath it. The design of
the apparatus can be most clearly seen from the accom-
panying figure ; it will be seen that the heated gases
circulate about the central
cooking-pot, and after pass-
ing up inside the annular
container, which we termed
the outer cooker, descend
again on the outside and
thus give up most of their
heat before reaching the
L
JJ open air. The greater part of
cooker and primus lamp, shaded the apparatus is constructed
RECEIVERS CONTAIN THE SNOW. . . . - . ,
of aluminium, and the whole
is made as thin as is compatible with the necessary
strength in order to save weight.
I have already mentioned how at camping time the
tent would be erected and the cook would retire inside
with his provision bag and lamp ; whilst he was lighting
the latter one of the other members would fill the inner
i902j PREPARING THE ' HOOSH ' 445
and outer cookers with snow and pass them into the tent,
so that a very few minutes after the tent was up the
lamp could be heard giving forth its pleasant music,
and one knew that its heat was already acting on the
frozen snow within the cookers.
Without wishing to take the reader into abstruse
problems, I must here mention one of the physical
properties of ice, which has a very practical bearing on
the sledge-traveller. It may possibly be overlooked
that it requires nearly as much heat to turn ice into
water as it does to raise the resultant water to boiling-
point. In other words, if the snow that is put into
the cookers is at a temperature of — 360, it will take
just as much heat to turn it into water as it does
subsequently to raise the water to boiling-point.
The practical bearing is obvious : it means that the
sledge- traveller requires nearly double the amount of fuel
for cooking his meals that would be necessary if he could
fill his cookers with water. Here again, therefore, he is
handicapped in his struggle for existence.
The cook, having started his lamp under the cooker,
proceeded to prepare the ingredients of the hoosh, by
which term the hot, thick soup that constituted the
sledging meal was generally known. Whilst he ladled
out a spoonful from one small bag and two from another,
and added a little pepper and a little salt, he kept a
watchful eye for the first spurt of steam which should
signify that the water was on the boil. Directly this
appeared, off came the covers and in went the assortment
of food ; in a very few minutes there was a bubbling
446 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
and sputtering, and the tent was filled with the savoury-
odour of the coming meal. Not a moment was lost ;
with the steady hand of the expert handling a priceless
possession, the steaming contents of the cooking-pot
were soon being poured into the several pannikins.
Then came the cleaning of the pot by the cook, whose
perquisite this was ; all that would not pour out in a fluid
state was rapidly scraped out with a spoon and transferred
to the cook's mouth. Without again employing the
word ' cleaning,' I may say I have known worse ways of
SLEDGING PANNIKIN AND SPOON.
emptying a pot. In the meanwhile the snow in the
outer cooker had melted, and so the water was all ready
for transference to the inner vessel for the final brew of
cocoa. As soon as this was on the boil, the lamp was
extinguished.
The excellence of this cooking-apparatus can only
be gleaned from a citation of figures. With it, boiling
water could be made from snow in twelve minutes ; a
simple one-course meal could be prepared in less than
i9o2] THE PRIMUS LAMP 447
twenty minutes ; and a two-course meal — that is, a hoosk
with hot cocoa to follow — could be provided with a lapse
of less than half an hour between the time the lamp was
lighted and its extinction. Except for further economy
of fuel, a more rapid apparatus would have given no ad-
vantage, for, as it was, the supper was generally ready
before all the outside camp work, such as securing the
tent and sledges, &c, could be fully accomplished.
The immense advantage which we possessed in this
respect can be gauged when it is recalled that McClin-
tock speaks of the inevitable wait of two hours which
N his parties had to endure, after a long day's march,
before they could hope to get warmed food ; or, again,
when it is stated that the records of the Arctic sledge
journeys of 1875 show that the cook was always called
two hours before the remainder of the party. With us,
on more than one occasion, a very rapidly prepared brew
of tea has saved serious trouble from freezing, and this
alone made possible those exceptional efforts of marching
in which we occasionally indulged.
In our rapid cooking the lamp was, of course, an even
greater factor than the cooker ; after some consideration
we had adopted the Primus lamp which Nansen had
found so useful. When in good working order nothing
could exceed the efficiency of this lamp. The oil, which
is pressed up into the upper tubes, is vaporised by the
heat, and the vapour, emerging through a small pinhole,
burns with a flame of intense heat, and effects the most
complete combustion of the oil. In the rapidity and
completeness of the combustion lies its great advantage.
448 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
It has serious disadvantages : it is complicated and
difficult to repair ; it is likely to get out of order unless
both the lamp and the oil used in it are kept absolutely
free from dirt and grit ; and when out of order it is
quite useless. Moreover, the vaporisation has to be
started by outside artificial means, the correct method
being to fill a small outside cup with spirit. From these
various defects we had at first much trouble, more espe-
cially as the sailor is inclined to be rather heavy-handed
and careless with delicate mechanism. Later on, how-
ever, the men realised how much depended on keeping
the lamps in good working order, and in consequence
became very expert in handling them. Our confidence
in them grew as we came to understand them better, and
in spite of their defects we ultimately placed such reliance
on them that we never thought of taking an alternative
lamp. On two occasions, in fact, my party were away on
very extended journeys with nothing to fall back on had
our lamp failed.
As may have been gathered, the cooking and eating
utensils of our sledge parties were not numerous. Besides
the cooker and lamp, a folding pannikin of aluminium
was provided for each man, one-half of which could be
used for his hoosh and the other for his cocoa. In addi-
tion each person had a dessert-spoon.
Pannikins and spoons could be conveniently stowed
inside the cooker for transport, and the latter then added
1 5 lbs. to the load, beyond which an extra weight of 2\ to
3 lbs. had to be allowed for the Primus lamp.
The oil was carried in small rectangular tins, which
i9o2j WASTE OF OIL IN TRANSIT 449
fitted close to one another on a light platform on the
sledge. Some of these tins had been made in England,
but we had considerably to increase our supply by others
made on board the ship. Each tin had a small cork
bung, which was a decided weakness ; paraffin creeps in
the most annoying manner, and a good deal of oil was
wasted in this way, especially when the sledges were
travelling over rough ground and were shaken or, as
frequently happened, capsized. It was impossible to
make these bungs quite tight, however closely they were
jammed down, so that in spite of a trifling extra weight
a much better fitting would have been a metallic screwed
bung. To find on opening a fresh tin of oil that it was
only three-parts full was very distressing, and of course
meant that the cooker had to be used with still greater
care.
A full tin of oil weighed 10 lbs. and contained
exactly a gallon, and this quantity, as a general rule, was
the allowance for ten days for three persons. With care
this was amply sufficient, and on the southern journey
when our stock was somewhat short a gallon was made
to last fourteen and even sixteen days, but this meant
very short commons.
The incidental weights of a sledge party were nume-
rous, and depended greatly on the direction in which the
party were going and on the nature of their work. Those
who journeyed to the mountainous regions of the west
were forced to go most fully equipped in this respect,
and in planning a sledge journey in that direction it was
especially maddening to see how the weights of indis-
vol. 1. G G
450 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
pensable articles mounted up, and ever cut away from
the margin which remained for food.
The weights of a party naturally divide themselves
under two headings : the permanent, which will not
diminish throughout the trip, and the consumable, includ-
ing food, oil, &c. The following is a list of permanent
weights carried on my own journey to the west ; it will
give some idea of the variety of articles which were taken
exclusive of provisions ; the party numbered six : —
lbs.
2 Sledges with fittings complete 130
Trace 5
2 Cookers, pannikins, & spoons 30
2 Primus lamps, filled . . 10
2 Tents complete . . .60
2 Spades 9
2 Sleeping-bags with night-gear 100
Sleeping -jackets, crampons,
spare finneskoes . . . 50
Medical bag .... 6
3 Ice-axes 8
Although our sledges weighed little over 40 lbs.
each, by the time they had been fitted with tanks for
the provisions, platforms for the oil, boxes for the in-
struments and for the Primus lamps, and straps for
other articles, it will be seen by how much their weight
had risen.
Some of the other items may need a word or two
of explanation. The spades were of course needed for
digging up the snow to secure the tents. The night-gear
consisted of warm foot-wear for the night, and a small
bag containing one or two spare pairs of socks, a spare
pair of mits, possibly a small amount of tobacco, and
some extra grass for filling fur boots. This bag was
always kept in the sleeping-bag, and was used by the
Bamboos and marks
lbs
in;
Instruments and camera
$0
Alpine rope
Repair and tool bags,
ing-line, tape, sledge
Ski boots for party .
Ski for party .
sound-
brakes
9
i5
15
60
Total .
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i9o2] WEIGHTS CARRIED BY SLEDGE PARTIES 451
owner as a pillow as well as a receptacle for diaries and
the few oddments that constitute private property on
such an occasion.
The heavy labour of marching made it possible to
undertake it in comparatively light clothing ; but on
coming to camp it was generally necessary to put
on something extra. In this garment also we slept,
wherefore it figures as the sleeping-jacket. It was
usually made from a woollen pyjama jacket, and lined
with some extra woollen material. Of course all per-
sonal property was strictly limited by a given weight,
and if a man chose to forego a pair of socks and take out
the weight in tobacco, he was at liberty to do so. I
remember gazing at my spare mits and wishing to heaven
I'd brought tobacco instead.
The crampons were a necessity for travelling over
smooth ice or very hard wind-blown snow. For the
second year we invented and made a particular pattern
of our own, which suited us admirably, and which I shall
describe in due course.
Our medical bag contained bandages, sticking-plaster,
an emulsion for sprains, a few phials containing medi-
cines in the tabloid form, and a tube of hazeline cream.
The general health of our sledge-travellers was so good
that I believe, with the exception of two, the medicine
phials were never required ; the two exceptions contained
zinc sulphate and cocaine, the first to cure and the
second to deaden the pain of snow-blindness. As this
disease was a constant companion, these tabloids were
very frequently needed.
G G 2
452 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
The ice-axes mentioned above were of the ordinary
Alpine type ; they came in very handy for various
work on the glaciers, but they were seldom absolutely
necessary.
The title ' bamboos and marks ' includes sticks and
flags taken to measure the movement of the ice of the
glaciers and to mark the positions at which we left our
depots of provisions.
The contents of our instrument-box were an extra-
ordinarily heavy item, and yet there was nothing which
we could have spared. They consisted of a small three-
inch theodolite in its case, for taking observations of the
sun and bearings, two small aneroids, a compass, two
thermometers, a hypsometer, a small book containing
logarithmic tables, and a camera, with plates. On this
journey we took the half-plate camera with its slide-box,
and although one almost groaned on seeing the weight
it added, there can can be little source of regret when
one contemplates the pictures which Mr. Skelton
managed to produce with its assistance.
Alpine rope was a thing one scarcely liked to be
without when travelling in a country where crevasses
abounded ; the thought of a companion possibly hung
up in one of these and his fellow men unable to
reach him for lack of rope, was too grim to be thrust
aside. The repair-bag was an important item ; it con-
tained the housewife, with needles, thread, &c, to
repair our garments, a few strips of material to patch
the tent, with sail needles and a palm, some hide
thongs, some tough pieces of reindeer-skin for boots,
I9Q2] INUTILITY OF SKI 453
and some spun yarn for lashings. A tool-bag was also
very necessary, and contained pliers, files, a bradawl,
a gimlet, &c, with some screws, nails, and binding wire
for the repair of the sledges. The sounding-line and
lead were provided for sounding and taking temperatures
in crevasses, but it was rarely possible to use them. The
tape was also for glacier measurements, whilst the sledge
brakes were introduced in hopes of saving the sledges on
the down grade over slippery ice. They were of hemp,
and proved of very little use.
We took ski boots on this journey in hopes of being
able to use ski, and thinking they might be of service on
the glacier ; we used neither the ski nor the boots, and
* depoted ' the latter at a very early stage in the journey.
The ski we took on, thinking always they might be
required, but never finding that they were so.
And here I should like to explain my attitude to-
wards ski, more especially as since Nansen's journeys
it has been very generally thought that they have
revolutionised the methods of polar travel. I have
mentioned in former chapters how delighted we were
with our ski practice, and I have also called attention
to an incident where some officers were able to push
on with a journey because they possessed ski. The
latter is really an extraordinary exception, and it is still
more extraordinary that it should have been our first
experience of Antarctic travelling. It naturally biassed
us all in favour of ski, so that although a few remained
sceptical, the majority thought them an unmixed blessing.
Bit by bit, however, the inevitable truth came to light :
454 THE VOYAGE OF THE * DISCOVERY' [Sept.
it was found that in spite of all appearance to the con-
trary, a party on foot invariably beat a party on ski, even
if the former were sinking ankle-deep at each step ; while,
to add to this, when the surface was
hard, ski could not be used, and had
to be carried as an extra weight and
a great encumbrance on the sledges.
The ski party still made a stand in
their favour by stating that they
saved labour, but even this could
not be admitted when the facts were
thoroughly known. It stands true to
some extent for a party out of con-
dition, but the fact we gradually came
to appreciate was that after a week's
marching our legs got so hard that it
troubled us little to plod on through-
out the day whether the snow was soft
or hard.
It will be seen, therefore, that our
experience has led me to believe that
for sledge work in the Antarctic
Regions there is nothing to equal the
honest and customary use of one's own
legs. Progress may be slow and dull,
but it is steady and sure. On my
western journey, having no know-
ledge of the inland surface, I took ski. They remained
on the sledge from start to finish. As we were con-
templating them just before our return to the ship, one
SKI AND SKI-POLE.
i902] A TYPICAL SLEDGE-LOAD 455
of my companions remarked, * They've had a nice cheap
ride,' and that about summed up the situation.
In the list of permanent weights which I have taken
as an example of a sledge-load for six men, the reader
will see that the various articles total 568 lbs. ; roughly
speaking a man can drag from 200 to 240 lbs., but we
rarely loaded our sledge parties much above 200 lbs. ;
this for six men would give a total carrying capacity of
1,200 lbs., and hence about 630 lbs. which could be
devoted to provisions. Speaking again very roughly,
this amounts to about six weeks' provisions for the party,
so that this party, dragging at the start 200 lbs. per man,
can go away for forty-two days and throughout that time
remain entirely self-supporting. If the party is increased
to twelve men, for reasons which I need not detail, the
absence can be increased to seven weeks, or about fifty
days. But neither of these terms is long enough to suit
the ambitious sledge-traveller, so that he is forced to
organise means by which he can prolong his journey.
This can be done in two ways : he may go out earlier
in the season and lay out a depot at a considerable
distance towards his goal, or he may arrange to receive
assistance from a supporting party, which on a pre-
arranged plan accompanies him for a certain distance
on his road and helps his advance party to drag a heavier
load than it is able to accomplish alone.
Both these plans were adopted on our longer jour-
neys, and thus some of us were able to be absent from the
ship for long periods and to travel long distances.
I have endeavoured to describe how a sledge party
456 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
is housed and fed ; it remains to conclude this chapter
by giving some idea of how it is clothed, and this can be
done very briefly. The sledge-traveller takes little more
clothing than that in which he stands at starting ; in fact,
I have already mentioned the articles of which his spare
wardrobe consists. They do not include a change of
clothing, so that he sleeps and lives in the one costume
until his return.
In our case officers and men were clothed in a similar
manner, save for such touches as the fancy of the indi-
vidual might suggest. Each wore a warm thick suit of
underclothing, one or two flannel shirts, a jersey or
sweater, a pair of pilot-cloth breeches, and a pyjama
jacket. A pilot-cloth coat or any stiff garment about the
upper part of the body was unpopular, and personally I
cut off the sleeves of my pyjama jacket so that it was
practically a very free-and-easy outer waistcoat. Some
wore woollen comforters, but others, like myself, found
the collar of the pyjama jacket sufficient covering for the
neck.
Of great importance we found it to have many
pockets, and a large breast-pocket was very generally
adopted. It was here that in hard times by day one
dried one's night socks, and by night those which one had
worn during the day. Besides this, one's pockets con-
tained a collection of miscellaneous articles : a knife, a
match-box, goggles, a whistle, and odds and ends such
as string, thongs, and so forth.
Braces were another matter on which there was
difference of opinion. Some thought them indispensable,
i902] CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT 457
but I, with others, found that a leather belt served all
needful purposes in this respect.
But one of the most important parts of our sledging-
costume was the complete outer suit of thin gaberdine, a
material manufactured by Messrs. Burberry for use in
many climates. It purports to be water-tight, but of this
we had little chance of judging ; we required it only to
keep out the keen edge of the wind and the drifting
snow, and for this it was admirably adapted.
We found it very desirable that this suit should be
very easily put on or off. On fine days it was con-
venient to march without it ; but when the wind sprang
up or the sky looked threatening it was wise to don it at
once. But to construct a suit which had this desirable
quality and at the same time was impervious to snow-
drift was by no means easy. The suit consisted of a
blouse, breeches, and leggings, but whether the leggings
should be attached to the breeches, and how exactly the
neck, sleeves, and other parts of the blouse should be
fitted were matters of keen controversy, eventually de-
cided according to individual taste. It is impossible,
therefore, to give any very definite opinion as to the best
form for these garments ; subject to their being easy to
put on and off, one great thing is that they should fit as
closely as possible about the neck, wrists, and ankles, and
that there should be no admittance for snowdrift between
the blouse and trousers. It is almost equally important
that there should be as few creases as possible, especially
about the legs, as the snow which lodges in these is
bound to be brought into the tent.
458 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
The parts of the body which need the most careful
protection are the extremities, and here, again, everyone
had his own ideas and his own patent devices. To face
the cold of the early spring we had thick camel-wool
helmets provided with gaberdine covers, but many of us
found these too heavy, and when they became coated
with ice they were particularly unmanageable. A better
plan was to use one or two ordinary woollen Balaclava
helmets under the gaberdine cover. Personally, I used
one, provided with an extra thickness of material to
cover those most sensitive organs, the ears. I have
already described the wind-guard which most of us wore
to protect the face.
In summer, when the glare was very great, we wore
broad-rimmed felt hats, either over a Balaclava or fitted
with a special protection for the ears and back of the
neck, which could be lowered or tucked into the crown
according, to circumstances. It is a great mistake to
have too heavy a head-covering ; the ice which inevit-
ably forms on it in cold weather is sufficient to make a
light helmet comparatively warm.
On our hands, when sledging, we wore either fur or
felt mits over long woollen half-mits which extended
from the elbows to the knuckles. These half-mits were
excellent things, as one could draw them forward to
assist one in handling the cold metal cooking-utensils or
could curl one's fingers back under their protection when
the tips became particularly cold. Personally I swore
by our wolfskin fur mits. We wore them with the fur
outside, and I lined mine with light wool and found that
o
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i902] FINNESKOES 459
one pair lasted me throughout each of my extended sledge
journeys. The most convenient plan was to have these
mits slung round the neck, as one could then withdraw
one's hands at will without the prospect of finding the
mits gone when one wished to resume them. For taking
observations and for other trying tasks it was very con-
venient to have a pair of light woollen mits or gloves,
but of these there was a great scarcity on board.
Of all parts of the person of which it is necessary to
have care the feet are the most important, and for clothing
the feet in cold weather there can be nothing to excel the
reindeer-fur boot or finnesko, which is made in Norway.
It behoves the traveller to be most careful in the selec-
tion of these articles, as, though many are made for wear,
many also are made for a tourist market and will prove
quite unsuitable for his purpose. Here, again, a lack of
time had prevented a sufficient care being taken in select-
ing the large supply which we purchased, and, though we
had a good number of excellent articles, others were weak
and unsatisfactory. The difference is most marked — a
good pair of finneskoes will stand many weeks of hard wear
on snow, whereas a poor pair will be gone in a few days ;
the importance of selecting good pairs for a sledge journey
is therefore obvious. Luckily we soon became fairly good
judges, and so never actually ran out of foot-wear on our
journeys, though we came very close to it,
The sole of the finnesko is made of the forehead
skin or the hard skin of the legs of the reindeer; it
is important that it should have a twist in the natural
growth of the hair, as this gives a better foothold. The
460 THE VOYAGE OF THE ■ DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
upper sides are made of softer skin from the neck or
legs ; all the joints are very carefully sewn with gut,
and the boot is worn with the fur outside.
To examine a pair it is necessary to turn them inside
out, and this is not easy to do until they are made damp.
With experience it is then possible to see the quality of
the sewing and the probable lasting power of the sole.
The Laps make a nest of grass inside these boots and
place their foot in this nest without further covering. There
is an advantage in this in the fact that the grass can be
taken out and the frozen perspiration shaken clear, but
FINNESKOES.
the custom probably springs from the absence of wool.
This grass is called sennegrces. We had provided our-
selves with a good quantity ; but we wore two pairs of socks
inside the finneskoes, and only used the grass to pad out
the toes and sides. Finneskoes are provided with a draw-
string at the top, but we found that the best means of
securing them was with a long strip of lamp-wick, which
was wound about the ankle and covered the joint be-
tween the legging and the boot. Instances of seriously
cold feet in finneskoes were extremely rare, and usually
1902]
GOGGLES
461
after an hour's marching one's feet perspired freely in the
coldest weather. One great advantage is that there is
absolutely no restraint to the circulation.
Before leaving the subject of dress one ought to men-
tion the goggles, which were worn almost as constantly
as many of the articles I have described. A few men
GLASS-AND-GAUZE GOGGLES.
preferred the ordinary wire-gauze type with smoked
glass, but a drawback to these was their liability to
become frosted over. The alternatives were to have a
piece of leather with a slit in place of the glass, or to
have goggles cut out from a slip of wood. Personally I
WOODEN GOGGLES.
much preferred the latter, and in the end invariably used
them ; mine were very carefully shaped to fit over the
nose and eyes, had a considerable cross-shaped aperture,
and were blackened outside and in.
One other article of sledge furniture deserves notice —
462 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
the harness. Each man had a broad band of webbing
passing round his waist and supported by braces over
the shoulders ; the two ends of the band joined in an
iron ring, to which a rope was attached which could be
secured to the sledge or the trace. In the old days men
were accustomed to pull from
the shoulder, and thus of
necessity assumed a some-
what lop-sided attitude ; with
our arrangement, by adjusting
the braces the weight could
be distributed very evenly
over the upper part of the
body, and this I believe made
the pulling easier and gave
greater freedom for breathing.
From the foregoing the
reader will, I hope, have
gathered some general idea of
the objects and methods of
sledge-travelling. He will see
how varied is the assortment
of articles with which the traveller provides himself;
he will understand something of the rigid nature of the
sledging routine and the simplicity of the sledging life ;
he will perceive how the sledge party are housed, and fed,
and clothed, and how their absence is prolonged. Above
all, he will realise how dependent is a sledging expedi-
tion on the efficiency of its organisation and the care of
its preparation.
SLEDGING HARNESS.
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1902] 4^3
CHAPTER XI
TYPICAL SLEDGING EXPERIENCES
Use of Dogs for Sledging — A Discussion of their Merits — history of our
Dog Team — Discomforts of Sledge-travelling — Typical Experiences —
The Ordinary Routine — Result of a Blizzard— Benefit of Summer Tem-
peratures— Disadvantages of Summer — The Fascination of Sledging.
By mutual confidence and mutual aid
Great deeds are done and great discoveries made. — Anon.
'Tis a weary round to which we are bound.
The same thing over and over again ;
Much toil and trouble.— Lindsay Gordon.
From the outline of our sledging arrangements which
I have given in the previous chapter, the reader will
understand the occupation of our time and thoughts
throughout the later months of the dark season. Yet
this outline has been necessarily of a fragmentary nature,
and I am conscious of having missed many points of
importance. To one of these, at least, I ought to refer,
since the chapter has made no mention of our four-
footed friends, who were to play so important and tragic
a part in our longest journey.
The use of dogs for sledging is a subject about which
there has been much controversy. Broadly speaking,
there are two ways in which dogs may be used — they may
464 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
be taken with the idea of bringing them all back safe and
sound, or they may be treated as pawns in the game,
from which the best value is to be got regardless of their
lives.
In the first case their value is indicated by a direct
comparison of their pulling power and food requirement
with that of the man. McClintock, who had much ex-
perience in this matter, has said : ' Two dogs require the
same weight of food as one man, and they will draw a
man's full load for about one-fourth a greater distance
than the man would. If both man and dogs are but
lightly loaded, the dogs will almost double the distance
which the man could do.' To this may be added that
the dog requires no sleeping-bag, tent, or cooking-appa-
ratus, nor, indeed, any of those articles which figured
so largely as the permanent weights of a sledge party.
Most authorities agree that 100 lbs. is about the maxi-
mum load for a dog, and few place its food for a long
journey at less than 1^ lb. per diem, or something over
half the weight consumed by a man.
So far, then, it would appear that a dog is a more
efficient machine than a man ; but, on the other hand, it
has to be remembered that the dogs cannot travel with-
out man, and they have therefore, in addition to their
own food, to carry the food and impedimenta of their
drivers. Moreover, the dog is fickle and unstable : its
best performance, which has sometimes fallen little short
of the marvellous, has been on short journeys, over
beaten tracks, and with a light load ; sustained effort with
a heavy load over a new track seems always to have
i9o2] THE QUESTION OF FOOD 465
shown the dog in a much less favourable light. Difficult
as it is to ascertain the reason exactly, the fact remains
that no very long journey has ever been made by a
wholly detached dog-team in the Arctic Regions, from
which the animals have returned alive. The subject is
complicated, and I am aware of treating it somewhat
summarily, but I am inclined to state my belief that in
the polar regions properly organised parties of men will
perform as extended journeys as teams of dogs, provided
always that it is intended to preserve the lives of the
dogs.
But if, on the other hand, it is decided to sacrifice
the dogs to the supreme object of the journey, the matter
is placed on a different footing, and the dog-team is
invested with a capacity for work which is beyond the
emulation of a party of men. To appreciate this is a
matter of simple arithmetic. We can suppose a party
of three men starting on a journey dependent on their
own labours, and we can suppose the same party starting
with the assistance of twelve dogs which they intend
should feed on one another. In the latter case, although
the party start with heavier weights than in the former,
the dogs not only draw this heavier load but carry their
own food on their own legs. It is obvious, therefore,
that the dog-assisted party will have the radius of the
simple man party plus the distance added by the dogs'
energy. This is not quoted as a practical case, but
merely to show the clear gain which the dog offers.
This method of using dogs is one which can only be
adopted with reluctance. One cannot calmly contemplate
vol. 1. H H
466 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
the murder of animals which possess such intelligence
and individuality, which have frequently such endearing
qualities, and which very possibly one has learnt to
regard as friends and companions. On the other hand, it
may be pointed out with good reason that to forego the
great objects which may be achieved by the sacrifice of
dog-life is carrying sentiment to undue length. It is a case,
if ever there was one, where the end justifies the means.
There is no real reason why the life of a dog should be
considered more than that of a sheep, and no one would
pause to consider the cruelty of driving a diminishing
flock of sheep to supply the wants and aid the move-
ments of travellers in more temperate climates.
If one comes to look into this matter, one sees that the
real cruelty to a dog lies in over- working or under-feeding
it, and it is in avoiding this as far as possible that the
sledge-traveller most truly shows his humanity. The
avoidance of unnecessary pain should be the aim, and
suddenly and painlessly to end the life of an animal
which has been well fed and well cared for is not cruelty.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to avoid pain, and
it was this fact more than the actual killing that weighed
heavily on us when, as I shall relate, we had gradually
and completely to efface the patient companions of our
southern sledge journey.
My plan for utilising our dog- team was compounded
of the two methods which I have sketched above. We
faced the situation that the weaker animals must be sacri-
ficed to the exigencies of the work, though we hoped
that a remnant of the larger and stronger beasts would
i9o2] OUR SAD EXPERIENCE 467
survive to enjoy again a life of luxury and ease ; but, as
events turned out, we saved none : all were lost under
the unavoidable pressure of circumstances.
Probably our experience was an exceptionally sad
one in this respect, but it left in each one of our small
party an unconquerable aversion to the employment of
dogs in this ruthless fashion. We knew well that they
had served their end, that they had carried us much
farther than we could have got by our own exertions ;
but we all felt that we would never willingly face a
repetition of such incidents, and when in the following
year I stepped forth in my own harness, one of a party
which was dependent on human labour alone, it would
not be easy adequately to convey the sense of relief
which I felt in the knowledge that there could be no
recurrence of the horrors of the previous season.
I have endeavoured to give a just view of the use of
dogs in polar enterprises. To say that they do not greatly
increase the radius of action is absurd ; to pretend that
they can be worked to this end without pain, suffering,
and death is equally futile. The question is whether
the latter can be justified by the gain, and I think that
logically it may be ; but the introduction of such sordid
necessity must and does rob sledge-travelling of much
of its glory. In my mind no journey ever made with
dogs can approach the height of that fine conception
which is realised when a party of men go forth to face
hardships, dangers, and difficulties with their own un-
aided efforts, and by days and weeks of hard physical
labour succeed in solving some problem of the great
H H 2
468 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
unknown. Surely in this case the conquest is more
nobly and splendidly won.
It must not be forgotten, however, that few expedi-
tions can command the numerical strength to perform
extended journeys with men alone. A large party of
men is not only a great responsibility, but a great ex-
pense ; the dog gives little anxiety, requires no housing,
and draws no wages.
There is one other point which must not be omitted
in considering the relative services of dogs and men.
There are places where men can go but dogs cannot.
The greater part of polar travelling has lain over flat sea-
ice or comparatively flat land-ice, and this is a condition
suitable to the dog ; but on steep slopes and over uneven
country the dog is practically useless. It will be seen
that a great deal of our travelling lay over uneven
country. Everywhere but on the barrier surface we had
inequalities to contend with, and in rising to the steep
mountain ranges to the west we had to ascend rough
uneven glaciers and to traverse surfaces of smooth glassy
ice, where dogs would have been a hopeless encum-
brance ; men, and men alone, could have dragged our
sledges over these rugged tracts. As we were situated,
therefore, the services of dogs could only have been
utilised to a limited extent, nor is it at all improbable that
a similar experience awaits future Antarctic travellers.
For some time before the start of our sledging season
we had strained inventive talent in the hope of devising
the best form of harness for our dog-team, one which
would give them the best chance of utilising their
i9o2] DOG HARNESS 469
strength ; but in this respect a dog is a most uncanny
animal to suit. Except after an exhausting march he is
never still : he will leap about and turn and twist in a
manner calculated to tangle the simplest harness, and to
this he adds an ineradicable habit of gnawing at his
trace.
The harness, as regards the dog itself, we kept a
permanency. Each dog was measured for his suit, and
then it was sewn securely about him. It consisted of a
broad breast-band secured to a girth about the fore part
of the body. The trace could be secured on either side
of this arrangement. At first we tried a double trace to
equalise the pull, using some small steel rope, impervious
to the animals' teeth. This promised well, and, fitted
with swivels, it was a really ingenious contrivance ; but
we found later that the wire, though very flexible, was
liable to chafe, and when the small, sharp strands stuck
out at all angles it was not pleasant to handle. Finally
we had to revert to the single trace of rope, which was
secured to the harness with a hitch and to the main
trace with a toggle ; whilst half-way along it was a
swivel, which helped to counteract the constant restless
twisting of the animal.
We also had many trials to find out how the dogs should
be placed with regard to the sledge, finally arranging a
long central trace, along which they were secured in pairs.
Thus arranged our dog-team trailed out to rather a long
procession. First came the leading dog, led by one of the
party ; after him, two by two, the remainder of the team,
the ' wheelers ' being close back on the sledge. Even
470 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
with this simple arrangement the traces would sometimes
be worked into a bad tangle, which it was only possible
to unravel with bare fingers — a task that was not looked
forward to with any pleasure, especially in the early
morning. In this respect there is a curious habit in
dogs, which appears to be some survival of a remote
wild age, and which most people will doubtless have
noticed : a dog rarely coils himself down to sleep without
turning round several times, as though arranging some
imaginary lair. However pleasing this habit may be to
watch on ordinary occasions, one does not contemplate
it with delight in a sledge dog, knowing that one will
eventually have to disentangle the twisted confusion that
results.
It may be of interest perhaps to explain briefly how
we came to be possessed of a dog- team. In the early
days of preparation which preceded our departure from
London the subject of dogs very naturally arose, and it
became evident that if we were to obtain a team arrange-
ments would have to be made in good time. The
German expedition, which was to start simultaneously
with our own, had already secured a team in Eastern
Siberia, where, it is reported, the dogs are both larger
and stronger than in the West. It was too late for
us to copy this example, but I shortly got into com-
munication with an agent, Mr. Wilton, who was then in
Archangel, and who undertook to fulfil our requirements.
At this time a Russian named Trontheim had been com-
missioned to obtain between 300 and 400 dogs for an
American expedition, then about to start for Franz-
OQ'.
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i902] HISTORY OF OUR DOG TEAM 471
Josef Land. It was Trontheim who in 1891 had
secured the dogs carried on Nansen's famous voyage,
and, as he was in all respects fitted for collecting the
animals, our agent added our modest requirement of
twenty to the number of his commission, on condition
that we, through our agent, should be allowed first pick
of the crowd collected. The particulars of Trontheim's
wanderings are not in my knowledge, but it is certain
that he must have travelled over a great portion of
the country inhabited by the Ostiak and Samoyede
tribes of Northern Russia to fulfil his contract. On his
return to Archangel Mr. Wilton selected twenty dogs
and three bitches for our expedition, and duly brought
them to London, where they were housed in the Zoo
until such time as we could make arrangements for their
transport to New Zealand and provide for their care on
the voyage. I really do not think I ever had an oppor-
tunity of thoroughly examining the dogs until we came
to rest in our winter quarters, but then, of course, one
not only saw them, but rapidly grew to know their indi-
vidual characteristics.
Notwithstanding the care with which they had
been brought together, though the majority were fine,
strong dogs, there was a distinct tail to our team, and
several young dogs which had evidently never been in
harness before. One of the most noticeable points
about the team was the difference of breed. There
were three distinct types, besides many modifications
of these types. The first was a big, strong-limbed
dog of nondescript colour, with a very thick but
472 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
comparatively short coat ; these animals formed the best
pulling element in the team. Next came a short-legged,
thick-set dog, with a long, shaggy coat, and black-and-
white in colour ; it was one of these who kept up the
traditions of his race by pulling to the last gasp. The
third type was in form and colour so near to the grey
wolf that one felt confident that his blood relationship
was extremely close. These dogs were by far the most
unattractive in the pack ; timid, cunning, and uncertain
in temper, they possessed all the sneaking distrust of the
wild animal and none of the good humour and boisterous
affection which were so marked a characteristic of the
rest. And all this mixed team had come to us unnamed
and unknown ; we had not a scrap of their history,
nor could we tell within a thousand miles whence they
came. But what mattered that ? They had now good
Anglo-Saxon names, and their value lay in their future,
and not in their past.
One fact only had been borne by word of mouth —
the king and ruler of our pack had held the same high
office when he had travelled amongst 400 of his kind.
And well he might. His new name of ' Nigger' wholly
failed to convey the grandeur of his nature. In peace
he was gentle and dignified, but in war, as we knew
to our cost, he was swift and terrible.
When we opened our spring campaign with the dogs
in 1902, the original team had sadly diminished. One
had been lost with poor Vince in the disaster of March ;
two had been murdered under our very eyes, and two
others had come to an untimely end during the winter.
[See p. 444.
TWO COOKING APPARATUS WITH TWO PANNIKINS.
"ZSwai*^
A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION.
i902] DISCOMFORTS OF SLEDGE-TRAVELLING 4/3
To what remained, for our southern journey, were
added the three ladies and poor 'Joe,' who had been the
private property of Mr. Bernacchi, bringing their number
up to a total of nineteen, of which all but one, who was
dismissed at an early period in the journey, left their
bones on the great southern plains. This in brief is the
history of our dogs, but of the circumstances in which
they met their end I shall speak at greater length.
A mere description, such as I have given, of the
organisation of sledge-travelling and the paraphernalia
which accompanies a sledge party can give no idea of
the actual life of the sledge-traveller or the difficulties
and hardships which he has to face, so that it is
necessary to point out wherein the latter lie. The
worst time for sledging is the coldest time ; not so
much on account of the cold itself as on account of the
effects produced by the cold. The most troublesome of
these is the absence of evaporation. Very cold air will
only contain the minutest quantities of moisture, and
consequently there is in it little or no drying effect, while
the human body is always giving off moisture, much
passing away in the breath, but much issuing through
the pores of the skin. It is not difficult to see what will
happen under such conditions, and how much the traveller
will be inconvenienced. Though the greater proportion
of the moisture will pass away with air artificially heated
by the body, a small quantity will remain as ice on one's
garments, and this ice will gradually and surely increase
until one is completely enclosed in it. There is ice
everywhere : one's garments are covered with it ; one's
474 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
helmet is encrusted with it ; one's boots are full of it ;
and all these things which on board the ship were so
caressingly soft to the touch will have become as hard as
boards. Worse still, this ice will be found plastered as
thickly on everything that makes for comfort at night :
sleeping-bag, night-jacket, and night foot-gear will have
grown equally hard and chill ; one's life seems to be
spent in thawing things out.
Some idea of these discomforts may be gathered
from the description of a day's sledging under severe
conditions of temperature. We will imagine ourselves
of a party who have been a week or more out, and first
observe ourselves as we are plodding along through
the snow towards our evening camping place. The
exertion of the march has sent the blood coursing freely
through our veins, and each man inside his heavy
clothing has a grateful sense of warmth ; but the day has
been a long one, in the last half-hour the sledges have
grown decidedly heavier, and legs and back are already
giving warning that the camping hour ought to be at
hand. Breath is now coming gustily ; it has frozen thick
under the wind-guards and hangs in long icicles from
the unshaven chins ; eyelashes are thickly encrusted
with it, and now and again a bared hand has to thaw
out a sealed eyelid and restore the sense of vision to its
owner. /
Half an hour ago the leader looked at his watch and
announced, ' Thirty-five minutes to camp ' ; by this time
we can gauge shrewdly the passage of time and the
watch has not been seen again until now, when it is
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1902] TYPICAL EXPERIENCES 475
followed by the caution, ' Three minutes more.' Heads go
up ; it is time to look for the camping spot. But we are
now travelling over rough sastrugi ; we cannot camp on
these with any hope of comfort. Suddenly the owner of
a keen eye says, ' There we are, sir ' ; he has detected
a smooth patch just large enough for our tents, and we
make for it. We march to the site and up goes the
leader's hand. The sledges stop dead ; traces and har-
ness fall with a clatter on the snow, and without a
moments delay the heavily clad figures turn towards
the sledges. There must be no standing about in this
weather ; we must be constantly active until we can
creep into the shelter of our thin tent. Everyone is
soon wrenching at the straps of the neatly packed sledges
and running busily to and fro with various articles of the
equipment. In each group of three, one man seizes the
tent-poles and after some struggling succeeds in planting
them firmly in the snow over the smoothest site he can
find ; his two companions advance with the tent, and
whilst he holds grimly to the poles they whisk it over his
head and straighten it till it hangs squarely on its support.
One now pulls out and arranges the skirting, whilst the
other has seized the shovel and is cutting out large slabs
of snow as though his life depended on it.
I may here add that this was not always an easy task.
Sometimes the snow was brittle and crystalline and diffi-
cult to work ; at others there was very little of it, especially
when we camped on glaciers ; but the worst condition
was when it was excessively hard. It may seem almost
incredible that we occasionally found wind-blown snow so
476 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
hard that, except in the strongest hands, a solid sharp
shovel made no impression on it. To prise out pieces at
such times was really expert work, and it was lucky
that we only came on this condition after we had had
some experience.
But to return to our tent. Whilst the others are
delving and securing the tent without, the cook has
spread the floorcloth within, and is now seated on it
with his Primus lamp and provision bag. He handles
the first with care, pours spirit from a tiny flask into
the outer cup, and laying in it a small piece of wick
proceeds to light it. His matches are produced with
great care from an inner pocket. Herein lies great
danger, for on no account must moisture be allowed
to condense in that box ; the contents of many a match-
box have been wasted by incaution. If he has been
sufficiently careful, however, the lamp-wick is soon
sputtering and thin blue flame creeps up about the
burner of the lamp ; with bated breath he waits for the
psychological moment, and suddenly gives a sharp stroke
to the plunger of the lamp. If he has hit it off, small
shafts of blue flame shoot out beneath the caps, and in
a minute, as he works away at the pump, the top of the
lamp is surrounded by a hissing, roaring flame. If, how-
ever, he has not hit it off, the yellow flame of free oil
alone shoots up, and all has to be done over again.
Meanwhile the cooker has been filled by those outside
and handed in through the door. Directly the lamp is
lit the various vessels are placed on top of it ; the lamp
takes a deeper note as it gets to its work, and those
i902] THE ORDINARY ROUTINE 477
without breathe a sigh of relief as they realise that supper
is now really in sight.
The cook now gets ahead with the contents of the
provision bag and continues to suffer in comparative
silence, for indeed all this time he has suffered ; he has
had to work with bared hands and to seize one by one
all these chilled metal articles, where a moment's delay
will convey a tingling, burning shock to the fingers. Of
such work it may be truly said :
Ah me ! what perils do environ
The man who meddles with cold iron.
In our spring journeys it was impossible to avoid this
trouble with cold metal ; our fingers became to a certain
extent callous, but only when each finger-tip terminated
in a large horny blister. Except that they burnt and
tingled, these blisters did not give much trouble during a
short journey, but were very sore when they burst after
one's return. On a long cold journey one's fingers were
liable to split and crack about the nails, and this was
both painful and troublesome.
As soon as the tent is well secured without, those
who have been at work on it demand admittance ; the
door is unfastened and they come tumbling in with a
confused medley of night-coats and foot-gear. All now
squat round the hissing cooker, and we gain what comfort
we can from the heat that escapes from it. The con-
fined space within is now filled to repletion, and elbows
and knees have to be managed with caution to avoid
disaster to the cooker. By this time, in the spring, the
478 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
sun has sunk below the horizon, and the gloom of the
tent is lightened only by the flickering rays of a candle
placed in a collapsible lantern which hangs from a tent-
pole. So small is the space that an incautious move-
ment often sends this contrivance flying, and there is
much groping and imprecation before light can be pro-
duced again on the scene.
Whilst the cook devotes his attention to the all-
important supper we others make shift to change our
foot-gear ; in the narrow, cramped space we tug and pull
at sodden finneskoes and ice-covered socks, and, diving
into our warm breast pockets, hasten to cover bared feet
with the night-socks which have been dried in that
receptacle. Suddenly, without warning, a leg shoots out
whilst the owner exclaims loudly under the sharp pain of
violent cramp. The cooking-pot rocks wildly, but in the
confusion the ever-watchful cook rises to the occasion
and prevents a catastrophe.
A few moments more, and little spurts of steam rise
from the centre of interest ; snow has been converted into
boiling water, and the cook's busiest moment has arrived.
Off come the lids and covers, and in a moment all is hidden
in a dense cloud of steam, through which one can dimly
perceive that the cook has seized the candle and with its
aid is conveying the frozen ingredients of the supper into
the boiling pot. Soon, as he stirs, the most fragrant odour
in the world greets our nostrils. All other work ceases
as the pot is lifted and its precious contents poured into
the ready pannikins. The cook takes his perquisites by
scraping out, with his spoon, all that remains ; this done
i902] SUPPER 479
he refills the empty pot from the outer cooker and sets it
once more to boil. Then follows an interregnum of
comparative silence, broken only by the crunch of biscuit
or the smack of lips which have closed on a succulent
spoonful of hoosh.
This is a moment to be lived for — one of the brief
incidents of the day to which we can look forward with
real pleasure. The hot food seems to give new life, its
grateful warmth appears to run out to every limb, ex-
haustion vanishes, and gradually that demon within,
which has gripped so tightly for the past hour or two, is
appeased. The hoosh is followed by an equally delight-
ful drink of boiling hot cocoa, but even as we gulp it
down we feel that pleasure is drawing to an end, for
the Primus is now out, the steam of cooking that has not
passed away through the ventilator has frozen in glisten-
ing crystals on the side of the tent, and the chill of the
outer air is again finding its way through the thin
canvas.
There is no time to be wasted ; the door is opened,
and two people plunge out into the open air, the
cooker and provision bag are hastily packed together,
passed outside, and made secure from the wind by heavy
lumps of snow ; the floor is swept, and the miscellaneous
assortment of clothing is collected with as much dis-
crimination as possible into the corners allotted to the
various individuals. Meanwhile the sleeping-bag is
dragged to the door of the tent, and by dint of much
coaxing it is eventually got inside. By this time it is
quite stiff and hard ; it crackles as it is forced open,
480 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
and has to be flattened out with the full weight of the
body. What was once the soft covering flap will now
stand erect and rigid, so stiffened is it with ice. Inside,
the hair is matted together and hard frozen — so hard in
places that under the raps of one's knuckles it resounds
like a wooden door. Could any bed be more uninviting ?
Before we enter it we must have a look round. The
sun is skimming round below the southern horizon ; there
is a deep red flare in its wake. The sky is clear save
in the south-east, where lies a rather ominous bank of
cloud. Are we in for a blizzard ? Now and again a puff
of wind sweeps over the snow ; as it passes, the fine ice-
crystals of the surface-drift patter against the sledges and
our legs and gather in little sandy heaps beyond ; the
tent, which has been flapping idly, shivers violently as
the blast sweeps by ; a last look at the thermometer
shows that the temperature has fallen to — 480 ; we
wonder how much lower it is going, and make for the
tent door.
It doesn't do to dive straight in, for we may land in
the centre of someone else's anatomy, so we shout,
' All right for coming in ? ' There is a scuffling, then
* Right, oh ! ' and we dive with a blind lurch towards
our own corner ; the last-comer gathers up the loose
folds of the door and ties them up tightly ; then we all
sit round on the sleeping-bag and complete our costume
for the night. It is breathless work this, dealing with
hard frozen garments in such a cramped space. Conver-
sation is kept up in gasps, and now and again some
struggling figure has to pause for a rest ; but at length all
i902] THE DIARIST'S WOES 481
are ready, and, sweeping away the loose snow as far
as possible, we lift the flap of the sleeping-bag and step
inside.
But the day's work is not yet over : this is the time for
diaries, meteorological records, casual repairs, and pipes.
The last-named, being the only attractive part of this pro-
gramme, is the first to be considered, and each smokers
hand dives into the inner recesses of the pocket in which
pipe, matches, and his meagre allowance of tobacco are
cherished. Experience soon teaches that a pipe must
be kept in a very warm place, otherwise the stem will
be found choked with ice, with which nothing but a
stiff bit of wire will cope.
A diary is a great nuisance when the nights are
dark : the writer is obliged to secure the flickering
lantern close beside his book, and when the tent is
being shaken by the wind the fitful motion of the light
can be imagined. As he pores over his task his breath
forms a film of ice over the paper, on which the pencil
frequently skids, and sometimes after writing a few
lines he will turn the page to the light and find half
of it illegible, so that he has to go painfully over each
word afresh. Now and again his bare fingers will
refuse duty, and he must wait awhile until they are nursed
back to life. This sort of thing does not help one's ideas
to flow, and altogether the keeping of diaries and records
is no joke in this cold weather. Sewing is a still less
pleasant job, and the garment must be badly rent in-
deed before its owner undertakes its repair on a spring
journey.
vol. 1. 1 1
482 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sepi.
As these tasks are finished, one by one the inhabi
tants of the sleeping-bag wriggle down into its horny-
depths. The last to lower himself is the centre man,
who has still some duties to perform. When the others
have reported themselves fixed, he laboriously wrestles
with the fastenings of the bag over their heads ; these
secured, he ' dowses the glim ' and works himself down as
best he can between his companions, and finally seals
the opening above his own head. Ere this dreaded
night commences, the leader has again consulted his
watch and found that between two and three hours have
elapsed since the party halted.
The time consumed in all these simple operations of
camping puzzled us greatly at first. There was no par-
ticular delay anywhere ; from start to finish one was
busy, and there was every incentive to hurry, yet even
with experience the interval was very little shortened.
The secret lies in the fact that the simplest operation
becomes complicated in intensely cold weather. Even
to change a pair of socks takes nearer five minutes than
one. The continuous thawing-out is the real cause of
delay, but the difficulty shows that the sledge-traveller
has much to occupy him in cold weather beyond dragging
his sledge over the snow.
A night in such a sleeping-bag as we are picturing, with
the temperature below — 400, cannot be said to be less than
horribly uncomfortable. We are rarely conscious of
sleeping ; certainly not oftener than one night in three can
we realise that several hours have passed in oblivion, and
these seem only to be bought at the price of extreme
i902] A NIGHT IN THE SLEEPING BAG 483
exhaustion. Ordinarily we sleep in the fitful, broken,
comfortless fashion of which the mere recollection is a
nightmare, and even this poor apology for slumber does
not come until we have lain broad awake and shivering
for an hour or two.
With the temperature at — 480 we can make a shrewd
guess as to the sort of night that is before us. The
first half-hour is spent in constant shifting and turn-
ing as each inmate of the bag tries to make the best
of his hard mattress or to draw the equally hard cover-
ing closer about him. There is a desultory muffled con-
versation broken by the chattering of teeth. Suddenly
the bag begins to vibrate, and we know that someone
has got the shivers. It is very contagious, this shiver-
ing, and paroxysm after paroxysm passes through the
whole party. We do not try to check it : the violent
shaking has a decidedly warming effect ; besides, it is a
necessary part of the programme, and must be got
through before we can hope for sleep. Presently we
hear our neighbour marking time, and we rather unne-
cessarily ask him if his feet are cold ; he explains their
exact state in the most forcible language at his command.
All this time we are mentally surveying our own
recumbent figure and wondering whether the parts that
feel so cold are really properly covered or whether
our garments have got rucked up in the struggle for
ease. Our hands are tucked away in some complicated
fashion that experience has commended ; they are use-
less for exploring. Besides, we know of old how far
imagination can lead one. Our thoughts, taking flying
1 1 2
484 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY' [Sept.
journeys round the world, flit past the tropics to log-
wood firesides, but they stop nowhere until they have
raced back to present discomfort. The last squirm
brought the wind-guard of our helmet across our face.
It is crusted with the ice of the day's march : this is
now gently thawing, and presently a drop trickles down
our nose. Our thoughts become fixed on that drop.
It is very irritating ; we long to wipe it away, but that
means taking out one hand and disarranging the whole
scheme of defence against the cold. We are debating
the question when a second drop descends. Flesh and
blood cannot stand this : out comes our hand, and for
the next quarter of an hour we are pitching and tossing
about to try to regain the old position.
It is all very small, very trivial ; yet there are prob-
ably few who have not passed sufficiently restless
nights to appreciate how these trivialities wTeigh on such
an occasion, and here we have in their most concrete
form the greater part of those elements which go to
disturb the rest of man.
We start to count those imaginary sheep jumping
over their imaginary hurdles for the hundredth time as
the shivering lessens. The last half-hour has brought a
change ; we are no longer encased with ice. There are
signs of a thaw ; above and below the bag is less rocky ;
it is becoming damp and coldly clammy, but it covers us
better. There is just a suspicion of somnolence, when
suddenly the whole bag is shaken violently and we hear
the most harrowing groans. It is only another attack of
the cramp, an enemy that is never far away. We try
i902] LIGHT-HEARTED JACK 485
to sympathise with the victim as we start the sheep
jumping afresh.
And so this wearisome night passes on, with its round
of trivial detail and its complete absence of peace and
comfort. It was the same last night, and it will be the
same to-morrow.
It is not an exaggeration to say that we dreaded
these nights, yet it is worthy of record that none passed
without a jest ; the more cheerless and uncomfortable the
conditions became, the more light-hearted grew the men.
I have mentioned only some of their ills. Besides
cramp, cold feet, and general discomfort, many were
attacked by rheumatism ; later, snow-blindness inter-
vened. Another great source of trouble was indigestion
and heartburn. I, with several others, had never known
this ailment under ordinary conditions, but during the
earlier sledging days it attacked us most fiercely. Also,
of course, frost-bites were common, with painfully
blistered faces and hands ; feet were likewise blistered on
the long, fatiguing marches.
To all these ills were our sailors regularly and
constantly exposed on their sledge journeys, and not
only did they hate to forego their share, but never
an evil fell on them but they made so light of it
that one would have thought they were engaged in
the most humorous occupation imaginable. Their con-
versation either on the journey or after their return
could have conveyed only one impression — that the
whole thing was a glorified picnic. It was not that
the jokes were of a high order. The acknowledged
486 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
humourists were in the minority, and even they were
reduced to the feeblest witticisms : the striking thing was
their capacity for finding amusement, not only in the
dull and prosaic, but in the physically miserable. There
are few people, I take it, who will not appreciate the
saving qualities of this sense of humour, or who have not
at some time experienced the advantage of meeting mis-
fortune with a smile ; there are few, therefore, who will
not realise that one would have to search far for a better
sledge-companion than the British bluejacket.
If refreshing sleep comes at all on a spring sledge
journey, it will be in the early morning hours, when
the sleeping-bag has thawed down on its occupants, and
they, though damp, can get better protection from its
folds ; it is now, therefore, that we doze for brief
intervals and wake in fitful starts. The leader, who
alone possesses a watch, is conscious of his respon-
sibility for rousing the party, and wonders vaguely in his
waking moments what the time may be. To look at his
watch is a thing only to be done when all other evidence
as to the passage of time has been duly considered, for
it means that his present attitude has to be disturbed ; he
must struggle with his garment to produce the watch,
and, worse still, he must slightly open the sleeping-bag so
that the grey outer light may fall on its face. Therefore
before he moves he recalls the incidents of the night and
sums up in imagination the intervals of time which have
elapsed between them ; he arrives at the conclusion that
another half-hour may well pass before he disturbs him-
self.
i9o2] 'TIME TO GET UP!' 487
Then the deed has to be done, and he shuffles the
watch-face up to the light. As he peers into it his breath
freezes on the face, and he has to rub again before he can
mark the position of the hands, but finally they show
that there is still a quarter of an hour to the time of
rising. He tucks away his timekeeper and lies wake-
fully counting the minutes. When he thinks the fifteen
have elapsed he shouts, 'Time to get up ! ' It is evident
the others have been waiting for the signal. There is
no lagging ; even the morning hours have not made the
bag sufficiently comfortable for anyone to desire to linger
in it. The toggles are soon undone, and we all hoist
ourselves into a sitting position and search about us for
mits and other articles of attire. A prolonged howl is
sent forth into the dim morning light, ' Rouse out ! Rouse
out ! Time to get up ! ' and presently one hears the
muffled response from the other tents, ' A' right, sir ! '
A moment or two more, and all are busy again.
The murmur of conversation in the other tents comes
to our ears, and occasionally some remark intended for
the whole camp. Two of us have tumbled out through the
door of the tent, and the moist sleeping-bag is dragged
through to be rolled up outside. The cook has already
dashed for his Primus lamp; the cooker is filled and
passed in, and soon the hissing sound in each tent tells
that breakfast preparations have commenced.
We take a swift run round to the other tents to
inquire the news of the night and make a rapid survey
of the various ailments ; then on to the thermometer to
find the spirit column resting at —45°, though the
488 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
indicator shows that it has been colder in the night ; its
upper end is resting more than 500 below zero (in fact,
on spring journeys it was often found below — 6o°). The
temperature is slowly rising, but it is still bitter enough
as we seek again the shelter of the tent.
It is lucky that the watched pot does occasionally
boil, for all eyes are now glued on the cooker, and,
thanks to its efficiency, no long time passes before the
pemmican can be thrown in and the savoury smell of
breakfast arises. With breakfast, peace and comfort
again reign for a short spell, and whilst its grateful
warmth is still felt we puff again at our pipe and collect
as best we can our boots and other articles necessary
for the days march. The sun has just risen above
the horizon, but the wind has come with it, and its
golden rays are reddened by the low driving snowdrift.
Some of the worst ordeals of the day are before us, and
to venture into the open in the wind is not a pleasing
prospect. Faces take rather a grim expression, but delay
doesn't help matters ; things have to be done, and they
are done somehow. With the coming of the sun the
flickering lantern can be dispensed with, and now we
can see well to put on our marching boots.
It is very trying work. With a caution born of
experience we took immense care last night in freezing
them to conform as nearly as possible to the shape of our
feet. After the march they had been wet through, and
came off in a soft and flabby condition ; we knew that this
would only last for a few minutes, and as they froze we had
carefully supported and kneaded them into the required
1902] FROZEN FINNESKOES 489
shape. Half an hour later they were so hard that we
could throw them about without risk of altering it ; they
are still in this condition, and we are about to test the
result of our labours. They clatter like wooden sabots
as they are deposited on the floorcloth.
We squat down and withdraw one foot from its night-
clothing, grope in our breast for our day-socks, produce
one of them still very wet but moderately warm, jam our
foot into it, and with many gasps proceed to wedge it
into a wooden finnesko. The finnesko has been prepared
by placing in it a sole cut from reindeer-skin and a little
padding of sennegrczs. This grass is soft, but the sole
is as wooden as the boot, and has needed much pushing
to get it in place. We are lucky if our foot gets
half-way into its rocky cover at the first attempt. We
leave it at that for the moment, and proceed with the
other ; by the time it is in a similar position, an inch can
be gained on the first, and so inch by inch these tiresome
boots are pulled on. Meanwhile our feet have got
alarmingly cold, and with a groan we are obliged to start
up and stamp about.
There is no exaggeration in the above picture. The
putting on of our finneskoes in very cold weather was
generally a matter of excruciating agony ; it often brought
tears to the eyes and always strong expressions to the
lips, and all this with footwear that on board the ship
could be put on as easily as ones hat. Yet even when
one was fuming in this discomfort, a glance at one's
writhing companions made it impossible not to appreciate
the humorous side of the situation, and we have often
490 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
paused in the midst of our trying labours to indulge in a
real hearty laugh.
Heaven help the man who had failed in caution
on the previous night ! At first, from want of expe-
rience, and later from carelessness or by accident,
a boot would be found in the morning squeezed
flat and frozen hard in that impossible shape. There was
nothing for the owner to do but to thaw it into shape
with his foot, which had to be withdrawn at intervals and
rubbed violently to restore the circulation. The least
time in which one could hope to cope with a boot of this
description was half an hour.
By this time all have their foot-gear on, and have
readjusted all their clothes ready for the march. Con-
siderably over two hours have elapsed since we roused
out of the sleeping-bag. When all is ready comes the
order, ! Pack up.' Out tumble all the thickly clad
figures ; lamps, cookers, and sleeping-bags are bundled
into their proper places on the sledges, the snow is
shovelled off the tent, and the latter is whisked off its
poles, shaken, and folded up ; the floorcloth is rolled up
or secured to a bamboo to serve as a sail. All these
articles are soon piled on the sledges and securely
strapped down ; the camp has disappeared as though by
magic, and all that is left to mark the spot is the weird
circles of snow-blocks which held the tents.
The warming effect of breakfast has long since
vanished, and now all is eagerness to be on the march.
The harness is soon picked up from the snow and
adjusted about the body ; then, with a final look to see
i9o2] THE MARCH RESUMED 491
that nothing has been left behind, we bend to the traces
and the leader says, * Off.'
There is rarely much conversation on the march,
especially in cold weather ; and, starting with a quick,
warming step, it is not long before we have fallen into
our regular stride — that steady, rhythmic plod before
which the miles come slowly but surely. In half an hour's
time the blood is flowing freely, garments are hanging
more easily, and our boots have thawed sufficiently to
give to the step. A halt is called to tighten up our
lamp-wick straps and to readjust, the folds about our
legs to the new conditions ; then we are off once more.
And now hour after hour creeps on whilst we seem
to have turned into a machine — a machine that must
keep moving with that regular swinging step, and now,
thank heaven, a machine that can do so without straining
its parts. A week ago things were very different ; we
vividly remember the start of the journey, when, in spite
of the temperature, the perspiration ran off us, when our
legs seemed uncontrollable members, and our back one
huge ache. Since that, day by day we have grown
stronger on the trail, until now the early hours of the
march are almost a physical pleasure, and it is only towards
its end that we feel the weight of the sledges. Yet withal
progress is not rapid ; one and three-quarter mile an
hour is good going. Sometimes we come down to one
and a half or less, and if we exceed two we seem to be
racing. Still, even a mile and a half an hour produces a
fair total for the day, if we can keep it going for pine
hours or more. So we plod along mechanically, each
492 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
footfall but little in advance of the last, whilst the
sledges come jerkily in our wake and leave the long,
snaky furrows behind.
At one o'clock there is a halt for lunch. Here we
score, for in the old days with ponderous, dilatory cook-
ing-apparatus the sledge traveller could not afford to
take his luncheon hot ; but with us the cooker is singing
ten minutes after we halt, and in less than half an hour
we have hot tea or cocoa ; and whilst we munch our
modest allowance of biscuit and cheese, the hot fluid
once more sends the blood coursing through our veins.
I think there can be no doubt as to the benefit of this
hot meal in the middle of the day, though possibly some
hardened travellers may consider it an unnecessary
luxury ; it forms an oasis in the long desert of the days
march, it breathes new vigour and spirit into a flagging
party. For lack of fuel I have been long spells without
a hot drink at midday, and therefore I know well the
difference it makes to the afternoon march ; and though I
know the case is not strong scientifically, I am prepared
to affirm that the distance gained on the marches more
than compensates for the extra weight of fuel required.
Personally I always preferred cocoa to tea for this meal,
mainly because tea is not a food, and can only stimulate.
The fact that we took tea on our sledge journeys was
rather a concession to the men, who from habit are much
attached to this beverage ; indeed, there were one or
two men who positively disliked cocoa. The best
marching hours were always those which succeeded the
lunch hour
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1902] A THREATENING OUTLOOK 493
But an hour under these conditions literally flies, and
we have barely swallowed our lunch and drawn a whiff
or two from our pipes when the order comes to 'pack
up ' ; tents and cookers are again packed on the sledge,
harness is resumed, and we are once more on the march.
So mechanically and evenly go these marching hours
that I have sometimes had to collect my thoughts to
remember whether it is morning or afternoon, or even
where I am and what I am doing. It is easy to go
into reverie and fly away to the ends of the earth ;
nothing disturbs the silence but the regular crunch of
the snow-crust and the swish of the sledge-runner.
But now the wind is springing up again. Throughout
the day the clouds have been banking up from the south ;
they are now travelling fast overhead, a low flying scud.
The sun peeps through at rarer and rarer intervals, the
sky and the mountains look very black and sombre, and
throw up the intense whiteness of the snow ; the surface
drift comes whirling along in ghostly wreaths, and patters
about our feet. The outlook is threatening, but we
don't want to lose our miles if we can help it, so we plod
along as before. As the wind grows stronger, one by
one out go the face-guards, and we march with heads
turned slightly to the right, away from it. We must
keep our eye open for frost-bites now : they will give no
warning. Presently the leader calls a halt ; everyone
knows what it is for, and each peers into the face of his
next-door neighbour. Apparently all is well, and off we
go again ; a quarter of an hour later there is another
halt and we hear, 'Your cheeks gone, Jim,' and Jim
494 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
immediately extracts his hand from his mit and places it
over the offending feature. Also Jim knows that there
will be a blister there to-morrow.
Once more we resume the march, and for long it is
only interrupted by the occasional search for frost-bites.
To the south the outlook appears still more gloomy, and
presently some adjacent hill-spur disappears as though it
had fallen through the earth, completely blotted out by a
sheet of deep grey which is rushing towards us. This is
the threatened storm, and the sooner we are in camp the
better. We cast round for a camping ground and rush
for the likeliest spot ; we halt and dash for the sledges ;
we think of nothing but getting the tents up in time. But
alas ! we have marched just five minutes too long, and
we have scarcely placed the tent-poles before the storm
is upon us.
The air is thick with driving snow-crystals ; they lash
at our face like a sand blast. It is impossible to face
them directly, and we rush to and fro with averted
head. So thick is the air that we can scarcely see the
sledges from the tent position, though only six or seven
yards lie between. It is each party for itself now with a
vengeance. One of our three hangs on like grim death
to the tent-poles, whilst the others bear the fluttering,
straining canvas to windward and strive to envelop him.
Once or twice they fail, but at last the tent is over, and
whilst to windward it is stretched taut on the bending
bamboos, to leeward it is flapping madly in the rising
gale. One of us sits on the weather skirt, and the other
flies for the shovel and returns to dig with wild haste.
i902] CAMPING IN A BLIZZARD 495
It is a long and difficult job this, to set up a tent in a
heavy wind whilst the snow curls and bites into our
face and creeps into our mits and into every hole and
crevice it can find in our garments. That wildly flapping
skirting is only conquered inch by inch by the united
efforts of the whole party. But it is bound to be done,
and the sooner the better, so we work with all the
strength that remains to us.
We must have everything handy now, so when the tent
is secured we fly for sleeping-bag, cooker, and anything
else we may need, and bundle them all indiscriminately
into the interior, following ourselves with all the haste
we can compass. Only when door and ventilator are
tied have we time to look about us, and then the sight is
not pleasant. The powdery snow-dust lies inches deep
everywhere ; it has covered everything we possess, and
lies thick in every crack of the sleeping-bag. We our-
selves are white from head to foot, and none of us but
is keenly frost-bitten about the face, whilst one has two
of his fingers white to the knuckles. Something hot is
what all need, and we set about to get it with the least
possible waste of time, whilst we brush the snow as best
we can from our belongings.
Supper makes one feel better, and immediately
after we unroll the sleeping-bag and commence to
prepare ourselves for entering it. We know from expe-
rience what all this snow will mean ; we cannot wholly
banish it, and the icy condition of our belongings is
nothing to what it will be ; yet we sweep and sweep as
diligently as may be with our fur mits to make the best
496 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
of a bad job, till finally we lift the cover of the bag and
settle ourselves with all possible care within.
It is curious to lie like this in a blizzard ; luckily the
temperature has gone up, as it always does on these occa-
sions. The rise is apparent in every way ; we can handle
things more easily, our breath does not rise in such steam-
ing clouds ; but, above all, there is a milder and easier feel
in the air once one is out of the lash of the wind. Our
discomforts now come more from the miserably chilly
wetness of everything than from the actual cold.
Meanwhile the storm without is raging unabated, and
the thin canvas of the tent is flapping with a continuous
roar that drowns all noise within ; conversation can only
be carried on by shouting. Still, the main point is that we
are all in the sleeping-bag and safe and sound if not very
comfortable, so in due course we settle ourselves in its
depths and draw over us the protecting flap. There will
be no shivering to-night at any rate, and we can smoke
our pipes with greater ease in consequence ; here, in the
depths of the bag, the mad flapping of the tent has sunk
to distant thunder.
The chances are that on the following day the blizzard
will not have gone down ; our blizzards usually last for
more than twenty-four hours, and therefore next morning
one is not surprised to hear the tent flogging away as
wildly as ever. Breakfast is deferred for an hour, but
man must live, and it is better to keep one's strength up
at all times, so at last we all get out of the bag, roll it
up carefully, and prepare our meal.
The meal over, the bag is spread again, and in it
i902] A WEARISOME DAY 497
we while away the hours as best we can. It is an
admirable lesson of patience, since we are absolutely in-
capable of bettering matters till the clouds roll by. We
only allow ourselves two hot meals — a late breakfast, and
then supper as darkness is again descending on us.
During these meals the bag is rolled up, but lunch, with
its scraps of biscuit, cheese, sugar, and chocolate, is eaten
inside it ; one keeps all these luxuries in a warm breast
pocket and munches away at them at intervals.
How unutterably wearisome these long daylight hours
are ! The smoker looks ruefully at his small stock of
tobacco ; to smoke now is to rob the future, but the
temptation is great, and he argues that just half a pipe
will not make much difference, so he lights up, but in a
quarter of an hour finds himself sucking at an empty bowl.
The inside of the bag has grown moist where it comes into
contact with the body, whilst the ice is still hard in the
corners ; the damp has worked through to the skin, and
we seem to be swathed in wet bandages. It is horribly
cold and clammy, and we think of what joy it would be
to be able to walk into our comfortable wardroom, to
rub ourselves with a rough towel, don dry clothing, and
bask in the rays of the glowing fire.
Now and again conversation breaks out ; someone tells
a droll legend of his infancy ; the tale carries us away to
other places and other times for a space, forgetful of our
miserable surroundings ; but the effort flickers and dies,
and gradually thought creeps back to the present. The
small aneroid barometers are consulted again and again ;
there has been a slight fall for the gale, not more than two
vol. 1. K K
498 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
or three tenths of an inch, but we eagerly look for a rise ;
occasionally a head is raised out of the bag to contem-
plate the green canopy above, but no one cares to look
long at the shivering canvas and trembling bamboos ; a
glance is sufficient to show that the conditions without are
unchanged. And as the long day goes by and the
second night creeps on we eat our modest supper and
once more resort to the bag. As we settle ourselves for
the night we are conscious of the first sign of break in
the gale. The wind is becoming more squally ; during
the furious gusts the tent flaps more madly than ever, but
between whiles there is a sensible indication of peace, and
we shut ourselves in with hopes that we are approaching
the end of our imprisonment.
By the early hours of the morning the improvement
is very marked ; we are conscious that for brief spells the
canvas is still, and that even in the squalls it is less
violently agitated. This is the beginning of the end ;
the air is probably still full of flying snow-crystals, but
in a few hours they will be settling and the nimbus
clouds will have passed us by. When we rise at the
first streaks of dawn it is to a brighter prospect ; the
light which penetrates the green walls of the tent is
sufficient to show that there must be a clear sky. These
walls are fluttering only at rare intervals and in gentle
fashion, chiefly because the wind has fallen, but partly
also because they are banked high with drift snow which
has caused them to sag in on every side until the inner
space is narrowed by some feet. The door is completely
drifted up by a heavy bank.
i902j RESULT OF A BLIZZARD 499
After rolling up the sleeping-bag the first thing to be
done is to effect an exit, and this we do by lying on our
backs and kicking for all we are worth at the snow-
banked canvas. After a bit we can untie the door, and,
still kicking, force our way out ; then the shovel is
found, and with its aid the drifts are soon diminished.
We drop at once into our usual camping routine, but
as the cook prepares the breakfast we have time to look
about us and to note the havoc wrought by the gale.
The sledges are almost covered, and we know well that
the boxes and tanks on them will be found partly if not
wholly filled. Our tent is covered with ice, the sleeping-
bag is filled with it, and there is not a single article of
our equipment which has not had pounds added to its
weight. It is a gruesome thought ; the temperature is
falling again, and we shall soon have the normal condition
of intense cold with an accumulation of ice which will
double each separate discomfort. We realise we are in
for a ' high old time,' and that the effects of this gale will
be felt to the bitter end of the journey ; there will be no
drying, and the ice which we have gathered will remain
with us throughout. However, it is no use inveighing
against the inevitable, and we start to dig out our sledges,
and afterwards books, instruments, and provisions are
taken out and brushed, whilst the tanks and boxes in
which they have reposed are freed as far as possible from
the sandy deposit. Then we go back to the tent for our
well-earned breakfast, and in due course step forth once
more on the march.
As can well be imagined, the diaries which record the
K K 2
500 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
doings of a sledge party, and which are written in
such adverse circumstances as I have described, do not
enter into the hardships and discomforts which are
inevitable to the day's work, but in the main are devoted
to the special incidents of the particular day. Such
references to the normal conditions as they contain are
rather in the form of hasty and incomplete entries which
would convey little to the outsider, though they may
amply stimulate the memory of the writer, who possesses
the key to the situation. It will not be difficult to under-
stand, however, that the person who has actually been
through sledging experiences will have little trouble in
recalling their general nature. The daily recurrence of
discomforts and hardships leaves an impression which is
not easily dispelled, and his memory affords him ample
material for drawing a typical picture of the sledge-
traveller's daily round.
It would be impossible in describing the special inci-
dents of our journeys always to supply the detail which
would make the circumstances clear. I have therefore
in this chapter endeavoured to describe what may be con-
sidered the normal experiences and environment of the
spring sledging parties, and thus to provide a general
background for the more varied adventures of our indi-
vidual excursions. I am not conscious of colouring the
picture highly — the discomforts are far too real to need
imaginative treatment — nor is it conceivable that anyone
would willingly face such conditions without some suf-
ficient object to compensate for the hardships endured.
But it must be remembered that all these conditions.
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which I have described are a result of the severe tem-
peratures and storms of the spring. Fortunately for the
sledge-traveller, as the season advances the climatic
conditions become milder, and in summer the sledging
life may become not only bearable, but pleasant. It has
always seemed to me that scarcely sufficient stress is
laid on this difference in Arctic books of travel. One is
apt to overlook the fact that the conditions described in
the earlier journeys have passed away during the more
extended efforts, and that in some of the latter the
travellers have actually suffered more from the sun and
the heat than from the cold. In point of fact, summer
sledging is so different from spring sledging that it might
well be considered a separate employment, and therefore
the description of a day's travelling in spring can convey
no impression of the summer traveller's experiences,
unless, of course, he is journeying on a high plateau
(such as the summit of Victoria Land), where the climate
is continuously severe.
In the South, as compared with the North, we were
much handicapped by the late advent of our improved
temperature conditions. There is generally a consider-
able rise in the Northern April ; in May the air can be
mild and pleasant, and in June it is sometimes disagree-
ably warm. In the South we got no marked improvement
until the early part of November, which corresponds to
the Northern May. December was the finest and
mildest month, though the temperature rarely rose above
the freezing-point, but even then we had sometimes
cause to complain of the heat.
502 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
It would not be possible to describe atypical summer
day's sledging, because two days were rarely alike, and so
much depended on the direction in which we travelled and
on the object of the journey ; but it is perhaps as well to
point out wherein it differed from such experiences as I
have already described. In summer of course there was
full daylight ; one lived and slept and ate with the sun
circling above the horizon, and the flickering candle
formed no part of one's equipment. During the night
one's boots had reposed near the tent ; much of the
damp had dried from them, and although they were
frozen, there was little difficulty in thawing them — they
could be put on and secured neatly whilst the breakfast
was being prepared.
On a fine day in summer the first task is to drag
the sleeping-bag out into the open, to turn it inside
out and support it facing the sun ; by this means
much of the moisture is evaporated out, and much
forms in tiny crystals on the hair and can be brushed
away. Sometimes it is carried on top of the sledge in
this way, so that the drying process may continue, but if
the weather is unsettled it is thoroughly beaten and turned
again before packing. Except during blizzards and cold
snaps this sleeping-bag has become a really pleasant
resort. There may be a little ice under each person's
body, but the greater part of the material is soft and
pliable, and after a hard day's march one snuggles com-
fortably into its folds and is soon away in dreamland.
The cooking-things can be handled now without
much difficulty, and the ends of one's fingers no longer
i9o2] IMPROVED MARCHING CONDITIONS 503
display a row of horny blisters, though in many places
they have dried and split and there are deep cuts about
the nails.
We start on the march without our wind-clothes ; in
fact, we rarely wear them now except when it is blowing
or snowing. In place of our helmets we now wear a
broad-brimmed hat, for the glare of the sun is great, and
with its reflection on the white snow it has already
burnt us all to a deep chocolate colour ; while at night
we wear a simple Balaclava. Soon after the march
starts we are perspiring freely ; the labour is very heavy,
and we are not sorry to be able to throw open our coat.
We scarcely realise that the air is chill until a halt shows
it is necessary to button up again. Mits are still slung
around our necks, but we usually march with our hands
free and yet with pleasantly pink fingers.
On coming to camp we can take things coolly —
and as the march has been carried to its utmost length,
we are capable of little else. Except for the cook, no
one enters the tent now until supper is ready ; for the
rest there is plenty to be done in thoroughly securing
the tent, opening out the sleeping-bag, and spreading
out damp articles to dry. The cook calls us when supper
is ready, and we are not slow in answering the call.
After supper we leisurely change our foot-gear and
spread out the sleeping-bag, but instead of jumping into
the latter at once we carry our sodden boots and stock-
ings into the open and distribute them about the sledges,
taking care to secure them with string or safety pins that
no unkind gust may waft them away whilst we sleep.
504 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
After this, with the memory of supper still fresh, it
is comfortable enough to sit in the sleeping-bag, smoke
our pipes, write up our diaries, and stitch away at some
torn garment ; then, perhaps, as the chill of the air
creeps in or the fatigue of the day overcomes us, we
creep down into our berths and are soon asleep. If it
is calm and the sun shines directly on the canvas side,
it can be quite warm within the tent ; sometimes we
have to sleep with our heads in the open, and on rarer
occasions we have even had to leave the bag and sleep
on top of it.
But there are troubles in the summer travelling as
well as in the spring, though they are of a somewhat
different nature.
There are blizzards and winds still to be contended
with ; either will cover us with snow and put a stop to
the drying, and we have several days of damp misery
before we can recover from its effects. We leave our
socks out to dry in a bright sun. The wind springs
up in the night, and they are covered with drift ; the sun
melts this into the fabric, and in the morning, instead of
dry foot-wear, we have to grapple with masses of ice.
The same sun melts the snow on the tent and covers it
with a sheet of ice. Though the temperature may be
below freezing, snow incautiously left in the provision
tank will melt and render everything soft and sodden.
From start to finish of the march we have to wear
goggles for protection against the intense glare, but we
grow inexpressibly sick of these safeguards, and weary
of always seeing the world through a tiny aperture. In
1900] DISADVANTAGES OF SUMMER 505
spite of this protection, too, snow-blindness is common,
and rarely a night goes by but someone needs
doctoring ; the solution of zinc sulphate is thawed out,
and the sufferer lies flat on his back whilst a ministering
companion drops the remedy into his eyes with the end
of a match. It is one of those remedies which might be
thought worse than the disease, for it gives the victim
what he calls ' gyp,' and generally keeps him awake for
the next hour or two with throbbing eyeballs.
In the spring journeys the marches had to be suited
to the conditions, but in the summer we live to march ;
there is no excuse for dawdling in the morning now, and
we are soon on the go. Hour after hour passes till
the welcome halt for lunch, and then again hour after
hour till the night camp is pitched. It is very toilsome
work. Day after day we put forth our best efforts, but
though physically fit and hard, it is impossible not to feel
stale at times and to long for the hands of the watch
to go faster ; the number of miles to show for a long
day's work seems ridiculously inadequate to the exer-
tion expended. When camping time comes, we feel
almost inclined to drop in our tracks and wish to good-
ness there was someone else to pitch the tent or do
the cooking. The march has been arranged to absorb
the maximum portion of our energy, but there is not
much present satisfaction in contemplating the limp con-
dition that results. With the most desperate desire to
sit or lie down, we remember that it is our duty to
fix the position, and, with a groan, plod away to the
instrument box, produce theodolite, watch, and note-
506 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
book, and endeavour to collect all our faculties to start
on the dreary round of observations.
But our most poignant suffering during the summer
season comes to us by reason of our hunger. The spring
absence was not long enough fully to develop the pangs,
but now, as week follows week, we become more famished
until our thoughts turn to little else but food. The
effects of breakfast have passed in an hour, or at the
most two, and we plod on with unsatisfied longings
during the morning. Lunch has become almost an in-
sult in its insufficiency ; it is gone in a twinkling, and we
gaze at the provision bag, frown at the cook, and
wonder if he has not cut our allowance too fine with a
misplaced ardour for saving. The end of the afternoon
is sometimes really painful ; tired and worn, we feel a
positive gnawing in the middle and begin to doubt if
supper-time will ever come.
When at length the halt is called there is no need to
hurry the cook, though the conversation takes a personal
turn if he is clumsy with the Primus. Our sensations
from the moment that the first savoury scent of cooking
issues from the tent till the last drop of hoosh is poured
down our craving throats, are beyond description ; they
can only be imagined, and not even that by such as
have not known what hunger really is. It is well to be
asleep before the effects of supper wear off, but this
is rarely possible, and it is always a wise precaution to
haul one's belt quite tight for the night.
Summer sledging is, in fact, a grind ; it is a grind
because only by putting forth one's utmost can one hope
i902] THE FASCINATION OF SLEDGING 50;
to achieve success, and because a self-imposed task can
be carried to whatever lengths one chooses. Although
it is conducted under far less severe conditions than those
of the spring journeys, it has drawbacks and difficulties
of its own, which are increased in proportion to the
serious nature of the effort which is being made.
At perhaps too tedious a length I have set forth the
objects of sledging, the manner in which it is organised
and conducted, and the difficulties with which it has to
contend. I cannot conclude without calling momentary
attention to it as an occupation for men, apart from the
more practical results which it purports to achieve.
• Sledging draws men into a closer companionship than
can any other mode of life. In its light the fraud must
be quickly exposed, but in its light also the true man
stands out in all his natural strength.
Sledging therefore is a sure test of a man's character,
and daily calls for the highest qualities of which he is
possessed. Throughout my sledging experience it has
been my lot to observe innumerable instances of self-
sacrifice, of devotion to duty, and of cheerfulness under
adversity ; such qualities appeared naturally in my com-
rades because they were demanded by the life.
It is in considering this that perhaps the reader will
see that there is a charm and fascination in the sledging
life despite its hardships and trials.
508 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
CHAPTER XII
THE SPRING JOURNEYS OF 1902
Spring Sledging Plans — Start of Sledging Season — Parties Leave the Ship —
Submarine Ice — Start on Southern Reconnaissance — An Inopportune
Blizzard — Return to the Ship — Fresh Start — Journey to the Bluff —
Difficult Travelling — Placing the Depot — Rapid Return — Report of
Outbreak of Scurvy — Experiences of Western Party — Steps taken to
Combat the Disease — Some Remarks on the Nature of Scurvy — Causes
which may have Led to our Outbreak — Impossibility of Determining its
Exact Origin — Prospects of Future South Polar Expeditions in this
Respect
And the deed of high endeavour
Was no more to the favoured few,
But brain and heart were the measure
Of what every man might do. — Rennell Rodd.
Tired of the long winter's inaction, impatient to be away
on our travels, and anxious to submit our diligent pre-
parations to a practical test, we waited restlessly during
the latter end of August 1902 for the sun to achieve a
sufficient altitude to give us light for a reasonable
proportion of the twenty-four hours. So ignorant were
we of our surroundings, and so formidable appeared many
of the obstacles which we could view from our neighbour-
ing heights, that it seemed desirable to devote our first
efforts principally to reconnaissance.
In accordance with a plan which had long been con-
i9o2] SPRING SLEDGING PLANS 509
ceived, Armitage was to conduct a party to the west,
and, travelling light, was to explore the region of New
Harbour and endeavour to find some route whereby the
inland ice might be reached to the northward of that
forbidding range of mountains which faced the ship. It
was realised that he would have to cross the sea-ice and
turn slightly to the north to avoid the decayed glacier
tongue on which we had landed from the ship. At the
same time, with the sea-ice so constantly being broken
up by the heavy gales, the party would have to be
extremely cautious in their movements in order to avoid
all risk of being carried away on a broken floe. Yet as
long as the sea-ice held firm, it would afford a smooth
and easy road, possibly the only one on which the
obstacles would not prove insuperable.
Royds, with another light travelling party, was to
journey to the south-west. Here our lofty mountain
range again fell, and though snow-covered peaks could
be seen in the far distance, there appeared to be a glacier
of great volume descending into the strait. Here, then,
was another possibility of finding a road to the inland.
All depended on what lay between, and whilst the
prospect was not hopeful, it was quite possible that by
turning and twisting amongst the various obstructions a
clear road could be found.
To have laden either of these parties with sufficient
food to make a depot for future journeys would have
been to limit their ability for exploration ; obviously the
first step was to find the road. I had entrusted the
western exploration to Armitage, and it would be for
510 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
him, after the return of these parties, to decide on the
best route to be taken.
I had decided in the very early winter months to
undertake the southern work myself, and as every con-
sideration seemed to point to this being the best route
for the dogs, I had determined that all these animals
should be commandeered for it, making the journey
essentially a dog-sledging trip. For a long time I con-
templated taking only one companion, thinking that two
persons would be sufficient to manage the animals, while
the saving of weight would compensate for the extra
trouble ; but in considering the difficulties which might
arise from the unknown nature of the route and the risk
of sickness, I finally decided on increasing the number
to three. Long before this my two chosen companions,
Barne and Shackleton, had been training themselves
for the work.
From our hills we could see two possible roads to the
south. One lay outside the White Island and promised
the smoother travelling, but necessitated a considerable
detour. The other was more direct, and led towards the
high black cape which we commonly called the Bluff;
it passed between the 'White' and 'Black' Islands,
and though it seemed to contain some rough places, I
thought it worth exploring, on the chance of saving the
longer distance.
But in making a spring journey to observe these
routes it was obvious that as one or the other must
eventually be taken by the main party, in either case
that party must pass around the Bluff, so that it was
i9o2] PRELIMINARY TRIPS 511
advisable that the southern reconnaissance party should
carry enough food to be able to establish a depot at the
Bluff.
Besides these early efforts at clearing the routes for
the main journeys, one other matter claimed our atten-
tion in the spring programme : we had still to communi-
cate with the record at Cape Crozier. It was advisable
that this should be done before the longer journeys were
undertaken, but I thought it might be left until after the
reconnaissance parties had returned.
As a preliminary to the commencement of the spring
programme, I decided to make a short trip to the north
with the dogs and a party of six officers and men, mainly
in order to test the various forms of harness which we
had on trial, and to find out whether the dogs pulled
best in large or small teams ; but incidentally there were
many minor topographical features in this direction which
we could not see clearly from the hills, and which we
now wished to make sure of.
On September 2 we started in a blizzard and camped
in conditions of some discomfort ; on the following day
we pushed on past the Turtle Rock and found ourselves
brought up by the long tongue of a glacier. Although
this was but eight miles from the ship, from our hills we
had only been able to make out a wavy, indistinct shadow,
showing how extraordinarily limited is the distance at
which one can detect ice disturbances.
This glacier tongue is worthy of a short description,
because it is typical of other ice formations in the Ross
Sea, and has puzzling characteristics for which, even to
512 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY' [Sept.
this day, we have not been able to account. It con-
sisted of a thin tongue of ice, about five miles long,
which shot out directly into the bay and thus into a
position where the sea-ice annually formed and broke up
on each side of it. It was little broader at its base
than at its end, but both sides of the tongue were
deeply serrated, so that a man walking along the top
would find it might narrow to a quarter of a mile, or
broaden out to nearly three-quarters. Moreover, thus
pursuing his way along the top he would gradually rise
and fall in level perhaps as much as ten or twenty feet,
the outer higher parts being separated by many valleys
from the inner. If the reader considers this shape, he will
see that it suggests itself as an impossible form for an
active ice-stream to take, and though it led directly away
from the higher southern snow-slopes of Mount Erebus,
one could not conceive that it had been actually formed
by those snow-slopes in their present condition.
Later on we sounded around the end and for some
way on each side of this glacier ; we found that the ice-
tongue, or at least the end of it, regularly rose and fell
with the tide, and nowhere about it could we get any-
thing but deep soundings. Now, not far to the north
were some rugged volcanic islets, showing that the
bottom of the bay may be very irregular ; but if some
irregularity kept this long fragile tongue in position, why
should it rise and fall with the tide ? To all intents and
purposes we seemed to have a peninsula of ice floating
in the sea, and yet for year after year failing to break
away from its source. For this phenomenon we could
I9o2] DOG RIVALRY 513
never find a reason, but for the general shape of this ice-
formation I shall hope to advance an explanation in a
later chapter. Before we left our winter quarters we
spent a long time camped in its vicinity, and in conse-
quence had many an argument concerning it.
On September 5 we crossed this glacier tongue and
explored the islets beyond. They were of little interest,
being merely masses of volcanic rubble, but as we
crossed we noticed that the ice underfoot was of very
recent growth ; evidently the sea had been swept clear
beyond the snout of the glacier quite lately. What we
had seen from the hilltop latterly was no figment of our
imagination, for whilst we lay snug and secure in our
winter quarters the sea had been open, and probably
tempestuous, within seven or eight miles of us.
On this journey we took our four sledges indepen-
dently, with four dogs harnessed to each. We found
that if the first team got away all right, the others did
pretty well at ' follow my leader.' Sometimes there was
even some competition for place, and on one occasion
two competing teams gradually converged, with the
natural result that when they got close enough to see
what was happening it occurred to them that much the
easiest way to settle the matter would be by a free fight ;
the teams therefore turned inwards with one accord
and met with a mighty shock. In a moment there was a
writhing mass of fur and teeth and an almost inextricable
confusion of dog traces. Even in the short interval that
elapsed before the drivers were amongst them, beating
right and left, it was possible to see that the code was
vol. 1. L L
514 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
observed ; each dog confined his attentions to the
'enemy,' and did not attempt to attack his comrades.
It was rather surprising to find even this amount of
honour amongst such unscrupulous creatures.
On the afternoon of the 5th we turned homewards,
and arrived on board just before dusk. Even in this
short trip of four days we had gained some experience.
There were evidently good reasons for not dividing the
dogs into small tearns. We had learnt also to distinguish
between the strong and the weak, and, what was of more
importance, the willing and the lazy ; and we saw that
we should require a good deal of alteration in our harness
and in some of the fittings of our sledges.
For the few days which now intervened before my
party started for the south, I call on my diary once
again :
' September 5. — Armitage returned to-night with a
party of twelve. They have fetched in the depot which
we left out last year ; it was no use having provisions
out at such a short distance, but it is rather amusing to
think that this deliberately wipes out the only result of
our autumn trip. This party camped at the depot last
night and dragged it right in to-day. It is only about
eight or nine miles, but I calculate they must have been
dragging nearly 280 lbs. per man, and they are all
terribly out of condition. As a result, when they arrived
at the ship they were positively cooked, and to-night
they are fighting their battles over again, and the con-
versation is highly entertaining. They all agree that if
sledging is always going to be like this, there will be
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1902] PARTIES LEAVE THE SHIP 515
reason deeply to deplore the fact that they ever left a
comfortable home and came to sea.'
' September 10. — Royds and Koettlitz started away to-
day with Evans, Quartley, Lashly, and Wild. The party
looked very workmanlike, and one could see at a glance
the vast improvement that has been made since last
year. The sledges were uniformly packed. Every-
thing was in its right place and ready to hand, and all
looked neat and business-like, One shudders now to think
of the slovenly manner in which we conducted things
last autumn ; at any rate, here is a first result of the care
and attention of the winter.
' To-night it has been bright and clear, and we saw
in more perfect form a phenomenon which we have
occasionally witnessed before. High in the northern
sky were some light, wavy cirrus clouds, carrying the
most perfect prismatic colouring. They seemed like
twisted fragments of a rainbow, and were very beautiful
against the pale blue sky ; we watched until the lights
paled with the dying sun.'
'September 11. — This morning Armitage left for the
west. He takes one other officer, Ferrar, and four
men, Cross, Scott, Walker, and Heald. The party
introduced the novelty of systematically pulling on ski,
at which they have been practising lately, much to the
amusement of the onlookers. There is not much diffi-
culty in the pulling after the first start ; the great thing
is to swing together and keep in perfect time. I am
inclined to reserve my opinion of the innovation. The
14 Terror " trip may have proved their use in soft snow, but
LL2
5i6 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
a hard surface is a different matter. The men seem rather
in their favour, but that is natural with any novelty, and
however this party may have got on later in the day, their
starting pace was very slow.
' I was thinking to-day as I looked up at our masts
and yards that my preconceived notion of a polar winter
always pictured them covered with snow, and perhaps
with long icicles depending ; as a matter of fact, they
have been generally quite free from snow, and throughout
the long night nearly always looked black and grim.
But, curiously enough, this afternoon, when ice-crystals
were falling, they became frosted over, though a strong
wind was blowing ; and, oddly too, the wind seemed to
have quite a different note as it blew through the frosted
rigging.'
'September 12. — Hodgson has made quite a dis-
covery ; he finds that his ropes and nets whilst under
water become coated with ice-crystals. He tells me he
noticed this fact some time ago, and that the effect has
been gradually growing, presumably as the water has
become colder. This morning I went out to see some
lines which he was hauling up. It is certainly a very
curious phenomenon, and one that is difficult to describe ;
one small line only an inch in circumference came up
covered with a cylinder of flaky ice nearly a foot in
diameter, and this cylinder extended five or six fathoms
below the surface, after which it gradually dwindled away.
The formation is very delicate, and in the flaky structure
the axes of the leaves are at right angles to the rope,
whilst their planes are inclined and intersect at the
ICE FOKMED ON SUBMERGED ROPE.
1
CRACKED ICE-MOUND.
[See p. 527
i902] SUBMARINE ICE 517
angle of crystallisation, 6o°. The whole thing looks like
some beautiful lace fabric, and held up to the light one
can see through it the most gorgeous prismatic colour-
ing. It falls to pieces at a touch, and each leaf can
be split to the thinnest layers. Shackleton took some
photographs and Wilson attempted a sketch, but I
doubt if either will produce a picture which is anything
like the delicate original.
■ Somewhat similar crystals are formed on the tow-
nets, but here each minute fibre which stands out from
the fabric has formed a nucleus for the ice to form, and
the net, with its hanging icicles, looks like nothing so
much as an old-time candelabrum with crystal pendants.
We do not know quite how to account for these forma-
tions ; our thermometers show the temperature of the
water as something below its freezing-point, but I do
not know that they are very reliable for such small
differences. In any case, I do not know of this sort of
thing having been recorded elsewhere.'
It has been since explained that these crystals were
probably due to the super-cooling of the sea, and that
with the sea in this condition ice will only form about
such nuclei as were afforded by the ropes and the nets,
just as a supersaturated solution can be made to crystal-
lise in much the same manner in a simple laboratory
experiment. In this light it would be natural enough
that the effect should increase as the water grew colder
towards the spring, and it is interesting to note that
Hodgson found that at one time these crystals formed as
deep as seventeen fathoms below the surface.
518 THE VOYAGE OF THE < DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
Owing to some delay in making fresh harness for our
dogs, and in rearranging the manner of their pulling,
followed by the intervention of a most tantalising bliz-
zard, it was not until September 17 that I was able to
make a start on the southern reconnaissance journey. On
the morning of that day we got away fairly early, my
two comrades being Barne and Shackleton. We had
with us only thirteen dogs, divided into two teams. The
sledges carried food for a fortnight for all concerned,
together with a quantity of stores to form a depot, the
whole giving a load of about 90 lbs. per dog. My diary
for this journey continues :
' Left the ship at 9 a.m., dogs at first pulling well.
Bright clear sky with sunshine, fluctuating temperature.
Came to the old ice-rise (about fifteen feet in height, four
miles south of the ship). 1.15, camped for lunch, having
covered about ten miles ; wind turned to east, very cold,
thermometer — 430, haze near surface and now slight
wind-drift. Land mostly obscured, but high points giving
general direction. Dogs find loads heavy, but pulling
fairly well ; a few cases of sore feet ; made good evolu-
tion of packing tent, and away again. Saw magnificent
parhelion showing prismatic colours on each side from
horizon to about 200 of altitude. About 3.30 observed
black specks far over the snow to the right front ; proved
to be Royds' party ; soon came up with them. Heard
they had had a very rough time, low temperatures with
much wind. They had found road to the S.W. quite
impossible, strewn with enormous boulders and all sorts
of ice obstructions ; failing to pass to the north of Black
ti3
i— i
Q
H
H
O
i— i
i9o2] START ON SOUTHERN RECONNAISSANCE 519
Island, they had tried to the south, but without much
result. It was far too cold to stop and discuss details.
One gathers that there is no hope of making a long
journey in this direction, which is a nuisance ; the rest
must remain till we get back. After about twenty
minutes we parted, Royds steering for ship, mist still
obscuring land ; head wind sprang up, very biting (tem-
perature — 45°), frost-bites coming rather fast, dogs
wearying. About 5.30 decided to camp, none too soon ;
excellent supper ; have turned my finneskoes inside out
for sleeping in, to make trial of this plan. Struggled into
sleeping-bags about 7.30, where now writing. Have
travelled 12^ geographical miles (14J statute) ; last tem-
perature reading — 480, keen wind from S.E.'
From the above extract it will be seen that the sledg-
ing diary gives a very laconic record of the day's events.
It is drafted somewhat after the fashion of a telegram,
where each word has to be considered — and, indeed, on
such occasions, if one does not pay in cash, one pays in
kind for superfluous verbiage. It is therefore from such
a daily record as this that the sledge-traveller is able to
reconstruct the history of his wanderings in very severe
weather, though of course when the temperatures rise and
his hand is no longer paralysed with the cold, he is inclined
to amplify his sentences and enlarge on his ideas.
But on this occasion with the above entry my sledge
diary comes to an abrupt conclusion, as, contrary to ex-
pectation, the next time I took up my pen to write I was
once more comfortably seated in my cabin on board the
ship.
520 THE VOYAGE t)F THE ' "DISCOVERY ' [Sept.
* September 19. — ... I suppose it was our want of
condition that made us all so very exhausted on Wed-
nesday night (17th), and that it was in consequence of
this that we did not heap enough snow on the skirting of
our tent and that we became so utterly unconscious of
the change that was taking place in the weather. At
any rate, I remember nothing until Thursday morning,
when I woke up to find myself in the open. At first, as
I lifted the flap of my sleeping-bag, I could not think
what had happened. I gazed forth on a white sheet of
drifting snow, with no sign of the tent or my com-
panions. For a moment I wondered what in the world
it could mean, but the lashing of the snow in my face
very quickly awoke me to full consciousness, and I sat
up to find that in some extraordinary way I had rolled
out of the tent. A violent gale was raging and the air
was filled with thick, blinding snow. I could only just
make out the tent, though it was flapping wildly across
the foot of my bag ; it was evident that it still stood
upright, and that the sooner I was in its shelter the
better. I started to wriggle in, bag and all, and at length
got beneath it, and could see more clearly what had hap-
pened. The bamboos were still secure and the skirting
of the tent was still held down on the weather side,
but to leeward the snow had been flung off it, and on
this side the canvas was flapping loosely, leaving an
interval beneath through which I must have rolled.
1 1 do not think this state of things can have obtained for
long, as Barne and Shackleton had only just realised it,
but of course by this time the snow was whirling as
i902] AN INOPPORTUNE BLIZZARD 521
freely inside the tent as without, our sleeping-bags were
covered, and we ourselves were powdered with it. The
tent was straining so madly at what remained of its
securing that evidently something must be done at once
to prevent its flying away altogether. With freezing
fingers we gripped the skirting and gradually pulled it
inwards, and, half sitting on it, half grasping it, endea-
voured to hold it against the wild efforts of the storm
whilst we discussed ways and means. Discussion led us
nowhere ; to have attempted to secure the tent properly
in such weather would have been useless, even to venture
outside would be dangerous, whilst we felt that if we
once let go it might be good-bye to our tent.
4 As we clung on in this horrid position the skirt would
gradually pull out beneath us and suddenly fly out, flap-
ping wildly again, and we were forced to get a fresh hold
and lever ourselves over it once more. Without excep-
tion this was the most miserable day I have ever spent ;
oar sleeping-bags became more and more snow-filled until
we were lying in masses of chilling slush ; our mits were
filled in a similar manner, the slippery canvas would pull
through their grasp, one was obliged to bare one's fingers
to haul it in again, and one could not possibly get
through such a job without having some of them frost-
bitten.
' Thus we remained for hour after hour, grimly
hanging on and warning each other of frost-bitten
features. We waited longingly for a lull, but the first did
not come until midday. Then we made a desperate
effort to get to the sledges ; my companions ventured
522 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
out whilst I clung to the canvas ; they succeeded in get-
ting hold of two provision bags, and returned with a rush.
Their absence was certainly not longer than two minutes,
yet both faces were quite white with frost-bite when they
came in, and it was several moments before they regained
their natural colour.
' In the afternoon we were beginning to feel a bit
spent, and realising that something more must be done,
we waited for a lull and again ventured out. This
time we managed to get hold of two heavy bags
of biscuit. It was not until 6 p.m. that by continued
exertions we had so far conquered matters as to have
no further need to hold the tent except with the
weight of our sleeping-bags, and for the first time our
arms were released for other purposes. An inspection
of hands showed that we had all been pretty badly frost-
bitten, but the worst was poor Barne, whose fingers have
never recovered from the accident of last year, when he
so nearly lost them. To have hung on to the tent
through all those hours must have been positive agony
to him, yet he never uttered a word of complaint.
1 We were now able to wriggle down a little further into
our wretchedly wet bags and to eat some cold pemmican
and chocolate, whilst we waited for the storm to pass, with
a growing stiffness in the backs of our necks from the
never-ceasing flap of the canvas against which we leaned.
More miserable conditions could scarce be imagined.
' Throughout the day we had not been able to spare
a thought for the dogs, but we imagined that they would
long ere this have been covered with snow, and there-
i902] RETURN TO THE SHIP 523
fore comfortable enough ; but about this time we heard a
sad whimpering at our door and found poor " Brownie,"
a very miserable shivering object, whining piteously with
cramp, so he was allowed to pass the night inside, where
.he seemed to make himself very happy, especially when
he got some of our supper. The rest never uttered a
sound till we roused them out of their soft nests on the
following morning.
' As darkness descended on us again we lay in our bags
with the snow four inches thick on the floorcloth about
us, and our clothes becoming more and more saturated
with moisture ; but at seven o'clock the snow ceased to
fall, at nine the wind came in violent squalls, and at ten it
was evident that the worst of the storm was passed. Stiff
and sore, we set about making our position more com-
fortable, and then endeavoured to snatch a few hours'
sleep.
* This morning we roused out at 3 a.m., cooked our first
meal for thirty hours, and briefly discussed the situation.
Our sleeping-bags and clothes were literally covered
with ice, and we could only push on under the most ab-
ject discomfort ; by returning to the ship we should only
lose one day's march and everything could be dried
afresh. We did not hesitate long before deciding to
return, and after a grand hot meal of cocoa and pemmi-
can we gradually collected our scattered belongings and
packed them on the sledges.
* As we started on the homeward march, the sun was
rising in great magnificence, lighting the east with
brilliant red and bathing the western hills in the softest
524 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
pink. It was hard to think that a gale had raged here
but a few hours before.
* I think this must have been the coldest blizzard we
have had ; our minimum thermometer was drifted up
with snow and stood at —43°, but possibly this
recorded a temperature prior to the blizzard. Whilst
it was blowing we could not reach the thermometer,
but judging by temperatures taken elsewhere, and our
own sensations, I do not think it could have risen
above — 300 throughout, which is most exceptional
with a strong wind. When we got up this morning the
spirit column stood below — 500, and Royds, five miles to
the north, recorded —53°. The effect of such a tem-
perature on our wet clothing may be imagined. I shall
remember the condition of my trousers for a long while ;
they might have been cut out of sheet iron. It was some
time before I could walk with any sort of ease, and even
when we reached the ship I was conscious of carrying
an armour plate behind me.
' So here we all are, back again, having accomplished
nothing except the acquisition of wisdom. It will cer-
tainly be a very long time before I go to sleep again in
a tent which is not properly secured.
1 Royds and his party weathered the gale five miles
north of us ; they had no trouble at all with their tent,
thanks to plenty of snow on the skirt. They have
had a severe trip, but are all pretty fit. It appears
they came to very rough ground to the north of Black
Island, and advanced for some distance by portage,
but finding little improvement they turned back. At
i9o2] A FRESH START 525
one place a gust of wind swept one of their single
sleeping-bags away ; luckily, there was a three-man
sleeping-bag, and they managed to squeeze four
people into that, but all four agree that such a tight
squeeze banished all chance of sleep. Two days later
they found the missing bag some four miles from the
spot at which it had been lost. Koettlitz thinks that it
will be quite possible to circumnavigate the Black Island
in spite of the rough ground, so I have given him per-
mission to try.
1 I hear that the late gale was very severely felt in
the ship : the temperature fell to —32°, no work could
be done outside on Thursday, the stove pipes were bent,
and heavy planks were swept off the skid beams by the
wind.'
' September 23. — . . . We are preparing to be off
again, but some fatality seems to ensure bad weather on
the date fixed for our departure. Barne's fingers suf-
fered so severely in our recent adventure that he has had
to be replaced by the boatswain, Feather. The latter
has worked so splendidly all through, and has taken such
a keen interest in every detail of the sledging, that I am
glad to give him the chance of accompanying us.'
Early on September 24 we got away ; travelling
with light sledges, we reached our desolation camp, fif-
teen miles to the south, before we called a halt, and,
increasing our loads to full weights, camped for the night
at a distance of twenty-three miles from the ship. On
the following day we were forced to face a bitter
southerly wind with drift and a temperature of —30°.
526 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY' [Sept.
After a few miles the dogs refused duty, and we were
obliged to camp.
Proceeding later, when the wind had dropped some-
what, we found ourselves climbing a stiff incline between
the two islands, and we had risen at least 180 feet before
we reached the top. Across the slope there ran two
or three well-marked cracks which I think can only-
have been tide cracks, and which went to show that
the ice-sheet over which we had been travelling was
afloat. On the other side of this crest there was a slight
descent, but not for much more than fifty feet, after
which the surface stretched horizontally ahead of us and
was undoubtedly at about the general level of the barrier.
I came to the conclusion that the two islands were
joined, at least by a shallow bank, if not by land above
the water level, and that the barrier sheet was over-
riding this and pouring slowly into the sea to the north.
On the 26th we had a beautifully clear day, and pushed
on towards the Bluff, which now loomed high above us.
We were much struck by the fact that all the wind-furrows
in this region lay in a south-westerly direction, showing
that the prevalent wind is from that quarter, although at
the ship we had known little but south-easterly winds.
When we camped at the close of this day, after a fifteen-
mile march, we were within a short distance of the north
side of the Bluff, and already there were signs of obstacles
ahead. Here and there in the snow surface rose a dome-
shaped mound of blue ice, and beyond these we could see
little heaps of rubble. It behoved us to be cautious if we
would avoid injury to our sledge-runners.
i9o2] DIFFICULT TRAVELLING 527
The ice- mounds deserve notice ; they are a very typi-
cal form of disturbance on the surface of any glacier, but
are probably rarely so well developed as we saw them.
They are caused by surface melting, the water freezing
again below the ice, when the expansion on regelation
gradually lifts the surface. To stand amongst a number of
these domes is very impressive, especially when they are
uniformly rounded. They rise but a short distance before
they are cracked in all directions on top, and the cracks
gradually open into broad, deep fissures. We found domes
as high as seven and eight feet in this region, and saw
mounds which in attempting to rise further had lost the
dome form and stood up like irregular-shaped craters.
It was on the surface of one of these, far from the land,
that Mr. Ferrar found a large quantity of crystals of
sodium or magnesium sulphate. I am not chemist
enough to suggest a reason.
' September 27. — Started with promise of a fine day,
temperature — 460. Soon after, the sky became overcast
and the temperature rose. The travelling changed alto-
gether in character ; the ice-mounds grew thicker, and
reached a height of eight to ten feet, with broad, ugly
cracks all over them. Later they seemed to assemble in
ridges running more or less east and west, and hence right
across our tracks ; the dogs could make no show of cross-
ing them, so we had to turn outwards in hopes of getting
better travelling. Instead of this it got worse, and after
lunch we passed into a turmoil of torn and twisted ice,
forming ranges of hillocks twenty and thirty feet high,
sometimes rounded on top and sometimes rising in sharp
528 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY' [Sept.
ridges. The higher parts were swept clear of snow and
showed bare blue ice, whilst in the hollows the snow lay
in high, hard sastrugi ; the contrast was plain even in a
bad light.
Travelling now became a regular scramble up hill
and down dale. The dogs did not appreciate it at all ;
they had to be helped up the stiff bits, and when the
sledge came skidding down the descents they almost
howled with terror. The wind has increased to half a
gale from the S.S.W., but it is astonishingly warm; the
temperature has risen above zero, so we have built a
good snow-wall to protect our tents.
• September 28. — Awoke to find a gale with heavy
drift, but our tent very snug and comfortable. The tem-
perature has gone up to f 70, and our sleeping-bags are
pleasantly warm and comfortable. The most extraordinary
thing is that in spite of the flying snow outside our things
are actually drying, and for the first time in our experi-
ence we find ourselves in a weather-bound camp becoming
drier instead of wetter. Not being at all cold, we find
time to be bored, and, by ill-luck, no one thought of
bringing a book or a pack of cards ; but who could
suppose that it would be possible to use them during a
spring journey ? We could really get on now but for the
light, but that is so bad that to move over this rough
country would be a great risk.'
' September 29.— Wind dropped in night, and was
succeeded by flat calm with rapidly falling temperature.
We were away by 7 a.m., but shortly after a fresh bank
of cloud came up from the south, with more wind and
1902] DANGEROUS CREVASSES 529
drift. We were all too impatient to stop again, so pushed
on, myself leading, with orders to the two teams to follow
rigidly in my wake, in spite of any turns and twists I
might make.
• Notwithstanding the bad light I could see the bridged
crevasses where they ran across the bare ice surface by
slight differences in shade, and where they dived into
the valleys, though I could not see them, I found that the
bridges were strong enough to bear. I stuck as much
as possible to the snowy patches, but this necessitated
a very irregular course, and the dogs invariably tried to
cut corners. In this manner we proceeded for some
time, but suddenly I heard a shout behind, and, looking
round, to my horror saw that the boatswain had disap-
peared ; there stood the dog-team and sledges, but no
leader. I hurried back and saw that the trace disap-
peared down a formidable crevasse, and to my relief the
boatswain was at the end of the trace.
4 1 soon hauled him up and inquired if he was hurt, to
which, being a man of few words, his only reply was,
M D n the dog!" from which I gathered that " Nigger "
had tried to cut a corner and so pulled his leader at the
wrong moment, and, incidentally, that the boatswain
wasn't much hurt. This evening the boatswain has
shown me his harness ; one strand was cut clean through
where it fell across the ice-edge. Altogether he had a
pretty close call.
1 After this accident we joined our dog- teams, and,
loath to give up the march, pushed on again. About
half an hour later there was another shout, and, looking
vol. 1. M M
530 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
round, I found this time that it was not a man, but a sledge,
that had disappeared. It was the last of the four, and I
found it hanging vertically up and down in an ugly-looking
chasm. To the credit of our packing, although it had
fallen with a jerk into this uncomfortable position, not a
single thing had come off. It was too heavy for us to
haul up as it was, so, after some consultation, our inde-
fatigable boatswain suggested that he should be let
down to unpack it. He was therefore slung with one
end of our Alpine rope, whilst the other was used for
hauling up the various packages. It must have been a
mighty cold job, but at last all the load was got up, and
the lightened sledge soon followed. After getting every-
thing in order again we found that we had sustained no
greater damage than a broken ski.
* After this incident we thought it would be wise to
treat these numerous crevasses with more respect, so on
proceeding we roped ourselves together, and whilst I
went ahead the boatswain led the dog-team and Shackle-
ton brought up the rear to look after things in general.
But we had not gone far like this when the light became
thoroughly bad ; we could see nothing at all under foot,
and have been obliged to camp early. The effect of
this light on our surroundings is very curious, making
everything appear of gigantic size ; the smallest wind-
furrow looms up like a heavy bank, and the larger ice-
hillocks look like ranges of high mountains.'
Looking back on this day, I cannot but think our
procedure was extremely rash. I have not the least
doubt now that this region was a very dangerous one,
i902] DECEPTIVE LIGHT 531
and the fact that we essayed to cross it in this light-
hearted fashion can only be ascribed to our ignorance.
With us, I am afraid, there were not a few occasions
when one might have applied the proverb that ' Fools
rush in where angels fear to tread.'
The bad light to which I have referred was a very
constant source of trouble to us on our travels. It came
when the sky — as was very usual — was completely over-
cast with a uniform pall of stratus cloud ; under such a
sky there would only be diffused light, and no direct rays
to cast a shadow. It can be easily understood that
on a snow surface the only thing that can indicate an
inequality is shadow ; consequently on these grey days
it was impossible, within limits, to see what was coming
next. Bad light does not, therefore, mean insufficiency
of light, because on such occasions one could see dark
objects at a long distance, and there was quite enough
light both outside and inside the tent for all camping
purposes.
' September 29 {continued). — . . . After lunch the sun
peeped through the cloudy mantle, and with some diffi-
culty we managed to push out a mile or two, when the
undulations and upheavals of ice gradually disappeared,
though the crevasses remained. The broader ones were
safe to cross, being filled with snow, except at the edges,
where a leg was likely to disappear with a false step.
This seems to show that they are ever widening. The
dangerous crevasses are those from three to four feet in
width, as they are covered only with light snow-bridges,
which, when broken away, disclose chasms between
M M 2
532 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept.
perpendicular blue ice-walls of unknown depth. These
walls are crusted with branching growths of ice-crystals,
very beautiful in form, but which prevent one from seeing
more than a few fathoms down.
' To-night when we camped I warmed a thermometer,
ran up its indicator and lowered it at the end of our
Alpine rope to a depth of sixteen fathoms ; on hauling
it up I found both spirit and indicator stood at — io°,
so I imagine this to be about the mean temperature of
the ice masses in this region.
1 When we halted to-night our dog-trace lay across
one of these crevasses, and little " Kid" promptly coiled
himself down on the middle of the snow-bridge ; had he
been allowed to remain he would certainly have melted
himself through in an hour or two, and would have
become a very surprised dog. Luckily, we saw his
position, and rescued him in time.'
'September 30. — Starting at 7.15, and still steering
east, we soon passed out of the region of crevasses and
turned to the south. The weather was brilliant, the sun
shone forth in a cloudless sky, and the temperature was
exceptionally high at — 200. At lunch we were about
ten miles east of the extremity of the Bluff, and the scene
was very impressive. Far to the north, clothed in soft
white folds of snow, lay the imposing mass of Erebus
and Terror ; to the north-west towered Mount Discovery
and the Western Range, whilst behind us also lay the
various islands and foothills on which we have gazed
throughout the winter. To the west we could see that
the Bluff ended abruptly, being but a long peninsula
1902] PLACING THE DEPOT 533
thrust out into the great ice-sheet. Beyond the Bluff
our eyes rested searchingly on the new country that
rose above our snowy horizon. It seemed to stretch in
isolated masses ever increasing in distance ; but beyond
the fact that the coast curves sharply away to the west
we could make little of it.
' But the most impressive fact of all was that from
this new western land through the south, through the
east, and away to the slopes of Terror, there stretched an
unbroken horizon line, and as the eye ranged through
this immense arc and met nothing but the level snow-
carpet below and the cloudless sky above, one seemed
to realise an almost limitless possibility to the extent
of the great snow-plain on which we travel.
' Hope of finding land beyond the Bluff to which we
could advance our depot was now at an end, and this
afternoon we steered south-west to close the Bluff and
to look for landmarks. An excellent line was at length
suggested by Shackleton, who, pointing to a small sharp
crater on the end of the Bluff, proposed that we should
bring it in line with the sharp cone of Mount Discovery.
This was done, and to-night we are encamped on the line
and about five or six miles from the land. One has but
to walk a hundred yards either way to throw the align-
ment off, so that there should be little difficulty in finding
any stores we may leave here provided the weather is
clear. We have just been gazing with curious eyes on
the road to the south. We have passed out of the region
of high snow-furrows, and it seems probable that even
those which we have would be lost as one advances to
534 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
the south. One conceives a plain with the surface grow-
ing smoother and possibly softer ; but what will it be
like to tramp on, day after day and week after week, over
such a plain ? '
' October i. — . . . We made our depot this morning,
leaving six weeks' provisions for our men and 150 lbs. of
dog-food ; the whole was marked with a large black flag,
and I took careful angles with a prismatic compass to all
the points I could see, after which we packed up our
traps and faced homewards. The dogs knew at once
what was meant, and there is no longer any need to drive
them. The weather has been overcast, with a heavy
deposition of snow-crystals ; but we have already covered
several miles on the homeward track, steering to pass
outside the White Island to see how the route promises
in that direction.'
On our homeward march we went for all we were
worth ; the weather was persistently overcast, but this
kept the temperature above — 300 though it brought a
continuous fall of very light powdery snow to add to the
friction of the runners. Underneath this powdery snow
the surface was in good condition, having been swept
very hard with the wind, but the loose crystals seemed
to cling badly to the metal runners.
' October 3. — Got away at seven again ; mist as thick
as a hedge, so steered in towards the island ; stumbled
on rocks at about ten and gained some idea of position.
Evidently passing over a slope succeeded by some ridges,
a few crevasses, and some clear blue ice. Guessed by
this we must have passed the corner of the island and
i902] A RAPID RETURN 535
steered for the ship. At 12.30 passed clear of broken
surface, and camped for lunch at one o'clock. After tea,
cheese, and jam, prepared to start, and found fog had lifted
in rear showing island at our back. In afternoon were able
to steer by sun though still very thick ahead ; suddenly
Erebus appeared above fog, and ten minutes later we
found ourselves within a mile of Observation Hill and
going directly for it. The tired dogs set up a yap of
delight and sprang forward with fresh energy, and soon
we were home.
' We have covered eighty-five statute miles in less
than three days, which is not bad going, especially as
we have almost had to feel our way along. However,
there is no longer a doubt that our road to the south
should lie outside, and not inside, the White Island.
' 1 did not realise that the ship could be such a de-
lightful place as I have found it to-night ; the sense of
having done what one wanted to do, and the knowledge
that we have a far clearer problem before us in the
south, have much to do with one's feelings of satisfac-
tion, but it is the actual physical comfort of everything
that affects one most ; a bath and a change into warm
dry clothing have worked wonders. The knowledge
that one can sit at ease in warmth and comfort, with-
out being swathed to the chin in clothing, is an im-
mense relief, and the prospect of creeping into a bed
without the usual accompaniment of ice is an even
greater one ; but the greatest delight of all is to possess
the sledging appetite in the midst of plenty.'
The joy of this possession was beyond description,
536 THE VOYAGE OF THE ' DISCOVERY ' [Oct.
and the feats of food-consumption which were performed
by the possessors might well be beyond ordinary belief.
For many days after we returned from our sledging trips
we retained a hunger which it seemed impossible to
satisfy. The ordinary frugal meals served at our table
seemed to us to be heaven-sent feasts ; at each meal one
partook ravenously of everything, and though one ate to
repletion, half-an-hour later one would be searching for
bread and butter and chocolate. For the first few days,
when this sledging appetite was keenest, the returned
traveller would demand supper to succeed the more solid
dinner ; he would wake in the night to devour a stick of
chocolate or to forage for better fare in the pantry ; and
he could be seen glancing anxiously at the clock a full
hour before each meal. It seemed almost worth going a
sledge journey to experience the delight of satisfying such
a hunger.
' October 3 (continued). — ... At dinner to-night I felt
especially pleased with myself and the world in general.
Armitage and Koettlitz had returned from their journeys,
and were able to give a rough outline of their move-
ments, and altogether our meal went very merrily ; nor
was it till towards the end that I had a suspicion that
something was being kept back : about one or two
members there seemed to be a sort of unnatural restraint,
and I didn't know what to make of it.
' So after dinner I called Armitage into my cabin
and asked him what was the trouble. He looked very
grave and said that he had not meant to worry me
until the morning, but the fact was there had been an
i902] SCURVY REPORTED 537
outbreak of scurvy. This was indeed a shock ! At one
blow it upset all one's sense of peace and comfort. Of
course one could not allow it to rest at that, so the whole
story had to be told. It is not a pleasant thing to go to
bed on, and I do not feel like writing it to-night ; possibly
also things may look brighter in the morning when one
is not so u done." '
' October 4. — . . . The history of our outbreak
of scurvy is more or less contained in the history of
Armitage's journey, into which I have been therefore
with some detail. It appears that after leaving the ship
on September 11, the party made a pretty straight line
for the end of the decayed glacier tongue in the middle
of the strait. Their progress was not very rapid, as they
stuck as closely as possible to the old worn ice for the
sake of safety. Even as it was, this course took them
within a mile of the open water. They reached the
glacier snout on the 13th, and camped securely on it.
The ice beyond the snout, and from thence to the west-
ward, had only recently been formed ; there was prac-
tically no snow on it, and its dark colour was only
relieved by the briny ice-flowers.
' Apart from the danger of this ice being broken up
again, it was impossible to camp on it, as no snow could
have been obtained for cooking or for securing the tents ;
the party were obliged, therefore, to skirt the edge of
older ice to the south, and this added to the length
of the journey. During this time the open water was
never far from them, and, besides numerous seals and
penguins, they constantly saw whales (probably killer
538 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
whales) spouting in the offing. On the night of the
1 6th they camped on the slope of the foothills of the
mainland ; not far to the north of them was the New
Harbour, whilst immediately to the south was an im-
mense pile of morainic material which they have called
the " Eskers." This it is that looks like a small range
of hills from the heights above us and which we have
often been puzzled to account for.'
I should add that this formation was really an old
lateral moraine, and, as we soon discovered, it was quite
wrongfully called the Eskers, a name properly given to
deposits formed by glacial streams ; but a name once
given is a very hard thing to change, and after this
first journey no one could be brought to refer to this
formation otherwise than as the Eskers, and I have no
doubt this name crops up many times in my journal in
spite of my knowledge of the error.
1 On the 17th they hauled their sledges to a height of
500 feet up the snow-slope and pitched a camp there,
with the intention of making excursions from it. Since
their start from the ship the weather had been very
changeable, and they had experienced a great deal of
wind with low temperatures. On some days the wind
had been so violent that they had been forced to stop
in their tents ; such a day was the 18th, but on the 19th
five of the party left the camp and crossed the long snow-
slope which bounds our view on the south side of New
Harbour. From this they could get a good view of
the valley beyond, and saw that it cut deeply into the
mountain range and contained a huge glacier. Looking
OLD MORAINE HEAPS, ERRONEOUSLY CALLED THE ' ESKERS.'
ANCIENT ICE, COVERED WITH MORAINIC MATERIAL.
I9Q2] EXPERIENCE OF WESTERN PARTY 539
up the valley, they were faced by a high single-peaked
mountain, and the glacier appeared to turn to the right
as it reached its foot. As far as the upper parts of
the glacier were concerned, there appeared to be good
travelling, but from the foot of the descent, for some
seven miles outwards, they looked down upon a con-
fusion of ice which they had never seen equalled.
Armitage describes huge masses broken and fissured and
standing nearly fifty feet above the general level. Inter-
spersed with the ice are vast heaps of morainic material,
and the whole forms a chaotic obstruction across which
he thinks it is impossible that sledges can be taken.
■ Skirting along this rough disturbance they advanced
up the valley, but it was now getting towards midnight
and some of the party were beginning to tire from the
long exposure. Mr. Ferrar and Heald had been sent back
some hours before, and now the remaining two turned
also. Armitage says that on his return he came across
the tracks of two people, which he followed, expecting
them to lead to the camp, but later discovering that
they certainly did not he became very alarmed,
thinking that Ferrar and Heald had missed their way.
Still following these tracks, he now and again came across
a mark in the snow as though one of the two had been
obliged to take frequent rests. At last, to his relief,
the tracks suddenly turned about and now led directly
towards the camp, which he eventually reached at 5 a.m.,
after an absence of twenty hours.
' He found that Ferrar and Heald had made the
tracks he had seen, and that by losing their way they
540 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
had been three hours late in arriving back ; furthermore,
that on the way Ferrar had collapsed several times and
on each occasion had been overcome by an irresistible
desire to sleep. He was only kept awake by the per-
sistence of his companion, Heald, who, although almost
worn out himself, realised the danger they were running
and showed the greatest determination in pushing on.
As the temperature at the time was — 450, there seems
little doubt that Ferrar practically owes his life to his
companion's exertions.
1 Hoping to find out more about the New Harbour
glacier, on the 21st they dragged their sledges over a
rise of 1,000 feet towards its entrance. They had great
difficulty with the steep descents, but eventually made
their way down safely. A second examination of this
region did not give any more promising results than
the first, and Armitage came to the conclusion that
to attempt to reach the mainland by this route was
impracticable. On the 22 nd they started their home-
ward journey, skirting now around the base of the
long snow-slope on recently formed sea-ice. It was
about this time that, in cogitating over recent events
in the journey, Armitage began to suspect that there was
something wrong with the health of the party. Several
men had complained of sprains and bruises which seemed
to give pain without much cause ; he thought, too, that
they tired more easily than strong men should have done,
and it seemed especially curious that such an active officer
as Ferrar should have collapsed under a hard day's work.
The thought of scurvy, however, did not enter the
i9o2] REMEDIAL MEASURES 541
leaders head, and he was inclined to put the troubles
down to the horrible weather conditions and to the fact
that so few of them had been able to sleep.
' As the party gradually made their way back to the
ship, things got worse and his alarm grew. The light
sledges hung heavily on the men, and though there
were no complaints, several seemed only to keep
themselves going with an effort. The evening of the
25th found them within a few miles of the ship, and in
such a crippled state that Armitage thought it wiser to
struggle right on till they reached her, which they did at
6 a.m. on the 26th.
' The result of Wilson's medical examination of this
party on their return has been handed to me ; the gist of
it is that Heald, Mr. Ferrar, and Cross have very badly
swollen legs, whilst Heald's are discoloured as well.
Heald and Cross have also swollen and spongy gums.
The remainder of the party seem fairly well, but not
above suspicion ; Walker's ankles are slightly swollen.
' Of course there is no good blinking our eyes to the
fact that this is neither more nor less than scurvy, but
whence it has come, or why it has come with all the pre-
cautions that have been taken, is beyond our ability to
explain. The evil having come, the great thing now is
to banish it. In my absence, Armitage, in consultation
with the doctors, has already taken steps to remedy
matters by serving out fresh meat regularly and by in-
creasing the allowance of bottled fruits, and he has done
an even greater service by taking the cook in hand. I
don't know whether he threatened to hang him at the
542 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
yardarm or used more persuasive measures, but, what-
ever it was, there is a marked improvement in the
cooking.
' Koettlitz has only been back a few days from his
second trip, but has made an examination of everyone on
board. He tells me there are signs of scurvy in a good
many, but in most cases it is only the merest indication,
and probably we should not have known anything about
it had it not been for this searching examination. The
worst cases are those which I have named above, and
they, as well as the rest, are improving by leaps and
bounds — in fact, the disease is vanishing rapidly. He
confesses himself unable to suggest any cause for the
outbreak.
' The signs of improvement are hopeful, and there
seems little doubt that we shall banish the disease ; but one
cannot be too cautious, and we must lay ourselves out to
make arrangements which will not only banish it for the
present, but will prevent all chance of its recurrence in
the future.
* Royds was to have started for the " Record " at Cape
Crozier on the 2nd, but deferred his departure till my
return. I saw no reason for delaying further, and the
doctors report his party to be in first-rate condition, so
they went off this morning. With the leader go Skelton,
Lashly, Evans, Quartley, and Wild — practically the same
party that went to the south-west, so they ought to
know what they are up to. Though there is not much
else but scurvy in my thoughts just at present, the great
thing is to pretend that there is nothing to be alarmed at.'
i9o2] DISINFECTION 543
' October 15. — The determination to have everything
above suspicion, and not to give our dread enemy another
chance to break out, has kept all hands pretty busy of
late.
' With the idea of giving everyone on the mess-deck
a change of air in turn, we have built up a space in the
main hut by packing cases around the stove. In this
space each mess are to live for a week ; they have
breakfast and dinner on board, but are allowed to cook
their supper in the hut. The present occupants enjoy
this sort of picnic-life immensely.
' We have had a thorough clearance of the holds,
disinfected the bilges, whitewashed the sides, and gene-
rally made them sweet and clean.
1 As a next step I tackled the clothes and hammocks.
One knows how easily garments collect, and especially
under such conditions as ours ; however, they have all
been cleared out now, except those actually in use. The
hammocks and bedding I found quite dry and comfort-
able, but we have had them all thoroughly aired. We
have cleared all the deck-lights so as to get more day-
light below, and we have scrubbed the decks and
cleaned out all the holes and corners until everything is
as clean as a new pin. I am bound to confess there was
no very radical change in all this ; we found very little
dirt, and our outbreak cannot possibly have come from
insanitary conditions of living : our men are far too much
alive to their own comfort for that. But now we do
everything for the safe side, and from the conviction that
one cannot be too careful.
544 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
* We have had great difficulties in trying to live on
fresh meat alone, as our stock of seal-meat had run short.
It is not easy to supply so large a company ; a large seal
barely lasts two days at the present rate of consumption.
Just as our stock ran out, one or two seals happened to
come up on the ice close to the ship, and these kept us
going until, at Wilson's suggestion, we organised a large
seal-killing party to go further afield. This party, con-
sisting of Barne, Wilson, and four men, girt about with
knives and other murderous implements, journeyed away
to the north with all the dogs on Thursday (9th) ; they
camped under the glacier tongue, weathered a blizzard
on the following day, and started their operations on
Saturday. After a long and hard day's work, they
started homewards, and arrived here on Sunday morning
with over a thousand pounds of meat, and having left a
large quantity ready to be brought in.
' They report that the seals are plentiful near the
glacier, and that there is also a colony below Castle
Rock, not more than three miles from the ship ; we
ought to have little trouble, therefore, in keeping up our
supply in future.
1 On Monday I was able to give the satisfactory order
that no tinned meat of any description should be issued,
and one may reasonably hope that this order can be
observed throughout the remainder of our stay in these
regions.
' Regular outdoor exercise is the only other circum-
stance that can affect our physical well-being, and with
regard to that I am glad to say there has been no need
.
A SEAL HOLE.
.■V1
YOUNG WEDDELL SEAL.
i902l SUBSIDENCE OF THE OUTBREAK 545
to issue an order. There is a great deal of outdoor work,
and every evening after tea the men either go for long-
ski runs or walks, or play football. As for the spirits of
our party, they have never been cast down for a single
minute ; with the daylight and the increased activity
there has been more chaff and laughter than ever, and
certainly no one who walked into the living-quarters at
night would guess that we were in the act of dispelling a
very dreaded disease. To whichever or to what combina-
tion of the steps we have taken it is due, it is impossible
to say, but the fact remains that within a fortnight of the
outbreak there is scarcely a sign of it remaining, and
certainly all cause for anxiety has vanished. Heald's is
the only case that hung at all, and since fomentations have
been applied to his legs he also has made rapid strides
towards recovery, and is now able to get about once
more. Cross's recovery was so rapid that he was able
to join the seal-killing party last week.
1 Koettlitz has taken advantage of the returning day-
light to grow a crop of mustard and cress. He has
raised some on flannel, and with chemicals, but the best
result has been obtained from our own Antarctic soil,
which is evidently most productive. The wardroom
skylight does not make a very large garden, but enough
cress has been produced for one good feed for all hands.'
' October 19. — The weather conditions have not been
too favourable to our changes, though of course they have
not delayed the return of full daylight, which has the most
cheering effect. On the 12th commenced one of the
thickest and longest blizzards we have yet had. Except
VOL I. N N
546 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
for a calm interval of six hours on the 1 3th, the snow was
whirling about us continually till midday on the 16th.
The wind as usual commenced in the south and gradu-
ally worked round to the east, and the temperature
rose at one time to + 20. This blizzard seems to have
cleared the air for the time, as the weather since has
been bright and clear, and we have had the most gor-
geous light effects.
' On Saturday night between ten and eleven we wit-
nessed an especially curious sight. The sun was behind
Mount Discovery, and cast a clear shadow of its cone on
a bank of cirro-stratus cloud on the near side. This
effect was very curious ; there appeared to be a clearly
defined inverted cone superimposed on the top of the
mountain.'
' October 20. — I think it may safely be said that our
scurvy is at an end, and unless it is produced again in
the sledge parties we shall hear no more of it. I do not
think the milder conditions of the future sledging season
are likely to reproduce it, but so as to avoid the risk I
have been arranging to replace the pemmican by a pro-
portion of cooked seal-meat. The difficulty here is to
get it free from water, and the only way is to cook it
again and again, but with all our efforts I doubt whether
we shall get quite the same value for weight as we do in
the pemmican.'
It may be of interest here to quote the result of some
of our experiments in this line, though, of course, they
rest on estimation, as we had no facilities for chemical
analysis.
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i902] FOOD-VALUE OF SEAL-MEAT 547
We took 140 lbs. of seal-meat, and cooked it in
20 lbs. of margarine, producing as a result 60 lbs. of
cooked meat ; or, in other words, we evaporated off a
little under two-thirds of the original weight. Raw meat
contains about 75 per cent, of moisture, and we estimated
our margarine to contain about 20 per cent ; so, speaking
very roughly, something under three-quarters of the
original weight of our seal and margarine was water.
Again very roughly, therefore, in the cooked meat
which remained there was water equal to about a twelfth
of its original weight, or about a fourth of its present
weight. We estimated that we eventually reduced this
moisture to 20 per cent., and in this state we calculated
that 12 lbs. of seal-meat was equal to 10 lbs, of
pemmican.
1 October 20 [continued). — . . . We have come to the
end of our fresh mutton, except a small quantity kept
for possible sickness ; this makes a difference to Sunday,
but our seal-meat is now so well served that the loss is
not greatly felt. In this matter of seal-meat there has
been an extraordinary change throughout the ship.
There is no getting over the fact that none of us really
enjoyed the seal in the winter, and when tinned meat
was stopped there were not a few downcast faces ; but
within a fortnight all that has been altered : everyone
now eats the seal with relish, and I do not think there is
a single man who would go back to tinned meat, even if
he had the chance. The consumption is so great that
we have all our work to keep up the supply, and appetites
seem to be increasing rather than lessening. Somewhere
N N 2
548 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
in this, but not wholly revealed, lies the root of our
scurvy trouble ; one would fain be able to trace it more
clearly.'
In the extracts which I have given from my diary it
is possible to trace the history of our scurvy from its
outbreak to the time when it vanished from amongst us,
but they show also that we were in the unsatisfactory
state of being unable to trace the cause of the evil, and
in that state we still remain, for amongst the various
circumstances of our daily life we can find none that
definitely contributed to it. The surprise which this
unpleasant discovery brought us has not been lessened
by time. We are still unconscious of any element in
our surroundings which might have fostered the disease,
or of the neglect of any precaution which modern
medical science suggests for its prevention.
It is well known that scurvy is a world-wide disease,
and that, whilst it has attacked all sorts and conditions
of men, it has proved an especial scourge to those who,
by force of circumstances, have been deprived of fresh
food for any length of time. This last has been so often
the lot of the polar traveller that the disease has played
a particularly important, and often a tragic, part in his
enterprises, and one cannot read the history of polar
adventure without realising the gravity of the evil and
the urgency of precautionary measures. It was natural,
therefore, that this subject should have been one of the
first to be considered by one, like myself, on whom fell
the responsibility of equipping an expedition for Antarctic
research, and I felt at once that, however efficient might
i9o2] REMARKS ON THE NATURE OF SCURVY 549
be the medical staff, it was highly desirable that I also
should know something of it. Needless to say, I could
only approach the matter as a layman, and therefore it is
only in that capacity that I offer the following remarks,
though I had the advantage of excellent medical advice
in forming my opinions.
The symptoms of scurvy do not necessarily occur in
a regular order, but generally the first sign is an inflamed,
swollen condition of the gums. The whitish pink tinge
next the teeth is replaced by an angry red ; as the disease
gains ground the gums become more spongy and turn to
a purplish colour, the teeth become loose and the gums
sore. Spots appear on the legs, and pain is felt in old
wounds and bruises ; later, from a slight oedema, the
legs, and then the arms, swell to a great size and become
blackened behind the joints. After this the patient is
soon incapacitated, and the last horrible stages of the
disease set in, from which death is a merciful release.
Curiously enough, I believe that the appetite is rarely
lost even towards the end, and the rapidity with which
the disease spreads is excelled by the rapidity of recovery
if circumstances allow the proper remedies to be applied.
For centuries, and until quite recently, it was believed
that the antidote to scurvy lay in vegetable acids ; scurvy
grass was sought by the older voyagers, and finally lime-
juice was made, and remains, a legal necessity for ships
travelling on the high seas. Behind this belief lies a
vast amount of evidence, but a full consideration of this
evidence is beset with immense difficulties. For instance,
although it is an undoubted fact that with the introduc-
55o THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
tion of lime-juice scurvy was largely diminished, yet it is
apt to be forgotten that there were other causes which
might have contributed to this result ; for at the same
time sea voyages were being largely reduced by steam
power, and owners were forced to provide much better
food for their men.
It is beyond the scope of these pages to deal with
such evidence, and it is sufficient to remark that
modern medical thought finds it inconclusive, taking the
view that the only antidote to scurvy is to banish its
cause. Thus put, it is easy to see that many cures
might have been attributed to the virtues of a supposed
antidote which were really due to a discontinuance of the
article of food that caused the disease.
I understand that scurvy is now believed to be
ptomaine poisoning, caused by the virus of the bacterium
of decay in meat, and, in plain language, as long as a
man continues to assimilate this poison he is bound to get
worse, and when he ceases to add to the quantity taken
the system tends to throw it off, and the patient recovers.
The practical point, therefore, is to obtain meat which
does not contain this poison, and herein lies the whole
difficulty of the case, for danger lurks everywhere.
Tainted fresh meat may be virulent, but in the ordinary
course of events one eats it rarely and so is saved from
any disastrous result. The risk of a taint in tinned meat
is greater because of the process involved in its manu-
facture, and with salt meat the risk is greater still for the
same reason. To what extent meat must be tainted to
produce scurvy is unknown, but there is reason to sup-
i902] RISKS OF TINNED PROVISIONS 551
pose that the taint can be so slight as to escape the
notice of one's senses ; in other words, poison may lurk
in a tin of meat which to the sight, taste, and smell
appears to be in perfect condition. Such a supposition
alone shows the difficulty of tracing an outbreak of the
disease to its exact source.
It is important to lay stress on the foregoing remarks
because it is very commonly thought that unwholesome
tinned meat can be detected at once by the proportion of
tins that are ' blown.' Such a test must, of course, be a
good rough guide as between good and bad, but it does
not achieve the delicacy necessary to detect food which
may cause scurvy. As having achieved an unsurpassed
feat in the prevention of scurvy, Dr. Nansen may well
be taken as an authority in this matter ; and more or less
to this point he relates a story where a party of men
found a depot of provisions, selected the best tins, ate of
them, and got scurvy ; his comment is that they would
have done better to have selected the worst tins.
On the many points of importance with regard to the
selection of tinned provisions I am not able to dwell — it
is sufficient to show that the question is more complicated
than appears at first sight ; and, further, it must be
remembered that there is no service where excellence is
demanded so fully as on polar service. The ordinary
traveller may be obliged to subsist on tinned food for
weeks or months, but the polar voyager may be forced to
extend these periods to months and years.
One great practical certainty arises, however, out of
this complicated problem : one cannot be too careful ;
552 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct.
without being able to ensure perfection in one's tinned
provisions, one can go a long way towards it by very
careful selection and by preparing with all the safeguards
which modern science can suggest. Such a preparation
requires time, and therefore it becomes still more evi-
dent that ample time should be allowed for the equip-
ment of a polar expedition.
With these few general remarks I would briefly
trace the history of such circumstances as may have
led to the outbreak of scurvy in the - Discovery.'
I commence by giving some account of the provisions
which we carried. Owing to facts which can be well
understood from the shortness of time at our disposal,
it was not until the spring of 1901 that our provision
list was finally drawn up and the necessary orders given ;
the orders were distributed over a large number of
firms, and deliveries were directed to be made to the
East India Docks, where a shed had been placed at our
disposal. At the same time, by the courtesy of the Health
Office of the City of London, it was arranged that all
the tinned food collected in the shed should be examined
by one of their officials before it was transmitted to the
' Discovery.' The examination showed that, as far as
could be seen, everything was of good quality with the
exception of one delivery, and it became a question
whether we should reject the whole of this delivery and
seek a fresh contractor, or whether we should reject
only the portion that was unsatisfactory and demand
its renewal. Urgency decided in favour of the latter
alternative. It must be understood that the food sup-
i902] POSSIBLE CAUSES OF OUR OUTBREAK 553
plied after this rejection, and indeed all the food that
actually sailed in the 'Discovery,' was examined, but such
an examination has obvious limitations. The suspicious
circumstance was that anything ordered for the ' Dis-
covery ' should have been unsatisfactory, and the in-
ference was that if there were shortcomings in this
delivery which the examination could detect, there would
probably be others which it could not.
On our arrival in New Zealand we shipped a
large addition to our stock of tinned food, some on a
consignment from Australia, and some on purchase in
the colony itself ; both deliveries were excellent as far
as we had any power of judging.
I have already given some idea of our routine in
winter quarters with regard to meals. It will be recalled
that we had seal-meat twice a week, mutton once, and
tinned meat on the remaining days ; the problem is,
which of these gave us the scurvy ?
As regards the seal-meat, I think we may at once
reject the idea. The animals had to be skinned imme-
diately after they were killed, and carcases were thus
frozen within a very short space of time.
The mutton is more doubtful. It was killed inside
the Antarctic circle, but I am not sure that the meat was
wholly above suspicion of taint, as the sun may have
raised the darker portions of the carcases above the
freezing-point ; but it is to be remembered that though
we ate very heartily of it, we only enjoyed this luxury
once a week.
The grave suspicion naturally rests on the tinned
554 THE VOYAGE OF THE * DISCOVERY' [Oct.
meats, and therefore it becomes necessary to examine a
little more closely into them. In nine cases out of ten
our solid food on ordinary ' tinned meat ' days consisted
of plain tinned beef or mutton made up into some dish
on board. It was the rarest thing for us to open tins
containing made-up dishes, mainly because these were
part of the consignment which I mentioned as being
unsatisfactory. Without exception the plain beef and
mutton came from Australian and New Zealand firms, and
I have no doubt that it was as good as such things can
be ; the excellent state of preservation of that which we
brought back is alone sufficient to prove this. I cannot
think, therefore, that we have a right to suspect these
tinned meats. In considering all facts in connection
with this elusive disease, it must not be forgotten also
that we regularly opened tins of milk and less regularly
other ' kickshaws ' in which it may have been hidden ;
but as we continued this practice during our second
winter, without ill result, it is reasonable to consider that
its effect may be discounted.
The main fact, however, that makes it so difficult to
trace our scurvy to faulty provisions is that not a single
tin of any sort or description was served out in the
* Discovery ' until it had been opened and examined by
one of the doctors, and in this respect no risks were
taken. The least suspicion was sufficient to ensure rejec-
tion, and therefore it is certain that no food which bore
any outward sign of being unsafe was ever consumed in
the ship.
It has been pointed out that scurvy depends largely
i902] UNCERTAINTY OF ORIGIN 555
on environment, and there can be no doubt that severe
or insanitary conditions of life contribute to the ravages
of the disease. Indeed, we saw how this might be from
the outbreak in our western party, but I do not think
such conditions can be regarded as the prime cause.
In summing up this brief survey of our outbreak of
scurvy, I may point out that the evidence shows it
was caused by the food the discontinuance of which led
to recovery, and that this food consisted of tinned meats
which were to all appearances of the best quality, and of
apparently fresh mutton taken in small quantity. Beyond
this it seems impossible to go, and consequently, as far
as the investigation of the disease is concerned, we are
left in an unsatisfactory position of doubt.
Our scurvy came to us as a great surprise. Fully
alive to the danger of the disease, we seemed to have
taken every precaution that the experience of others
could suggest, and when the end of our long winter
found everyone in apparently good health and high
spirits, we naturally congratulated ourselves on the effi-
cacy of our measures. How rudely we were awakened
from this pleasing attitude I have shown, and, though
the disease was banished with astonishing rapidity, the
incident could not fail to leave an impression that in
some manner we had been unwittingly culpable. Quite
apart from the benefit lost to medical science, therefore,
it was extremely grievous that, for our own personal
satisfaction, we could not put our finger on the spot, and
definitely state whence the evil sprang.
Yet, inconclusive as our experience was, it serves to
556 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [1902
emphasise the lessons taught by former experiences. It
shows that too much care and attention cannot be paid
to the provisioning of a polar expedition ; it indicates
that in this connection the ordinary methods of food
examination are not sufficiently refined, but should be
supplemented by chemical analyses and every test that
modern science can suggest ; and it again points clearly
to the inestimable advantage of fresh food.
In this last respect there lies the most invaluable
safeguard for the welfare of future Antarctic expeditions ;
it seems evident that the whole circle of the Antarctic
seas is abundantly provided with animal life. It is not
conceivable, therefore, that any party wintering in the
Antarctic Regions will have great difficulty in providing
themselves with fresh food ; and, as we have proved,
where such conditions exist there need be no fear of the
dreaded word 'scurvy.'
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME
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