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THROUGH THE FIRST
ANTARCTIC NIGHT

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THROUGH THE FIRST

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

I898-I899

A NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGE OF THE '^BELGICa" AMONG

NEWLY DISCOVERED LANDS AND OVER AN UNKNOWN

SEA ABOUT THE SOUTH POLE

FREDERICK A. COOK, M.D.

SURGEON AND ANTHROPOLOGIST OF THE BELGIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION
WITH AN APPENDIX CONTAINING A SUMMARY OF THE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS

miuatrateb

NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1909

Portions of this narrative have appeared in the Century, Scribtuv's
and McClure's. Though this material has been much changed
and rewritten^ my acknowledgments are due to these magazines.

TO THE LITTLE FAMILY,
THE OFFICERS, THE SCIENTIFIC STAFF, AND

THE CREW OF THE "BELGICA,"

WHOSE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES MADE

THIS STORY OF THE FIRST HUMAN EXPERIENCE

THROUGHOUT A SOUTH POLAR YEAR ;

TO THESE MEN,

WHOSE CLOSE COMPANIONSHIP AND STURDY

GOOD-FELLOWSHIP MADE LIFE ENDURABLE

DURING THE STORMS, THE

DARKNESS, AND THE MONOTONY

OF THE ANTARCTIC,

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED.

Mi f^i fZ'y^

INTRODUCTION.

For three hundred years explorers have been
active in pushing aside the realms of the unknown
towards the north pole ; but the equally interesting
south pole has, during all this time, been almost
wholly neglected. There have been expeditions to
the far south, but compared to arctic ventures they
have been so few and their work within the polar
circle has been so little that the results have been
largely forgotten. It is not because valuable results
have not been obtained in the antarctic, but because
the popular interest in the arctic has completely
overshadowed the reports of the antipodes. The
search for the North-west and the North-east pass-
ages, which commerce demanded to reach the trade
of the Orient during the seventeenth and the early
part of the eighteenth centuries, fixed the public eye
persistently northward. This extended effort to
find an easy path to the wealth of Asia was fruit-
less, but it was followed by a whale fishery, a seal-
ing industry, and a fur trade, which have proved a
priceless boon to mankind. As a result of these
two periods of trade exploration, we have now
entered upon a third stage, a period of scientific
research which will not, and should not, end until

INTRODUCTION

the entire area is outlined in the growing annals of
exact knowledge.

The antarctic has a history somewhat similar, but
it is almost forgotten. Until 1772 the south frigid
zone was pictured by fiction writers in flowery
phraseology. They placed here a fertile country,
projecting far northward into the Atlantic and the
Pacific. This land was supposed to be inhabited by
a curious race of people who possessed a super-
abundance of gold, precious stones, and other
material wealth. To learn the truth of this new
** land of promise " Capt. James Cook was sent out
in 1772. Cook, wath a thoroughness which char-
acterised all his efforts, circumnavigated the globe
close enough to the antarctic circle to convince the
world that if land of large extent existed around
the south pole it must be far beyond the usual ice-
limits. Sixty years later, through the efforts of
American and British sealers who had searched
every known rock of the southern seas for fur-seals,
and sea-elephants, the United States, England, and
France, fitted out rival expeditions. The combined
work of these expeditions marked the second period
of antarctic exploration and resulted in the re-
establishment of a great polar continent on the
Austral chart. Sixty years again passed before
another expedition was sent to press beyond the
southern barriers of ice. The voyage of the Bel-
gica is the beginning of a third revival of ant-
arctic exploration which has been brought about by
determined efforts, made almost simultaneously in
England, Germany, Belgium, and the United States.

viii

INTRODUCTION

This third period of antarctic research, like the
third stage of arctic exploration, is wholly in the
interest of science.

The first country to complete the outfit of a
modern expedition was Belgium. England and
Germany now have expeditions in preparation, but
the honour of being the first to send a scientific ven-
ture, with trained specialists and appropriate equip-
ment to the antarctic, belongs to Belgium.

For the origin of the Belgian Antarctic Expedi-
tion we are indebted to the energetic efforts of
Lieutenant Adrien de Gerlache. By soliciting pri-
vate subscriptions and finally by securing the finan-
cial aid of the Belgian Government, Gerlache suc-
ceeded in collecting the sixty thousand dollars which
were barely sufficient to fit out the enterprise. The
vessel selected for the mission was the Norwegian
sealer Patria, which was rechristened Belgica,
She is a strong vessel, of about two hundred and
fifty tons, built some ten years ago. She was not
strengthened or altered on the plan of Nansen's
vessel, the Fram, as has been so often stated. Nev-
ertheless, she proved herself a craft of extraordinary
endurance, withstanding the thumps of rocks, ice-
berg collisions, and pressure in the pack-ice, in a
manner perfectly marvellous. Owing to a scarcity
of funds, the accoutrements of the ship and the out-
fit for polar exploration were somewhat imperfect.
If we had been compelled to stay longer, or if it
had been necessary to make a forced overland jour-
ney, or a retreat homeward on the ice, we should
have found our equipment inadequate.

INTRODUCTION.

The members of the expedition were from many-
lands, as the following list will show:

Commandant, Adrien de Gerlache (Belgian).

Captain, Georges Lecointe (Belgian), Executive
Officer and Hydrographer.

Roald Amundsen (Norwegian), ist Mate.

Emile Danco (deceased) (Belgian), Magnetician.

Emile Racovitza (Rumanian), Naturalist.

Henryk Arctowski (Russian), Geologist, Oceanog-
rapher and Meteorologist.

Antoine Dobrowolski (Russian), Assistant Meteo-
rologist.

Frederick A. Cook (American), Surgeon An-
thropologist and Photographer.

ENGINEERS.
Henri Somers (Belgian). Max Van Rysselberghe

(Belgian).

SAILORS.
Belgians. Norwegians.

Jules Melaerts. Adam Tollefsen.

Jan Van Mirlo. Hjalmar Johansen.

Gustave Dufour. Johan Koren.

Louis Michotte. Engebret Knudsen.

Carl Augustus Wiencke (deceased).

Altogether we numbered nineteen when leaving
Punta Arenas — seven officers, housed in the cosy
little cabins, and twelve marines, including Dobro-
wolski, housed in the forecastle. Thus divided, we
were two happy families, and as such we tried to

INTRODUCTION

extract from the frozen south polar surroundings such
rare comforts as regions of perennial snows afford.

The Belgica left Antwerp at the end of August,
1897. She steamed and sailed down the Atlantic to
Madeira, then across to Rio de Janeiro, down to
Montevideo, and into the Strait of Magellan to
Punta Arenas. After spending some time in the
Fuegian channels and among the Cape Horn Indian
tribes, we took our departure from the known world,
at Staten Island on January 13, 1898. We sighted
the South Shetland Islands a week later, where, dur-
ing a violent tempest, we lost by an accidental fall
overboard, the young and faithful Norwegian sailor,
Wiencke. We next crossed the ever-foggy and
ever-tempestuous waters of Bransfield Strait, and on
the afternoon of January 23, 1898, came in sight of
the outer fringe of a new land, the Palmer Archipel-
ago. Entering this, we discovered a new highway,
which in size compares favourably with Magellan
Strait. To the east and west of this strait, we
charted about five hundred miles of a land which
had never before been seen by human eyes — part
of a great continental mass which probably surrounds
the south pole. It is buried even in midsummer
under a ponderous weight of perennial ice. Passing
out of the strait, we entered the South Pacific, and
after skirting the western border of Grahamland to
Adelaide Island and then to Alexander Island, we
attempted to enter the main body of the pack-ice
westward.

The work of the first three weeks in the new
regions proved the discovery of a highway per-

INTRODUCTION

fectly free for navigation during the summer months
from Bransfield Strait, two hundred miles south-
westerly, through an unknown land to the Pacific.
This highway has received the name of our ship.
To the east of Belgica Strait we discovered a high,
continuous country which probably connects with
the land charted as Grahamland. This has been
christened Dancoland, in memory of our com-
panion, Lieutenant Danco, who died on the ship
during the long drift in the pack-ice. The land
to the west of the strait is cut up into islands by
several channels, and is named Palmer Archipelago,
in honour of Captain Nathaniel Palmer, the Ameri-
can sealer who was the first of all men to see
the outer fringe of this land. Scattered about in
the waters of Belgica Strait are about one hun-
dred islands and several groups of islands. About
fifty of these are of considerable size. The islands,
the capes, the bays, the headlands, and the moun-
tains have mostly received the names of Belgian
friends of the expedition ; but prominent outside
workers have not been forgotten, as is evidenced
by Nansen Island and Neumayer Channel. Each
officer was given the privilege of bestowing some
names. Hence two islands which fell to my lot are
named after the city of my home and the first
mayor of Greater New York — Brooklyn and Van
Wyck Islands.

After passing out of the strait into the open
Pacific, we strove to follow the mainland southward,
but the pack-ice forced us away. Late in February
we entered the main body of the sea-ice, intending

xii

INTRODUCTION

to push southward and westward. After penetrating
ninety miles we found ourselves firmly beset. Un-
able to extricate the ship, we drifted with the ice to
and fro, but generally west, for thirteen long months.
During the early part of the long polar night Lieu-
tenant Danco died. Except for the depression of
this melancholy bereavement, the health of the
members of the expedition was fairly good ; but the
seventy days of continued darkness weighed heavily
upon us. The scientific work was prosecuted
throughout the year of the drift. Each department
has reason to feel proud of its records. But all
were happy when, on March 14, 1899, we were
released from the icy fetters which had held us
so long.

We left the pack from longitude 103° west of
Greenwich, and latitude 70° 45' south. We had thus
drifted from about 85° to 103° of west longitude and
between 70° and 72° south of latitude. In March
and April we drifted westerly to longitude 92° 25',
where we were on April 25th. From May to Octo-
ber we drifted back again to a place near our start-
ing point. From November to the time we left the
ice we drifted rapidly westward. The winter drift
then is eastward, the summer drift is westward, and
this is also the direction of the prevailing winds.
Our farthest south was on May 31st, latitude 71^
36^ ^" south, longitude ^j^ 40' west. It would
not at any time have been possible to push farther
poleward in our position. The various soundings
which we took prove the existence of a sea where
there was previously thought to be land. Through

xiii

INTRODUCTION

these soundings also we have discovered a sub-
marine bank comparable to the bank off the coast of
Newfoundland. The excellent series of magnetic ob-
servations by M. Lecointe indicate the magnetic
pole to be about two hundred miles east of its
present assigned position. The hourly meteoro-
logical observations, under the direction of M.
Arctowski, are of priceless value to students of
weather. The painstaking zoological work by M.
Racovitza, and the numerous other observations
and studies of antarctic life and phenomena, are of a
like value. As an American I can with due modesty
say that the work of this, the Belgian Antarctic Ex-
pedition, will form the stepping-stone to future ant-
arctic exploration.

In the following pages I have not attempted to
elaborate on our experiences and observations. This
I leave for a future work. My aim has been to
select from my diary and notes such data as might
prove of interest to the general reader. In my de-
sire to condense this story into a single volume I
have omitted much of the daily routine of life.
I have also omitted a discussion of technical topics.
There is no pretence made by me that this book
contains all of the scientific data of the expedition.
The observations, descriptions of specimens, and
scientific deductions will be published in other chan-
nels. The Belgian Government has liberally set
aside a sum sufficient to publish in proper form the
scientific records, and a commission is at present
occupied in making a preliminary study of the ms,-
terial with this end in view.

xiv

THROUGH THE FIRST
ANTARCTIC NIGHT

THROUGH THE
FIRST ANTARCTIC NIGHT

CHAPTER I

IN AND ABOUT RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio de Janeiro, October 30, 1897.
T last I am on the way to the land
which has been the dream of my
life, — " the mysterious antarctic."
I have talked of this journey of
^exploration so long, have wished
for it so persistently, that now, when
my one foremost ambition seems on the
verge of a realisation, I can hardly as-
sure myself that I am not on the road
to another of many disappointments.
In three weeks one half of the distance in an air
line from New York to the south pole was trav-
ersed, and here on the lower edge of the tropics
I have waited for the arrival of the ship wifh the
company of Belgian explorers with whom the jour-
ney to the antarctic, now just begun, is to be made.
On my arrival at Rio de Janeiro the Belgian
Legation looked after my comforts, and the Minister,
Count van den Steen, offered me the hospitality of
his home at P^tropolis.

THE CROWS NEST

THROUGH THE FIRST

After a fortnight of dreamy tropical life, a tele-
gram announced the arrival of the expedition ship,
the Belgica, in the Rio harbour. We took the
early morning train and slowly descended the two
thousand feet along several valleys, winding around
various hills, down and down on the curious cog-
wheel railroad, until we reached the head of the bay.
Here an old-style side-wheel steamer carried us to
Rio de Janeiro. On the pier a delegation appointed
by the Belgian colony of Rio met us with a tug, in
which we were carried to the Belgica.

There was nothing about the Belgica to attract
unusual attention from a distance. She was rather
odd in shape and colour, but Rio harbour is full of
weird-looking crafts. We boarded the Belgica at
about 1 1 o'clock. It was a scorching morning, and
as we ascended the sea ladder a cloud of hot vapour
rose above us from the moistened decks. The Cap-
tain, Lecointe, was at the gangway and greeted
each visitor as the Minister introduced us. Behind
him on deck stood Commandant de Gerlache, at
his side the officers and scientific staff, while the crew
was stationed on the port side of the quarter deck.

To me this was a moment of special interest.
Here for the first time I met face to face the party
of total strangers, the members of the Belgian Ant-
arctic Expedition, with whom I am to remain as com-
panion and co-worker for a period of months, per-
haps years. I was greeted in a strange tongue —
French — not a word of which I understood. One
after another came to me asking questions, but I
could only look askance at them. After a while I

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

learned that the Commandant could speak English
and all of the scientific staff could speak German,
so we began to exchange ideas in tongues familiar
to me.

My first impression of the officers and crew was
— as it is to-day — decidedly favorable. Every one
seemed a picture of health, full of youthful vigour, and
jolly good fellowship. The Belgica appeared small,
but she seemed well adapted to the prospective work,
and above all, she was filled brim full with good food,
— such delicacies as only a Belgian could select. I
am sure as we penetrate the white antarctic she
will seem large enough ; she will afford us a safe
home, and many, very many, comforts, as comforts
go in the polar regions.

The Belgica left Ostend, Belgium, on August 24,
1897, and reached Madeira September 13. From
here, after an adjustment of the instruments and some
scientific observations, lasting three days, she sailed
for Rio de Janeiro ; but Rio was not reached until late
in the afternoon of October 22. The voyage was
made against a series of adverse winds and calms,
making it necessary to steam a part of the time.
Excepting a few cases of seasickness the party en-
joyed excellent health while crossing the tropics.

The general plan of the expedition was now for
the first time outlined to me by Commandant de Ger-
lache. Up to the present all my communications had
been by cable, and necessarily brief, but now I was
able to elicit from the hardworked projector the pros-
pective plan of our campaign. The Belgica will start
from here, after the magnetic instruments are ad-

THROUGH THE FIRST

justed, for Montevideo, where she will stop perhaps
two days. From Montevideo we will proceed to
Punta Arenas, Chile, in the Strait of Magellan.

At Punta Arenas we shall make some scientific
observations and collections, stopping perhaps eight
days. And then, after coaling and restocking our
provision supply, we shall sail for the South Shet-
land Islands, thence to Grahamland, and southwest-
ward along its border to the limit of navigation. If
time and ice conditions will permit we shall first sail
along the eastern shore of Grahamland and south
into Weddel Sea. But this journey, tempting as it
seems, is now rather doubtful, owing to the short
time at our command. From this western terminus
of Grahamland we shall try to map the coast to
Alexanderland and beyond as far as possible, then
we are to press southward and westward to Vic-
torialand. Deep sea soundings and dredgings will
be taken wherever the opportunity presents. Sys-
tematic, magnetic, and meteorological observations
are to be made, and large zoological collections are
expected. In a general way it is the aim of the
expedition to make a thorough scientific survey of
the regions traversed. The commander reserves
the right to alter any or all plans to suit unex-
pected conditions as we meet them.

In the afternoon the Minister, Count van den
Steen, took Commandant de Gerlache and most of
the scientific staff ashore to begin the first of a long
series of presentations and introductions to the con-
genial Brazilian officials. We were first presented
to the chief of customs and the Minister of marine

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

affairs, from whom we derived the twofold pleasure
of being warmly greeted and freed of harbour dues,
custom annoyances, and other troublesome local
regulations.

It was to me a source of never-ceasing interest to
note the translations of the various questions asked.
This portrayed clearly the Brazilian notion of a po-
lar expedition. The ideas proved to be so tropi-
cal that I must risk a breach of etiquette and quote
enough to show Brazilian versions of polar work.
We were constantly asked, '' Have you a smoking-
room and much tobacco?" '' Of course you have
lots of wine and other nice drinks, but have you
plenty of good things to eat? You must take
some Brazilian coffee." Others would put to us
questions about our provision for pleasure, music,
games, and pastimes in general, but I do not re-
member having been asked even once about the
serious scientific work of the expedition. One
broad-minded and apparently intelligent fellow, well
on in the winter of life — a member of the Cabinet,
asked the usual questions about wines, cigars, and
personal comforts, and then, having heard of Mrs.
Peary's experience in the North, he asked if we had
any women among us? On being answered with a
rather sharp and quick ** no ! " he remarked : " Then,
I don't want to go along."

This explains the lack of interest of South Amer-
icans in anything polar. So long as beautiful women,
good wines, fine cigars, and delicate foods are not
found at the south pole, Latin Americans will prob-
ably not aspire to reach it.

THROUGH THE FIRST

The magnetic instruments were taken to the local
observatory for adjustment and comparison. To do
this properly required about a week, hence arrange-
ments were made for various receptions, tours of
exploration, of pleasure, and what not. The zoolo-
gist, Mr. Racovitza, learning that he could take a
fast steamer and reach Punta Arenas about a fort-
night in advance of the expedition, at once made ar-
rangements to leave us. This will afford him much
additional and valuable time to make collections and
observations in the immediate vicinity of the Strait
of Magellan.

We began the week on Monday by the Presiden-
tial reception. The Belgian Minister, Count van den
Steen, had arranged the details and according to his
instructions we assembled at the office of Consul
Laurys shortly after noon. From here we em-
barked in coaches drawn by small but handsome
mules. We were hurried through narrow streets,
along an endless number of low houses, plastered
outside and in. The doors and windows were full
of men, women and children, scantily dressed but ill
at ease, all doing nothing in various ways.

In a half hour we reached the White House, an
imposing and substantial building constructed from
the local schist which everywhere underlies the city.
Led by Count van den Steen we entered, ascended
to the third floor, and were marshaled to the Presi-
dent's reception room with very little ceremony.
The room was handsomely decorated by wall paint-
ings, and fresco decorations probably of Italian de-
sign, while the floors were of beautiful inlaid wood,

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

also of a foreign manufacture. There were no car-
pets, but little furniture, and the mantels were covered
by artificial flowers and plants.

In a short time the President, Senor Trudente
de Moreas Barros, entered. We were presented
separately, after which the Minister made a short
address in French to which the President replied in
a few words, and then grasping our hands he offered
a cheerful greeting to each member of the expedi-
tion.

The Belgian colony had long planned a feast for
the expedition, and this was to be the grand event
at Rio, to which we looked for real joy and lasting
comfort. The time had been set for the evening of
the 25th, at the Restaurant Petropolis, on Rue de
Ovidor. We assembled at 7 o'clock; there were
about 100 people present, representing the male
members of the Colony, the officers and scientific
staff of the expedition, and a few newspaper editors.

The room was large and airy ; electric fans were
in position, but the air was cool enough without
their use. The walls were decorated with flags,
and the tables with flowers and fruits. The bill of
fare was Belgian — a few local additions to the very
best that could be imported from Belgium. This, I
am sure, is sufficient said of a very delightful collec-
tion of rare foods and good drinks. There was
much enthusiastic speech-making and toasting in
French, Portuguese, and Italian ; presumably com-
plimentary to Brazil, Belgium and the expedition,
but I did not understand it. The spirit of hilarity,
however, was in the air and, although I was a for-

THROUGH THE FIRST

eigner among strangers whose language was un-
known to me, I cannot remember having enjoyed a
banquet at home better. We had all been wined
and dined, separately and collectively, before and
after, but the occasion which will always remain in
our minds as the best treat of all is the Rio Belgian
banquet.

The day following, and for the balance of the
week, we visited the local places of interest, ex-
plored the city in various ways, and were received
at a special meeting of the local Geographical So-
ciety. Rio de Janeiro is a city of perhaps six hun-
dred thousand inhabitants, with about one hundred
thousand foreigners. It is the metropolis of South
America, but far, very far, behind Montevideo and
Buenos Aires in modern improvements and in all
the present arts of civilization. It is essentially a
commercial city, a center from which exports are
sent and imports distributed throughout Brazil and
much of South America.

A great deal of money is made here, but the pres-
ent money has fallen to about one eighth of its actual
value. Things cannot be much longer prolonged as
the present money market stands, from which it
follows that various rumors of a national bankruptcy
are current. A well informed resident assured me
that a crisis would arrive before our return from the
antarctic.

Brazil, in the infancy of its republican form of gov-
ernment, has very many political difficulties to settle.
There is more political discussion to the square mile
in Rio de Janeiro to-day than to an equal space on
any other part of the globe with which I am familiar.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

A rebellion has just been subdued In a northern prov-
ince, but from the south comes fresh news of another
attempted secession. The several states of Brazil
seem to be loosely bound together and before the
country finds its true equilibrium many changes will
probably occur.

As a city Rio de Janeiro has been so well and so
often described that I shall only give here the
briefest outline of a few points of interest as they
impressed us. The houses are all of stone or brick,
rarely more than two stories, built on an irregular
hilly surface, mostly facing the ever visible and
always enchanting inland sea, the harbour. The
rear of the city is lost between the rising hills which
encircle the harbour. The streets are very narrow,
are paved with granite, and are always alive with
people of several colors and of all nationalities. The
business streets have an air of bustle and Yankee
thrift, but the side streets are clothed in the usual
perpetual ease of the tropics.

The city is easily traversed by electric and mule
cars; even the mountains are ascended by electric
and steam roads, which required great engineering
skill in construction. Carriages and waggons are al-
most entirely drawn by small mules. The numerous
sights and breathing places are reached without
much trouble and very cheaply, for Rio has perhaps
the cheapest carfare of the world, less than three
cents a ride. Rent is nearly as high as in New
York in the better or healthier parts of the city;
wages are good, but living in general is expensive.
Nearly all the foreigners, however, consider it an
excellent business place. The health of the city is

THROUGH THE FIRST

good, excepting occasional epidemics of yellow
fever, and, if it were not for the intense heat of sum-
mer, Rio would offer a bright future for young, am-
bitious Europeans and North Americans.

It would hardly be expected that poleward-bent
explorers would grow enthusiastic about any place
in the torrid zone, but Rio de Janeiro, with all its
heat, has people with warm hearts, who were to us
a pleasant inspiration. It has fruits and coffee
which are a joy to the inner man ; it has abundant
natural resources which will some day make it a
great, a very great, city.

Saturday at 2 o'clock was set for the time of
sailing, and although we appreciated the honors and
pleasures conferred upon us by the hospitable Bel-
gians and Brazilians, the appointed time found us
all eager to continue our voyage toward the south
pole. Many visitors were on board at the last mo-
ment. The Minister, with his fatherly interest in the
expedition, the Belgian committee, representatives
of the Rio Geographical Society, and various other
distinguished visitors were there to bid us au
revoir and bon voyage. Among the visitors were
a couple of young ladies who received an un-
usual share of warm attention from the prospective
frigid explorers. A desire to kidnap them as a di-
version to break the long monotony of the journey
was frequently expressed and no doubt deeply felt
by at least one lonely bachelor. The last visitor
was a young Brazilian in a gaudy uniform, who
came by a special Government launch as a repre-
sentative of the President. His particular mission
was to offer us the President's compliments and his

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

wishes for a good, successful voyage. This we ap-
preciated as a delightful bit of thoughtfulness on the
part of President Barros.

On board the Belgica everything was bustle and
haste. Provisions were coming, new articles of
equipment were being loaded and stored away,
visitors were going to and fro examining our curious
instruments and the general outfit. Tugs were all
around the craft and one, with several photogra-
phers, kept spinning around, snapping at the center
of curiosity from every side. At three o'clock the
Commandant gave the order to start, and the entire
mass moved with us. The visitors remained on
deck, and the tugs followed.

The commercial part of the harbour, with its
steaming heat and teeming mass of conglomerate
humanity, soon fell behind more interesting points.
Several foreign cruisers were in the harbour among
them our Cincinnati^ and these kept us busy re-
plying to salutations and cheers. As we passed the
old battered fort of S. Joao we rather expected a
series of salutes, but instead a large band appeared
on a low crown of torn cliffs playing lively airs.
Now and then the musicians would stop and fill the
atmosphere with quaint cheers, all of which pleased
us far better than a display of powder.

As we advanced, a rather strong wind ruffled up
an uncomfortable sea, and as we approached the
narrows, which are guarded by two ancient looking
forts, it was deemed best to part with our visitors.
The Brazilian men hugged and kissed us, as is their
custom — the men only, not the ladies. Our good
friends of the Belgian Colony offered many cordial

THROUGH THE FIRST

greetings, and as the tugs withdrew from us, the oft-
repeated au revoir and bon voyage came with every
leap of the sea.

Our progress against the incoming wind and sea
was very slow, but this gave us an excellent oppor-
tunity to take a long parting view of the beautiful
Bay of Rio de Janeiro, with all its indescribable
splendour. The sun was low, close to the crests of a
ridge of mountain peaks. We were steaming out of
the mouth of the bay, a harbour which is said to be
large enough to afford room for all the naval fleets
of the world. On every side were mountains rising
abruptly from the waving expanse of blue — moun
tains with cliffs and steep slopes, many apparently
perpendicular, all with sides nearly covered by a
thick dark green verdure. Only the loftiest peaks
were bald and even these had a few weather-worn
trees to add colour and life.

As we looked over the stern of the Belgica, much
of the city was still in view. The low, irregular
houses, with tiled roofs and sides washed with lime
in various bright shades of red, white and blue, were
unique and attractive. They will always remain in
our minds as a pleasing reminder of Brazilian good
wishes. Before the city and behind it were the
perennial midsummer waters, spotted with vessels of
various nations, beset by a score of emerald isles
and fringed by as many fascinating bays. It is,
however, the crude, rugged majesty, — the rare gran-
deur of the mountain peaks around the enchanting
harbour which give it ever fresh and effervescent
glory.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

Beginning at the left and close to the stern of the
Belgica, was a bold peak of solid rock, which from its
fancied resemblance to a lump of sugar, is called
Pdo de Assucar. A little farther on the eye is
stopped by the famous Corcovado, a huge needle of
granite, its base washed by the blue tropical waters,
its apex, three thousand feet above, piercing soft,
pearly vapours, and its sides painted by the hand of
nature in various shades of green. Next upon the
horizon was outlined the strange freak of nature, the
Bicodo do Papagaio, or Parrot's Beak. A bit of land-
scape, more distant and less startling, but still very
alluring, is next in line — the interfolding rock config-
urations of Gavea. Then several other sky-scrap-
ing mountains, and the enraptured vision ends upon
the whitened crown of fair Santa Thereza.

Along the head of the bay, ever veiled by a blue
haze, are the Organ Mountains, so named because
the various cones and serrated peaks bear a fan-
cied resemblance to the pipes of an organ. Be-
yond these, but out of vision, is Petropolis, the
new capital of Brazil, and the summer home for
Rio's wealthy and foreign residents. To the right
are lesser mountains, separated by deep bays and
broad, fertile valleys. The beds of these are clothed
with banana, mango, pineapple, and other fruit-
bearing trees and plants. The scene as a whole is
a feast to the eyes and a nursery to the mind.

But we must be off to less fertile lands — on to the
icy south, stopping only at Montevideo and the
Strait of Magellan before we attack the virgin ice
south of Cape Horn.

CHAPTER II

FROM RIO DE JANEIRO TO MONTEVIDEO

Montevideo, November 13, 1897.

The Belgica left Rio October 30, 1897. She
steamed out of the harbour amid an uproar of sal-
utations and accompanied by many of the friends
of the expedition to the entrance of the bay. Here
the little party of well-wishers gathered around
Count Van den Steen and offered us a final bon
voyage — a scene and a sentiment which followed us
far into the polar night. The sun was hanging low
over the blue outline of the Organ Mountains, and
the darkness of the rapidly approaching tropical
night was already on the lowlands, which are here
exposed to receive the warm humidity of the Atlan-
tic. The wind was steadily increasing from the
east, bringing in a heavy sea and premonitions of
an uncomfortable night. The two battered forts
which guard the entrance were soon passed, and
we laid our course south-westwardly along the Bra-
zilian coast, with a fair wind and a favourable cur-
rent. Darkness, torrid blackness, settled down over
us with a rapidity which I had not before noted.
The wind increased and the • sea rose higher and

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

higher, bringing with it Neptune to salute the too
hilarious victims of the expedition at Rio.

The next morning no land was in sight, but the
weather was delightfully clear with a fair breeze and
an easy sea, a happy condition which followed us
several days. We have now passed the tropic of
Capricorn, are out of the torrid zone, and well on
our path across the south temperate zone toward
the bottom of the globe. The air is more stimulat-
ing, the winds fresh and bracing, more in accord
with our polar longings, and altogether we begin
to feel our natural vigours and ambitions which the
burning heat farther north had withered.

From Madeira to Rio it had been found impossi-
ble to sleep in the bunks because of the stifling
heat. Hammocks were accordingly swung amid-
ships, in which some sleep was possible for the occu-
pants of the cabins, while those of the forecastle
stored themselves on the deck in almost any posi-
tion offering a breeze and a protection from being
washed overboard. These restful open air positions
offer a splendid opportunity during the sleepless
hours to study and admire the beauty and strange-
ness of the southern sky. From the time when we
crossed the equator to our present position we have
been intensely interested in the new constellations
which have glided over the southern horizon, while
in the north we have been watching, with some
regret, the sinking and disappearance of the stars
and groups with which we have been familiar from
the time of our infancy. This vanishing of the Pole
Star, and the many old friends in the heavens

THROUGH THE FIRST

brings to us a vivid impression of the vast distance
which we have traversed from our native lands.
The new firmament has many charms, but it takes
time to admire its complex splendour. The grouping
of the large stars, the scattered nebulae rivalling in
lustre the Milky Way, and the unfilled spaces, re-
markable for their extreme darkness, give the south-
ern heavens a peculiar aspect. With this dome of
tropical blue relieved by the new heavenly bodies
above, and with a breakneck pitching and tossing
at every plunge of the vessel, one is more apt to fall
into an admiration of Nature than into a profound
sleep. But this easy life on deck has also its draw-
backs at times when one's calm, dreamy philosophy
is suddenly and rudely interrupted. Jack runs across
the deck and presently stumbles in a heap over
some sleeper when a series of grunts and something
worse fills the night air with another spirit.

On November fourth, for a short time, the low
shore-line of the Island of Santo Catherina was dimly
visible under a blue mist in the west. At about this
time we also saw the first Cape pigeons, stormy
petrels, and albatrosses, and a few days later when
there was no land in view an off-shore wind brought
us some forms of land life. Among these were but-
terflies, moths, various birds with beautiful plumage,
and some troublesome flies. We met only one voy-
ager on this lonely course, a Brazilian coaster. She
was built after a model of the last century, but,
having every rag set which could draw, she came
through the rolling blue waters with a grace and
picturesqueness that would do justice to a modern

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

yacht. We enjoyed the sight immensely as she
came towards us, ploughing through hills of foam,
her blunt prow buried in white spray, her huge square
stern rising and falling nimbly out of one trough
into another. It was as if one of the explorers who
had gone before us, a Drake or an Anson, who were
at once pirates and explorers, had suddenly dropped
in our path to examine the men and the methods of
less ambitious followers.

On the evening of the seventh we were fascinated
by a strikingly beautiful sunset — the first worthy of
note since the Belgica left Antwerp and certainly
the most remarkable which I had observed since
leaving New York. The phenomena was most
charming in colour when the sun was about to sink
behind the blue outline of Uruguay on our western
horizon. The sea was branded by streams and
bands and spots of fire which, with the easy un-
dulation of the surface, gave it the appearance of
active flames. The sun itself was descending behind
a faint purple zone of mist. Its disc seemed out of
all proportion to its usual size and there was some-
thing sublimely beautiful in the loneliness of its de-
scent. All the sky above it, and far to the south
and north was a vivid crimson in zigzag streamers,
while over our heads the dome was an exquisite
tint of green, which melted in the east into a dark
purple blue. Shortly after the heavenly glow of
the sunset had vanished, the sky began to assume
quite another aspect. A gloomy range of cumulus
clouds rose in the northwest, and in a few hours had
advanced so far as to project nearly over our heads.

THROUGH THE FIRST

The scene was made particularly strange by the
even steely colour of the rest of the sky. It was
ruled with a line, here and there ragged, but for the
most part singularly homogeneous from the confines
of the north-eastern mass of horizon. All the cen-
tral portion of this vast surface of cloud was of a
deep leaden hue, while its edges were marked by
rapidly changing lines of carbon and luminous grey.
By a deception of the eye the entire mass appeared
convex, and it looked as wild as any phenomena of
Nature I ever saw. At frequent intervals a sharp
shower of arrowy lightning whizzed along its lowest
fringe, illuminating the decks and the sea with a
weird blue light. The lightning had the remark-
able peculiarity of not being accompanied by thun-
der, nor was it followed by rain.

Yesterday at noon the high ridge of mountains
in the eastern part of the province of Rio Grande do
Sul were feebly discernible under the western hori-
zon. This is the most southern province, the
most industrious, and certainly the most promising
part of Brazil. It is composed almost entirely of
Germans, upon whom the unfair yoke of the Rio
Janeiro government fits badly. They are at present
engaged in a revolution for freedom and indepen-
dence. To-day we have the low sandy dunes of the
coast of Uruguay on our port side, and through the
night we made little progress against the increas-
ing southerly wind which followed the peculiar sky
effects. At 6 o'clock on the morning of the eighth,
we were off Castillo Island. Here the wind in-
creased with such fury that we began to look about
for a harbour.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

In a few hours we were off Cape Polonio, but a
farther progress into the mouth of the River Plata
against the wind was impossible. The bark was
turned landward for a little cove at the neck of Cape
Polonio which seemed somewhat sheltered by the
off-lying seal rocks. To reach this anchorage, how-
ever, the bark made difficult work of it. She rose
and tumbled over the ugly land swells like a waggon
over a rocky road. Her feeble engines were
pressed to their greatest force, which heated the
spaces above the fireplace to such an extent as to
ignite the woodwork, and thus to the anxiety of the
storm was added the excitement of a fire.

The fire was soon extinguished, and at noon we
dropped anchor in a little harbour where the main
force of the wind did not reach us, but the sea con-
tinued to rise and fall with a sickening suddenness.
Here we rode out the storm, which continued until
about noon of the next day. The falling of the
temperature, caused by the decreasing latitude and
especially by this storm, is daily more noticeable.
Already the cold south temperate winds have com-
pelled us to abandon the restful open air berths in
the hammocks and driven us into the stuffy state-
rooms, where every precaution has been taken to
prevent the escape of heat in the icy south. Dur-
ing the afternoon and night, while the ship was bow-
ing to the wind and violently pulling at her chains,
we examined the character of our surroundings.
From our position the land presented about as bar-
ren and lifeless an aspect as any region I ever saw.
On closer inspection we became interested in the
mere bleakness, and little by little we found a fascina-

THROUGH THE FIRST

tion in the lifeless sterility with which we were first
impressed. The torrents of wind moved the sand-like
snow, and even deposited it in huge drifts, giving
the whole surface a wavy, undulating appearance.
In the interior a few ranges of low hills were dis-
cernible ; but their surfaces were such that the shape
could not be easily separated from the vast wavy
plain along the coast. Cape Castillo is easily dis-
tinguished from the other sandy points by a white
round sand hill, one hundred and eighty-four feet
high, to which the land gradually rises from the
Cape southward. This is Mount Buena Vista, and
its pecuHar mammary form, with its well defined
white nipple and rounded sides marked by dots of
cactus plants, — these peculiarities, with the isolated
position, give the eminence an impressiveness and a
picturesqueness quite in accord with its important
geographical position.

Mount Buena Vista marks the entrance from the
north into one of the largest and, for the future, one
of the most important rivers of the world, the Rio de
la Plata. The river was discovered in 1 5 1 5 by Juan
Diaz de Solis, and seems to have been named by
Sebastian Cabot in 1520. The name (meaning
** river of silver ") was not given it because of its fan-
cied resemblance to silver-plate, for in reality its
surface is always ruffled, and its colour and consist-
ency would be better described by the *' river of
mud ; " but the great amount of actual silver ore
which was taken from the Indians along this
river, and the fact that it was used as a highway
for the transport of the metal to the coast, are

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

responsible for the poetic name of this ever dirty
stream.

Though the waters are not sparkling, and the
banks are not such as to call for an enthusiastic de-
scription, yet the Plata occupies a position unequaled
among the rivers of the world. It drains the largest
part of South America south of the Amazon basin,
and with its many tributaries reaches from the moun-
tains of eastern Brazil to the Andes, covering there-
fore almost the entire width of the continent from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. While its basin is thus
widely spread, the name Rio de la Plata is limited
to the stream from the junction of the rivers Parana
and Uruguay, to the Atlantic. It is one hundred
and fifty miles in length, and about one hundred
and twenty miles wide at its outer spread. From
here it rapidly narrows, so that at Montevideo it is
but fifty miles wide, while at Buenos Aires it is only
twenty, and at the junction of its principal head
waters, but four miles. Its peculiar water is gener-
ally noticeable far out in the Atlantic by the change
in colour: from the bright blue of the subtropical
seas to a dull green, and on closer approach to a
dark brown.

One of the most remarkable facts in the history
of American discovery is the slowness with which
the world has learned of the true natural resources
of this region. The early Spaniards came here to
obtain from the Indians, either by fair means or
otherwise, such valuables as they possessed. Silver
and gold were thus secured, and this led to the
more important discoveries of the sources of these

THROUGH THE FIRST

metals, which we now know are so widely spread
over the continent. Little by little the Spaniards
settled among the Indians ; and then came a time
when the English descended upon the Spaniards
and relieved them of their treasures. One of the
first of these British pirates was Sir Francis Drake,
knighted and otherwise honoured by Queen Eliza-
beth for his heartless cruelty to, and valuable thefts
from, the Spanish pioneers.

Drake's narrator, while writing pious words with
one hand and stealing Spanish silver with the other,
had not much time to make sharp observations, but
his notes are interesting. ''Passing thus," says the
Reverend Mr. Fletcher, ''in beholding the excellent
works of the Eternal God upon the seas as if we had
been in a garden of pleasure, April 5, 1578, we fell
in with the coast of Brazil, in 30° 30' towards the
Pole Antarctic where the land is low near the sea,
but much higher within the country, having in depth
not above twelve fathoms three leagues off from the
shore; and being deceived by the inhabitants
(Indians), we saw great and huge fires made by them
in sandy places. After this, we kept our course
sometimes to the seaward, sometimes to the shore,
but always southward as near as we could till April
14th, in the morning, at which we passed Cape St.
Mary which lies in 35' near the mouth of the River
Plata running within it, about six or seven leagues
along the main, we came to anchor in a bay under
another Cape which our General afterwards called
Cape Joy. (The present site of Montevideo.) The
country here about is of a temperate and most sweet

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

air, very fair and pleasant to behold, and, besides
the exceeding fruitfulness of the soil, it is stored
with plenty and mighty deer." A few months later
the good Reverend wrote thus: ''We lighted on a
Spaniard who lay asleep, and had lying by him
thirteen bars of silver, weighing in all about 4,000
Spanish ducats. We freed him of his change which,
otherwise, might have kept him working."

Since this time the Spaniards have slowly spread
and mingled and intermarried with the Indians, and
the various resulting states have secured the inde-
pendence of the Castilian yoke and are now very
rapidly advancing. But for the first two centuries
progress was very insignificant. Buenos Aires, the
New York of South America, is here spreading on
the banks of the silver river. Montevideo and other
cities are growng with a vigour similar to that of
Yankee towns, and if excellence of climate, fertility
of soil, and limitless natural resources count for any-
thing, the gathering basin of the Rio de la Plata
will certainly soon become the United States of South
America.

We went ashore on November 9th, and were met
by a weather-worn group of men in various quaint
costumes. Their faces and their apparel did not
suggest the pleasureable moments and the warm
reception which fell to oiir lot later. But we soon
found hearts as warm and minds as appreciative as
any that could be discovered under silks and broad-
cloth. Cape Polonio is a port of anchorage, about
two miles southward of Mt. Buena Vista. On it is a
lighthouse of gray masonry, one hundred and thirty-

THROUGH THE FIRST

seven feet in height, with three white horizontal
bands. The actual height of this tower is not
great, but being placed in a region where the sky is
constantly loaded with clouds, and over a land with
little irregularity of surface, the white peak seems
constantly to pierce the dark skies. Scattered
about on this neck of land are a few huts made of
the remains of wreckage, galvanised iron, or grass,
according to the luck and wealth of the various oc-
cupants. To the most palatial of these we were first
escorted.

This was the home of the proprietor of the only
industry of the place, — a sealing station. We had
at first some difficulty in making ourselves under-
stood. There was no one among us speaking
Spanish, but after a brief effort we found that a
little French was understood and that English was
possible with an old seaman. At the lighthouse an
Italian speaking French fluently came to our rescue.
We had no special object in making a debarkment
here, but since the storm drove us into shelter the
staff of scientific collectors determined to examine
the nearest ground. The zoologist, with his assist-
ant, searched the shore for shells and marine life;
the geologist went to examine the sand-dunes,
while the surgeon remained to administer to the
wants of the natives, from whom some prized ethno-
graphic specimens were obtained. The earlier In-
dian tribes, which once roamed over this region,
like those of the coastal regions farther north, have'
entirely vanished. There are no trees nor is agri-
culture in the immediate vicinity possible. A few

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

cactus plants are the only green spots which cheer
up the dull white sands. But a short distance in-
land there is excellent grazing, and here are found
some of the most magnificent cattle farms of the
world.

After our collecting tour we assembled at the
home of the chief sealer. Here the customary na-
tive hospitality was extended to us with open arms.
The women prepared mate, the South American
tea, while the men brought out their most precious
varieties of alcohol and cigarettes. The good people
of the entire encampment, about fifty in number,
then assembled to do us honour. Among these
there were a few gauchos, the South American pro-
totypes of our own cowboys, and two or three
travellers en route to Montevideo from Rio Grande
do Sul ; all the others were engaged in the various
departments of sealing. They had taken many
seals the year before, and 16,000 during the pre-
vious season, all of these from the rocks which
surround the cape. The seals are of a common
variety, yielding oil and leather but no fur. As
we departed we were loaded with presents and
treated and toasted again with mate and brandy,
ingredients as necessary to South American hos-
pitality as whisky and cigars to the success of
an old time political meeting in the United States.

At four o'clock on the morning of the tenth, we
tipped our anchor and drew out of the little harbour,
steaming into the Plata, close to its northern bank.
Throughout the day we had the low sandy beds of
Uruguay on our port bow. On these there was an

. 27

THROUGH THE FIRST

occasional group of cactus, but they seemed from a
distance like projecting rocks and, aside from the
relief which they afforded, there was nothing to
break the monotony. It was one long, nearly level
bank of lifeless sand. In the back ground an oc-
casional row of blue hills marked the position of a
warm and more promising country.

On the morning of the eleventh the scene had
noticeably changed. We had passed Cape Maldo-
nado during the night and were heading for Flores
Island in a direct course for Montevideo beyond.
The land no longer presented the sterile sand-driven
beach, but gray wind-rasped hills, separated by
patches of forest and fronted by prominent highlands
which stood out boldly against a clearing sky. The
temperature rose quickly as we advanced into the
river. We passed Flores Island at two o'clock, and
dropped anchor in the horseshoe bend which forms
the imperfect harbour of Montevideo.

We had been met farther out in the stream by the
customs and quarantine officers, but these troubled
us little, and were of much less interest to us than
our third visitor, the congenial representative of the
Belgian Consulate, who brought our letters and some
news of interest. To us the most startling news was
the story of the bold attempt to assassinate President
Barros of Brazil, whose friendly hand we had shaken
only a few days previous, apparently surrounded by
all possible guards to perfect safety. This case, how-
ever, while somewhat startling to a stranger, illus-
trates one of the recognised methods for changing
presidents in the Spanish American republics. The

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

President of Uruguay was summarily disposed of in
the same manner only a few months ago, while his
successor is probably awaiting his turn with resigned
fate. The life of a president hereabout is evidently
not one of any special ease, security, or comfort.

The city of Montevideo presents, even from a dis-
tance, an air of thrift, wealth, and comfort. El Cerro,
a nipple-shaped mount, is the only distinguishing
feature of the landscape which marks the sight of the
port. It rises in a gentle slope to the height of five
hundred feet, about a half mile from the rugged
beach on the western side of the bay. Its sides are
covered with a thin grass which is now giving place
to residences, a result of the recent growth of the city.
The top is crowned by a fort, and within this there
rises a splendid lighthouse, whose powerful revolving
light is visible at sea twenty-five miles from the coast.
The main portion of the city stands upon a peninsula
of gently rising ground on the east side of the bay.
From here the town spreads over a large portion of
the mainland and there are several prominent build-
ings which stand out boldly over the low houses
which compose the body of the city. To one com-
ing from Rio Janeiro or other cities in the tropics,
the most noticeable feature of this city is the dense
volume of smoke arising from its chimneyed houses
and thrifty factories : the latter are a certain sign of
an agreeable climate and dry apartments — comforts
foreign to torrid America.

It was, perhaps, eight o'clock in the evening be-
fore we had finished reading our letters and were
ready for a debarkment. The afternoon was fairly

THROUGH THE FIRST

clear, there had been little wind, and the temperature
was extremely agreeable ; but now the aspect
changed with such suddenness as to cause some
anxiety for the ship's safety during the coming
night. Huge fantastic rolls of lead-like sheets of
clouds drove rapidly over the sky from the west, and
painted the whole scene in an inky blackness with
such marvellous speed that we were amazed and
undecided as to what it meant for some time ; but a
few zigzags of coloured lightning and a deafening
burst of thunder soon explained to us the char-
acter of the coming commotion. Thinking that we
could reach the shore before the shower com-
menced, we descended into one of the tugs, which
at once headed for one of the many lights standing
out boldly in the inky blackness shoreward. But on
our way we were pelted and pounded by such a hail
storm as had never fallen to my lot. The globules
were about the size of a large marble, and fell in
such numbers that, though the fall did not continue
more than ten minutes, it completely covered the
decks. As we reached the shore, and mounted to
the pier with our hats battered and our pockets full
of icy spheroids, we had to face still another trial
characteristic of the Plata, a rain storm. But this
rain storm while interesting from a meteorological
standpoint did not arouse us to a sense of study.
Big drops came quickly in the wake of the hail pel-
lets, and these multiplied with such rapidity that in
a few minutes, and before we could find shelter, it
seemed as if all the clouds of heaven had united to
pour upon us a cold torrent.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

Drenched as thoroughly as if we had been over-
board, we shortly found our way to the Hotel Ori-
ental, and here the entire upper floor was placed at
the disposition of the members of the expedition.
After a comfortable night's rest and a cup of deli-
cious Rio coffee brought to our bedside — a cus-
tom which is everywhere in South America a joy—
we prepared for a material study of the city and its
resources.

San Felipe de Monte Video is the full name of
the capital of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, but
it is now generally written Montevideo. It has a
population of about 200,000, and of these it is said
that not less than 50,000 are foreign residents. The
entire Republic has a population not exceeding
800,000, hence one quarter of Uruguayan residences
are here closely huddled together near the mouth
of the Plata. The blood of the Uruguayans, aside
from the complex European admixture, which is
now entering their veins, is a curious blend of old
Spanish and local Indian. But unlike similar hybrids
many of the good qualities of the bold Spaniard, and
of the freedom-loving Indian have been preserved.
Hence the men have developed into a type of
vigorous manhood giving an appearance at once
of wild strength and refined intelligence, while the
women must be considered as among the most beau-
tiful of the world.

The trade of Montevideo seems far beyond what
we would expect from a town of its size. Wool,
hides, tallow, dried beef, and, in general, the prod-
ucts of cattle farming are the chief and nearly the

THROUGH THE FIRST

only exports. But these are gathered from the in-
terior in such tremendous quantities, and with so
Httle expense, that they form an enviable source of
wealth ; and since this is also one of the chief exports
of the United States, it is evident that Uruguay is
to us a formidable commercial rival. The imports
are very large, because this is a centre from which
much of the country in the Plata basin is supplied.
The imports consist principally of cotton, woollen
and silk fabrics, hardware, wine, various food
products, and, within the past few years, much im-
proved machinery has been bought. The trade is
almost entirely with the various states of Europe, of
which England claims twenty-five per cent. The
means of transportation to the United States is so
imperfect, and the efforts of our merchants have been
so feeble that Yankee goods are little in evidence
here.

From our balcony at the hotel we had a charming
view of the city and of the bay which forms the
harbour. Twenty-seven steamers of huge tonnage
were anchored at various points, mostly far from the
shore. A little nearer were a series of cruisers from
various nations. Among these were the beautiful
little Castine of our White Squadron, and H. M. S.
Retribution. Still nearer were a large number of
flat-bottom river crafts, which navigate the Parana
and Uruguay rivers. The harbour thus presented
every evidence of thrift and industry, while the many
large warehouses fronting the water were sufficient
proof of the great commerce. The city is composed
mostly of tile-roofed two-story stone houses, neat in

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

appearance, and comfortable in equipments. The
law prohibits the building of private residences more
than seventeen metres in height. But there are
many public buildings which are raised much higher,
and notable among these is the imposing structure
which now belongs to the University of Montevideo.
It was originally built as a hotel, but was finally
bought by the Government as the home of its prin-
cipal institute of learning. The building occupies a
good sized square, is five stories in height, and has
a wide open centre with balconies on every floor.
The institution has excellent laboratories, libraries,
and is in many ways well adapted for modern edu-
cation. It is thus a proof of the noble and higher
aims of our little sister Republic.

Closely connected with the University is the
growing fame of a young Italian bacteriologist —
Dr. I. Sanarelli. Two years ago Dr. Sanarelli ac-
cepted a position on the staff of the Institute of
Hygiene, and in addition to his regular work he has
devoted much of his time to a careful search for the
germ of yellow fever. His efforts seem to have
been crowned with success, for he is to-day the
most noted man in all South America. I heard
the name of Dr. Sanarelli on every tongue from
the Amazon to the Plata, and I expected to pay him
a formal professional visit," but this was obviated by
a more natural meeting. We were taking dinner
at the one fashionable restaurant of the town when
the famous doctor came in, and he was promptly
ushered to our table.

The story of the discovery of the germ of a

THROUGH THE FIRST

disease which has destroyed thousands, perhaps
milHons, of human lives, is a matter of considerable
interest and certainly vastly more important than
that of a king who has conquered nations. And if
this discovery is supplemented by a remedy which
will cure or prevent the disease, it will surely be one
of the greatest blessings which the world has ever
known. Both of these attainments seem to be
within the grasp of Dr. Sanarelli. During the early
partof the present year (1897) he discovered the little
organism which is the cause of the yellow pest. The
news has spread over the entire world, but with the
usual conservative attitude of the medical profession
the brilliant discovery has been but slowly recog-
nised ; even at present there are many doubters who
will not accept the newly discovered organism as the
sole cause of yellow fever until confirmatory obser-
vations establish the fact more definitely. The
Montevideo doctors, however, one and all, accept the
discovery as final and look with confidence to Dr.
Sanarelli for the practical outcome of the curative
plan of treatment upon which he is now experi-
menting.

To cure yellow fever with its cause in hand, it is
proposed to make a fluid similar to the anti-diph-
theritic serums, which are either destructive or in-
hibitory to the germs in question. Such a serum
has been made and it has been tried upon beasts
and men with what Dr. Sanarelli considers marked
success. The Brazilian government, in whose do-
main there is always a nursery of the disease, has
recognised the great possibilities of this work, and

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

will shortly set up an experimental laboratory for
the manufacture of the serum. For a positive judg-
ment as to the success or failure of the serum plan
of treatment we must wait for a long trial, perhaps
several years ; but the glory and the credit of being
the first to see in this dangerous little speck of life,
hitherto invisible, an enemy which has caused the
death of uncounted thousands of vigorous human
lives, already belongs beyond a question to Dr.
Sanarelli.

Our time at Montevideo was spent in collecting
articles of equipment, provisions, and general sup-
plies, for the use of the expedition in the icy ant-
arctic. For this purpose the city affords many
advantages, since nearly all foreign goods can be
obtained at very moderate prices, and the local pro-
duction of fresh provisions is both limitless and
cheap. Under the guidance of our thoughtful Bel-
gian friends, we were offered every facility to enjoy
the warm hospitality of the place, and to accomplish
quickly the objects of our visit. And although we
were anchored here less than three days, we were
able to complete our mission, and see a few of the
local characteristics. The stores are everywhere
well stocked with domestic and foreign goods, and if
the buyer is able to speak English or French he will
have little difficulty in being understood. The streets
are wide, regular, and well paved with granite blocks.
Tram-ways afford ample but slow transit. Carriages
are numerous, and can be obtained at a very moder-
ate cost. Somewhat irregularly scattered through-
out the city are small parks with neat arrangements

THROUGH THE FIRST

of tropical and semi-tropical plants. The greatest
attention, however, seems to be given not to flowery
decorations, but to the systematic adjustment of
wide promenades.

It does not take a party of young bachelors, such
as the '' personnel " of the Belgica, very long to dis-
cover the side of life with which these promenades
are always closely related. Indeed, we soon found
out, without assistance, the reason for their great
width in proportion to the size of the park — a cause
which was to us a never-ceasing pleasure. For we
all arrived independently at the conclusion that ^his
feature of the city must be due to the remarka^ ^
number and variety of strikingly beautiful women
in Montevideo, and their desire to display their quali-
ties to male admirers. So far as my limited experi-
ence goes, there is no street or promenade in the
world which can offer so large a number of charm-
ing young women, in a given group and in a given
time, as these palmy promenades of Montevideo.
We found it difficult to assign a tangible reason for
this attractiveness. It was not in the dress, for the
costume was that of nearly all the civilised world.
It was not in the form, in the colour of the hair, in
the carriage, or in any noticeable art of manner;
for all of these characteristics were comparable to
those of the refined w^omen of New York, Paris, or
London. But in addition to perfection in all these
matters there was about them an indescribable
something, which made every woman on sight ap-
pear to be able to speak her own ideas and the
meditations of her admirers in the tongues of the

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

observer, be he French, English, German, Spanish,
or what not. Perhaps we were too much absorbed to
have discriminating powers ; but for this we should
be pardoned, for it was about the last glance we had
of women, beautiful or otherwise, during four hun-
dred long, wintry days.

The most prominent citizen of the United States
in Uruguay is a modest Bostonian of whom we hear
little at home, but who is well-known throughout
South America. He is Mr. Thomas W. Howard,
who has enjoyed the unparalleled distinction of being
a consular representative of the United States for
nearly thirty years. The force of character, the ex-
ecutive ability and faithfulness to the home Govern-
ment, necessary to retain such a position through
all the political upheavals, must be evident to every
one. The fact is, that Mr. Howard has performed
his duties so faithfully, and is such a favourite at once
among his countrymen and the Uruguayans, that a
change has been found to be undesirable by both
the Democratic and Republican parties. Mr. How-
ard's residence is one of the bits of local architecture
which is much discussed and admired. It is situated
in the most fashionable part of the town, on the
border of a small but luxuriant park. Its external
appearance is not extraordinary in either size or
loveliness, appearing simply as a substantial struc-
ture of bright sandstone with two stories, but the
interior displays wealth and artistic taste. Here ex-
pensively polished marbles, rare antique furniture,
and tasteful decorations are everywhere in evidence.
It is the home of a cultivated and refined man

THROUGH THE FIRST

of the world, amid the boundless South American
luxuries.

It is impossible for me to give in this limited
space the various phases of interesting life in this
merry Paris of South America, so I will close with a
few general impressions : First, Montevideo is a
city of uncounted natural wealth, for prosperity is
stamped on the blocks of every street, on the modest
but comfortable homes, on the stores, the hotels, the
clubs, and the churches. Second, it is a city of
charming women, against whom I could bring but
one indictment, that of disbelieving in their natural
charms to such an extent as to lead them into a
lavish use of artificial colouring and powder. Third,
the enjoyment of life is here one of the prominent
arts of daily occupation. Merry faces are always
in evidence, and the light, airy laughter of both
sexes bursts with the ease of soap bubbles. Deep
meditation, curbing, or melancholy cares, and pro-
found inspirations are usually out of sight. Among
Uruguayans life is indeed a happy, leaping, bubbling
stream.

3«

CHAPTER III

ORGANISATION OF THE EXPEDITION

Off Cape Virgins, November, 29, 1897.

Quite as interesting as the work of an exploring
expedition is the story of the initial inception of
the idea, and the various experiences, fortunes and
misfortunes of its projector. The difficulty of Colum-
bus in securing the necessary funds for his bold
voyage across the unknown waters of the west are
familiar to all. A similar difficulty has fallen to the
lot of M. de Gerlache and every explorer who, even
in the modern days of progress and scientific en-
lightenment, has tried to secure the necessary funds
for a voyage of scientific exploration. When an
area equal to one sixth of the known land surface
of the globe still remains unexplored, it is easy to
formulate plans for journeys of discovery ; but to
secure the money for their execution is quite another
matter.

The ambition for antarctic exploration in Lieu-
tenant de Gerlache's mind is an old story. " Explora-
tion in general," he says, '' and antarctic exploration
in particular, has always had for me a particular fas-
cination. When Professor Nordenskjold announced

ANTARCTIC NIGHF

his project for south polar exploration in 1892, I at
once volunteered, but this, like many other projected
southern expeditions, never materialised. The dis-
appointment, however, only sharpened my ambition
as did every one of my many subsequent discour-
agements."

In 1894 Lieut, de Gerlache presented his first
paper to the Royal Geographical Society of Brus-
sels. It was the prospectus of this expedition in its
infancy. In it he made as strong a plea as possible
for aid to promote exploration of the long neglected
antarctic. The Society approved of the project, but
offered, at that time, no financial assistance and even
delayed its moral support. Various men of wealth
were then appealed to, and after many dishearten-
ing disappointments, he enlisted the interest of
M. Solvay, a promoter of science, '' and with him
the first glimmer of success dawned upon the horizon
of the enterprise which was the ' apple of my eye ' —
the projected Belgian Antarctic Expedition."

Mr. Solvay laid the foundation of the fund with
25,000 francs, or $5,000. In addition, he generously
furnished the money for a visit to the arctic regions,
a necessary preliminary schooling for an antarctic
explorer. A leave without pay was obtained from
the Navy to promote the germinating interests of
the coming expedition. In the early part of 1895
Gerlache went to Norway, and with the Norwe-
gian sealers to Jan Mayen and to the East Green-
land waters. Here he studied the life of the sealers
at work, their methods, and the strange animal life.
He studied the elements of ice navigation, and above

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

all, caught the never-dying fascination which enrapt-
ures every intruder into the white boreal regions.

On his return from the Arctic Sea, the expedition
had assumed a more definite shape ; the plan was
matured, and definite arrangements were at once in-
stituted. A prospectus was sent to King Leopold with
a request for an audience, but it was refused. Gerlache
then wrote a series of five articles, calculated to
awaken interest in south polar regions. These were
published and given much prominence by L! Inde-
pendance Beige. The articles, with the warm sup-
port of the press, aroused the needed enthusiasm,
and created the welcome public sentiment which
carried the project to its final issue.

The Geographical Society, on its next meeting, at
the end of January, 1896, opened a subscription list,
but the fund swelled slowly. With the assistance of
regimental festivities, cycling contests, exhibitions,
and the help of various special committees through-
out Belgium, 1 20,000 francs ($24,000) were realised.
The Government was then appealed to, and it re-
sponded with a grant of 100,000 francs ($20,000).
The total sum was now $50,000. The road to suc-
cess now seemed very easy, but other and unexpected
troubles followed. The $50,000, with the greatest
economy, did not suffice for the many unlooked-for
contingencies.

Active preparations were begun early in June of
1896, though it was hardly expected that the expe-
dition would be able to start during that year.
Gerlache went to Norway, and there bought from
Captain Pedersen the Patria according to a pre-

THROUGH THE FIRST

vious agreement, patriotically rechristening her
Belgica, She seemed to be about the only ship of the
Norwegian ice-fleet at all suitable for the expedition,
and even after she was secured Lieutenant de Gerlache
had to arrange with Mr. Christensen of Sandafjiord
to put in a new boiler, and to make other necessary
alterations and repairs. At about this time, also,
definite arrangements were made with several of the
prospective members of the expedition — Messrs.
Arctowski, Danco, and Amundsen were enlisted in
the project. In spite of many minor discourage-
ments, the prospects now really seemed bright ; the
expedition, it was felt, would surely embark. But
Gerlache was then again delayed, though undaunted,
by finding that the fund at his command was not
sufficient to properly equip the expedition.

The final preparations of the vessel, the purchase
of the scientific instruments, many of which were
specially made, the want of ready money, and a
thousand little matters which needed attention com-
bined to delay the expedition. In addition to these
drawbacks, other scientific men were necessary to
complete the staff. Special efforts were put forth to
secure a competent zoologist, one who possessed
qualities essential to a polar explorer, and this
proved one of the greatest difficulties. Belgium and
France were searched without avail, and finally
Mr. Racovitza was found in Rumania. But he was
doing military duty, and it was feared that the diplo-
matic arrangements essential for his release would
be slow. However, he was luckily freed at once
to join the growing family of pioneers.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

For south polar exploration it is necessary to
leave the northern hemisphere in July or August.
For it should be remembered that the seasons in the
south are the reverse of those of the north. January
is the midsummer of the antarctic. The vessels
which are fitted to withstand ice jamming are slow.
The heavy cumbersome timbers, the blunt bow,
round bottom, fuel-saving engines and small canvas,
are all excellent for ice navigation, but they are de-
cided impediments to speed. The first of September
was now at hand, and painful as was the thought of
a year's delay, it proved unavoidable.

Lieutenant de Gerlache was in close communion
with Commander Wandel of Copenhagen who had
charge of the Danish East Greenland Expedition.
This expedition in its scientific aims was more like
the prospective Belgian Expedition than any other
venture, and furthermore Captain Wandel was fa-
miliar with the United States exploring ship Blake,
which had done splendid work in ascertaining the
depths of the Pacific. " From Commander Wandel,"
says Gerlache, ** I obtained not only valuable
data, but much of his equipment at a nominal cost."
In this way the end of the summer was spent in
Denmark, and in a similar way the winter was spent
in Norway.

To visit Dr. Nansen, and to prepare himself more
thoroughly for the antarctic, Gerlache made his
home in Norway during the early months of winter.
For a like reason Lieutenant Danco accompanied
him ; they learned to travel on skis, and experi-
mented with sledges, winter clothing, and camp

THROUGH THE FIRST

equipments. The best possible outfit was selected
for the intended sledge journeys over the virgin south
polar lands. Many condensed and preserved foods,
admirably adapted for polar journeys, are best ob-
tained in Norway. From this experience it followed
that most of our provisions were Norwegian.

Returning from Norway with the Belgica early in
July 1897, he found that all the money was spent,
and still he needed many, very many, important
things. ''Again," says Gerlache, ''I sought aid by
private subscriptions, and again we were doomed to
disappointment. We now decided on a desperate
effort. It was to arrange a public exhibition of the
Belgica and its entire equipment, and either raise the
additional financial support, or sell the whole outfit
and abandon the project. The exhibition was very
largely attended by the best people of Belgium, a
fresh interest was created, and a new patriotic pride
now arose in behalf of the expedition.

"A subscription feast was prepared, which, through
the indefatigable efforts of Madame Osterrieth, be-
came very popular and profitable. The festivities
were held at a public park in Antwerp which was
handsomely decorated for the occasion. Special
military gymnastics and cycling contests were
among the attractions, the attendance was large,
and the welfare of the ' Expedition Antartique
Beige ' was on every tongue. The occasion won
for Madame Osterrieth the title of ' Mother Antarc-
tic,' and for the expedition ten thousand francs.

" Mr. Schollaert, the worthy Minister of the In-
terior, visited the Belgica as did many other deputies,

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

and through them the Government was asked for
another sixty thousand francs — an amount absolutely-
necessary to assure the successful issue of the expe-
dition. This was granted, making the entire fund
from all sources three hundred thousand francs,
or about sixty thousand dollars. With this, prep-
arations were at once made to leave Antwerp
and the departure was announced for August i6th.

" Letters and telegrams with good wishes and
friendly sentiments poured in from all sides at the
last moment. But of these I can only mention a
few :

*' Captain Hovgaard of the Danish Navy, and a
member of the famous Vega Expedition wired his
compliments and * Good Luck.'

" Dr. Neumayer, of Hamburg, who has advo-
cated antarctic exploration for twenty-five years
wired : * My most sincere wishes follow you toward
the south pole.'

*' Fridtjof Nansen, whose star of fame had just
risen, wired : ' Chance and luck follow you and the
Belgica. May the voyage bring such rich scientific
results as the careful preparations promise, and may
it throw a new light over the darkest part of the
world.'

**We weighed anchor and drew out of Antwerp
on August 1 6th. Many people gathered to see the
starting, and all Antwerp seemed on foot to wish us
bon voyage. Representatives from many French
societies were there to congratulate us on our good
fortune with the organisation, and to wish the expe-
dition unbounded success. The yachts of the Ant-

THROUGH THE FIRST

werp Yacht Club, under whose flag the Belgica
sailed, showed their interest by salutations and a rich
bedecking of flags. Amid the storm of cheers from
the people on the quays, the tooting of whistles from
neighbouring crafts, and the thundering of cannons
from places which we knew not, we slowly with-
drew. After a few hours Antwerp, with its friendly
hilarity and its bustling activity, sank from view.
Then, after a breath of ease and a moment of re-
flection, we felt that the hardest part of our work
had been accomplished. At last the hard-earned
project was afloat, and, as if to force the pride of
our work upon us, the Dutch cruiser Kartenaar fol-
lowed us out to sea in company for twenty-four
hours, an indication of neighbourly affection which
we keenly appreciated. This we afterwards learned
was by order of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina.

" Head winds, against which no progress could
be made, and a small accident to the engine, made
it necessary to put into Ostend. Here his Majesty,
King Leopold, visited us, offering many congratula-
tions on the success of the difficult task of organis-
ing the first Belgian polar expedition. His Majesty
took a sharp interest in the Belgica, and closely ex-
amined her many peculiar fixtures, finally offering
his hand and many words of warm encouragement
befitting the occasion.

" During the few hot days of August, which were
spent at Ostend, a teeming mass of fellow-country-
men and women crowded the decks of the Belgica.
It seemed, with the vessel loaded so heavily, with
every cubic foot of space occupied, and even the

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

bunks and state-rooms piled full of useful articles,
so that there was really no room for curiosity seek-
ers, as if all Ostend, and a good part of the outside
world, had been aboard. There came a time, how-
ever, when the ship must leave, when we must
finally sever ourselves from the friendly atmosphere
of our beloved native land, and leave our friends
behind for the second and last time until our return."
It was on the eve of the final departure from home,
by the way, that my own name was first suggested
as a future companion. There had been consid-
erable trouble and some disappointment in connec-
tion with the surgeons appointed. The first candidate
was put aside, after acceptance, for personal rea-
sons, and the second declined to go at the last mo-
ment for family reasons. Without a knowledge
of this difficulty I cabled, volunteering my services,
though at this time I had not previously written a
line, nor was I acquainted with a single individual
of the expedition, or its representatives. In response
to my cable I received this :

iB H WH II OSTENDE, 10.45P (Via 369 Fulton St Brooklyn,)
DR COOK,

BROOKLYN, N. Y.

FOUVEZ REJOINDRE MONTEVIDEO MAIS HIVER-

NEREZ PAS

GERLACHE.

To this I answered yes, and it was followed by,
** Meet us at Rio, end of September." I had only a few
days to prepare myself and my outfit for a journey
which might take one year, or ten, or a lifetime. But

THROUGH THE FIRST

I was determined to go, and so it came about that in
September I found myself on the way to meet my
prospective companions on the unfriendly bosom of
the Atlantic, seasick and miserable from rough
weather and tropical heat. I should have had a
longer time to afford better means to prepare for a
journey of this kind. To consent by cable to cast
my lot in a battle against the supposed unsurmount-
able icy barriers of the south, with total strangers,
men from another continent, speaking a language
strange to me, does indeed seem rash. But I never
had cause to regret it. The antarctic has always
been the dream of my life, and to be on the way to
it was then my ideal of happiness. To be on the
way from it was an ambition quite as strong two
years later.

Captain Lecointe describes the final departure and
the voyage down the Atlantic thus : '' There was a
great storm of sentimental and serious enthusiasm
as we left Ostend on August 24th. Fathers and
mothers, brothers and sisters, and other men's sisters
were there to press upon us their last tokens of love.
This was done in different ways. Some cried, others
laughed and took the matter in a good humor, and
still others were angry that one of their number
should, with eyes open, go from a warm home to
what was predicted to be a certain icy grave.
Many of the old seamen about gave gratuitous ad-
vice to our friends, based upon their own experiences
about Cape Horn, which in substance was generally
'these men will never return.' As the Belgica drew
out from the docks and we saw for the last time for

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

many months the red faces of sadness, the pale faces of
anxiety, the waving handkerchiefs, and as we felt the
parting girlish kisses coming with the soft breezes,
we were, indeed, half sorry to leave our little land of
home delights. Amid the cheer of enthusiastic voices
and the thunder of salutations from whistles and guns
we glided out into the- broad Atlantic, whose beating
swells were henceforth to be our home and our high-
way to the chosen field of action, the snowy south
polar regions."

The Belgica.

CHAPTER IV

THE " BELGICA," HER EQUIPMENT, HER
COMFORTS AND DISCOMFORTS

Strait of Magellan, Dec. 2, 1897.

I HAVE now been on the Belgica more than
a month, and my admiration for her becomes
stronger as we advance toward the southern ice. Her
history, her fittings, her equipment, and her men, all
serve to enhance this affection, and every day I find
in our good ship new points of interest. She has been
dressed and redressed so much on this voyage down
the Atlantic that the original owners would now
hardly recognise her. She has been scraped and
polished and painted, and rearranged inside and
out, until she looks quite like a pleasure craft. Her
new name. Steam Yacht Belgica, now fits her, for
her aspect and atmosphere as a greasy, sooty sealer
has vanished. The almost inseparable distinction
of a sealing craft, the persistent fishy odour, is also
gone.

The more we drive her over this lonely sea, the
more we fix and comb and dress her, the stronger
we feel her quivering animation. She already has
a place in our affections as definitely as a pet horse.
As she takes us farther and farther away from our

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

homes, we become daily more dependent upon her.
And as she pitches and tosses in the unruly seas, and
rides out the forbidding storms, we feel we shall love
her better. We may have become sentimental about
our little pet, but so much depends on her. On the
ability of the Belgica to plough through the virgin
antarctic ice, depends our success in exploring the
prospective new lands. On her hospitality depends
our comfort, and on her stability depends, not only
the success or failure of the entire expedition, but
our future existence, for if she is buried in the ant-
arctic, we cannot hope to survive, we must go with
her to an icy grave.

To see the Belgica aright, and appreciate her real
value, she should be observed in the polar ice, her
natural home. In a cosmopolitan harbour, like Ant-
werp or Rio de Janeiro, among the larger ships and
modern ironclads, she seems like a little bull-dog amid
a group of large greyhounds — small, awkward, and
ungraceful. In colour the Belgica is gray, with natural
wood and cream trimmings. She is bark rigged,
and has patent single topsails. Her body is one
hundred and ten feet long, twenty-six feet wide,
and she has a draft of fifteen feet. In a good wind,
without steam, she is able to sail six knots. An
auxiliary steam power is placed well aft, that the bow
may rise to crush the ice. The boiler is new, and
the engine has an effective horse-power of one hun-
dred and fifty. Burning three and a half tons of
coal, in Belgian bricks {bricquettes), and with smooth
water, the Belgica will make seven knots per hour.
But we shall only use her half speed, for with two

THROUGH THE FIRST

tons of coal she will make about four knots, a speed
quite sufficient amid icebergs, drifting floes, pack-
ice, and unknown rocks.

There are many points of special interest in the
construction of a modern steam sealer like the Bel-
gica. But to describe all these would lead us into
too many long nautical details. In selecting the
framework of the bark, timbers were obtained of
double the usual size and strength of an ordinary
vessel of the same measurement. The stem was
inclined, making the bow of an inclination similar to
that of a sledge runner, which enables the vessel to
rise on to the surface of the ice, and crush it rather
by its own weight than by the motive force, as did
the older ice-vessels. Otherwise the shape is similar
to that of a well-built modern sealing vessel.

The planking inside and outside of the ponderous
framework is of extraordinary strength, and over all
is a special ice-sheathing of very hard wood. The
bow and stern are protected by four-inch planks of
greenheart, a tropical wood possessing the remark-
able quality of being both hard and elastic. Ex-
perience has taught that this wood affords the best
protection against the ice destruction. Amidships
the wear is less, and here thick oak planks seem to
aflbrd the needed security, while it is much lighter
and cheaper. The stern wall is five feet thick, and
the breast wall about twelve feet in antro-posterior
diameter. Outside of this almost indestructible bat-
tering ram, there is a protective sheathing of soft
Swedish iron, to receive the first cutting edges of
the ice.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

The rudder is large and specially strong to stand
the strain of the crushing ice, while the vessel
goes astern into the pack. The helmport is large
enough to make it possible to dislodge obstructive
ice. The propeller, too, has its special points of in-
terest. It can be raised out of the water, as occa-
sion may require, to free it from ice entanglements,
or to replace it with a new one, should it be broken,
and also to permit free sailing. And then there is
the crow's nest — a huge barrel raised to the top of
the mainmast, to enable the lookout to view a greater
horizon. We shall often expect to hear, as I have
in the arctic, startling news from the man in this
sky-barrel. He will probably announce the first
sight of some new lands, and will often send down a
signal of our approach to some big animal, which
will bring us all on deck armed with rifles, only to
find a piece of discoloured ice or snow as a target.

If by any chance the southern ice-floes should
hug us too affectionately, we are well prepared for
its unwelcome caresses. Our little ship will stand a
good deal of hard squeezing ; she is constructed to
fight not only with her engines and her armoured
breast, but in her bowels we have stored something
like two thousand pounds of tonite, an explosive said
to be superior to dynamite for ice destruction. With
this tonite we hope to blast and shatter and find free-
dom for our Belgica if embraced by the Frost King.

Although we do not expect to hunt seals or whales
or anything else for commercial purposes, the expe-
dition is well prepared to take all kinds of life for
scientific study. We have boom and harpoon guns

measured depths ol tne soumern uLCdn wm u^ i^x
the first time possible.

The new science of oceanography, or as Lieuten-
ant Maury, its father, called it, ** the geography of

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the sea," has been constantly in mind in the organi-
sation and equipment of the Belgica. The outfit for
fishing partly belongs to this department; unique
devices for sounding the ocean in all depths by the
Monacho machine (with pianoforte wire and steel
rope as a line, sinkers which detach automatically,
and a complicated system of special steam machinery)
is now adjusted, ready for use. We expect to study
the submarine currents, temperature, and the com-
position of the water. For all of this, we have
special apparatus, perhaps not interesting to the
average reader in a description, but the results are
sure to add a new and startling chapter to the grow-
ing annals of ocean science.

The laboratory is in a small, specially constructed
deckhouse behind the foremast. Its dimensions are
small, perhaps fifteen feet long and twelve feet wide,
but its capacity for storing instruments, and its con-
venience for work is phenomenal. It is intended as
the centre for all scientific work, a sort of ''union
den " for the working staff, as the motto painted in
large letters over the window ''L Union Fait
L! Force'' indicates. It will, however, be principally
used for meteorologic, oceanographic, and zoological
investigations. When one first steps into the labo-
ratory, there creeps over one a fear to move, for
everything seems a frail meshwork of glass ; straight
and spiral tubes, glass cylinders, thermometers,
barometers, test tubes, bottles, and glass articles,
too numerous to mention, are attached to all the
available surface on the walls, the shelves and even
the ceiling. At first appearance one would pro-

THROUGH THE FIRST

nounce the frail fixtures short-lived, and it certainly
seems as if a single sharp toss or sudden pitch of the
ship would send the whole glassy splendour in frag-
ments to the floor. The vessel, however, has rolled for
three months on the destructive swell of the Atlantic,
and, thanks to the carefully planned attachments, very
few instruments have been broken ; so we have
reason to hope from this experience that the ice will
not be more injurious.

A very complete library is on board. It is a
library, like the men, of various tongues, and descrip-
tive of a great variety of subjects. Each depart-
ment has its technical bibliography. The Com-
mandant and the writer have a general collection of
all the antarctic narratives in all tongues. The
Captain has a heap of charts and books on naviga-
tion ; Lieutenant Danco has everything pertaining
to terrestrial magnetism. The general scientific
library is indeed a cosmopolitan collection. It con-
tains books in French, English, German, Polish,
Norwegian, and Rumanian print. In addition to
serious literature, we have other books and maga-
zines of lighter character. But these float about,
from the laboratory to the cabin, and then to the
forecastle, always in the hands of those whose spirits
need elevating. Weeklies with unusually good pic-
tures, such as half tones of beautiful women, theatric
or opera scenes are reserved and served after dinner
as a kind of entertainment.

The quarters for officers and men are fairly good
— palatial, as comfort is measured on a sealer. The
Commandant has a neat little room behind the miz-

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

zenmast, opposite to the kitchen. It is carpeted,
nicely furnished, and the walls are artistically be-
decked by old Dutch sketches, some paintings, and
many photographs of polar scenes. We are so
pressed for space, that we are told even this room
will be partly filled with coal at Punta Arenas. The
cabin is well aft ; like the laboratory, the Comman-
dant's room, and the kitchen, it is on deck. As we
enter, to the right of the engines are the berths of
the Captain and the mates, where they have the
soot, steam, and smoke of the engine-room to im-
press upon them the importance of their work, while
the noise is such that prolonged sleep is impossible.
The cabin is small, but full of comfort. It is as if
eight men stood up around a small table, and a box
were built around them, the corners and walls and
ceiling being Hned with books and instruments. It
is not a very joyful place in the tropics, but when an
endless sea of ice surrounds us, and the wind is
blowing, and the decks are covered with snow, then,
with steaming food on the table, we shall find its
true value.

A door through the left of the cabin opens into an
aisle, to the side of which are the four berths where
the devotees of science sleep. The sides are thought-
fully lined with lockers, but every nook, the beds,
the ceiling, and at times even the floor, is covered
with clothing, instruments and books. After a
storm it is a sad rivalry in hopeless entangle-
ment. The forecastle occupies the space between
decks from the foremast to the stem. It is large,
light, and, compared with the officers' quarters, ex-

THROUGH THE FIRST

tremely comfortable. We speak French in the
cabin, German and French in the laboratory, and a
mixture of English, Norwegian, French, and German
in the forecastle. The life and order on board of
the Belgica is that of a well-regulated family. Each
man has his duties to perform, but he will also be
expected to lend a brotherly hand to his companions
as occasion may require. On clear evenings the
music-box is often brought up on deck, and as the
familiar tunes bound out into the strangely clear
atmosphere, some sing, others dance ; some walk
about, and still others play games. The scene is
truly melancholy upon reflection. We are going
farther and farther away from home to the most
desolate and forbidding part of the known or the
unknown world. Our return is uncertain, our future
is dark ; but we have set out with this knowledge be-
fore us, and now it is our duty to aid in keeping up
the general family cheerfulness. Whatever else
may be our future success or failure, our domestic
comforts are assured. When we assemble on deck
after dinner, with the music to draw out a general
feeling of well-being, a generous and unanimous air
of joy rises with the ascending dew of the setting
sun of the South Atlantic.

CHAPTER V

MONTEVIDEO TO PUNTA ARENAS

PuNTA Arenas, Dec. 14, 1897.
The Belgica raised her anchor and steamed
out of the harbour of Montevideo Sunday, No-
vember 14, 1897. We were showered with the good
wishes of the people, and loaded with the good
things of the land. The entire Belgian colony fol-
lowed us far out into the stream to bid us a final
adieu, while the officers and men were kept closely
occupied in answering the various signal salutations
of the many neighbouring vessels as we passed.
The deck strewn with provisions, hastily assembled
at the last moment and alive with visitors, was a
picture to send a thrill to the heart of a navigator
about to encounter the worst sea on earth ; but the
happy disposition instilled by our congenial friends
made us forget, for a time, all cares for the future.
Soon we ploughed across the choppy waters of the
River Plata under an uncomfortable series of squalls
which seemed to come with a hiss and a force like
bombs from a cannon. Before sunset we had left
the low, blue line of hills which mark the northern
banks of the river and the site of Montevideo, far

THROUGH THE FIRST

under the northern horizon. We were again on our
way to the snowy bottom of the globe, with inten-
tions to stop by the wayside at the world's jumping-
off-place, Punta Arenas.

On the following morning a heavy sea was pound-
ing our port-bow, giving a quick lift, and permitting
a sudden fall, to which our stomachs seriously ob-
jected. The sky was clothed with gloomy clouds
having hard, zigzag edges like the margins of torn
sheets of lead. We were, to all appearances, far out
in the open expanse of the broad Atlantic, but, in
reality, we were still in the mouth of the River
Plata, — which accounted for the warm humid winds
driving over our starboard. Much of the day was
spent in an examination and rearrangement of our
newly acquired equipage and provisions. It was to
me a matter of agreeable surprise to find among
these so many of the fruits and vegetables common
to the New York market ; but this is explained by
the fact that Uruguay is a land of perpetual summer,
where winter frosts are nearly unknown. The time
of our visit was the spring of the southern hemisphere,
November 15th, in the south, corresponding to May
15th, in the north; and while fruit and vegetable
products are plentiful through the year, they are
particularly delicious at this time. We had straw-
berries, cherries, apples, lettuce, radishes, peas, beans,
artichokes, new potatoes, cabbage, and a long list
of other fresh productions. There is, however, one
great anomaly in the food supply of South Amer-
ica ; it is the difficulty of obtaining fresh milk and
the impossibility of securing good butter.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

This is particularly surprising in view of the fact
that, in Uruguay and Argentina, cattle farming is
at once one of the principal industries and a source
of the principal wealth of the countries. That good
butter and excellent milk could be made under com-
petent management is unquestionable. At Buenos
Aires several successful efforts have been made, and
the best results have followed the efforts of a mis-
sionary who has taken to the management of
cows in preference to the more difficult task of
reforming Spanish American sins.

In the absence of butter one is, however, not so
seriously disappointed after he is accustomed to the
Spanish substitute, '' dnlce de lee he,'' a sort of con-
fection of milk. Mrs. Huysman, the wife of a prom-
inent Belgian of Montevideo, had presented the ex-
pedition with a liberal supply of this, and after one
or two introductions it proved quite a delicacy.
Dulee de leche is a kind of sweet paste of the consis-
tency of lard; at ordinary temperature it has a straw
colour and no distinct odour. It is made of condensed
milk, cane sugar and the marrow of the largest beef
bones, the ingredients being worked together in a
smooth homogeneous mixture, and then sealed in
small tin cans. In this form it is much in use, and
can be obtained throughout all of southern South
America. The mixture is extremely nutritious, and
aside from its position as a substitute for butter it
has evidently special values of its own. I see no
reason why it could not be introduced with advan-
tage into the United States.

On the morning of the i6th, the sky was clear of

THROUGH THE FIRST

the heavy clouds which descend with the stream of
the Rio de la Plata. There was a little air, dry
and pleasant, coming from the Patagonian pampas
over our western horizon. The sea was a joy to
behold. Its surface was like a sheet of silver, glassy
and luminous, with long, easy and regular undulations.
Through these the Belgica steamed with a grace
and ease quite befitting a pleasure yacht. Under
the inspiration of the morning, we were prepared to
deny the evil reports so often made of these waters.
That such an easy sea, and such a heavenly sky
could in a short time be transformed into a howling
mockery by the storm demons, did not seem, to our
innocent trust in nature, a possibility ; but the
afternoon brought with it signs of uneasiness. The
steady air from the west ceased, and little breezes
followed from all parts of the compass. The exquis-
ite bright blueness of the sky changed to a smoky
blue ; but at two o'clock there were no clouds and
nothing on the horizon to indicate danger. The
atmosphere became quickly humid and heavy,
making respiration seem difficult, while the barom-
eter was spasmodically rising and falling. That
there was some unusual phenomenon which we
were about to witness, we felt convinced, but we
were long in getting hints as to its nature.

At about four o'clock a sharp dark line, like a
perfectly straight bar of iron, was seen over the
southern horizon. It rose with wondrous rapidity
and as it ascended above this central bar there
swelled out a perfectly smooth and even roll of weirdly
luminous vapour. Across the rounded surface were

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

small, ragged films of intense white and steel gray-
passing with lightning haste, and this gave the upper
line an awe-inspiring appearance. Under the central
bar the cloud was of a dark steel gray, but we could
at no time see the sky, or even the horizon under
the advancing commotion. We were intensely in-
terested in the sight, but it did not seem to us par-
ticularly dangerous, nor did it strike the sailors with
the terror which I have seen less imposing sky-
effects produce. The strangeness of the sight, how-
ever, put the officers on guard, and every surface of
sail that could be taken in was at once furled. The
sea now began to rise and it was strange to watch
it. It first boiled, apparently without wind, into
short waves. This the following wind straightened
out like the wrinkles of a cloth under a smoothing-
iron. Then other waves rose too high and too solid
for the wind to flatten. These increased in size, and
multiplied in numbers, and rushed towards us in
huge coils of spray. The Belgica pitched and
tumbled in the resulting sea, but as yet no wind had
struck her. The water and the air were lighted with a
sort of vague pearly glow. At this time the strange
line seemed just over our bowsprit, and extended
entirely across the heavens from east to west, but
only a little draught of air crossed the bridge.

I turned to watch the men who had suddenly left
their work and were coming down from the rigging.
All at once the bark was struck with terrific force,
and stopped as suddenly as if she had struck a stone
wall; this was followed by a howling, maddening
noise as the wind passed through the ropes and

THROUGH THE FIRST

spars such as I had never heard before or since.
Everybody grasped a bar or a rope to keep from being
swept overboard. The bark, after the first thud,
raised her bow and drove her stern into the boihng
sea, and then righted, seemingly prepared for the
next assauh. After a few other, but lesser, puffs,
the wind came with a steady hiss — like steam from
an exhaust pipe, and its force was expended with
the same rapidity with which it fell upon us. From
the commencement to the termination this strange
onslaught occupied but fifteen minutes ; but this was
as much as I care to see of a hurricane of this sort,
though they are sufficiently prevalent in this region
to receive the special local name oi pamperos. A
pampero is apt to leave a lasting impression on
one's mind, and on the Belgica we date all of our
events from the time of its occurrence.

For a few days following the pampero we were
gliding along the coast of Patagonia, but out of
sight of land, under the most beautiful skies and in
the most delightful weather imaginable. Pleasant
weather, however, makes the life of a sailor monoto-
nous and far from enjoyable, because it affords time
and opportunity to mend and dress and polish the
ship. Such was the work of the crew here. The
tropical sun had brought out some of the oil and not
a little of the fishy odour with which years of blubber
hunting had filled her. The paint, also, which had
been piled on in different colours, year after year,
came off in large sheets like the bark of a dead tree.
To mend and dress the Belgica, then, in a suitable
garb for the perpetual frost of the south pole was a
matter of considerable work.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

The skin of the bark was scraped, and painted, and
varnished, and poHshed, new sails were fitted, old
ones repaired, and all of the sailing gear was
strengthened for the expected blasts south of Cape
Horn. Waterproof covers were made for the vari-
ous bits of machinery and the instruments openly
exposed on deck. Between decks the provisions
were being examined and restored. Supplies and
equipments were put aside for a wintering party in
the antarctic. The cabins and the forecastles were
to be cleared and altered for more prolonged habi-
tation, and the hammocks were put away, not to be
used again for a long time. Henceforth we must
take to our berths, which are like hermetically
sealed cans. These bunks have been made to fit
each man, in length and breadth, according to care-
ful measurement. The result is that the fit is like
that of a snug boot, but the comparison is hardly
admissible, since a neat-fitting boot flatters vanity,
and pleases the eye ; but where are the joys of a
boot for a bed ? I must hasten to add that such an
economy of room was necessary ; but, unfortunately,
either the beds had shortened, or the men had
lengthened, for two men presently complained that
their bunks were now six inches too short.

The pleasant dispositions and the regular daily oc-
cupations, which come with continued fair weather,
were abruptly set aside on November 26th. Our
eyes in the morning opened under a sky dark, gray,
and gloomy. This was soon enlivened by wildly
moving cloudy streamers, under which the sea tum-
bled in huge cliffs, and our stomachs raised in long
reaches. Mai de mer was the openly acknowledged

THROUGH THE FIRST

pastime of the hour, and it seemed to be in evidence
in direct proportion to the mental development of
the personnel. The Captain, for example, was the
first victim, and he was followed by the most capa-
ble sympathisers of the etat major. These were
followed by the ordinary seamen, the man of lowest
mental development being usually the last to loosen
the gastric bonds. Let this be a comfort to victims
of Neptune.

The wind poured upon us in hard, steady blasts
from the south-west for nearly two days, which gave
us, on our growing menu, a taste of the normal
weather of the ''roaring forties" — a relish which a
heavy lumbering sealing craft is apt to impress upon
the memory. We were hungry for the sight of
land, which the Captain had been promising us as an
appetiser from hour to hour ; for we had been a fort-
night without seeing anything but the blackness and
blueness of the Patagonian sea, and anything in the
form of land would have been a feast to our eyes.

Early in the morning of November 29th a low
straight line, like a huge beam of wood, appeared to
separate the grayness of the sky from the soft blue
waters in the south-west. It proved to be the north-
ern cape of the eastern entrance of the Strait of
Magellan, — Cape Virgins. The name is fascinating
when one feels he is at the world's end, and land in
any form in this locality is an encouragement, but
there is nothing about the topography of Cape Vir-
gins which would arouse much admiration. It is a
long, sandy cliff one hundred and thirty-five feet
high, its base descending perpendicularly into the

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

sea with the interruption of an occasional shingle
point, where it appears as if a boat might make a
landing. Its colour varies much with the position of
the sun, the character of the atmosphere, and the
cloudiness of the sky. As we approached, it at first
appeared nearly white, with occasional dark shadows
when the surface was uneven, and the entire wall
was crested by a thin but smooth line of green grass.
At this time the direct beams fell upon the coast
from the sun, still low on the eastern skies. A few
hours later, when we were nearer and the sun was
under a light cloud, the cliff appeared like a wall of
terra cotta. The cape is the seaward termination
of a long range of low hills extending across
Patagonia.

Cape Virgins is one of the most important land-
marks on the Atlantic seaboard, and its discovery
marked the beginning of the most important period
of maritime adventures in the history of navigation.
Before we pass it, and enter the now famous Strait,
permit me to give a few incidents in the story of the
discovery of this cape and the hard-earned but tri-
umphant entrance into the narrow path which per-
mitted the first circumnavigation. The credit be-
longs to a Portuguese, Fernao de Magalhaes, and the
honour belongs to Spain, for the expedition was un-
der the patronage of the Spanish crown.

Magalhaes assembled his fleet at San Julian on
the Patagonian coast, Easter Eve, in the year 1520.
Here he spent the few months of southern winter,
from April to October. During this time he first
saw, and his historians first described, the pampa

THROUGH THE FIRST

Indians whom, because of their loosely booted feet,
they gave the ill-fitting name of Pata-gones : a name
which all the world of women should detest, for it
means clumsy-hoofed. From this first designation
given to the people the entire country from the Plata
to the Strait, has been given the name of Patagonia.
Patagonia, then, fully translated, means the land of
the clumsy-hoofed people. This is unkind when, in
reality, the Indians of this region have feet which
are not only smaller, but far neater in shape than
those of Europeans of the same size and weight. At
this anchorage Magalhaes had some trouble with his
officers who committed the unpardonable crime of
differing from him in their opinions. To one of these
men a letter was sent with a messenger who had in-
structions to stab him while reading. Other officers
were executed with similar despatch. Magalhaes
was evidently a good representative of the saints of
his day, upholding the church with one hand, and
committing the blackest deeds of Satan with the
other.

On October 21st, Magalhaes entered the Strait for
which he had searched and, though he had killed
some of his officers but a short time previous in a
manner which would now be considered premeditated
murder, he honoured the saints by calling the chan-
nel Canal de Todos los Santos — Canal of all the
Saints. The cape on his starboard, as he entered,
was named the Cape of the Eleven Thousand Vir-
gins, in honour of the day on which it was discovered,
St. Ursula's day. Succeeding generations have
thought less of the saints and more of Magalhaes,

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

and have named the canal in honour of its discoverer,
but even the discoverer's name has changed with
time, for to-day we write Strait of Magellan, and not
Magalhaes. The cape has also suffered a change by
the later and less religious geographers. Eleven
Thousand Virgins, even as a name, is too flowery for
a Cape Horn sand-bank, and furthermore it was the
hunting ground of a people among whom the term
virgin would be useless. Just at present this point
of land is charted Cape Virgins, and its virgin soil
is being broken by thrifty gold diggers.

Returning to our present voyage and to the less
sentimental, and less brutal, but I fear less religious
modern times, the Belgica has not only no one to fill
the chaplain's duties, but, so far as I know, only one
Bible (which is kept under cover) and no prayer
book. Religion is apparently not one of our mis-
sions. But then I must hasten to add that on expe-
ditions of this kind land pilots are more necessary
than *' sky pilots."

At noon we rounded the low sandy bar extend-
ing southward from Cape Virgins terminating in
Dungeness Point, and entered the historic Strait of
Magellan. The eastern beach was strewn with frag-
ments of iron from the hull of the iron vessel Cleo-
patray which was one of the many vessels wrecked
here. The skeleton of the Cleopatra was still fight-
ing the sea some distance off shore, and presented a
picture which would run into delight under the brush
of an artist. The western shore of the point was
strewn with fragments of wooden vessels, and two
hulls well ashore rocked like cradles, but were ap-

THROUGH THE FIRST

parently not much injured. This point seems to be
a convenient graveyard for marine crafts.

To our south under a dark bank of cumulus
clouds was the white cliff of Cape Espirito Santo,
which, like Cape Virgins, is the termination of a
long range of hills on Tierra del Fuego. The
waters were alive with innumerable forms of life,
many of which were new to us. Whales, seals, por-
poises and penguins were darting about in the sea
like birds in the air, while resting on the glassy sur-
face, hovering over the land, rushing over and
around the Belgica were strange mernbers of the
feathered tribe ; among these, albatrosses, gulls, pe-
trels, ducks, and geese were most numerous. The
profusion of animal life around us, the blackness of
the lowlands to each side, and the encouraging
prospect of the channel before us, furnished a sort
of wild fascination which is probably as great in our
day as in the time of the early pioneers.

Passing westward we had, by midnight, reached
the entrance of the first narrows. Here we an-
chored for the night. For three long months we
had gone steadily and persistently southward in one
general direction ; such a monotony of course draws
the Atlantic out into an unimaginable length, but
now we were headed westward, away from the
Atlantic with its fickle winds to the more friendly
Pacific ; and our course in the future will be more
varied — a circumstance which seems to arouse an
agreeable train of thoughts. These thoughts, with
the peculiar and continual interest of the scenes
around the ship, kept us awake for a large part of
our first night in the Strait.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

From time to time I left my bunk and paced the
poop that I might better see the wide panorama
under the varying shades of the night. There were
marvellous changes in colour and in the general as-
pect of the land, with imperceptible changes of light.
This I had noticed earlier in the day and it con-
tinued throughout the night ; but of this I can hope
to give only a crude outline, for the delicate shades
of colour and the infinitesimal grades of light cannot
be spread out with black and white under a quill.
As the sun sank behind the hazy outline of the
Cordilleras Mountains, over the Patagonian pampas,
the grassy surface everywhere assumed a bright
yellow tint, in harmony with the gold which is now
scraped from the ground. The sandy cliffs which
walled the shores were inky black on the north, and
bright gray or brown on the south. The water re-
tained its dark green hue until the semi-luminous,
semi-liquid, purple of the long twilight flooded the
whole scene. Then followed the short blackness of
the night which again blended into an exquisite
purple morning. As the sun rose over the cliff of
Cape Virgins, the vast treeless plains were marked
into sharp figures of brown and yellow and red.
Hence these regions, like tastefully dressed women,
have a special dress for every part of the day, and
this garb changes the appearance of landmarks in
such a manner that at times they are difficult of
recognition. I will not force the parallel — but thus
in one of the elements of beauty in this Strait, lies
one of its greatest dangers to navigation.

We tipped our anchor in the morning and ad-
vanced to the mouth of the second narrows, where

THROUGH THE FIRST

we anchored at 4 p.m., December ist. Here we
learned from the latest budget of the French coast-
pilot that there was a French settlement, and from
the Belgica a number of farm-houses were visible,
which seemed to confirm the information. We ac-
cordingly prepared to pay the occupants a visit, and
also to search the surrounding territory for speci-
mens. Landing in the bend of Gregory Bay with a
corps of scientific collectors, hunters and sailors, all of
an adventurous turn of mind, we soon spread over
the grassy pampas in every direction. Three of us
who went to visit the farm-houses soon discovered
that the coast-pilot's information was not up to date.
The Frenchmen in question had disappeared about
ten years previous, and the entire region, practically
everything within sight, belongs to a very wealthy
Chilean sheep farmer, by the name of Menendez.

At the first farm-house we found a couple of
Scotch shepherds who informed us that the main
station of the farm was a few miles east, and to
reach this they offered us horses. The Captain and
I accepted and were soon mounted, but before we
returned we had some regrets. The animals ob-
jected to their burdens from first to last, and I might
add that we objected to their manners at once and
for all times. Like all Patagonian horses, they are
trained to take their direction by the throw of the
reins, and not by the traction of the bit. If the rein
is thrown against the left side of the neck, the horse
goes to the right, and vice versa. It is hard to
adopt the method at once without a certain amount
of traction on the bit to which one is accustomed ;

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

but this lateral traction the pampa horses will not
permit. If you will hold a tight rein you must hold
it with equal tension on both sides, and hold it
steadily, or the animal will stop at once, and perhaps
with such suddenness as to make you test the hard-
ness of the ground. The horse also has a motion
and a gait which are absolutely peculiar to the pam-
pas. These peculiarities soon drive chagrin to the
heart of a northern horseman.

We galloped eastward in a beaten path close to
the placid waters of Magellan Strait. To our left
were a low series of hills — the Gregory Range — and
behind these the sun had fallen, throwing its parting
rays on the shore-line of Tierra del Fuego opposite,
and over the- distant Fuegian mountains. The nov-
elty of the ride and the fascination of the scenery
helped us to forget the bruises and accumulating
pain — of which, however, we were forcibly reminded
later. In an hour we reached our destination and
had an opportunity to see, for the first time, one of
the end-of-the-century wonders, — the re-discovery of
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego by the sheep farm-
ers. Here were the men by whom, and the method
by which, the hopeless sterility of the end of the
continent has been turned into a field of industry
with a farming profit perhaps equalled in no other
part of the world.

A young man with a sporting air advanced from
one of the buildings to meet us. He was Alexander
Menendez, the chief of the place, and the son of the
Cape Horn Vanderbilt. Spanish is the official lan-
guage of this region, but neither the Captain nor I

THROUGH THE FIRST

spoke it, and thus we were a little anxious to know
the tongue in which we might interchange ideas.
We could handle between us French, Flemish, Eng-
lish, German, and Eskimo, and we rather flattered
ourselves that the man who could not converse with
us in one of these tongues could have few ideas
worthy of exchange. We had no need for anxiety,
however, for our new host spoke English and Ger-
man and some French, in addition to his national
tongue. Indeed, English seems to be the general
language of the sheep farmer. Mr. Menendez took
us to his little home, a one-story wooden building,
with three or four rooms. Our mission was hardly
more than a formal visit, but pampa customs are
such that one immediately enters into the inner life
of the ranchmen from which it is difficult to separate
quickly.

Here we found a sheep ranch in its youth, but its
proportions were already such as to startle most
North American farmers. Upon a treeless waste of
90,000 acres, spread out in easy undulations along
the Magellanic waters, were 120,000 sheep. The
climate and the grass are such that the animals re-
quire no shelter and no extra feeding, not even dur-
ing the coldest winter months, and they are so nearly
self-supporting that one shepherd manages a herd of
2,000 animals. When sheep thus thrive and mul-
tiply at next to no expense, and on ground which
was first obtained for the asking and taxes, it is not
difficult to understand the success of Patagonian
farmers.

The same enterprising Menendez has several other

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

farms, the most promising of which is across the
Strait, and to this our eyes were directed with con-
siderable pride by our host. This farm occupies the
lowlands of north-eastern Tierra del Fuego, which is
said to be the best sheep land of the entire region.
Here, upon about 120,000 acres, there are 150,000
sheep turning wool into gold faster than any gold
mines could be expected to offer yellow metal.

Mr. Menendez, however, like all managers of great
enterprises, had his troubles : " Sheep farming is
very profitable," said he, ''but we have one great diffi-
culty— it is to secure good help." This ought to be a
cheerful notice to the unemployed thousands of
Europe and America, but it should be accepted with
a proper appreciation of the life and work in ques-
tion. A Patagonian shepherd lives the life of a wild
man. In the saddle he roams about on the pampas
with his sheep, and at night he makes camp like an
Indian. But there are many men who enjoy just such
a life, and for such there is plenty of room in this
region. The usual pay is about thirty dollars (gold)
per month, but expenses are next to nothing, and an
additional income is added to the regular pay by the
products of hunting, such as ostrich feathers, guanaco
skins, etc. The men at present employed are mostly
Scotch shepherds, but some of the best ranchmen
have been made from ordinary seamen. In the newer
methods of shearing and other improved mechanical
contrivances, machinists and other artisans are in de-
mand. Many of the men who have come here as
workmen are now ranch-owners themselves, and few
who have once tasted the elixir of pampa life ever

THROUGH THE FIRST

leave it again for the noise and the strife and the
gilded ghtter of the upper world.

When we again mounted our horses to return, we
were somewhat disposed to lay aside polar explora-
tion and become sheep farmers, but this idea was
soon dissipated by our efforts to return to the Belgica.
The purple twilightwas just deepening into the darker
shades of night as we left the little group of buildings
which constitute the headquarters of the Menendez
ranch. The horses seemed more than ever opposed
to their inexperienced riders, and our discomfort was
such that we did not hurry them. We preferred to
leave to them the selection of the path, and the rate
of progress, while we drank in the sharp antarctic air
and enjoyed the glory of the night scene. It was
nearly midnight when we reached our canoe. Here
we found our companions impatiently waiting for us,
some seated on boulders, others stretched out on the
grass, and a few chatting with the shepherds in
the nearest hut. But we were somewhat dejected
as we gazed upon the sight before us ; the water had
run out with the tide to such an extent as to leave
our boat high and dry some three or four hundred
feet from the nearest launching-place. Every foot
of this distance had on it a covering of a soft semi-
liquid mixture of clay, sand, small stones, and shell-
fish. The Belgica must start with the tide at day-
break, and her whistles were already tooting the
signal to hasten on board. To wait for the tide was
impossible, so we started our canoe over the debris.
If the surface had been tar it could not have offered
more resistance, nor could it have caused more dis-

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

comfort. After an hour of almost superhuman effort
we reached the water, but we were covered with
sHme and mud and perspiration from head to foot,
and we agreed that our first Patagonian debarkment
was a decidedly expensive luxury.

We reached the Belgica as the eastern skies
brightened with the coming morning twilight. The
anchor was raised immediately, and while our ach-
ing muscles were resting, we were transported
through the second narrows to Elizabeth Island.
In three hours we were opposite the island and ac-
cordingly prepared for another debarkment. Our
object in stopping here was principally to obtain a
supply of the wild geese for which this island is
noted. We landed in a cave near a lonely shep-
herd's hut, and scattered over the island, being care-
ful to leave two men to keep the canoe afloat that
we might not renew our experience of the previous
night.

We found the geese extremely numerous, but
either they were too well acquainted with firearms,
or our workmen had been too long seasick, for, from
the result of our hunt, we were able to produce only
a dozen birds. Elizabeth Island, like all of the grassy
ground of this region, is devoted to the interests of
sheepfarming. It is upon this notable island that
the first Magellanic sheep-farming experiment was
made. Mr. H. I. Reynard, an Englishman living
in Punta Arenas, first conceived the idea early in
the seventies. Perceiving that sheep and cattle
thrived in the Falkland Islands, whose climate and
vegetation were in most respects similar enough to

THROUGH THE FIRST

that of Elizabeth Island to warrant the expenditure
necessary for a proper trial, he accordingly estab-
lished here the first sheep colony. The sheep took
so kindly to their new home, and multiplied so
rapidly that, though the island is eight miles long
and two miles wide, it was very quickly so thickly
stocked that numbers of the sheep were transferred
to the mainland. From this experiment in farming
Mr. Reynard was reported, in 1894, to be enjoying
the princely income of a hundred thousand dollars
annually.

Among our collections from this island were a
number of flint arrows and spear points, which
seem to be abundant in the numerous heaps of mus-
sel shells and other sites of old Indian encampments.
But the island has long been deserted by the Ind-
ians, for, even at the time of its discovery by Drake,
three hundred years ago, none are mentioned. The
discovery and naming of this island is thus described
by the old records: ''The 24th of August (1578)
being Bartholomew's day, we fell in with three
islands bearing trianglewise one from another ; one
of them was very fair and large and of a fruitful soil,
upon which, being next unto us, and the weather
very calm, our General with his gentlemen and
certain of his mariners then landed, taking posses-
sion thereof in her Majesty's name, and to her use,
and calHng the same Elizabeth Island." The other
islands are those now known as Santa Marta, and
Santa Magdalena Islands, upon which Drake found
penguins so numerous, that, in one day, not less

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

than three thousand were taken and subsequently
used as food.

We left Elizabeth Island at lo o'clock in a mist of
cold, drizzly rain and steered westward close to its
low sandy cliffs. The mist occasionally raised and
gave us a glimpse of the land. There is a ridge of
small hills running parallel to its length through the
centre, the highest of these being one hundred and
eighty feet above the sea. The hills were made
more conspicuous by various clusters of a bluish
shrub, but aside from these there were no trees and
nothing but the hardy pampa grass to cover the
sandy soil ; nevertheless, with its shepherds' huts,
and its vast herds of sheep, Elizabeth Island is not
without an air of attractiveness.

At noon the atmosphere had cleared and the ever-
present dark, feathery clusters of vapour shaded the
water and gave it a despairing blackness. Over
our port bow a low buff-colored point extended far
out into the widening strait. This was our first
sight of the famous Sandy Point, whose notoriety is
sure to reach the ears of every South American
voyager. Here also we noticed a striking change
in the topography of the land and in the character
of the vegetation. We had left the smooth, treeless
pampas behind us, and before us appeared a wild
rugged country, the lowlands covered by a dense
forest, and the highlands white with snow. These
were the foot-hills of the terminating Andes, a
place well calculated to shelter the Cape Horn
capital from the never-ceasing stormy blasts.

THROUGH THE FIRST

Early in the afternoon we rounded the point and
at four o'clock we anchored in Sandy Point Road.
The harbour presented an air of thrift quite out of
proportion to the barrenness, sterility and gloomy
wildness of the region. Five large ocean liners
were at anchor, and many small coasting steamers,
with a host of lighters and small crafts, were scat-
tered about on the unruly waters ; but the town
from its distant appearance was a disappointment.
One hears so much about this settlement, its rapid
growth, and marvellous development, that one nat-
urally expects to see a substantial city. ''Thirty
years ago," said a native, *' we were less than two
hundred settlers here ; to-day we number six thou-
sand, and you have before you a good-sized city.
Don't you think our growth has been remarkable
and quick ? " One must naturally answer in the
affirmative, and to the average European the phe-
nomenon is wonderful; but to an American it is
wonderful in quite another direction. The town is in
most respects a miniature reproduction of the mush-
room town of the western states : a wilderness of
low wooden and sheet-iron huts which are quickly
and cheaply constructed and as quickly destroyed.
Punta Arenas has been building for thirty years.
Towns of the western United States of a similar
nature spring up in as many days. A Yankee, then,
wonders not at the reported rapid growth, but asks,
" Why has it taken so long ? "

After we became accustomed to this appearance
of cheapness and unstability which characterised the
place, we found much of interest and some things

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

absolutely astonishing. Punta Arenas has a char-
acter and a life which mark it at once as one of the
most peculiar towns on the globe. We were boarded
long before we came to anchor by agents of pro-
vision houses, boarding-houses, hotels, saloons, and
health officers ; but strangely enough no custom
officers paid us even a friendly visit. Our business
arrangements and not a few social arrangements
had been made by Mr. Racovitza, who had preceded
us, and shortly after we came to anchor w^e made
our headquarters in the little French Hotel where a
welcome bag of correspondence awaited our arrival.

CHAPTER VI

PUNTA ARENAS, THE SOUTHERNMOST TOWN

UsHUAiA, Dec. 2 2, 1897.

We decided, before we left, that Punta Arenas, as
a town, is very extraordinary in many ways when
you come to know it. Aside from the fact that it is
the world's southernmost city, the metropolis of the
lower end of the American continent, the dumping
ground for so much of discontented humanity, the
capital of Chilean Tierra del Fuego and Pata-
gonia, and a host of other large sounding, but small
meaning, names, — it is one of the most cosmopolitan
towns of the universe. Its life and its business are
absolutely astonishing.

There is a sort of effervescent interest which one
quickly acquires in this little speck of bright life
and its gloomy wilderness. The interest begins
with its misty history and ends, perhaps, to-day with
the modern re-discovery of Patagonia and Tierra
del Fuego by sheep-farmers and gold-seekers.
After Magellan discovered the Strait, and led the
way across the jewelled waters of the Pacific, the
enterprising Spaniards, with the important permis-
sion of the Pope, gathered easily and peacefully the

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

accumulated wealth of the fertile islands and opulent
empires of the South Sea. Any competition from
other nations was forbidden by the Pope and pre-
vented by the supposed danger of passing through
the Strait. Both of these dangers were braved by
the bold half-pirate, half- explorer, but entire sea-
man, Francis Drake.

Drake entered the Pacific through the Strait in
1578, and, with a scurvy-pestered crew, deprived
the Spaniards of their gold and silver somewhat
more easily than they had taken it from the Indians.
To prevent this re -harvesting of their easy-gotten
profits, Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa was despatched
from Lima, in 1579, to survey the only supposed
entrance into the Pacific, the Magellan Strait. Sar-
miento advised a fortification of the straits, and,
accordingly, two colonies were placed on command-
ing points. These were the cities Nombre de Jesus,
near the first narrows, and San Felipe, at what is
now called Port Famine. But eight months' pro-
visions were left these poor protectors of Spanish
gold, and they perished miserably before relief was
sent them. Only two survived to tell the tragedy,
and these were rescued by the British seamen — the
men whom the Spaniards were sent to destroy.
Sarmiento, who placed the colonies, was captured
by one of Sir Walter Raleigh's cruisers on his return
voyage to Spain.

As this first chapter in the history of the Magellan
Strait closed, its importance also vanished, with the
discovery of the passage around Cape Horn by the
Dutch navigators, Schouten and Le Maire ; and for

THROUGH THE FIRST

two hundred and fifty years following the region was
left to the possession of the wild life with which
nature had stocked it.

In 1843, with no knowledge of the real worth
of the Magellanic regions, but with a sort of natural
pride to possess the historic strait, Chile placed a
colony at, or near, the ancient site of San Felipe.
This was a penal settlement where political prisoners
were sent. It was a sort of Chilean Siberia, just as
Staten Island is to-day for Argentina, and thus the
venture filled two missions : it held for Chile the
Strait of Magellan, and placed the troublesome con-
victs far from the capital, Santiago. This was a
particularly appropriate spot for that large class of
Spanish-American citizens, the ever restless revo-
lutionists.

But men whose occupation is revolt, whose life is
a constant navigation of dangerous rapids, are not
the proper sort of citizens to build a town. This
was soon learned in '' La Colonia de Magellanes,"
by which name this antarctic exile colony was offi-
cially known. Anything which savoured of work was
opposed to their natures. War, riot, massacre, brutal
freedom, were more to their liking, and this revolting
spirit was not a little fired by frequent famines, when
the infrequent vessels from Valparaiso did not arrive.
The place thus acquired, by hard experience, the
name of Port Famine. One day the exiles rose to
arms, killed the Governor, and took the town. For
this they were all strung up by the necks from the
yard arms of a Chilean gunboat.

The buildings of Port Famine having been fired,

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the Government, after deciding on a re- establish-
ment of the colony, selected for the site of its town a
long tongue of sandy ground a few miles farther
north. This is the site of the present famous
town, Punta Arenas, and it takes its name from the
sandy point on which it rests. Punta Arenas, or
Sandy Point, like the first colony, had as its princi-
pal reason for existence a penal settlement, and its
population was composed of men of the same class —
mental and moral outcasts, revolutionists and high-
handed criminals. The new town met a fate similar
to that of the first settlement. The prisoners revolted
and, assisted by the soldiers who were sent to pro-
tect the town, they sought the Governor. But to
keep his own blood from being spilled, this unworthy
official deserted his wife and children, and left for
parts unknown. They caught the commander of
the garrison, and massacred him in a shocking
manner, after which they took the town and held a
sort of drunken festivity for three days. The
Governor, in his retreat, with singular good fortune
found a Chilean cruiser, and as this came in sight of
the town the rioters, to save their necks, took to the
pampas. Here most of the miscreants came to a mis-
erable death by starvation, fatigue, and cold. A few
reached the Chubut River and were taken to Buenos
Aires, where the liberty for which they had struggled
was given them.

This last destruction of the colony occurred in
1877. At this time Punta Arenas had already risen
to some importance. It numbered, among its exile
settlers, several independent citizens; and these

THROUGH THE FIRST

were the creators of the true Magellanic metropolis.
No more prisoners were sent. The town was left
to live and flourish, according to its resources, or to
die a natural death. Fortunately, its resources had
already been discovered. Some of the desert-like
pampas, upon which the liberators famished, had
been stocked with sheep, and they thrived unex-
pectedly. Gold had been found in the creeks, coal
had been found but a short distance off, the forest
appeared inexhaustible, and steamers were be-
ginning to cut the solitude of the Strait. Dissatis-
fied, rejected and venturous sailors cast in their lots
with the builders of the town. Shepherds, gold-
diggers, traders, adventurous wanderers, and strip-
lings from the world's population — a heterogeneous
mixture — came to rest here as a last resort. The
semi-Yankee life of Punta Arenas takes its origin
from this mass, and the town owes its growth, very
largely, to the fact that its site is a terminal morain
to a restless stream of human life.

With this preliminary understanding of the causes
for the metropolitan life of the Strait of Magellan,
one is not so greatly surprised at the first glimpse
of the strange street scenes. We naturally looked
for some marks of nationality in the people we first
met, but quite in vain. Spanish is the language of
the place. At one street corner, however, one hears
English ; at another, German ; at another, French ;
and at still another, Italian. Negroes are few, but In-
dians are quite numerous. One of our new acquaint-
ances took us about town. He was, I believe, a
German by birth, but he talked with us in French,

2>6

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

and took us to a bar where he spoke EngHsh ; to a
magazine where he addressed the clerk in Spanish ;
to the church where he addressed the Holy Father
in Italian ; and others told us that he could speak
the various Indian tongues, and was not puzzled
with Latin and Greek, though he never had had a
college education.

The streets are ordinary country roads, in very
bad order. They are most remarkable for their
number of stagnant pools of water, and the various
heaps of ashes and debris. Stumps of trees, broken
carts, tin cans, packing boxes, dead dogs, and a host
of other refuse serve to ornament and pave the
sandy bottoms. Scattered about these, and usually
not far from a bar, are groups of visitors in various
attitudes. The most numerous of these are the cow-
boys or gauchos, as they are called some on horses
with ponchos over their shoulders, and wearing
huge, broad-brimmed hats, and loose pantaloons;
others steeped in alcohol with a soft bed of sand for
a couch, and a boulder for a pillow ; and still others,
in new suits, moving about like a girl in an Easter
bonnet to display their annual acquirements. But
the gauchos move in groups to themselves, discus-
sing sheep and squaws and the hunting sports of the
pampas. In another group one finds quite different
types of humanity. Here are the gold-diggers, men
of extremes, either without a copper or with a fat
bag of gold, according to the luck of their past
season. Unlike the cowboy, who is usually in neat
attire, the miner is careless of dress, and, rich or
poor, is rigged in rags ; but he is a bit of a lion

THROUGH THE FIRST

in his way. If he has found rich deposits, his pocket
is the ambition of the local tradesmen, and his in-
formation is eagerly sought by all the loafers of the
town. He discusses pay-diggings, nuggets, methods
of washing gold, the relative qualities of food and
drinks, and his last feminine acquaintances in Sandy
Point. And then there are the groups of sailors,
soldiers, and of tramps. The citizens of the town
one rarely sees ; they are always occupied within
doors, for everybody who is anybody in Punta
Arenas keeps a store and owns one or more sheep-
farms.

The location of Punta Arenas is rather unique in
its natural surroundings, and in its commercial ad-
vantages. To the west and north-west are the slowly
rising forest-covered highlands, terminating in the
high, ice-covered peaks of the Cordilleras. To the
north-east and east are the endless undulating plains
of Patagonia. To the south and south-east is the
Strait of Magellan and beyond are the blue hills of
the northern plains on the main island of Tierra del
Fuego. To the south-west are the bleak islands be-
longing to the Fuegian group. This location has
helped to make the town the trade centre of the
great regions south of the Rio de la Plata.

The two very important discoveries already al-
luded to have made life and a prosperous population
just possible in this vast savage land. Only a few
years ago all of South America south of the river
Plata was believed to be a useless waste of barren
ground, peopled by man-eating savages. Even to-
day this is generally believed to be the state of

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

affairs in Patagonia. But it is not true. The pio-
neers here are in better health and are accumulating
gold more rapidly than in any other part of South
America. The reasons for this great transformation
are the discoveries that sheep will thrive and that
gold is strewn on the various sandy beaches. The
possibilities, thus afforded, have brought the people
and the capital to America's southern end, and
have made Punta Arenas the centre of a population
of pioneers, mostly rich in profitable land and in
sheep, but poor in worldly comforts.

When the far-seeing Englishman, already referred
to, brought the first sheep from the Falkland Islands
about twenty-five years ago, they thrived so well in
their new home, that soon many others did likewise.
To-day almost every acre of available ground is
stocked with sheep. This sheep- farming, however,
is done on such an immense scale that even a Yankee
farmer will be compelled to feel his littleness. Space
will not permit me to dwell on this interesting sub-
ject, but a man owning ten thousand sheep is con-
sidered to be a small and poor farmer ; one owning
fifty thousand is quite ordinary ; and men who have
a hundred thousand are not uncommon. The Cape
Horn millionaire is not noted by the number of
dollars he possesses, but by the number of sheep he
shears.

Gold mining is the occupation of the poor, and
the idle population. This is not because gold is
scarce or the occupation unprofitable, but because it
requires little capital, and yields immediate returns.
With a shovel and a pan, inexperienced men earn

THROUGH THE FIRST

five dollars daily. The gold is widely diffused, but
is seldom in very rich placers. Many of the creeks
and the beaches of Patagonia, both on the Atlantic
side and in the Strait of Magellan, are known to
contain gold. The same is true of Tierra del Fuego.
Even the mud of the streets of Punta Arenas is said
to contain the yellow metal.

The architecture of Punta Arenas is similar to
that of the mushroom towns of the western plains.
The houses are made of corrugated sheet-iron, and
are altogether uninteresting, except in that they are
constructed of material brought six thousand miles,
while within a thousand yards is a virgin forest of
excellent wood. During the short time of one year,
electric lights, telephone, and telegraph plants have
been established, a really good theatre has been
built and several churches are in the course of con-
struction. Nearly every house sells intoxicating
drinks. Alcohol is said to be served even in the
churches. Indeed, alcohol is at the base of all the
crimes and most of the pleasures of Punta Arenas.

Unlike the immigrants to the United States, the
new-comers to Patagonia have remained as sep-
arate little colonies, and never made a homoge-
neous mixture as in our States. They await with
yearly anticipation an opportunity of returning to
their mother countries. The sheep-farmers and
bankers are mostly British, the storekeepers gener-
ally German. The Anglo-Saxon is the ruling spirit,
and in a very short time this long deserted no-man's-
land will be a gilded paradise stocked with the
healthy mixture of northern races which has made

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the United States the most progressive of the new
nations of the world. Southern South America is
to be the Yankee land of the far south and for this,
their absorption as stupidly suggested by Rhodes is
entirely unnecessary. The people here are able to
take care of themselves, and the Republican govern-
ments of Chile and Argentina are quite capable
of managing their own affairs.

CHAPTER VII

FROM PUNTA ARENAS TO USHUAIA, THROUGH
THE FUEGIAN CHANNELS

UsHUAiA, Dec. 28, 1897
After spending a fortnight at Punta Arenas,
restocking and refitting the ship, studying the sur-
rounding regions, and accepting the warm hospi-
tahty of the citizens, we tipped our anchor at mid-
night of December 14th. We then set a course
almost due south for Famine Reach. The Httle gun-
boat Torro, detailed by the Chilean officials, escorted
us for several hours. The early part of the night
was clear, which permitted us to see Sandy Point,
with its glittering sheet-iron houses, for a long time.
In the morning we were off the northern shore of
Dawson Island, and from this time until we reached
Ushuaia the weather was extremely unsettled. Cold
rains, drizzling fogs, and sweeping squalls of wind
were the normal weather conditions. At 2 o'clock
in the afternoon we anchored in Hope Harbour, a
snug little cove at the entrance of Magdalene Sound.
We soon assembled in small companies and went
ashore to explore as best we could the regions about.
Everything here had for us a special interest, for, in a
scientific sense, all was unexplored. There were glac-

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

iers, unsealed mountain heights, unknown water
depths, and a savage wilderness of land, with gold
in many streams. We should have enjoyed a pro-
longed stay here but the time for exploration in the
more icy south was already far advanced, and since
this was the principal part of our work we must
hasten to it. The afternoon was given to examina-
tions ashore.

The narrow beaches were lined with mussel shells
and in one place there were two bee-hive shaped
frames of old Indian huts. There were a great many
birds about, but we saw no large life. Where the
land was so exposed that the vegetation was shel-
tered from the sudden squalls of winds, here called
*' williwaws," there was a forest of large beech trees,
and under these there was such a rank profusion of
underbrush and moss that it was difficult, generally
impossible, to force a passage. Near the open blast
of the regular winds and the williwaws the land was
mostly barren of trees but covered by a thick, velvety
carpet of wet moss. It rained and snowed nearly
all the time we were ashore, and w^e came back with
our boots full of icy water, our clothing torn, soaked,
and hanging to us like wet leather, and our heads
bruised. We had made some notes and some studies,
but altogether our personal discomforts were such
that we were ready to throw science to the dogs. He
who attempts to properly explore this region will
find conditions to try his patience nearly as bad as
at either pole.

On the following morning we steamed through
Magdalene Sound. The scene was desolate but

THROUGH THE FIRST

wildly beautiful. The westerly banks rose out of
the waters with an easy slope, terminating in low
hills of polished stones. The ravines, the gullies,
and the shore-line were covered by a dense growth
of stunted beech. The uplands, where soil and
rooting surface was possible, were carpeted by heavy
sheets of moss. The easterly banks, though far more
barren, were of greater interest to us. Nine glaciers
poured their crystal currents down from the majestic
heights of Mount Sarmiento which was draped in a
white mist. The glaring whiteness of these glaciers,
separated by black weather-worn dome -shaped
mountains of solid rock, made a scene of rare de-
light. At 1 1 o'clock we rounded Cape Turn, and
then the interesting polished rocky slopes of the
banks and islands of Cockburn Channel lay before
us. Here we felt the disturbing influences of the
airs coming out of the Pacific. A violent puff of
wind struck us as we passed each break in contin-
uity of the mountains, and this was followed by a
rain squall and a choppy sea. We were indeed glad
when we turned our backs to this region of battling
storms to enter the less dreadful channels eastward.
At 6 o'clock we were amid a labyrinth of uncharted
islands in Whale Boat Sound. Severe storms came
here also, and these, with frequent clouds of fog and
increasing darkness, made navigation uncomfortable
and dangerous. At midnight we dropped anchor
on the eastern bank of Basket Island ; but the bot-
tom was rocky and both the wind and the sea were
too dangerous to remain, so at 3 o'clock in the morn-
ing we started again to plod along as best we could.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

The chart was so imperfect that we were compelled to
pick our way, as if exploring regions entirely new.
We counted not less than twenty islands which we
could not find on the charts. It would have been in-
teresting also to linger here and explore this locality
but we had a stronger interest ever pulling us on to
regions farther south. As the sun rose and we ad-
vanced farther eastward, the atmospheric conditions
were such that rainbows, complete and in fragments,
were in the south and west almost constantly for
several hours. The bows were generally arched
over a chain of islands touched by bands of green
and brown and gold, and altogether the effect was
full of delightful colour and fascinating harmony.

At noon we anchored at the eastern end of Whale
Boat Sound in a small bay on the northern shore of
Londonderry Island. Soon after dinner we went
ashore to bag specimens for the laboratory. The
land around the bay is about a thousand feet high,
rising rather abruptly from the waters, but the
mountain crests are everywhere accessible. As we
landed we found close to the water-line a number of
old Indian fireplaces with great heaps of mussel
shells about. These were the sites of ancient In-
dian huts. The lowlands were covered by a thick
meshwork of vegetation, mostly mosses and grass.
In sheltered places there were a few beech trees, but
the tallest were not more than fifteen feet high. We
had not ascended very far when we found every-
where evidences that the whole land had at one time
been covered by glaciers. Massive boulders were
seen in lines, and all the rocks were polished

THROUGH THE FIRST

and scratched in a typically glacial manner. There
were many lakes which marked the beds of old
glaciers. Before dark we came down from the
heights with our bags full of specimens and our note-
books full of observations, but our clothing as usual
was wet and torn. Near the shore we built a camp-
fire, and then tried to dry our clothing and extract
such comfort out of life as Indians, in a similar po-
sition, do. I think it was Darwin who said that the
people of this region did not enjoy any of the com-
forts of home. Certainly he never built a fire in a
cold, drizzling rain, and sat beside it to eat his lunch.
If he had, he should have learned to enjoy the first
comfort of the home of primitive man. We spent a
few days in this neighbourhood, visited a glacier, and
then steamed through the northern arm of Beagle
Channel to Ushuaia, where we anchored late in the
evening of December 21. After breakfast on the
following morning we went ashore. The manner
of our going was a matter of some anthropological
interest. It portrayed our developing disregard for
formality and our resignation to the savage life to
which a constant force of circumstances drove us.
At Rio we were done up in good style before we
left the ship ; dress suits when necessary, the newest
thing in neckties, and neatly pressed trousers. At
Montevideo our garments were crinkled and showed
the effects of the sea. We began, here, to be a little
indifferent in personal appearances. At Punta Are-
nas we did not even try to fix up, but walked about
the town as careless of dress as bricklayers ; and
here at Ushuaia, well — the man who dressed and

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

brushed his hair was an outcast; he was not re-
garded as an explorer.

Ushuaia is a small town of about twenty-five
sheet-iron houses, built at the base of the termina-
ting hills of the Cordilleras. The background of the
town is savagely picturesque. Two chains of moun-
tains run eastward parallel to each other along the
southern border of the main island of Tierra del
Fuego, and these mountains give the surroundings
of Ushuaia a remarkably wild but pleasing effect.
The town has in itself very little of importance. It is
a military and convict station for the Argentine Re-
public, and at present there is a pier in construction
from which vessels can coal.

The government of the Argentine Republic with
commendable liberality offered us coal and supplies
free of cost at their stations. At Lapataia, a neigh-
bouring town, the Belgica remained a week to coal.
At Ushuaia and at Harbourton, we took in our last
supply of fresh provisions. We were indebted to the
Argentine government for the kind treatment at her
hands, and to Mr. John Lawrence and Mr. Thomas
Bridges (now deceased) and their families, for valu-
able aid in furnishing supplies and help in making
Indian studies. It will not be possible to give
more than a passing notice of our work among
the very interesting tribes of Indians of this region.
The anthropological observations, measurements
and vocabularies will be given separate publication.
For the present, the reader must be content with a
few notes on the Onas.

CHAPTER VIII

A RACE OF FUEGIAN GIANTS

Harbourton, Jan. 6, 1898.

The Fuegians have
been described, from time
to time, since the country
was first sighted and
named by Magellan in
1520; but to-day they
still remain almost un-
known. In connection
with the voyage of the
Belgica we had unusual
opportunities for studying
their wild life and their
They are not, as it is gener-
ally supposed, one homogeneous tribe, but three
distinct races, with different languages, different ap-
pearances, different habits and homes.

In the western Chilean channels, living in beech-
bark canoes and in dugouts, using mussels, snails,
crabs and fish in general as food, are the short, im-
perfectly developed Alaculoofs. These are met by
many vessels navigating the Strait of Magellan and

Comparative Size of an Ona
and a Caucasian.

weather-beaten land.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

most of our reports of Fuegians are limited to hasty
glimpses of these people ; but they are now nearly
extinct, and they were always the lowest and the
most dejected of the Fuegians.

Closely allied in habits to the Alaculoofs are the
Indians inhabiting the islands about Cape Horn and
northward to Beagle Channel. These are called
Yahgans. They have been the most numerous and
the most powerful of the Fuegian people, but to-day
they too are nearly extinct. They are dwarfed in
stature, dwarfed in mental development and, like the
Alaculoofs, live in canoes and feed upon the prod-
ucts of the sea.

The third tribe is a race of giants. They are
called Onas by their neighbours, the Yahgans. The
Onas have, thus far, evaded all efforts at civilisation,
have refused missionaries, and have, to the present
time, with good reason, persistently mistrusted white
men. They have in consequence remained unknown.

The homes of the Onas are on the main island of
Tierra del Fuego. For centuries they have fought
to keep this as their preserve ; but the Yahgans
have been allowed to pitch their tents on the southern
coastal fringe along Beagle Channel. In a like
manner the Alaculoofs have been permitted to use
the shore-line of the west. Neither the Yahgans
nor the Alaculoofs, however, nor white men, until
very recently, have dared venture into the interior.
The great prairies of the north and the mountain
forests of the middle of the island, with the still un-
known lakes, have been guarded as hunting-ground
exclusively for the Onas. The island is nearly as

THROUGH THE FIRST

large as the State of New York. The boundary-
Hne of Chile and Argentina, running from north
to south through the centre of the island, gives each
republic a nearly equal share of the country. Gold
has been found in the sands along the beach of
various parts of the land. This is being mined with
considerable success. The pampas of the north and
a part of the southern ground have proved to be
some of the best sheep-farming country of the world.
The gold-diggers and the sheep-farmers have thus
re-discovered Tierra del Fuego as they have Pata-
gonia. The mining camps and the wire fences are
crowding the once ruling race of Onas into the use-
less forest- covered lowlands and the ice-covered
highlands of the interior, where they must either
starve or freeze or perish at the hands of Caucasian
invaders. The old happy hunting-ground of the
Ona has gone the way of all other Indian homes;
but he has fought bravely for it, and he will con-
tinue to do so until the last skeleton is left to bleach
on the wind-swept pampas.

The first sheep-farm was started here by
Mr. Steubenrach, the British Consular agent, Punta
Arenas. Steubenrach, anticipating trouble with the
powerful Onas, who have always been the dread of
white settlers in this vicinity, secured, as one of his
shepherds, a missionary to preach the gospel and
morality and some other things to the Indians. This
mission Service was a diplomatic stroke which was
thought to be the most effective way of gaining the
favour of the Chilean Government; which favour
was a valuable aid in obtaining grants of land.

lOO

ANTARCTIC NIGHT A: ; J,

It was also thought possible by this method to tame
the aborigines and make shepherds of them. The
good preacher tried to Christianise and civiHse the
Indians. During the day they congregated in large
numbers to hear the new medicine-man. They
were indeed interested ; but they proved their inter-
est in an unexpected manner. At night, when all
was quiet and the shepherds were asleep, with
confidence in the effect of their pious training upon
the Indians, the wild hunters came among the herds,
cut the wire fences, and drove off such numbers as
suited their appetites. These night raids continued
month after month, but the Indians came in fearlessly
in increasing numbers to listen to the gospel pow-
wows. At length, driven to distraction, the prospect-
ive makers of Christians sent to Punta Arenas for
Winchester rifles. Preaching was then abandoned,
and the murderous sound of firearms has taken its
place ever since. The wire fences have been ex-
tended, the Winchesters have been multiplied, every
available acre of Fuegian ground has been covered
with sheep, while the Indians, never known and
never understood, have been swept from their
ancient homes.

In defence of the pioneers it should be said that
the Indians from the first have waged a constant and
relentless warfare. • A mutual understanding has at
no time seemed possible, and if the settlers would
follow their business a vigorous defence was neces-
sary. In spite of the destructive onslaughts of the
Indians, however, the farms have flourished so well
that to-day the number of sheep raised individually

lOI

; ; / THROUGH THE FIRST

and collectively by the Fuegian rancheros is per-
fectly astonishing. There is one farm not yet quite
stocked which will support six hundred thousand
sheep. The profit over and above all expenses
averages about fifty cents annually for each animal.
This would give, for a farm of moderate size, a clear
gain of $50,000 yearly, which is certainly a princely
income for a farmer. The proprietors of these
ranches are mostly men of large finances, who live
in luxury and comfort in the cities of South America
and Europe.

The Onas, as a tribe, have never been united in
a common interest, nor have they ever been led by
any one great chief They have always been di-
vided into small clans, under a leader with limited
powers, and these chiefs have waged a constant war-
fare among themselves. Up to the present they
have had their worst enemies among their own
people, but now that sheep-farmers and gold-diggers
want their country, they are uniting to fight their
common enemy. But this enemy, these white men
with Winchesters, will be their doom.

The Ona population, is at present about sixteen
hundred, divided into sixteen tribes of about one hun-
dred each. From this number there is a constant
diminution. Many of the children have been taken
from their wild homes bordering on the sheep-
farms, and placed in European families about Punta
Arenas. These children thrive well at first, and are
capable of considerable education, but few reach adult
age. The minor children's diseases, such as measles
and whooping-cough, are extremely fatal to them, and

102

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

those who escape other diseases are almost certain
to succumb to tuberculosis. For a number of years
the Indians, watching the encroachment of white
men upon their territory, have made it as uncom-
fortable as possible for the intruders. To bag a
settler was quite as much sport as to secure game,
and the white men in return have shot Indians with
as much elation as if they were dropping panthers.
Killing has been in vogue on both sides, but the
battle is uneven. The Indian must vanish before
the lead of Christians — such is the mission of
modern civilisation.

Migration from one part of the island to another,
and from one clan to another, has been common, but
the Ona has seldom left his chosen land. A few
have been found in Patagonia, and occasionally one
has strayed over among the Yahgans and the Alacu-
loofs ; but these have only been stragglers who, by
accident, have been separated from the main island.
The Onas possess no canoes with which to cross the
Strait of Magellan, or the canals south and west;
but they barter with the other Indians along Beagle
Channel and the west, and within recent years they
have extended these trading operations to the white
settlers along the south. The men have a great ad-
miration for women of other tribes, and this admira-
tion induces them to make raids among the other
tribes to capture women. So much was this done in
the past that in the south-eastern part of the island
there sprang up a new race, a hybrid mixture of
Yahgans and Onas ; but these are now extinct.

Physically the Onas are giants. They are not,

103

THROUGH THE FIRST

however, seven or eight feet in height, as the early-
explorers reported their neighbours and nearest re-
latives, the Patagonians, to be. Their average
height is close to six feet, a few attain six feet and
six inches, and a few are under six feet. The
women are not quite so tall, but they are more cor-
pulent. There is, perhaps, no race in the world with
a more perfect physical development than the Ona
men. This unique development is due to the topog-
raphy of their country and the distribution of game,
which makes long marches constantly necessary.
The Ona men are certainly the greatest cross-coun-
try runners on the American continent.

The mental equipment of the Ona is by no means
equal to his splendid physical development. He
understands very well the few arts of chase which
he finds necessary to maintain a food-supply. His
game in the past has been easily gotten ; his needs
have been few, which fact accounts for the lack of
inventive skill displayed in his instruments of chase.
The home-life, the house, the clothing, — everything
portrays this lack of progressive skill. Instead of the
children being well dressed and well cared for, as is
the rule among savage races, they are mostly naked,
poorly fed, badly trained, and altogether neglected,
not because of a lack of paternal love, but because
of the mental lethargy of the people. It is the same
as to shelter and the garments. They have abund-
ant material to make good tents and warm, storm-
proof houses; but they simply bunch up a few
branches, and throw to the windward a few skins,
and then shiver, complaining of their miserable ex-
istence.

104

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

It has never fallen to my lot to listen to a language
so odd, so strikingly peculiar, as that of the Ona.
Some of my companions on the Belgica used to
amuse themselves at my expense by declaring that
from a distance the talk of a group of Onas was like
that of a group of Englishmen. To this I have pro-
tested, for that statement is certainly a libel upon
English. This might be said, with considerable
truth, of the Yahgan tongue, which is smooth and
easy, but of the grunting, choking, spasmodic talk
of the Onas it is decidedly untrue. Many of the
words are not difficult of pronunciation, nor is the
construction of sentences hard, but in every fifth or
sixth word there is a sound impossible of reproduc-
tion by any one who has not had years of practice.
These sounds offer sudden breaks in the flow of
words and the speaker, by efforts which suggest
the getting of sounds from the stomach, struggles
for something far down in his throat. He hacks,
and coughs, and grunts, distorting his face in the
most inhuman manner momentarily, and then passes
on to the next stumbling block, or hot potato, or
whatever it is which makes the poor mortal suffer
such tortures of speech. I always felt like giving an
Ona an emetic when I heard him talk.

Like all the American aborigines the Onas feed
principally upon m.eat, and this meat was, in former
years, obtained from the guanaco. The guanaco
roamed about in large herds upon the pampas and
grassy lowlands ; regions now in use as sheep-
farms. The guanaco, like the Indian, is forced to
the barren interior mountains, where life is a hard
struggle against storms and barrenness and per-

105

THROUGH THE FIRST

ennial snows. Owing to the present greater dif-
ficulty of hunting these animals and their reduced
numbers, the Ona has taken most naturally to the
sheep which have been brought to occupy these
lands. That the sheep are owned by other men is
a fact not easily recognised by Indians, to whom the
world of Fuegian wilderness has always been free.
The many thousands of guanaco bianco, as the
Onas call sheep, grazing peacefully upon the Indian
hunting-grounds, make a picture full of irresistible
temptation, as the aborigines, hungry and half
naked, look from icy mountain forests down over
the plains. Shall we call them thieves if, while
their wives and children and loved ones are starving,
they boldly descend and, in the face of Winchester
rifles, take what to them seems a product of their
own country?

Unfortunately, the Indians have had so many
causes for revenge against the white invaders, that
they no longer capture sheep, as they did primarily,
to satisfy the pangs of hunger, but to obtain ven-
geance. The wholesale manner in which they do
this, however, would make a beggar of an ordinary
farmer in a single night. In the neighbourhood of
Useless Bay they have been known to round up two
thousand sheep in one raid, and they seldom now
take less than a few hundred at a time. While
stopping at a farm on the Rio Grande I had an op-
portunity of being in close proximity to this kind of
warfare. Two Indians came in and asked for an
interview with the chief of the farm. The man in
charge was a bright young fellow who knew the

1 06

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

Indians very well. He treated the delegation
kindly, fed and clothed them, and listened to their
story.

The Indians spoke in broken Spanish, and said
that they had been sent by the great chief Colchicoli
to ask if the manager of this farm would make an
arrangement for amicable and peaceful relations in
the future. Colchicoli and his people had, for a
long time, been on friendly terms with Mr. Bridges, a
farmer on the southern shore. While here, many
had died and many others were sickly. It was the
wrong season for them in the south ; the winter was
too cold there, the spirits were against them, and for
reasons of health alone they must seek their old
haunts on the sunny northern shores for the winter.
They had been ten days in crossing the island over
the snowy interior mountains. They had been
several days without food. The women and child-
ren were starving. The entire tribe were at the
edge of the forest about one hundred miles to
the south. Would Mr. Menendez give them a little
food for present needs, and a preserve where the
people might live and hunt in their own way, undis-
turbed by the soldiers and the shepherds ?

Mr. Menendez replied in the affirmative, and then
went on to qualify his offer. He said that at first he
was not inclined to treat their demand seriously.
He had suffered so much at their hands by unlim-
ited thefts of so many thousands of sheep, and by
their heartless destruction of his fences, etc., that he
was not in an easy mood to harbour them near his
farms ; but if they promised to be good, if they

107

THROUGH THE FIRST

agreed to steal no more sheep, he would give them
the southern bank of a river, about ten miles south-
ward, where they might pitch their tents, hunt and
fish, and live undisturbed. He further agreed that
he would give them such meat as they required.

The Indians returned to their chief to report the
success of their mission. Owing to their lengthy
stay, however, the chief thought they had been killed,
and in retaliation ordered the raiding of five hundred
sheep which, of course, made the consummation of
an amicable agreement impossible. In defence of
the Indians, however, it should be said that one year
previous a similar arrangement had been entered
into in good faith. The Indians came, trustingly, to
a camp where the entire company, men, women, and
children, were seized by soldiers, and exiled from the
island.

The Onas have been masters of Tierra del Fuego,
not because of the perfection of their implements of
war, but because of their splendid physical force.
The only destructive weapon which they have
brought to effective use is the bow and arrow. The
bow used by them is made of the wood of the ant-
arctic beech, which is scraped and worked into the
desired shape by the sharp edge of one of the
numerous shells which everywhere are found on the
beach. The string is made of the sinews of the
guanaco, neatly braided. The arrow shaft is a reed-
like branch of a tree called the Winter s bark ; it is
winged with feathers of native birds, and tipped
with a unique glass point.

In former years, before vessels entered the Strait

1 08

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

of Magellan and before the passage around Cape
Horn was discovered, the Onas tipped their arrows
with flint; but since white men have invaded these
waters their misfortunes have been the fortunes of
the Indians. From the many wrecks thrown upon
the rocky shores during the past three hundred
years the aborigines have obtained glass, with which
they now point their arrows; and also iron of which
they make knives. Within the last twenty-five
years they have occasionally bagged an unwary
gold-digger, and his kit has been added to their own
imperfect implements of chase. But they have never
been able to obtain ammunition, and so the rifles in
their camp are of no use. The traders and farmers
on the border lands, with whom these Indians have
to come in contact, have always been alive to their
own interests. They have prudently refused to sell
firearms or ammunition. If the Onas were able to
obtain guns and supplies they would clear their
island of pale-faced settlers in less than a month.

With the bow and arrow as their sole implement
of chase the Onas roam about, always in the foot-
prints of the guanaco, from the barren interior
mountains to the forest-covered lowlands, and during
the winter from the forests over the pampas to the
sea shore. If they fail in securing their favoured
game, the guanaco, they capture a kind of ground
rat or gather the snails and mussels of the beach ;
but the one aim of life is to hunt guanaco.

I wish I could paint a picture or secure a photo-
graph of this chase. It is certainly a most charm-
ing bit of aboriginal life. Day after day, the whole

109

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family marches over wind-swept plains, through icy
streams, into regions seemingly ever deserted by
animal life. The women and children travel in one
group, generally in gullies, winding around low hills
where they are out of sight of the game. The men
scatter about as sentinels, mounting little elevations
now and then, to search, with their eagle eyes, the
undulating plains for a herd of guanaco. When on
this weary chase they are always hungry and gener-
ally but half-clothed. The sick and the helpless aged
are left by the wayside to starve or support life as
best they can, while the more vigorous individuals
go on and on famine-stricken until they come upon
their game.

When in sight of guanaco the men seek to sur-
round the entire herd by creeping on hands and feet
and covering their bodies with a robe to imitate the
animals. As they close in on them they rise, drop
their robes, and spring naked upon the guanaco,
killing such as they can with arrows. Then, as
the animals stand in utter amazement, they rush
upon them with knives and clubs. In this onslaught
they often secure the entire herd. Next, a glutton-
ous hilarity begins, which knows no bounds. It
continues while the meat lasts and then famine is
again their lot. Thus their life is one of short
feasts divided by long famines.

The matter of clothing with the Ona is a very
simple affair ; although the climate of their region is
cold, stormy and even humid, they are very imper-
fectly dressed. The children run about in the snows
either naked or nearly so. The men have a large

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

mantle made of several guanaco-skins sewn together.
This reaches from the shoulders to the feet, but it is
not attached by either buttons or strings ; it is sim-
ply held about the shoulders by the hands. The
woman, when well dressed, wears a piece of fur at-
tached about the waist and another loosely thrown
about the shoulders, but she is not often well dressed
and must generally be contented with a kind of man-
tle, carelessly suspended from the shoulders, which is
allowed to fall upon the slightest provocation.

Nothing could be less like our idea of a home
than an Ona house. It is proof to none of the dis-
comforts of Fuegian climate. Rain, snow, and wind
enter it freely, for it is a simple accumulation of tree
branches thrown together in the easiest possible
manner. Sometimes it has a conical shape, but
more often it is only a crescent or breastwork, be-
hind which the entire family sit or sleep. To the
windward are thrown a number of skins to keep out
the full blast of the wind, but from overhead the cold
rains drizzle over poorly clad bodies, while the ground
is always uncovered and cold. In the centre of this
circle of shivering humanity, or just outside of it, is
a camp-fire which, however, serves better for cook-
ing purposes than for heating. The arrangement of
the house is such that the heat all escapes. At night
the fires are allowed to go out, and the adults,
lying in a circle, place the children in the centre, with
blankets of guanaco-skins spread over all. To keep
the blankets from being blown off, and to add addi-
tional warmth, they next call the dogs, who take their
positions on the top of the entire mass of quivering

III

THROUGH THE FIRST

Indians. In former years it was a poverty stricken
family who had not enough dogs to cover it out of
sight ; but the shepherds have now killed the dogs,
and the Indians must rest cold and comfortless with-
out their canine bedfellows.

There seems to be considerable love expended
among the members of an Ona family. It is kindled
with the first days of childhood, and it is still burn-
ing at ripe old age. It is, however, a love which
is never appreciated by a white man, nor is it ever
tendered to him except for little spasmodic periods.
Nothing illustrates this point better than the experi-
ence of the pale-faced new-comers. Everybody
who goes as a pioneer to the Cape Horn region is
a bachelor. All buy, borrow, or steal wives when
they decide to settle down upon a gold-mine or a
sheep-farm. The Indian women, it must be con-
fessed, are not unwilling to be bought or stolen, but
they are not to the white man what they are to the
copper- faced rival. In the Indian household she
may be but one of several wives ; she can claim only
a small share of her husband's affection ; she must
work hard, is poorly dressed, and is always half-
starved ; but she prefers this life as a steady thing to
the entire heart of a pale-face, with the luxuries
which he brings her.

One miner, a man with considerable experience
and a collegiate education, gave me the following
story bearing on the behaviour of the women of
Fireland :

''The Ona girl is a queer and unnatural being;
she may live with a white man, or even be lawfully

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

wedded to him, but tender sentiments like love for
her white admirer never enter or leave her dusky
bosom. I came here ten years ago and struck a
pay dig. I hadn't time to go home to look for a
new or to bring out an old sweetheart. Some In-
dians always remained unfriendly, but a few came
with good intentions to the camp ; these would now
and then leave one or two of their wives for me to
feed and dress, and in this way I learned to like
them. One day there came to the camp an old
couple with a young and bewitching daughter. She
was only fourteen years old, but in form and manner
she was just the jewel a gold-digger would be likely
to pick up. I knew a little smattering of the native
lingo and began to talk love to the girl at once ; she
didn't seem to understand me. All the tender and
nice things I tried to say seemed to be wasted. I
talked to the parents ; they quickly understood me,
but they said a red woman might admire and re-
spect a pale-face, but the warm fire, which was the
principal charm of an Ona woman, was never kindled
by a white man.

'' In a short time I had learned to love the girl,
and she didn't seem to hate me, so I asked the
parents if they would not leave her with me for a
while that she might learn to like me, but they ob-
jected, whereupon I determined to steal her. After
a lonely walk one evening in the forests, she agreed
to be stolen. When the family left for the moun-
tains I followed and picked the apple of my eye.
Things went along happily — the honeymoon was
a short dream, and the parents, for a long time,

^13

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did not come to disturb me. I congratulated myself
upon the success of my theft. Later, however, I
learned that the parents knew about it all the time.
I dressed the girl in expensive clothes, for which I
had sent three thousand miles ; fed her three full
meals daily ; built a nice warm hut ; and did nearly
all the camp work myself. She had not been fully
dressed before, never had more than one meal a
day, sometimes not one square fill in a week,
and at home she always worked like a slave, shiver-
ing out a miserable, homeless existence in the for-
ests. I showered her with luxuries and kind, gentle
treatment.

*' By this means, and by another which I shall
mention presently, I was generally able to keep her
as a permanent fixture about my household. About
once a week, however, she found it necessary to go
into the forests to gather certain fungi, which she
said were necessary for her health. At first she re-
turned promptly from these little jaunts and she
always seemed livelier and refreshed by the recrea-
tion, but later she remained away one or two days
at a time. This absence I could not endure, so I
sought the reason for it and found that she was
meeting a big, manly young buck. I could not
blame her for being enamoured with him for I ad-
mired him myself. I took him into our camp and
ever since there has been peace, and restfulness, and
divided love in our wild home."

This suggests a consideration of the aboriginal
marriage relations, and the arrangement of the bonds
of the family institution. Marriage, like almost

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

everything Ona, is not fixed by established rules.
It is arranged and rearranged from time to time to
the convenience of the contracting parties. Women
generally have very little to say about it. The
bargain is made almost solely by the men, and physi-
cal force is the principal bond of union. For ages
the strongest bucks have been accustomed to steal
females from neighbouring tribes, and from neigh-
bouring clans of their own tribe. The Onas being
by far the most powerful Indians, have thus been
able to capture and retain a liberal supply of wives.
This easy gain of women has made polygamy a ne-
cessity, and the system is not condemned by men
familiar with the people. A missionary who has
been in constant contact with these Indians for thirty
years gives it as his opinion that a plurality of wives
was entirely satisfactory to their peculiar emotions
and habits of life.

The relation between the women who possess but
one husband in common in the family wigwam is of
novel interest. As a rule, they are no more jealous
of each other, or of their husbands, than our children
in the home circle. The principal reason for this is
that the several wives are often sisters. A young
man takes by force, by mutual agreement, or by
barter, the oldest daughter of a family. If he proves
himself a good hunter and a kind husband, the wife
persuades her sister to join her wigwam, and share
her husband's affections. Frequently, when a girl
is left an orphan, she is taken into a family and
trained to become the supplementary wife of her
benefactor in after years. In the hut each wife has

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her own assigned position, always resting in exactly
the same spot, with all of her belongings about her.
The wealth of the household is not common to all
the occupants. Each woman has her own basket of
meat fragments or shell-fish ; her own bag with im-
plements, needles, sinews, and bits of fur, and each
wife has her own assemblage of children.

The unwritten laws which govern the actions of
the tribe as a whole are very vaguely understood.
There never has been any very great need for the
Onas to assemble and unite against an enemy.
Any one of the numerous clans under one chief
has been more than equal to overcome the feeble on-
slaughts by other Indians and white men. Hence
the lack of tribunal organisation. In the family,
however, the relations are firmly fixed by habits
which never change. The loose arrangement of
marriage and divorce does not seem to disturb seri-
ously the equilibrium of the home circle. The camp
is pitched from day to day at convenient spots for
the chase. This makes elaborate houses or complex
fixtures impossible. It never requires more than a
half hour to build an Ona house. The work of the
man is strictly limited to the chase. He carries
his bow and quiver of arrows ; and his eye is ever
on the horizon for game ; but he seldom stoops
to anything like manual labour which is not con-
nected with the actual necessities of the chase. He
kills the game, but the wife must carry it into camp.
In moving the women take up all of their earthly
possessions, pack them into a huge roll, and, with
this firmly strapped across their backs, they follow

ii6

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the unencumbered lead of their brave but ungallant
husbands. Thus the women carry, day after day,
not only all the household furniture, but the children
and the portable portions of the house. The women
certainly have all the uninteresting detail and the
drudgery of life heaped upon them, but they seem
to enjoy it. In defence of the men it should be said
that they are worthy husbands. They will fight
fiercely to protect their homes, and they will guard
the honour of their women with their own blood.
It is a crying sin of the advance of Christian civili-
sation that this redman of the far south should be
compelled to lay down his life at the feet of the
heartless pale-faced invaders, to shield the honour
of his home.

I doubt if regular missionary work will improve the
hard lot of this noble band of human strugglers. The
efforts thus far made have certainly had the contrary
effect, and altogether they do not need a new system
of morals as badly as we do ourselves. I do not
mean to infer that missionary work, in general, is
hurtful to aborigines. There is a legitimate field for
such efforts, but it is not among Onas, unless the
work is conducted in a new manner by a thoroughly
practical man. They need to be placed in a position
where they may follow their wild habits without the
infectious degeneration of higher life. Individually
and collectively they have fewer sins than New
Yorkers. It is true that there are among them no
faultless characters, but there are also no great
criminals. There are some good and others bad,
but the worst and the best are found side by side.

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The bitter and the sweet of human Hfe among them,
flows in the same stream. It has the same origin,
and the same termination. The lesson of ages to un-
tutored man has impressed upon him a prescription
of moral direction, which is quite as good as and far
more appropriate for him than the white man's code
of ethics.

ii8

CHAPTER IX
DISCOVERIES IN A NEW WORLD OF ICE

On January 3, 1898, we started eastward through
Beagle Channel, intending to push southward at
once, but an incident happened which changed our
progress and also disturbed our ease of mind. This
incident proved to be the Belgicas first geograph-
ical discovery. While trying to find Harbourton, a
missionary station on the south-eastern shore of the
main island of Tierra del Fuego, she struck a reef.

We were steaming eastward through Beagle
Channel. It was late at night, and before us there
was the dim outline of a long panorama of islands ;
behind lay the ice-covered mountains of the tail of
the Cordilleras. On each side were the black forest-
covered steeps of the wild and melancholy Fuegian
Islands. At 1 1 o'clock the twilight was still pour-
ing over the white glacial sheets of the west ; the
tops of the islands were aglow with a curious pearly
light. The water was as smooth as that of the Hud-
son, but deep down rested the feeble white reflections
of the mountain heights. The coastal outline was
indeterminable. We pushed along slowly, search-

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ing bay after bay for some signs of human life.
On a neck of land an object was reported which
might be a house, but we could not decide the ques-
tion even with our best telescopes. We aimed for
it. In a few minutes we discovered that our progress
through the water was arrested. This was a mys-
tery to us. The engines were forced to their limits,
but we remained stationary. Soundings indicated
that we were aground on a reef of rocks, but we
had gone on so easily that no one had felt a jar.
We hoped the tide would rise and lift us off, but it
fell and left us stranded. At 4 o'clock in the morn-
ing the Belgica began to careen, and at 6 o'clock
she had a list, making it impossible to stand on the
floor. We tried to brace her up with spars, but
they broke like pipe-stems. We now made out the
object on shore to be a house and saw also some signs
of life about it. Presently a group of men came
from it to us. They were Indians, under the direction
of Mr. Lucas Bridges, a sheep-farmer. Mr. Bridges
volunteered to help us in our efforts to save the
ship. I went ashore with him to get the services
of as many Indians as possible. The sailors and
the Indians, working side by side, began at once
to lighten the ship by removing cargo to the
shores. Only two or three boat-loads were landed
when a sudden storm rolled down the gullies from
the high mountains to the north-westward, piling up a
sea which made further communication with the ship
impossible. From the shore we could see the Bel-
gica rock and roll in response to every gust of wind
which passed over us. On the shore and on the

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

ship there was little hope of saving the vessel. Fol-
lowing a tremendous squall we saw the Belgian
colours go up and then felt relieved of fear. She
drifted with the wind and in an hour disappeared
behind a black head of land. The next day she re-
turned and reported no serious injury.

From Harbourton we steamed eastward to the
storm-washed shores of Staten Island, where we
took our last water-supply, and bade our friends and
the known world a final adieu. From the time we
left Staten Island, on January 13, 1898, until our
return to Punta Arenas, on March 28, 1899, we were
in another world — a new icy world, where communi-
cation with home regions was impossible. We had
troubles of our own, and a little warfare, too — but
we were totally ignorant of the Spanish-American
War, the Dreyfus case, and the other great national
and international troubles which had made history
in our absence.

Our first large task was the seemingly impossible
work of making a map of the sea bottom and a study
of the waters south of Cape Horn. This is a belt
of ocean famous as being swept by the most destruc-
tive storms on the globe. It is difiicult enough for or-
dinary navigation, but to attempt to remain station-
ary for three or four hours daily, and sink a wire two
miles, with delicate instruments attached, was a ven-
ture which did not appeal to us with much promise
of success. We were favoured, however, with good
weather until we got a glimpse of the South Shetland
Islands, and were thus able to make a line of sound-
ings across the previously unfathomed sea. The

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general depth here was considerable. After passing
over a narrow submarine shelf south of Staten Island,
the lead dropped suddenly to 13,300 feet. The
ocean-bed then rose gradually in an easy slope to the
South Shetland Islands, thus proving a rather sharp
disconnection between the mountain-ranges of south-
ern South America and those of the imperfectly
known antarctic lands.

The first iceberg was met the day before we saw
the snowy outline of the South Shetlands. It ap-
peared a long way off, over our port bow, at about
8 o'clock in the evening of January 19th. We
all went on deck to get a glimpse of our first antarc-
tic berg, but we made no efforts to get nearer. The
sky was sooty, and the air so heavy that the coming
twilight was lost in a gloomy mist. Around the
dull white mass there was a cloud of vapour which
rose and fell, now offering a peep at the strange
block of ice, and again veiling it from view. Half
sorry to leave it without further observation, we
steamed onward until it sank into the stormy sea
over our port quarter.

The night which followed was dark. The sea
rolled under our stern in huge inky mountains, while
the wind scraped the deck with an icy edge. We
kept a sharp lookout for icebergs, which might come
suddenly into our path out of the impenetrable dark-
ness ahead. The sudden fall of the temperature and
the stinging, penetrating character of the wind seemed
to warn us that ice was near ; but we encountered
none. Life was plentiful, but melancholy. Curious
albatrosses and petrels hovered about us, uttering
strange cries, and in the water there was an occa-

122

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

sional spout from a whale. It was a night of uncer-
tainty, of anticipation, of discomfort — an experience
which only those who have gone through the wilder-
ness of an unknown sea can understand.

The morning dawned, as it usually does over Cape
Horn seas, without the sun, and with a smoky, low,
lead-streaked sky. At noon the icy mist overhead
melted and an occasional sunburst gave life and
colour to the scene. Our soundings indicated a
proximity to land, which caused us to skim the hori-
zon constantly through our glasses with keen inter-
est. A small white speck here and there indicated
distant icebergs. At about three o'clock in the after-
'noon a series of low pyramidal masses appeared
under the southern sky. It was like a bank of blue
fog fringed with snowy bands. The whole length of
our seaboard formed an ill-defined, cloud-like aggre-
gation resting on the black waters and extending
the entire length from north-east to south-west. As
we steamed on, the central groups became more dis-
tinct and the whole line rose above the horizon. We
now recognised it as the northern exposure of the
South Shetland Islands. During the afternoon a
gentle but piercing wind came from the land, bring-
ing with it a glassy air and an easy, silvery sea, over
which the new land stood out in bold relief We
could distinguish Livingston Island over our port
bow, and north-eastward, melting into the blue airy
distance, were numerous similar islands. Over our
starboard bow was Smith Island, its base still under
the water, and its table-topped crest rising into
mouse-coloured clouds, sixty miles away.

We hoped that the night would not again be

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darkened by the ever-present black mist, and pushed
rapidly landward to get a good view before mid-
night. But this was not to be, for as the sun sank
in the south-west the wind came out of the north-east
with a sooty smoke which blocked out our horizon.
The distance was too great to make a good study of
the land. In a general way this coast-line resembles
the northern parts of the Greenland landscape.
About the largest islands there are many small, ice-
free isles, or rocks, which serve as resting-places for
seals, penguins, cormorants, and gulls. On the
larger islands, and especially on Livingston Island,
there are high peaks and rounded, dome-like hills,
which are crowned with snow, but whose sides are
mostly bare and wind-rasped. The valleys are
filled with huge glaciers, which send tongues out to
the sea. We saw no glaciers, however, which came
out from any distance into the water. The limit of
the ice was generally at high-water mark, where it
wasted away in small fragments. From what we
later learned of the lands farther south, it is
extremely probable that moss and lichens are here
abundant, but there is no hope for grass or trees.

It is very curious that this group of islands, about
one hundred in number, with a thousand miles of
accessible coast-line, and several good harbours, free
of ice for much of the year, should remain unclaimed
by any government, and unsettled by human efforts.
It would be a humane mission if our government
would take possession of these islands, and place
there a light-house, with a supply station, for the
preservation of ship-wrecked sailors. Vessels are

124

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

lost in this vicinity almost every year, and we do
not know but that some poor seamen are not now
stranded on one of the many desolate islands, await-
ing the relief which never comes.

During the night of the 20th, the ship was kept
moving slowly southward. It was another night of
anxiety, though there were few icebergs about, and
no pack-ice ; yet the proximity to an unknown coast
and the uncertainty of our position, with unsettled
weather, made us all but comfortable. In the
morning it was misty. Numerous small icebergs
were about us, and while trying to dodge these we
made another discovery — we struck a rock. This
time we did not go on to it as easily as we did in
Beagle Channel. We struck with a force that
made the ship tremble and crack from stem to
stern. We needed no call to come on deck, but
after reaching it, we could not see what had hap-
pened.

*' We struck an iceberg," some one said.

** Yes ; a black one," said Knudsen.

A few moments later the fog lifted, and we saw
white crests and black rocks about us on every side.
The good old ship was turned ; she rolled off and
struck two or three other rocks, and then steamed
away, none the worse for it. As we withdrew we
watched the small icebergs being dashed to pieces
on the same rocks, and wondered if that would not
be our fate with the next encounter.

At about noon on the 21st, the horizon cleared a
little, giving us an opportunity to pass safely from
the rocks and bergs around us. Sail Rock was visible

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on our port, but nothing else except the dim outline of
Deception Island and the rocks eastward. Sail
Rock is remarkable from a distance; it has the
appearance of a ship under sail; but at close
range it is more like a house with a gable-roof. It
is a solid rock about four hundred feet high, a thou-
sand feet long, and five hundred feet wide. The
sides for three or four hundred feet are perpendicular,
offering no beach, and no ledge as a resting-place
for birds, except at the peak. As we had Sail Rock
over our quarter, the weather changed ; the bright
gray of the waters became black, the sky grew
lead-coloured, and penguins jumped out of the water
and then rushed through it landward with electric
swiftness, as if to warn us of a coming storm. The
storm, however, did not come until the morning of
the 2 2d.

This storm proved to us a melancholy affair. The
wind at first was not strong or steady, but the sea
which rolled under our starboard quarter tossed us
about upon its bosom as a child does a toy. Occa-
sionally it broke over us amidship, flooding the
laboratory and the galley. There was a large quan-
tity of coal on the decks, and some of this was car-
ried by the swash into the scuppers, making escape
of the water impossible. To free the scuppers one of
our youngest sailors — Wiencke — was at work peri-
odically during much of his watch. In the afternoon
the tempest increased and gathered force hour after
hour. Great seas broke over us with increasing
violence, while the wind came and went with a can-
non-like roar. Everything movable on the decks

126

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

was swept overboard. At about three o'clock in the
afternoon Amundsen and I were on the bridge,
straining our eyes and levelling our glasses on a
mysterious black object ahead, directly in our
course; while thus engaged, we heard an unearthly
cry, — a cry which made me shiver because of its
force and painful tone. We turned about quickly,
but saw nothing to indicate the direction of the
noise. Amundsen, thinking there had been an acci-
dent in the engine-room, rushed in that direction.
I went aft to the quarter-deck, and, looking
astern, saw a man struggling among the foamy
crests. It was Wiencke — in trying to free the
scuppers he had lost his balance, and in falling, he
had uttered the awful cry which had startled us. With
quick presence of mind he sought the log-line and
grasped it. I caught hold of the other end, and be-
gan to draw it slowly in, but he slipped until his hand
was stopped by the log; upon this he held with a
death-like grasp. Before I had pulled in the full
length of the line everybody was on deck ; but there
was little to be done. With the sea tossing the ship
about like a chip, and the wind blowing a gale, it was
impossible to lower a boat. As I brought Wiencke
close to the stern, Lecointe, with a bravery impossi-
ble to appreciate, volunteered to be lowered into the
icy sea to pass a rope around the poor fellow. He
followed his offer with demands for a i:ope, which
was securely fastened around his waist. With two
men at the rope, Lecointe was lowered into the
churning waters, but he sank at once with the
counter-eddies, and nearly lost his own life without

127

THROUGH THE FIRST

being able to keep near Wiencke. Lecolnte was
raised, and without delay or undue excitement, we
managed to tow Wiencke to the side of the ship,
where we expected to lower another man. But while
we were doing this, he gave up his grip on the log and
sank. We waited there for an hour, but saw no
more of our unfortunate shipmate. Wiencke was a
boy with many friends, and his absence was deeply
felt in our little party.

Before night the fog raised, and exposed under it
a continuous wall of ice about one hundred and fifty
feet high, extending as far eastward and westward
as we could see. At first we thought it an iceberg.
It had every resemblance to one, but its enormous
size led us into doubts. We steamed eastward,
keeping from it a distance of about four miles, and
presently were able to make out a black line above
the water, which later we determined to be rocks.
Around the eastern termination were a number of
small peaks of volcanic rocks, and from them came,
first the odour of guano-beds, and then the deaf-
ening squawk — gha-a-ah, gha-a-ah, — of countless
millions of penguins. This was Low Island. We
rested here in the lee of its walls for the night, but
owing to persistent fogs we did not get a glimpse of
its interior.

On the morning of the 23d the sea was easier but
choppy, and the weather offered promises of clear-
ing. We took advantage of the conditions to cross
Bransfield Strait, which separates the South Shet-
lands from the mainlands of the true antarctic.

128

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

The promise of a clear horizon was not realised, for
it remained misty all day. Icebergs were passed
in great numbers, most of them being table-topped
and square cut, with great blue lines, crevasses, and
cavities. The mist destroyed the fine outlines and
the fascinating colours of the ice. The knife-like
corners of the crowns were ill-defined, and the usual
exquisite blues and greens were covered by the
gloomy gray of the sky. There was about these
bergs, even with their subdued colours, something
wildly picturesque, but there was also a real danger
in our proximity to them in hazy weather.

Historically the record of our predecessors in
the region which we are about to enter is short.
Early in the twenties the islands about Cape Horn
and the South Shetlands were besieged by Ameri-
can fur sealers. They did their work of execution
so thoroughly that in the short period of five years
almost the entire race of fur seals was exterminated.
One of these sealers. Captain Nathaniel Palmer, in a
little shallop of forty tons, while seeking new sealing
grounds southward, found an extensive country cov-
ered with ice and inhabited by penguins and seals.
Some years later Captain Biscoe, a British sea-ele-
phant hunter, saw a part of the same country some-
what farther to the south-west, and still later a
German sealer, Dallman, saw a part of the same
northern coast. To Palmer belongs the honour of
the discovery of this vast tract of land. It is a dis-
appointment that his records are so imperfect, but
the record of everything antarctic is of a similar
nature, Palmer has been forgotten by his own coun-

129

THROUGH THE FIRST

trymen and ignored by foreign cartographers. In
the arrangement of the new chart the Belgian Ex-
pedition will attempt to place his name where it
belongs — on the land which he saw first of all men.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 23d a curious
white haze appeared upon the southern sky. A
little later an imperfect outline of land rose into this
haze. It extended as far as we could see to the east
and to the west. The top was everywhere veiled
by a high mist, and this mist had within it a mys-
terious light, which is one of the most startling of
all the south polar effects. As we drew nearer we
noticed that the land was not as it at first appeared,
an endless wall of ice, but rough, irregular and discon-
nected, though it was buried under a mantle of
glacial ice, extending to the water's edge. Here
and there were large bays, and one directly over
our bowsprit was so wide that it offered us a tempt-
ing path southward. Now the maps were carefully
studied that we might be able to fix our position on
paper; but in this effort we failed.

Over the starboard bow rose two beautiful head-
lands, mountains of moderate height, perhaps two
thousand feet ; the first (Mount Pierre) having
around it a circular cloak of ice extending from a
black crown of rocks at the summit to the sea-line,
where it terminated in a perpendicular wall of ice of
about one hundred and twenty feet in height. The
second (Mount Alio) had a similar form but was
much more heavily laden with snow. In front of
these remarkable headlands there was a bay, and
beyond a long series of mountains, clothed in the

130

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

same sheet of perennial ice. Eastward there were a
number of small islands, mostly free of ice, and be-
yond, low under the south-eastern sky, was the dim
outline of an extensive white country. We set our
course somewhat east of south to examine the inter-
ruption between the high mountainous land before
us and the more even country eastward.

That the reader may better understand the posi-
tions I will give the names, which have since been
affixed to the discoveries, as we steam along through
the undiscovered country.

We headed for a small island (Auguste Island),
steaming slowly ; for with the ordinary lead we found
no bottom to the sea, and being in absolutely un-
known water we might at any moment strike a reef,
as we had done twice before. It was ten o'clock at
night before we were near enough to make a landing.
Then a boat was lowered, and into it we piled, eagerly
seizing the first opportunity of our mission to study
the antarctic lands and life. It was a curious night.
Everything about us had an other- world appearance.
The scenery, the life, the clouds, the atmosphere, the
water — everything wore an air of mystery. There
was nothing in our surroundings which resembled
the part of the antipodes with which I was familiar.
Greenland and antarctic landscapes are apparently
as widely different as the distance between them.

Though the sun was sliding eastward just under
the high mountains to the south-west it seemed per-
fectly dark. Nevertheless, on the water, as we pad-
dled over it, there was a curious luminous gray light,
by which it was possible to read coarse print even at

131

THROUGH THE FIRST

midnight. This Hght rested on the new lands to the
east and west, and brought out the snowy outHnes
so perfectly that it was possible to take photographs
throughout the night. The sky, however, continued
black, made so by the sooty clouds which ceaselessly
rose out of the Pacific to drop their white cargoes of
snow on the neighbouring lands. There was at this
time no wind. The water was smooth and glassy, the
land far off and restful ; but the life was otherwise.
Awe-inspiring and strangely interesting were the cu-
rious noises of the cormorants, the penetrating voices
of the gulls, the coarse gka-a-ah, gha-a-ah of the
penguins, the sudden and unexpected spouts of
whales, the splash of seals and penguins, and the
babyish cries of the young animals on the rocks be-
fore us.

There was nothing remarkable in the appearance
of this land upon which we were about to em-
bark. It was a heap of hard rocks, mostly granite.
The northern exposure was bare, the ravines were
still levelled with winter ice, and the southern point
had on it a small ice-cap. We afterwards saw a
hundred others of a similar nature, and all will pass
under the same description. We landed in a small
bight, upon a ledge of rocks. I think Arctowski,
with his hammer and geological bag, was the first to
step ashore, and he was followed by Racovitza, with
his paraphernalia to capture natural history speci-
mens. Gerlache and I next stumbled over fragments
of ice, and stones and impertinent penguins, who
disputed our landing. We wished to get a view of
the new land, but the force of the swell was such

132

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

that we were compelled to return to the boat and
push away from the rocks to save it from being
smashed.

We rested on the oars while Racovitza and Arc-
towski did the honours of the expedition; we tried
to follow them with our glasses as we rocked about
in the boat, but soon lost sight of their movements
in the darkness. We were able to locate Arctowski
by the dull echo of his hammer, and we were able to
trace Racovitza by the chorus of penguins which
greeted him from rock to rock. The alternate inter-
change of the music of the hammer and the war song
of the penguins was an entertainment which to
Gerlache and myself, will be a long and weird remem-
brance. At about midnight we returned to the rocky
ledge to pick up our companions with their loads of
rocks and bags of game. The inhabitants did not
like their visitors. The penguins assembled about
us, picking at our feet ; the gulls hovered threaten-
ingly about our heads ; and even the harmless cormo-
rants dashed to and fro over us, stretching their
long necks to ask our mission. Worst of all the
sea-leopards clambered over the rocks near us,
snorting and defiantly showing their teeth and roll-
ing their large, glassy eyes. As we left it was too
dark to see the movement of an animal one hundred
yards from shore, but the peculiar whiteness which
rested on the scene made it possible to take a
photograph of the island with good details.

During the few hours of night we rested under
easy steam, and in the morning we found ourselves
well into the bight (Hughes Inlet) which we had

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entered. The land before us retreated and offered
even greater hopes of a passage southward. At
five o'clock the sun had already risen over the snowy-
heights of the east and was under the banks of black
clouds which sailed out of the west. There was a
solitude and restfulness about this sunburst, and
the new world of ice under it which is difficult to
describe. Our position at this time was in the cen-
tre of a wide waste of water, about twelve miles
away from the nearest land. We were too far from
the rocks to see birds, and except for an occasional
spout of a whale there was nothing to mar the dead
silence. A strange pang of loneliness came over us
as we paced the deck. There were indications of
channels to the south and west, but from the dis-
tance at which we reviewed the lands every projec-
tion seemed a continuous mass of impenetrable
crystal solitude. Could there be a place more
desperately silent or more hopelessly deserted?

134

CHAPTER X

DISCOVERIES IN A NEW WORLD OF ICE
(continued)

Before going south it was determined to examine
a large bay to the eastward for a possible opening
into the Weddell Sea (Brialmont Bay). The morn-
ing was foggy ; but by noon the mist raised a little
and we found ourselves off a bold, black cliff (Cape
von Sterneck), with an altitude of about fifteen
hundred feet, on a projecting point of land, with a
few islands to the north and one to the south of it.
This bluff forms the eastern headland to the entrance
of what we later discovered was a strait opening
into the Pacific, (Belgica Strait). Passing within a
few miles of the shore we examined carefully the gla-
cial wall which everywhere offered a check to our
passage eastward. The interior of the land was
covered with a cloud which did not lift during the
day, but the coastal edge was distinctly visible, and
offered us excellent opportunities for surveying.

During the night of the 24th we steamed leisurely
across the channel and In the morning we found
ourselves under a clear sky before a series of icy

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walls from 60 to 1 50 feet in height. From the slop-
ing snows over these cliffs there was showered upon
us a light which was perfectly dazzling to the eye.
We selected here two points, where the ice had been
partly melted, offering a footing and a place for
making observations. The boat which took us
ashore was loaded with men and instruments : Le-
cointe, with his nautical instruments ; Danco, with
his magnetic outfit; Racovitza, with guns and knives
and what not, to take specimens of life; Arctowski,
with his big hammer and dozens of bags for stones ;
Amundsen and the writer with snowshoes and
camera, and the sailors with boat-hooks and guns to
keep off and capture seals. If we had started out
to make a month's siege on the new lands and life
we could not have been better supplied. The cove
in which we landed (Harry Island) was a slope of
rounded ice-worn granite rocks, upon which Lecointe
and Danco fixed their tripods. Racovitza turned up
the stones along the shore where he found mys-
terious crawling things which he hailed with as much
delight as if he had found nuggets of gold. Amund-
sen remained in the boat and sought to secure a few
Weddell sea-leopards asleep on a pan of ice, while
Arctowski and I mounted the inland ice to study its
character.

The view which we obtained from the upper slopes
of the land-ice was superb indeed. To the east was
an island (Two Hummock Island) with two bare
hummocks about two thousand five hundred feet
high, and from these, expanding in every direction,
was a bed of ice and snow many hundred feet deep.

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

Beyond this, just barely visible and about fifty miles
from our position, was the feeble snowy outline of
the great country (Dancoland) which offered us no
hope for a passage eastward. Scattered about in
the channel were numerous icebergs with petrels on
their crests, as tenants. Near one of these rested
the Belgica as easy and as stationary as if at anchor.
We were on an island ; except at the sea line, how-
ever, there was not the slightest indication of land.
Everything was buried under a weight of snow and
ice, about five hundred feet in thickness. There
were dome-like elevations and some irregularities,
but all was cold, white and lifeless. To the west of
this island there was a canal with several arms
offering excellent harbour facilities, and beyond,
apparently within a stone's throw, though really ^\^
miles off, was Liege Island with Mount Brugmann,
making the most glorious snowy landscape I eversaw.
Later in the day we followed this land northward
and then proceeded to our first landing-place. It
was a clear, silvery day, with only an occasional
cloud rising out of the black waters of the north.
The temperature was close to the freezing point,
but the air was calm and dry. We were dressed in
ordinary clothing, without overcoats, and when
engaged in rowing, or climbing, our jackets were
removed. Even lightly dressed, we perspired while
trying to scale the cliffs of ice. The water was a joy
to behold. It was like a mill-pond. Easy ripples
deflected the sunbeams on the mirrored surface, and
everywhere, on the surface and under it, could be
seen the soft whiteness of the land-ice and the sav-

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age blackness of the noonataks. We kept the coast
within five miles on our port side ; at this distance
it presented a scene such as one sees nowhere else
in the world. There were in the foreground a few
rocks too steep for snow to rest upon, black except
on the north-eastern face, where a little moss added
a flush of red and green ; in the background every-
thing was loaded down by continental ice. The
inland ice, unlike that of Greenland, was irregular,
and took the general outline of the mountain ridge
under it. There was in view, for a distance of
twenty miles, extending north-east and south-west,
an unbroken series of mountains and ice-walls.

We spent the afternoon surveying this coast, and
at 5 o'clock we were off the rounded peak (Mount
Alio) which we first saw on the 23d. We then
steamed again for the little island (Auguste) upon
which we made our first debarkment. Here we rested
under steam for the few hours of twilight, during the
midnight hours, and on the 26th a number of sights
were made for triangulation. The morning of the 27th
was spent in a similar way. In the afternoon we
steamed south to a number of small rocks (Gaston Is-
lands), which we thought might be the islands laid
down by Larsen on the east coast. Larsen claimed to
have looked northward from his islands without
seeing land, but w^e found it otherwise. The day was
hazy, and, though the ice-wall of the coast was con-
stantly visible, the interior of the country to both sides
of us was obscured under clouds. A debarkment was
made on one of the supposed Larsen Islands. They
were three in number, of irregular shape and in size ;

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the largest was not more than a mile in its longest
diameter. The two largest islands had, in the cen-
tre, cone-like peaks of bare rocks, from which an ice-
mantle spread out to the shore line, as it does on all
the antarctic islands. The smallest one upon which
we landed was not more than a half mile wide and
three quarters of a mile long. There was about it
nothing to indicate land except a shelf of volcanic
rocks upon which we placed the geologist with his
hammer, while the boat withdrew to keep from
being dashed to pieces on the rocks. The tide was
low, and if Arctowski had been left there, or if our
boat had been lost, we should have been forced to
climb a vertical cliff of ice one hundred feet high, or
take to the rising sea of ice-water, as did the seals
and penguins. Neither prospect seemed agreeable,
and the danger of falling ice from the cliffs was such
that we soon returned to the ship. The haze of the
morning thickened to a dense fog, which entirely
blocked out our view of the main shore-lines on both
sides. We steamed westerly in a line over which
the channel seemed to open into a large body of
water.

The prevailing query on board was, "Is this the
Pacific or the Atlantic ? "

The weather continuing foggy, we took advantage
of the time to augment our water supply. Up to this
time we had made eight debarkments, but found
no place where fresh water could be taken. There
were about us a large number of icebergs. One of
these offered an even side as a dock, and to this we
attempted to anchor the Belgica that we might se-

139

THROUGH THE FIRST

cure ice from it, which could be melted and put into
our tanks. The ship was taken to the side, while
men with ice anchors and axes mounted to the berg.
The men succeeded in placing the anchors, and also
chopped a supply of ice ; but the motion of the berg
was such that it nearly stove in the ribs of the ves-
sel in the effort to load. We were compelled to cast
off and leave the unruly berg. A few days later,
however, we found a small glacial stream from which
we secured a good supply of water, which served us
for several months.

Being still unwilling to advance into the unknown
region before us while enshrouded in mist, we drew
near a prominent mountain peak (Cape Anna),
whose front was perpendicular and free of snow to the
seashore. This peak was, as we learned on the fol-
lowing day, one of a number extending far into the
south-west. We made a debarkment at its base.
Here was life in profusion, as indeed it was on every
rock where life could gain a footing. The noise from
the birds which re-echoed from cliff to cliff was so
deafening that our attempts at conversation were in-
audible. The lower rocks were lined with snoring
and grunting sea-leopards. Columns of vapour rose
above the water followed by a hiss like that of a steam-
engine, and a second later the blue back of a whale,
with its long fin and ponderous tail, lashed the water
into a foamy whirlpool. The great wall of land-ice,
which rose to each side of the black cliff, gave us a
shelf as a landing-place, and from this wall came
frequent sounds like the explosion of a cannon, each
followed by a great splash and a commotion in the

140

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

water. With such reports, parts of the wall would
constantly break away and explode into a million
pieces, strewing the water with small fragments of
ice, but not with icebergs. Above us rose a cliff to
an altitude of about two thousand feet; out from
this were projecting mantel-like rocks, which served
as resting - places for cormorants and sea - gulls.
Here the young ones, dressed in gray down, coaxed
their mothers for food. We expected to see the lit-
tle things drop from the narrow resting-places to be
destroyed on our heads or on the rocks below, but
such an accident rarely happened. Our greatest
surprise here was the discovery of large quantities
of moss and lichens, which gave the spot an appear-
ance of life that to us, after having seen nothing but ice
and black rocks for so many days, made it a true oasis.
From this point we were able to see in a splendid
manner almost the entire length of the channel ex-
plored to this time ; but we had not yet been able
to make a running survey of the regions in our im-
mediate vicinity. To get a better view it was
decided to ascend to the interior of the land and
scale one of the noonataks. In a bay (Buls Bay) to
the northward the land offered an easy slope and to
it we steamed on the following day. In our prepara-
tions for this ascent we made arrangements to camp
on the inland ice for a week. A tent was taken,
sleeping bags, and fur clothing were gotten out, and
bags of provisions were packed, all of which was
lashed on two small sledges. Volunteers were called
for and those who responded were Arctowski, Danco,
Amundsen, and the writer. Led by Gerlache we

141

THROUGH THE FIRST

landed late on the afternoon of the 31st on a little
point of land (Cape d'Ursel) with a northern or
sunny face. We climbed the steep slopes for five
hundred feet, and then camped for the night. The
first night was one of stormy discomfort. A wind
came out of the bed of a glacier above us, against
which we could hardly stand. It took two men
to hold up the tent, and the combined efforts of
all hands to keep from having our effects scat-
tered over the cliffs but a few yards away. On
the 1st of February we made another effort and
mounted a few miles into the interior, but fog and
wind and crevasses made frequent halts necessary.
The sledges were heavily loaded and were difficult
to drag, and altogether the work of travelling and.
the discomfort of camping were such that the life
was generally miserable. We succeeded, however,
in mounting to the peak of a noonatak, with an alti-
tude of about fifteen hundred feet, and from there
Gerlache and Danco were able to get the obser-
vations necessary for the rough survey of our sur-
roundings. The view before us was even more
beautiful, if possible, than anything we had seen
since our first entrance into this new white world.
To the south-west there was an opening through a
new land and into a new sea, which remained for us
to explore later. To the north-east, descending in-
to the white airy distance, were the two high banks
of the new highway. Before us was a small island,
shaped like a biscuit, and like everything antarctic,
it was covered with ice to the water's edge. Around
this berg-like island were a number of icebergs,

142

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

stranded on submerged rocks, and these, by occa-
sional mysterious explosions, sent up the noise and
the commotion of a thousand cannons. The oppo-
site shore here retreated, making two large bays.
In these bays were a number of islands, beyond
which we could see clearly a narrow canal. The
land which spread out under the southern and eas-
tern skies offered no promise of a passage eastward;
it had a series of black cliffs parallel to the coast
about five miles beyond the edge of the sea, and
beyond these the white outline of the land rose into
the clouds.

After a stay of seven days, which was our first
camping experience in the antarctic, and the first
in the history of south polar exploration, we gladly
betook ourselves to the good old bark, which
had returned from a cruise southward. During our
absence the Belgica, under Lecointe's direction,
had been on an exploring cruise to the south. The
effort was brilliantly successful, for Lecointe reported
the discovery of several islands, upon one of which
Racovitza had discovered the metropolis of Belgica
Strait, a city of forty thousand penguins, and be-
yond these islands there was what promised to be
an unobstructed highway into the Pacific. To ex-
amine this and the extension of the waters before us
was our next mission ; but Lecointe was not yet
satisfied that the wide bay opposite our encampment
(Wilhelmina Bay), did not extend through Danco-
land to the Atlantic. During the night of February
6th we steamed across the Strait, and early on the
following morning we were off Cape Murray. Keep-

143

THROUGH THE FIRST

ing close to the shores we followed the great wall of
ice which lined the shore-line from Cape Murray to
Cape Reclus. At noon we rounded Cape Reclus, a
long tongue of land-ice with a saddle-shaped moun-
tain in the center, and entered a canal-like body of
water, with the high ice-walls of Dancoland on
the east and the shore lines of Nansen and Brooklyn
Islands on the west. This was certainly a fairy-like
scene ; but a heavy fog settled down over us, block-
ing out, for a time, the savage peaks which pierced
the heavy spread of snow and reared their towering
heights far into the dull skies. In this fog the water
had the colour and the glimmer of polished silver,
while the walls of ice rising from the shore-lines stood
out in great lines of ultramarine blue. We con-
tinued our search along the mainland, and in the
evening we found ourselves opposite Sophie Rocks,
which we had seen from the other side. The body
of water through which we sailed on this day has
been given the name '' Chenal de la Plata," in
honour of the capital of the Argentine Republic.

A scene which I photographed at midnight on
February 7th pictures this land in a faithful manner.
The sun was just under the land-ice, painting the sky
in orange and the land in gold, while gliding north-
ward behind a great crested peak 4,000 feet in height.
To each side of this black peak were rugged edges
of stratified rocks which had once been under the sea,
but were now raised to an elevation of two thousand
feet, and buried under a sheet of ice of more than
a thousand feet in thickness.

On the morning of February 8th we had coni-

144

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

pleted a rough survey of the mainland eastward, and
a running survey of the eastern banks of the Liege
and Brabant Islands. We did not follow the chan-
nels leading northward and westward, nor did we
prolong our examination of the lands in that direc-
tion beyond the banks of Belgica Strait. We steamed
around Cape Anna, and then headed for a remark-
able cliff, at the base of which we made our four-
teenth debarkment. The day was a delight. The
sun showered its full wealth of rays on the sloping
snows with such force that the reflected beams made
the air and the water perfectly dazzling. It was a
photographic day. As the ship steamed rapidly
along, spreading out one panorama after another of
a new world, the noise of the camera was as regular
and successive as the tap of a stock ticker. Not less
than three hundred photographs were taken on this
day. Surely, in the hundred miles of land which we
discovered on this memorable day there were no
landmarks which were not on our plates. Every-
body was on deck with pencil and paper, some mak-
ing nautical and geographical notes, others geologi-
cal and topographical notes, and all recording the
strange other- world scenic effects. Even the sailors,
the cabin-boy, and the cooks were out with paper
and note-books, taking long looks and then bending
over their paper.

The landscape was not materially different from
what it had been along the scores of miles which we
had discovered during the days previous, but the
clearness of the atmosphere made it possible to see
to the limit of every point of the horizon. There

145

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were on this day many notable sights, but I shall
mention only two. Early in the afternoon we saw
on the northern side of the channel a great red cliff
of granite. Its bare face was only about one thousand
feet high, but, with its snow-covered base and its icy
crest, it stood up boldly to an altitude of three thou-
sand feet against the clouds, which now came from
the south-west. A little farther south the channel
was divided into two arms by an island, with a bold
round rock as a headland (Cape Eivind Astrup).
We took the western arm. This passage was not
more than from two to five miles in width, and its
length was about forty miles. We entered it at
four o'clock, and steamed for six hours in a silvery
fjord, whose walls of ice and rock rose over us to
a height of from three to four thousand feet. At
ten o'clock we saw the black sky of the Pacific and
the terminating banks of the newly discovered Strait.

Here, within sight of the Pacific, was a large bay
(Borgen Bay) surrounded by mountains (Osterrieth
Mountains) fully three thousand feet high and cov-
ered with snow to their summits. In this bay we
rested for the night.

The morning of the 9th was as beautiful as the
day previous, and under the warm rays of the sun
we made two debarkments to fix the position of the
landmarks of the southern opening of the new Strait,
and to make the usual scientific collections and obser-
vations. The time from the 9th to the 12 th was
spent in exploring this region. The country was
somewhat higher than any we had seen farther
northward. Glacial discharge had a greater tend-

146

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

ency to be sent out by tongues into the sea. The
northern cape (Cape Lancaster) has a long tongue
of ice rising with an easy slope to a single mountain
of moderate height. This agrees well in position with
the Mount William of Biscoe. The southern cape
(Cape Reynard) is made prominent by a number of
needle-like peaks, which are too steep to offer a
resting-place for snow. Between these two prom-
inent capes is a large island (Wiencke Island), which
has running through its center a ridge of high peaks
(Sierra Du Fief), nearly free of snow. The north-
ern point of Wiencke Island is a black bluff crowned
with an even sheet of ice which breaks off into the
water to both sides of the cape. This point has
been named in honor of the faithful companion of
Lieutenant Peary, the friend of Mr. Amundsen and
myself, Eivind Astrup (now deceased). The south-
ern cape (Cape Errera) is remarkable, because upon
it is a unique pyramidal peak. Just beyond the
southern termination of Wiencke Island there are a
number of small ice-capped islands (Wauwermans
Islands).

In the past three weeks we have been remarkably
successful in discovering new regions. Without
encountering any serious difficulty we have passed
through a new highway from Bransfield Strait, two
hundred miles south-westerly, through an unknowii
land to the Pacific, which has been given the name
"Detroit de la Belgica." This highway is perfectly
free, in summer, for ordinary navigation. The scores
of new islands which dot the virgin waters are in-
habited by countless millions of penguins and cor-

147

THROUGH THE FIRST

morants, while great numbers of seals are in evidence
on every accessible rock or ledge of ice. In the
waters are large numbers of finback whales which,
with the seals, will in the near future offer a new
industry. To the west of Belgica Strait there are
four large mountainous islands (Liege, Brabant,
Grand, and Anvers Islands). These islands are
probably guarded seaward by a great number of
small islands. Over this group we have written the
American name. Palmer Archipelago, in justice to
the young Yankee sealer, Nathaniel Palmer, who
first of all men saw the outer line of this still un-
known coast. The various islands, mountains, capes,
bays, and headlands have been named in honour of
Belgian friends of the expedition. We have not,
however, forgotten prominent outside workers, as is
clearly shown by Neumayer Channel and Nansen
Island. The honor of bestowing some names fell to
the lot of each officer. Two islands, which it has
been my privilege to name, are called Brooklyn and
Van Wyck Islands ; Brooklyn, in honour of the city
of my home, and Van Wyck, in honour of the first
Mayor of Greater New York.

To the east of Belgica Strait the shore-line is un-
broken. It has many deep indentations, but there
is no passage into the Atlantic. A continuous wall
of ice, from fifty to one hundred feet high, fronts the
coast everywhere. This land is from two thousand
to four thousand feet high, with mountains farther
inland perhaps six thousand feet in altitude. Every
valley and every surface which is not perpendicular
is buried by a sheet of never-melting ice. We were

148

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

not able to follow the coast of this country far enough
south to determine the interesting question whether
it is continuous with Grahamland or not. This land
has received the name Terre de Danco, in memory
of our late faithful companion, Lieutenant Emile
Danco.

149

CHAPTER XI

FROM DANCOLAND TO ALEXANDER ISLANDS

At about eight o'clock in the evening of the
twelfth we select what seems to be a comfortable
resting-place for the night. Owing to the great
depth of water we cannot anchor; hence, in ac-
cordance with our previous habits, a little steam
is kept up for an emergency movement, and the
Belgica is allowed to drift with the winds and
the currents during the hours of rest. No one
ever knew except the officers on the watch how
many narrow escapes we had in our silent hours
of slumber. Quietly but quickly the bark moves
about, now in danger of being thrown against an
iceberg; now being propelled by some mysteri-
ous force in a direct line for a rocky island, or the
huge blue ice-wall of the mainland. Danger and de-
struction are always within sight. They are over
the gunwale on every side. And then there is al-
ways the hazard of submerged reefs upon which we
might easily and unexpectedly ride to a rapid end.
Hair's-breadth escapes have been on hand daily,
until now we have become hardened to the real
dangers which are constantly before us. But up to

150

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the present nothing has happened, and this freedom
from casuahies is due to the persistent watchfulness,
the painstaking care, and the praiseworthy faithful-
ness of the officers and men on watch.

The night is of special interest to me. There is
something about the air, the water, the ice, and the
land, which fixes my attention and makes sleep im-
possible. There is a glitter in the sea, a sparkle on
the ice, and a stillness in the atmosphere, which fas-
cinates the soul but overpowers the mind. There is
a solitude and restfulness about the whole scene
which can only be felt ; it cannot be described.
Here, to the east, the face of the mysterious land is
clothed by the successive sheets of snows of the
sleeping years of countless silent centuries. About
us are scores of icebergs, huge table-topped, pyra-
midal, and castle-like masses, fragments of this same
unknown blanket of accumulated snows which clothes
every aspect of antarctic land.

Out of the unfathomed blackness of the ocean to
the west rise a series of heavy mouse-coloured
clouds, with their cargoes of vapour, which sail over
us in a regular train to deposit their snows on
the unsealed heights of the overland sea of ice east-
ward ; under the stream of vapour floating landward
there is an occasional puff of icy wind rolling down
the stupendous white heights of Grahamland, which
suddenly chills the air about us and renders it in-
capable of suspending its charge of humidity. As a
result, there is either an occasional shower of snow
or a bank of fog which, for a time, veils the electric
splendour of our chilly fairyland.

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Although the sky is cloudy and dull, and the sun
is below the horizon, there is a mystic light thrown
against the masts and every projecting object, which
is, indeed, strangely puzzling. The sun is sliding
eastward under the southern sky, and over it, close
to the horizon, hangs a narrow band of lemon
which remains from sunset to sunrise. This zone of
lemon is the only suggestion of colour in the
heavens, and, curiously enough, the light does not
seem to come from the regions over the sun but
from the east. There is a haze over the land which
is luminous throughout the short night. The ice-
blink, here, from the snowy mountains far beyond
the horizon, is reflected from slope to slope and then
into the land mist, giving it a curious glow which at
first seems inexplicable. This vapour changes in
colour from sapphire during the evening, to tur-
quoise at midnight, and again to violet at dawn.
These hues, with their indescribable gradations, are
spread over the whites and blacks of the waters, and
the snow and the rocks of the land. It all seems
like an artist's dream.

This morning, the thirteenth, opened with a bril-
liant rosy sunburst over the icy alabaster walls of
Grahamland : but this charm soon gave way to a
black mist which quickly suppressed the glory in
which we had rested during the few hours of mid-
night twilight. We are steaming slowly westward,
but the obscurity and the threatening character of
the weather prevents material progress. There is a
light breeze from the north-east, and a heavy swell
from the north-west. The temperature remains

152

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

steadily at. 08° €.(33.44° F.). We encounter small ice
loosely strewn in the waters in considerable quanti-
ties as we advance, but owing to its diminutive size
it does not offer any difficulties to our progress.
This ice differs greatly from any which I have seen
floating upon the sea either before or since. There
is no ice of the same character in the arctic. It is
a form seen only along the outer edges of the ant-
arctic lands. There are three varieties of ice which
are held here close to the land by the huge swell of
the South Pacific. The kind in greatest abundance,
giving the entire collection an appearance different
from all other packs of ice, is mostly from two to five
feet in diameter, with irregular glassy angles. It
consists of fragments of fresh-water ice from the
glacial wall which everywhere fronts the antarctic
lands. Some, too, are the product of iceberg dis-
ruption. Mixed with these hard, blue crystalline
masses, are some spongy pieces of salt-water ice,
which are the product of pan-ice disruption. Every-
where the white spires and table-tops of the colos-
sal icebergs are seen to rise over the restless icy
water. At about three o'clock the sun burst through
the dark curtain of mist which hung over us, and the
dull, ice-strewn sea, which had been dreary and
cheerless and full of hidden dangers, became a most
charming array of glittering brightness.

This is our first view of any considerable quantity
of the sea-ice of the antarctic, and as it rises and
falls on the breast of the new polar ocean it offers a
dazzling glow, and a life which fill us with a
healthful enthusiasm. Steam is now quickly in-

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creased, the sails are set, and the officers take their
positions to push the Belgica southward, farther into
the unknown. The scientific men are scattered
about, some in the masts, some on the bridge, and
others on the poop ; all looking anxiously for
surprises in the new life and scenes about us. Even
the sailors cannot resist the temptation to stand still
and drink, with awe-inspiring amazement, the strange
wine of action which hangs over the mysterious
whiteness of the new world of ice.

Although we feel that we are on the threshold of
more great discoveries, and although, for some un-
explained reason, we are all in a fever-heat of excite-
ment, quite like a prize-fighter on the eve of a great
battle, calmly and coolly considered there is nothing
very wonderful in our immediate surroundings. The
weather is quiet but unsettled. A heavy sea rolls in
under the pack-ice through which we plough. To
the west there is a black sky and under it, just on
the horizon, is the dark line of an open sea with the
marbled peaks of bergs silhouetted against the black
sheen of the heavens. Far to the eastward, about
seventy miles off, is the rough outline of the great
white land which we have followed for the past three
weeks. From the crow's-nest at the masthead we
can see fifty miles of this strange country. It begins
in the north-east and fades away in the airy distance
of the south-west. Over the port-bow there is a fjord-
like break through the land which seems to extend
eastward as far as our eyes can reach. This may be
another canal like Belgica Strait. If so, its position
corresponds fairly well with Bismarck Strait, which

154

V
V

a,
a
U

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

was vaguely seen by the German sealer, Dallmaa
The opening, however, of this prospective strait is
choked with heavy ice and, though we are eager to
push landward and examine the coast carefully, the
drift-ice forces us farther and farther away from the
shore-line. In our over-anxious efforts to keep the
coast in sight we have pushed into an area of ice
which, for a time, shatters our new hopes.

This area is covered by ice such as we have passed
through all day. As the sea rolls under, it seems a
quivering mass of small fragments. There is nothing
about it to suggest its ensnaring powers. We steam
into a tongue which spreads out seaward. Over this
there is a smoky sky indicating that behind this ice,
and immediately before us, there is an open sea.
Soon after we enter the ice, an on-shore wind and
swell force the fragments together and bring a num-
ber of icebergs against the pack edge. We try with
steam and sails to gain our release from the sudden
embrace, but our efforts will be of no avail until the
wind changes and the icy grip loosens. Our sur-
roundings are wildly picturesque. To the east of
us are the high peaks and limitless glaciers of
Grahamland. The country is visible for only short
periods and in patches, for a high fog hangs constantly
over the land, leaving only an opening here and
there. To the west the sky is fairly clear. A dark
smoky zone near the horizon indicates the limits of
the ice and the open sea beyond. Hundreds of ice-
bergs are on the horizon. These are of a size and
type quite similar to those of the arctic sea. The
entire mass — icebergs, sea-ice, and the ship — rises

155

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and falls with the gigantic heave of this South Pacific,
and for a time it seems as though we are to be
carried with the moving drift against one of a num-
ber of small islands. But a change in the direction
of the wind promises to so separate the ice that we
shall soon be able to force our way out into the
open sea westward.

February 1 4. — We are again showered by a
cold drizzling fog. We have reached clear water
and are pushing slowly southward. During the
day the fog rose occasionally, giving us a peep
of the black peaks and the snowy, glacial plains and
slopes of Grahamland ; but everywhere the drift-ice
is packed against the land in such a manner as to
offer no hope for a safe approach. Late in the
day we came to a point where the drift-ice sud-
denly terminated, and left the land accessible.
The officers and men worked hard all through
last night, in their efforts to extricate the bark, and
everybody is now thoroughly exhausted. We
sought the land to find some sort of a haven where
the vessel might rest during the night, while the men
try to gain a few hours' sleep. But our experiences in
this venture were not such as to be conducive to
slumber ; indeed, it proved one of the most anxious
and restless nights which had fallen to our lot while
in this region. During the early part of the evening
we felt particularly pleased at the prospect of a quiet
night. Everything seems to promise this. The
weather is clearing ; the temperature has fallen a
degree or two ; the sky exhibits a bit of blue here
and there ; and even the ever stormy sea eases its

156

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

merciless pitches. The Belgica gHdes along easily
and restfully as though she expected the needed
period of rest, while the petrels and gulls hover
over us as if to pilot us to a safe retreat. At
six o'clock we are within a few miles of a chain of
low islands. They are small masses, mostly about
a quarter of a mile in their greatest diameter. Some
are completely buried by a cap of ice sixty feet
thick, but others are bare. The rocks are mostly
granite, smoothly polished by the combined action
of the sea and the ice. With our glasses we can
see small patches of green and brown moss in
sheltered nooks ; the snows along the shore are
tinged red from penguin habitation, and green with
sea algae. Scattered all about these islands are a
great number of large icebergs. The chain of
islands and the berg certainly offer us a safe and
promising shelter.

After steaming into a canal beyond which we ex-
pected to lay-to we found ourselves suddenly and
unexpectedly surrounded by white crests, under
which appeared a circle of submerged rocks. So
complete was this hidden circle of danger about us
that we could not, for a long time, find a spot where
the distance between two rocks was sufficient to per-
mit an escape. We dropped a lead fifty fathoms, sev-
eral times, but found no bottom. A current rushed
over the reefs and with our full force we could barely
make headway against it. In this position, with
the swash of the breaking waters coming to us out
of the darkness, with the penguins and the gulls
screaming premonitions of danger, we struggled

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against a current which seemed set to effect our des-
truction on one of the reefs behind us. The firemen
forced the steam, and the engineer urged on the
engines as he had never done before. Little by
Httle we gained on the force of the current and headed
for an iceberg which was about one hundred feet
high. We argued that if there was sufficient water
to strand this berg it would be enough for us ; but
the passage to the berg was not more than one
hundred feet wide, and if there were or were not
dangerous shallows there we had no means of deter-
mining. The sea was too heavy to send a boat in
advance to make a sounding ; and because of the
rocky and uneven character of the sea bottom, sound-
ings from on board gave us little warning. We
must steam on and take our chances.

These were anxious moments. We expected mo-
mentarily to feel a sudden jar and a sudden arrest of
our progress. We had had such an experience
twice before, and now expected a third. Amundsen
was in the foremast; Gerlache and Lecointe were
on the bridge ; Arctowski and I were on the bow-
sprit. We were all looking for and expecting
trouble, but we passed beyond the angry crests of
the reefs and out into deeper waters safely. The
sense of relief and rest which came over us at this
time was indeed a godsend.

Selecting a position in the lee of these islands, and
close to a large grounded iceberg, the bark was
brought up to the wind and kept under easy steam.
It was difficult to keep from drifting onto the islands
or the bergs. At midnight the wind came down

158

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

from the glacial gullies and brushed the masts with
hellish force, sending us pitching and tossing over
the disturbed sea in a manner which unbalanced
the equilibrium of the stomachs of even the oldest
sailors. Now we rocked within a few yards of the
death-dealing wall of a berg, and again we rolled
uncomfortably near the phosphorescent breakers of
a submerged mountain. Material for our destruc-
tion was always close at hand, and we went out often
to see it. Sleep, rest, and quietude were far from
us on this memorable night of the fourteenth.

Early in the morning of the fifteenth we withdrew
from our nightmare of terrors and took to the more
stormy and less dangerous waters westward. There
had been some snow, and rain, and sleet during the
night. The ropes were coated with ice, the masts
incased in a glassy plating, and the decks as slip-
pery as ice could make them. The sea struck us
heavily under the starboard poop and spread a spray
of water over the quarter-deck. We took the wind
from the north-east and set a course south-south-west.
The wind being free it became necessary to manipu-
late the sails and hustle about on deck. With the
vessel madly rocking, the ropes incased in ice, and the
floor glassy and glittering, the difficulty of this work
can be more easily imagined than written. In one
corner there a sailor on hands and knees was trying
to keep from being used as a baseball ; in another,
an officer was making the air sulphureous because
the ice on the ropes has cut his hand. Just
then the cook came along, and finding it more
easy to stand on his head than on his feet, the

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soup was spread over the ice as a lubricant ; and
then some one uttered complaints in easy Belgica
language because there would be no soup for his
dinner. Altogether this was a day of misery, and it
was followed by many of a like nature.

Nearly everybody was seasick to-day ; at least,
everybody would be if they admitted the truth. No
one feels quite comfortable ; we are all inexpressibly
tired and sleepy and uncomfortable at the pit of the
stomach, but nobody admits being a worshipper of
Neptune. One is bilious, another has eaten some
''embalmed beef," some have headaches, others rheu-
matism. All the symptoms indicate ordinary sea-
sickness, the effects of the sudden throws upon the
brisk, choppy sea. I have often noticed this glum
feeling come over an entire ship's company after
being in ice or sheltered waters for any considerable
time, as we have been. We pride ourselves, how-
ever, as being weather-beaten sailors, and having
passed the nauseating storms of Cape Horn we
are not going to admit mal de mer, even if we did
feed the fish several times during the course of a
meal.

1 60

CHAPTER XII

ACROSS THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE— FIRST EFFORTS
TO PENETRATE THE PACK

On the evening of
the fifteenth we had
sunk the land and
the drift-ice under
the north - eastern
horizon. There re-
Snowy Petrel, mains, in that direc-

(Pagodro^anivea). ^^^^^ ^^ ice-bHuk, a

bright, cream -colored zone on the sky, which indi-
cates that ice and land is not far off Icebergs are
about us in great numbers, but they are all small,
hard, rounded masses, showing the effect of stormy
seas. None are over one hundred feet high, and all
have a polished surface with huge blue cavities, into
which the sea rushes with a cannon-like roar. Giant
petrels, cape pigeons, albatrosses and gulls hover
about the bark in the air, but in the water we see no
life. The night promises to be clear, with a continued
fair wind sending us along at the rate of six knots
without steam. We are all on deck watching the good
old ship plough her way merrily through the virgin
antarctic seas, feeling proud of her sterling qualities,

i6i

THROUGH THE FIRST

and of her sailing capacity, when the Captain sud-
denly springs into an ecstasy. He acts like a boy
with a new toy. We look about for the reason
for all the commotion, and he points to the heavens ;
there, through a break in the low stratus clouds,
gleams a star. It is a lonely speck in a narrow
strip of blue, but it is the first star which we have
seen while along the edge of the south polar lands.

If our dead reckoning is correct we shall cross the
antarctic circle to-night, but we have had no op-
portunity for several days to fix our position. The
intermittent fogs and heavy clouds which hang over
us constantly have deprived us of the necessary
glimpses of the sun, the moon, and the stars, with
which to make the nautical calculations. At present
our positions by account are only guesses at an actual
location because of our absolute ignorance of the cur-
rents. During the day and the preceding night we
passed great numbers of icebergs, but they were all
of the sea- washed and storm-rasped type ; irregular
in shape, few over a hundred feet high, and all of
a dull gray blue colour. The bergs here seem to
be fragments of larger tabular masses. Early in
the evening a yellow cloud-like figure rose out of
the south-east. This, on a closer approach, proved
to be a continuation of the mainland. There were
tall angular peaks which stood out boldly against
the ice-blink thrown upon the vapour which hangs
over the land. Between these black peaks were
blue valleys filled with glaciers, pouring their frozen
streams down the slopes and out into the sea.

At eight o'clock on the morning of the sixteenth

162

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

we came on deck to gain the first view of the new
panorama which the lifting fogs had unveiled. The
land here, behind a very bold black headland mark-
ing the bluff point of a projecting cape, trends sud-
denly eastward and sinks under the horizon. The
north-western side of this cape is remarkable for its
great tongue of ice spreading out smoothly from a
snow-covered ridge far interior, and breaking off in
an even uninterrupted wall of ice at the seashore.
The southern shore has also a great ice-wall, but
this wall is interrupted by several black, rocky cliffs
which separate the land-ice into numerous glacial
streams. Beyond the black headland there are two
sharp peaks, about four thousand feet high, and to
each side of these are a few dome-like mountains of
a lesser height. About ten miles beyond this ridge
there is a chain of white peaks, with a general
height of perhaps six thousand feet, running parallel
to the eastward trend of the coast. Far to the
south, still fifty or sixty miles off, we saw a great
mass of high land which later proved to be a group
of islands. Between the headland eastward, upon
which our eyes first landed, and the great cliffs to
the south, there is a break in the land which may be
a bay or a strait. It is filled with heavy sea-ice and
studded with countless icebergs, making an exami-
nation of the continuation of the coast impossible.
We were compelled to set a' course southward, leav-
ing open the question as to whether the coast of
Grahamland ends here or extends farther poleward.
Leaving this land behind us we steamed southward
during the day, pressing as closely to the land in

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that direction as the pack-ice, which was held close
to the shore, would permit. We decided, at this
time, that the land before us was Alexanderland, and
behind us, probably, that which is charted as Adelaide
Island ; but there is nothing about this latter land,
as we view it over the stern, which indicates that it
is an island. If an island, which Lecointe doubts,
it must be a very large one, with the eastern ter-
mination beyond our horizon. On the whole, it
seems to us like a very large country, ridged by
at least two high mountain chains, which are covered
with ice to their peaks. We have formed the im-
pression that it is a part of the mainland, and con-
clude that a strait probably separates Grahamland
from the farther antarctic. But this is merely an
impression ; the facts are that the land, though
agreeing in position with the assigned location of
Adelaide Island, does not bear any resemblance to
the discoverer's meagre description. As to the land
before us, there seems to be no doubt among the
officers but that it is the country charted Alexander
I. Land, by the Russian explorer, Bellingshausen,
seventy-six years ago. He saw it only from a great
distance and it has not been seen by human eyes
before or since. Now the Belgica is heading for
it; but there is so much heavy pack-ice, which
appears to embrace the shores, that we do not
entertain any hopes of effecting a landing.

At noon our latitude was 6"]^ 58^ south, the longi-
tude, 69° 53' west of Greenwich. We hauled a
little westward of the outer drift of the pack, and
Alexanderland rose up over our port bow still forty

164

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

or fifty miles away. There are scattered in the
waters westward, and in the pack eastward, forty-
four icebergs of moderate size. About half of these
are tabular in form ; the other half are of the pinna-
cled and sea-washed, or weather-worn variety. A
few small black-billed penguins are in the water,
darting over the surface and again into the deep,
with electric swiftness. Close to the pack-ice, there
rises from the black surface of the sea, a number of
columns of vapour-like jets. Through our glasses
we see under these the black backs of whales with
large dorsal fins, and occasionally a ponderous tail
whips the water into a foamy whirlpool. On some
of the pans of ice are seals basking in the sun, and
over the ship, apparently touching the masts and
the ropes as the bark rocks to and fro, are giant
petrels, Cape pigeons, gulls, white, brown, and blue
petrels, all pointing their bills and stretching their
necks to examine, perhaps for the first time, human
beings and their crafts.

There is a dreamy stillness in the air, in spite of
the frequent stirs of wild life, and a charming touch
of colour to the sea, the ice, and the land, though
the sky is dull, gray, and gloomy. At first glance
all seems white and black, and we are impressed
with the weight of the awful snowy solitude
into which we are entering. A sense of chilly
loneliness is more and more forced upon us by the
passing panorama of snow, and ice, and deserted
rocks. But, critically considered, after the first pangs
of desolation have passed, there are a few of us who
find some cheer and colour in the harmony of the

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THROUGH THE FIRST

perennial chilliness before us. This morning there
was a break in the clouds, and through this came a
flood of yellow light which made the bergs and the
icy cliffs of Alexanderland stand out like walls of
gold. Shortly after noon a pale blue was thrown
over the white glitter of the pack, which increased
the high lights, darkened the shadows, and made
the moving mass of whiteness, as it rose and fell with
the giant wave of the sea, a thing of gladness.

At four o'clock in the afternoon we had made a
rough outline of the new land before us. It proved
to be a group of islands (Alexander Islands) about
twenty-five miles long and from ten to fifteen miles
wide. There is one large central island, about
eighteen miles long, with a high ridge of mountains
running approximately from east to west. In this
ridge there are three peaks not less than four thou-
sand, f[VG hundred feet in altitude. These are quite
pyramidal in form and are covered with snow to their
summits, with only an occasional bare, perpendicular
rock. This ridge of mountains tapers gradually
towards the west and terminates abruptly in the
east. Running parallel to this central ridge, about
four miles southward, there is a lesser chain of moun-
tains about two thousand feet high, whose sides sink
almost perpendicularly into the sea. There is also
a similar ridge to the southward. The two valleys
between these three ridges of mountains are filled
with great sheets of glacial ice. We had a splendid
view of these glaciers as we passed about twenty
miles off the western end of the island. The northern
valley was rough, much crevassed, and generally

1 66

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

irregular, extending its tongue out over the sea for
several miles. The valley south of the central
ridge appeared like a great plain with easy slopes
toward the sea, where the frozen mass seemed to
project over the waters for a short distance. Around
this one large island were a number of small
islands, angular rocky masses, mostly covered with
caps of glacial ice. These, from a greater distance,
appeared to be a part of the main central land
mass. The vast number of icebergs to the east-
ward of the land gave it, also, from a greater dis-
tance, the appearance of being connected with some
larger land eastward ; but from our various positions
we were able to make out distinctly that the islands
are a separate group with no other land eastward
within sight. Our positions northward in the morn-
ing and southward during the night, proved this.
We saw some signs of land to the south during the
afternoon, but these vanished later. It was evidently
a mirage.

We lost sight of the Alexander Islands at about ten
o'clock last night, when it became too dark to see
more than a few miles. During the night we
steamed slowly over a south-westerly course close to
the edge of the pack. At 6 a. m. (February 1 7)
the fires were covered and the sails braced to a fair
wind, sending us along, south-westerly, at the rate
of about four knots. There was some rain and snow
during the night, which lined the decks, covered the
ropes, and sheeted the sails with ice. So thoroughly
were the sails incased that we were unable to set the
patent topsails. We hammered and pounded the

167

THROUGH THE FIRST

sails and then we pulled and lugged at the ropes,
but our efforts were in vain. The steam-winch was
brought to our aid, but it, too, failed to bring down
the icy sails. At eight o'clock, when I came on
deck, there was no land or ice in sight. (We saw
no more land for thirteen months.)

An hour later we passed along the outer fringe
of small fragments of drift ice. The weather
changed every few minutes. Alternately we had
rain, and sleet, and fog, and snow. Our speed was
increasing and the wind came in strong puffs. We
had seen very few bergs in the forenoon, but the
horizon was constantly hazed by thick weather, so
we must have passed many without being able to
see them. Just before noon, while trying to walk
over the slippery decks, my attention was suddenly
directed to a dark spot in the fog over our port bow.
I watched this for a second or two, for the spot
grew curiously lighter as we went on. Everything
was stiff, and dark, and dull. The look-out on the
capstan threw his arm easily, but anxiously, on the
anchor and leaned over to fix his eye on the same
object, but he gave no signal, and I said nothing,
for there didn' t seem to be anything tangible to re-
port. The Captain now walked from the chart table
to the port-side of the bridge ; just as he caught sight
of the curious object it brightened with a blink and a
fraction of a second later a great wall of ice, tower-
ing far above the masts, stood before us. *' Hard-a
starboard," shouted the Captain, with such abrupt-
ness and such force that a quiver went deep into
the heart of everyone on deck ; a few moments later

i68

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

we grazed the marble-like cliff of a huge iceberg,
gliding by so closely that we nearly scraped its
knife-like edges.

During the afternoon we sailed westerly, keeping
the streams of drift-ice within sight. There were
fewer icebergs as we advanced, but it continued
foggy, with alternate squalls of rain and snow,
which prevented our seeing to any long distance.
The ice which we have passed within the past
few days, and the pack to the southward, are not,
at any place, formidable except in the choked chan-
nels, Bismarck Inlet, and the inlet north of Alexander-
land. If we had awaited an easterly wind, which
is the prevailing wind of summer, no doubt we
might have forced a way southward along the coast
of Grahamland. The season for antarctic navigation,
however, is already past, and if we are to make a
point far south this year, which the Commandant
desires, we must push on with all force.

Early in the evening the prow was turned south-
ward. With sails and steam the good ship was rushed
through the light streams of drift-ice. The sea
rolled under her in great inky mountains and the
ice, in response to the wave, gave off a noise like the
crackle of a silk garment. At midnight we came to
a region where the sea was closely covered with
ice, but the pieces were still small and separated by
bands of water covered with brash.

6 a. m. February 1 8. Those of us not directly
connected with the navigation of the bark, and the
men off watch, slept very little last night ; the noise
of the larger pans, as they struck the ship, and

169

THROUGH THE FIRST

the grating and rasping of the smaller fragments, as
the Belgica was forced through the ice, was such
that sleep was impossible. We were all anxious
and uneasy. There was little wind, but it was
dark and foggy, and icebergs were everywhere to
be expected. Mentally another berg collision was
contantly before us and every unusual thump sug-
gested a calamity. As the purple gray of dawn
illuminated the horizon eastward, our hearts beat
more easily, and our minds were more at rest, though
the new scene which now lay before us was the
most hopeless icy-desolation which, to the present,
it had been our lot to see.

All about us the ice was very closely packed. There
was a seemingly endless sea of ice, waving on the
swell of the great restless waters under us. It was
the first really good view which we had had of the
characteristic ice, which covers the limitless expanse
of this circum-polar ocean. Farther northward the
true sea-ice was so much melted and weather-worn,
and so much mixed with small angular fragments of
icebergs and other land-ice, that the pack was a con-
glomerate mass entirely different from the true pack-
ice. Now, as the sun rose and the mist dissolved,
we saw pans of ice of an average diameter of one
hundred feet, with a thickness of five feet, whose sur-
faces were raised here and there, by old wind-rasped
hummocks or miniature mountains, from one to two
yards high. Between these pans there were zones
of water covered with closely packed pulverised ice,
in which there were some pieces a few feet in diam-
eter. In our efforts to push southward we selected
these lanes between the larger pans, but the fine ice

170

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

so effectually stopped our progress that even by us-
ing the full power of the engines we could not make
more than two miles in six hours. A long and con-
tinuous swell of the Pacific was responsible for the
steady pressure and forced continuity of the pack.
Here, also, were large numbers of icebergs scattered
in the pack, and from a distance they seemed to offer
a continuous barrier. While this was not true when
the horizon was closely examined, their influence, how-
ever, coupled with the power of the great swell of
the sea, was an effective bar to farther progress.

On the ice we see a number of crab-eating seals,
mostly in pairs, but some in groups of five or six.
They are in a sleepy mood and evidently enjoy the
sharp sunbursts which now and then light up the beds
of snow and the projecting icy spires with an electric
glow. There are a few penguins about, and also
some giant petrels ; but the ornithological surprise
of the day is the countless thousands of terns rest-
ing on, and hovering about, the icebergs. Great
rows cover the ridges, and in some places the air is
one hustling mass of bird life, all seeming to strive
for a place to fly, or fighting for a resting spot on
the higher angles of the bergs.

During the afternoon we saw a black zone along
the northern horizon. It was a water-sky indicating
that under it there was open, ice-free water. To the
south, to the east, and to the west, however, there
was everywhere the dazzling whiteness of the ice-
blink on the heavens, offering no hope of advance.

We now tried to retrace our path, but we were held
with such a firm embrace that we could not gain
sufficient room to turn. At six o'clock the press-

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THROUGH THE FIRST

ure slackened a little and, at the same time, we saw a
black line of open water about two miles westward.
We headed for this and for seven long hours we
struggled with full force to press between the firmly
packed floes. After midnight we were again in free
waters, and set a course westerly along the edge of
the pack-ice.

February 19, noon, latitude 69° o6^ longitude 78^
27' 30'^ The conditions permitting nautical ob-
servations are rare at the edge of the pack, because
here the atmosphere is in a constant whirlpool of
agitation. Storm, fog, rain, sleet and snow, are the
normal conditions. One rarely gets a peep of the
sun, and if by chance it should break through, it is
seldom at noon or at an hour convenient for the Cap-
tain to make his reckoning. If then it happens, as
it has to-day, that we obtain the observations which
fix our position accurately in this lonely world of
desolation, a kind of boyish rejoicing runs along the
line of men on the decks ; and even in the cabins,
one hears comparisons. One says, '' Now I am nine
thousand, nine hundred and eighty-nine miles from
home. It is noon, but at home they are just taking
breakfast." Another says, " Everybody that I love
is nine thousand miles over our starboard quarter.
They are just entering upon the duties of the day."
It has suddenly occurred to every one to think of
home and of civilisation, for we are going farther
and farther away from the known world of life and
comfort into the unknown world of sterility and dis-
comfort. To-day we know the exact spot on which
we are being thrown about by a great unknown sea
of mystery, and this knowledge seems to bring us

172

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

nearer home because it offers us something tangible
with which to make comparisons. In reahty, however,
we are as hopelessly isolated as if we were on the
surface of Mars, and we are plunging still deeper and
deeper into the white antarctic silence. A man at
the verge of starvation takes a certain comfort in
knowing, though it is out of his reach, that food
exists. So with us, we extract a certain amount of
satisfaction out of the numbers which record our
latitude and longitude to-day, though our homes
are proven by the figures to be out of all possible
reach for months, perhaps for years, and possibly
forever.

All day we have steamed westerly along the edge
of the pack, passing very many icebergs and run-
ning through occasional streams of drift-ice. We
have been looking for an opening into the ice offer-
ing us a passage southward, but we have found no
promising break in the compact mass. Excepting
the sunburst at noon it has been a dark, dull,
gloomy day. A light fall of snow, mixed with a
cold drizzling rain, has fallen over us almost con-
stantly. This has again made the decks like a sli-
ding pond. It is humorous, but also sorrowful, to
see the men, whose clothing is sheeted with a plate
of ice, stumble and glide and slip from rope to rope,
always holding on to something to keep from spread-
ing on the floor or glancing overboard into the icy
waters. If one falls he swears and warms the cold
air by heated language, but he is at once subdued
by a companion, who says, '' What ! you complain of
such little accidents, and you an explorer ? No !
that is the voice of a kitchen adventurer."

173

CHAPTER XIII

ALONG THE EDGE OF THE PACK-ICE

For the last few days we have had under discus-
sion a striking pecuHarity of the antarctic pack. It
is a noticeable yellowness in the second sheets of
newly broken pieces of ice. We saw this first in
the ice close to Dancoland, and at this time most of
us thought it due to earthy material from the neigh-
bouring lands. But we have seen it to-day and we
have seen it every day since we left this land now
hundreds of miles eastward. Can it be earthy
matter ? In the laboratory there have been a num-
ber of experiments made. Almost every depart-
ment claims the mysterious yellow as its special
preserve, but all are at work either guessing or
making painstaking experiments or observations.
The discussions grow quite heated. The navigating
officers, with whom I coincided, held that it was
earthy matter brought down upon the sea-ice by
glacial streams. The fact that it is seen most close
to the land, and only in patches in our present posi-
tion, seems to bear out this fact ; but the geologist,
who is a chemist of ability, will not agree to this,
and heaps upon us all sorts of mild humourous abuse.

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

Arctowski has experiments in hand which he thinks
will prove a chemical origin of the knotty yellow
question. None of us are chemists, and of course
we cannot dispute the theory of a chemical origin,
but we hold fast to our first idea. The zoologist
would not venture a theory, but he said it belonged
to his department, and we tried to talk him down also,
but he would say little and took our unkindly jests
goodnaturedly. Late in the afternoon Racovitza
came out of his laboratory all aglow with good
humour, but he heaped upon us of the majority, a
stream of abuse which made us, for the time, aban-
don all theories. He has examined the yellow
stuff carefully under the microscope and finds the
ice literally alive with sea algae, which prove to be
the cause of the yellow colour. For a short time
this is hailed as a discovery, but presently some one
finds that it had been noticed by Hooker sixty years
ago. Then followed a discordant murmur on the
strains, "There is nothing new under the sun."

Shortly after noon we made a sounding. We
found the water 480 metres deep, under which there
was a gray clay bottom. There is very little variation
in the temperature of the sea at various depths. At
the bottom it is i^ C; coming up there are little
variations of a half degree, and at the surface it is
-i.5°C.(29.3°F.). At the timeof making these sound-
ings there were seventy-eight icebergs on the horizon,
most of them southward, a few miles within the
edge of the pack-ice. There were also a few lines
of drift-ice flowing northward in the trough of the
sea. The sea is running in easy undulations with

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THROUGH THE FIRST

an oily, unbroken surface of blue, and though the
sky is slaty, there is a charm in the solitude and a
fascination in the scenic effects as the pearly moun-
tains and streams of ice rise and fall with the sea of
sapphire.

At ten o'clock to-night we turned around a point
of heavy drift-ice and headed southward. Before
us here there seemed to be little ice to offer an ob-
struction to our ambitions to reach the regions be-
yond. To the east and the west there was a distinct
ice-blink, but southward we saw a smoky water-sky.
The sea, as we advanced, became even smoother
than it had been, and was entirely free of ice.

We seem to select the nights for our attacks upon
the barriers of ice which everywhere have threatened
to prevent our entry into the snowy preserve beyond.
During the night the temperature falls, the fog,
which always screens the ice in daytime, is congealed
and deposited as snow ; and, though the sky here at
the edge of the pack generally remains dark at
night, there is an incomprehensible metallic glow on
the glassy surface of the water, and a sharp phos-
phoretic glitter from every spire and pan of ice. The
night is a long twilight, and when the demons of
storm are not hovering about it is a long, dreamy
spell of joy. The inspiration of this solitude, the
transcendental and indescribable something about
this continued twilight from sunset to dawn, and the
wine which one drinks with the wintry atmosphere
raises the soul into a plane of superhuman existence.
The glory of these midnight glimmers will haunt me
for the rest of my days. But we are below the ant-

176

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

arctic circle, and the average reader will expect that
we are flooded by the almost perpetual light of the
polar summer day. This would be true earlier in
the season ; but now the sun is low on the horizon.
The darkness, which is soon to throw the icy splen-
dours into a hopeless, sooty gloom, is gathering its
hellish fabric to cover the laughing glory of day.
The sunless winter of storm, of unimaginable cold,
of heart- destroying depression, is rapidly advancing.
We are hoping to continue our voyage of explora-
tion as long as possible, and when the darkness and
cold become too great we expect to steal away and
winter in more congenial latitudes. (How utterly
we failed to gain freedom from the icy fetters of this
heartless Frost King of the night is shown by our
imprisonment later.)

February 20, 8 a. m. — We have steamed south
by east, since midnight, through a sea free of drift-
ice, but icebergs are in great numbers on all sides.
Over the port gunwale, about two miles off, there is
still the white line indicating the edge of the main
body of the pack. There is a little swell, but the sea
has a gray and cold aspect. There is almost
no wind stirring the glassy air. The tempera-
ture has fallen to— 2° C. (28.4^ F.). The sky
above us is smoky, with leaden streaks here and
there. To the south a narrow strip of horizon is
clear, and above this there are a few divisions with
ragged silvery edges, beyond which is the gladdening
blue of the unscreened heavens, which is so rare
here. Nearly everywhere on the horizon to the
south there is reflected the glitter of the ice-blink.

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THROUGH THE FIRST

The narrow sooty bands, however, which interrupt
this blink, indicate that the ice is separated by open
lanes of water. We shall try these lanes, so nicely
mapped on the sky, for our benefit, and as our bow-
sprit is laid for one due south, we again stir our
hopes and discouraged spirits to fresh ambitions of
further discoveries. '' Shall we succeed, or will the
ice seize us with a final and relentless embrace? " A
fog soon fell over the scene, but we continued our
renewed efforts to push poleward with increasing
vigour.

At ten o'clock we reached a point where the
main body of the pack again refused us a path.
The Belgica^ however, will not be discouraged.
She ploughs on between the heavy masses of ice,
to some open lakes beyond, where she seems to
gain fresh courage, and then rushes upon the offend-
ing fields with a spirit of animation altogether in
keeping with that of her directors. There are about
us great numbers of white and gray petrels seeming
to urge us on. The fog rises and falls offering a
peep, now and then, into the white world to which
we are so anxious to force our way. Most of the
men are standing about on the decks, offering words
of encouragement to the bark as she batters and
breaks the offending floes which hinder her passage.
A few men, sitting on the anchor chains, have pre-
monitions of impending danger and discuss the
prospects of an antarctic winter, and the incidents of
starving and freezing, cast adrift on the ice. While
thus making our way energetically, and with our
hopes raised to the highest pitch of anticipation, some

178

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

mystic force brought the ice together, and early in
the afternoon we found ourselves again beset —
powerless either to advance or retreat.

Again, disappointed and discouraged, we tried to
turn the bark in an effort to retrace our track. The
entire afternoon was devoted to this effort, but we
were held with fetters not easily broken. This
battle with the ice has been the worst to the pres-
ent. We go full speed ahead, then full speed astern.
Each change in direction is followed by crash after
crash, until it seems that every part of the good
ship has been loosened. Either the ice or the Bel-
gica must go to pieces. After many hours of hard
struggling the Belgica obtains sufficient room to
give her a good headway, and then she rushes
against and upon the ice in a manner to make her
mistress of the situation. Ploughing, and jamming,
and crushing her way through the huge masses of
ice, she scraped off her new dress of paint, and tore
away many pieces of her outer sheathing. Her
path was marked by specks of paint and pieces of
wood, the result of scratches and bruises, but as she
fought her way again out into the open sweep of the
new antarctic sea she had the appearance, and we
had for her the admiration, of a battleship after a
destructive engagement.

While the Belgica was engaged battering the ice,
Racovitza, Tollefsen, and myself, started out over the
ice to study the life and to secure zoological speci-
mens, as well as photographs. We saw numbers of
penguins, some giant petrels, and a few crab-eating,
or white antarctic seals ; but the surprise of the day

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THROUGH THE FIRST

was a lone seal with a thick neck and a big head, alto-
gether different from any variety which we had seen
before. We at once recognised it as the '' new
seal " claimed to have been discovered by Borchgre-
vink, in 1894. While it agreed in every particular
with the descriptions of the adventurous Norwegian
sailor, the animal proved, upon minute examination,
to be a yearling of the true sea-leopards. Borch-
grevink's discovery then, in this case as in another,
which will be cited later, is a myth, for the sea-
leopard has been known for about one hundred years.
February 21, 10 a.m. — During the night we
skirted the pack, steaming slowly westward. Now
we are steaming south-west by the compass, whose
variation is here 39° west. The prow is cutting
clear, blue waters entirely free of ice. Along the
horizon, from the north to the south-west, there is
a marked ice blink. In the south-east, just over
the horizon barely visible, is the edge of the pack.
There are one hundred and ten icebergs visible from
the mast head ; of this number ten are true table-
topped masses ranging, in height, from one hundred
to two hundred and fifty feet, and in length from a
thousand feet to one mile. All of the others were
of the usual arctic type, with fantastic towers of
every conceivable shape. Some five or six had the
form of an easy chair, others that of a giant couch,
still others assumed the forms of human faces.
Some of the forms were particularly striking and
needed no explanation ; but at nearly every hour of
the day some one went into raptures about a fetch-
ing figure, which generally required a vivid, and

180

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

often a poetic imagination with a liberal artistic
license.

It is curious that the eye generally sees what the
mind intends to picture. An illustration of this
point is the different forms which we ascribe to these
icebergs. The Captain points to a berg, not par-
ticularly attractive to anyone, but he insists in
describing upon it the face and the form of a beau-
tiful woman, chiseled in walls of alabaster. We
look, and try to be interested while Lecointe grows
enthusiastic, but we see only dead white cliffs.
There are some irregularities, a few delicate blue
lines, some suggestive hummocks, and various dark
cavities ; but these we see in every berg, and with
our different mental attitudes we fail to recognise
the ascribed topography of a human figure. We
dare not, however, admit our ignorance, for such a
lack of sympathetic support, 'especially on a senti-
mental subject, would be equal to a challenge for a
duel on the Belgica. The naturalist comes along
next, he is always realistic, sometimes poetical, but
never sentimental. Upon a small tabular berg there
is a shapeless mass of ice-blocks, and these blocks
are so piled that one cannot help but notice
them. To me the thing seemed like a marble statue
of England's Prime Minister, Salisbury, raised upon
a huge, rounded block of granite. I heard Arc-
towski suggest the Egyptian Sphinx, but Racovitza
insisted upon the likeness of a polar bear and
some one shouted, '* It moves ! " At once the picture
became real, and the sailors refused to believe that it
was not a living bear. Racovitza's imagination was

i8i

THROUGH THE FIRST

accepted by all, for to doubt him was to have hu-
morous abuse and sarcastic caricatures heaped upon
us for weeks. There was, however, one man with a
glass. He looked intently for an hour at the thing
without saying much. This was Michotte, the cook.
After we had all finished our discussions, and had come
to a general agreement about the bear, he shattered
our allegory with a little giggle and followed it by the
announcement that it was all a mistake ; — " to me it
looks like a pot of boiling soup." Next to the Cap-
tain the cook is the most important personage on
the ship ; there are short instances when he even
rises above the Captain. It was so in this case.
Michotte canvassed the observers one by one, gave
them his glasses and pointed out the rounded base
of the huge polished kettle, and then he made steam
out of our beautiful statuary in the centre. Dobro-
wolsky suggested that pots were generally black,
but Koren, the cook's assistant, took a look at the
thing and said, ''That's just like our pots, they are
always clean and white and polished." I noticed
that everybody, even Racovitza, gave a hearty
assent. We dared not do otherwise, for it meant
no soup to-morrow, and Kydbolla every day. We
can afford to dispute with the naturalist somewhat,
we can even doubt the Captain's eyesight, but we
cannot dream of endangering the good-will of
Michotte, — it is, then, a pot of boiling soup, and I
think Koren added it was ''hot stuff;" — even this
is granted.

lo p. M. — It is still light enough to write on
deck, but there is a little wind coming out of the

182

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

south which makes ungloved fingers stiff. The
temperature is — 4° C. (24.8° F.). At two o'clock this
afternoon we again came to a region of pack-ice
which loved us too well. It closed about and
squeezed our sides with such force that we were
powerless to resist. We have remained here since,
and shall remain for the night. The engine fires
have been burned down, but Gerlache says he will
make another attempt to push southward to-morrow.
There has been considerable animal life about us
to-day. In the air we have seen the usual songless
and noiseless birds, the giant and the white petrels.
Finback whales have been spouting and showing
their huge blue backs in the open triangles of water.
Seals have been stealing about the ship under the
water, curiously examining the hull of the bark with-
out coming to the surface to vent their curiosity by
a look upon us. The speck of blackness which the
Belgica makes in their world of perennial whiteness
must be of rare interest to these semi-human sub-
aqueous denizens. On the ice we have seen a few
king penguins, uttering, now and then, a weird gha-
a-ah. They were always alone, generally standing
to the lee of hummocks with heads bowed, looking
as solemn and dignified as deacons at a love feast.
Roaming about on the floes we see the ever-restless
little black-billed, yellow-footed pack penguins. This
flightless bird is gregarious and sociable, and must
have companions to be happy. It congregates in
groups, numbering from six to thirty, and these
gatherings are the only cheerful signs of life in the
great silent circle around the south pole.

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The air is cold and bracing, bringing with it
a wine of action which is opposed to fatigue. With
it we seem to require Httle sleep, keeping at hard
physical and mental work from early morning till
midnight. With the much lower temperature the
air is now getting glassy, the fog is dispersing, and
the sky shows signs of clearing, with considerable
colour. Mirages were seen to-night for the first time.
All along the horizon, from the north-east to the
south-east, there are elongated, raised and distorted
masses of ice, with their bases resting upon the
water. There seem to be no inverted images, as
in the arctic regions.

The sun set in the south-south-west to-night at
7:30. We rarely have a sky at the edge of the pack
permitting a view of this phenomenon, but we can
notice that the days are rapidly getting shorter, and
the light is progressively fading. Only two weeks ago
we could take instantaneous photographs until ten
o'clock, but now, a picture taken at eight is very
feeble. With the sun almost perpetually screened
by a black icy mist the sky has remained cheerless
and depressing, but southerly winds seem to brush
aside this gloomy curtain. Along the southern sky
to-night there is a streak of gold, fringed with
orange and a suggestion of carmine. At best, how-
ever, colours are sparingly distributed along the
outer fringe of this antarctic pack. We have seen
the stars and the moon but once since entering the
Pacific, and, to the present, there have been no
auroras visible.

February 22, 8 a.m. — During the night we have

184

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

rested easily in a triangular space of water, which
was surrounded by large pans of ice. At about
midnight a half gale of wind came out of the
south-south-east and rushed through the masts with
a bitter howl, but the sea remained quiet, and in our
position we rested as peacefully as if in a sheltered
harbour. This changed direction and augmented
force of the wind separated the pack and sent it drift-
ing northerly over the boundless sea. Taking
advantage of this favourable loosening of the grip
upon us, we got up steam at six a. m. and started in a
renewed effort to push southward. The navigation,
at best, is extremely difficult. We go ahead squeez-
ing through breaks in the ice until our headway is
barred by a floe, then we go astern to give the ship
time for a new onslaught. In this way we batter
and ram the ice until it seems as though every
timber must break; but excepting the bruising,
scraping, and polishing of her sides, the Belgica
receives no hurts. She complains and groans and
cracks and shivers, but she goes on cutting great
pans of ice '^v^ feet thick, and pushing aside floes
two hundred feet in diameter. She is ploughing the
ice-littered sea like something animate.

To the south there is a water-sky coaxing us on
to the frozen mystery beyond. Perhaps this is a
temptation of the manless antarctic to ensnare and
keep us for the winter ; perhaps it is to reveal to us new
lands and new glories in the unknown white expanse.
But whatever our reward, or our punishment, for this
forced intrusion, the task is difficult. There are
about us to-day many signs of land, and this also

185

THROUGH THE FIRST

urges us on in our hopeless effort to navigate the
seemingly endless sea of ice.

Toward the south-east there are yellow land clouds,
which slide over each other as though their mission
was to hide the outline of some heaven-guarded coast
from human gaze. Above these low-hanging clouds
there are black bands of sky, indicating open lanes
of water near what promises to be land. The ice,
too, is what is usually termed bay- ice, with freshly
broken edges, with icicles hanging from some points,
and having upon the surface only small hummocks.
There are no signs of pressure and the whole scene
is weighted down with about twenty inches of soft
snow. The animal life also indicates an approach to
land. We have about us large numbers of ossifrages
and magalestris, which are supposed to keep land
within easy reach. The penguins and seals seen to-
day are indicative of a near land mass ; while the
meteorologist vows that the cold dry wind coming
from the south-south-east rolls off from some conti-
nental ice-capped country. Even the engineer comes
forward with a sign. He has a keen nose, and says
he smells the mossy rocks. But where is this mys-
terious land ? We are not within a thousand miles
of any known land. Shall we discover this land, or
is it an illusion ? (We afterwards saw many similar
signs of land, but all proved deceptive. We saw no
real land, except what came from the sea-bottom,
from the time we got the last glimpse of Alexander
Islands until we returned to Tierra del Fuego thirteen
months later.)

Early in the afternoon our hopes were shattered.

i86

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

We again reached a zone, as we so often had, farther
east, where it was impossible to pass between the
sheets of heavy ice. Here we rested for the bal-
ance of the afternoon and the night. We continued
to search the horizon for further signs of the prom-
ised land, but most of the indications disappeared
during our stay. The engine fires were burnt down.
Everything about the Belgica is non- restful. There
is little wind ; the temperature remains low — •
7.5° C. ( — 18.5° F.) An easy swell keeps the ice in
a constant groan, and penguins send out their social
calls. We are now accustomed to all this noise.
Indeed, when tired and weary, as we are at present
from long-continued anxiety, the groans of the ice
and the cries of the penguins serve only to impress
us with the awful solitude and the uninterrupted
pearly monotony of the antarctic.

A beautiful sunset to-night has served to re-
awaken our interest in this world of white sameness.
Throughout the day the sky has been a cheerless
gray frorri the zenith to a few degrees from the
horizon. Low down there have been changes, now
an ice-blink, now a water- sky, and again a series of
seeming land clouds. The little play and change
in colour, which has been evident for brief periods,
is limited to a narrow strip under and over the
cloud-hidden sun in the west and south. The com-
parative rarity of brilliant sunbursts and sunsets, in
the smoky skies at the edge of the pack, has made
the phenomenon to-night a real joy. At seven o 'clock
the long stratus clouds in the south-south-west,
which were slaty in colour, became fringed with a

187

THROUGH THE FIRST

touch of luminous gold. This increased gradually
until the entire body of the clouds was gilded ; then
the sun, a great yellow ball of dull orange, sank
under the creamy sheets of waving snows. The
great fiery ball was only fifty seconds in passing
from view, but in this time its face changed into at
least ten distortions. There is a weird sadness
in these faces : an expression which is singularly
appropriate, because we know the good old luminary
is quickly leaving us to brighten the top of the globe.
She seems to feel it, for her face is like that of a
dying mother sorry to leave her children alone in a
world of hazard. The final parting, however, was
more prolonged and more glorious than the actual
presence. Soon the upper stratus of low clouds
were showered with a scarlet light, which remained
without apparent change for thirty minutes. Below
and above this were narrow belts of bright and
glistening silvery blue, while the ice was all aglow
under a veil of pale magenta. Then followed a
long purple twilight, which, in itself, is full of
delightful charm. It is all an unimaginable dream.
February 23. — We are still firmly fixed by the
compact sea of ice about us. New ice formed on
every open space last night. Winter is coming over
us quickly, and the season for navigating these un-
known seas is now past. The rapidity with which
the new ice forms, the increasing cold, and the fading
light of the sun all prove this, but the Commandant
is hoping against hope to push still farther into the
mystic gloom of the south. Throughout the night
the sky was a clear, pale purple blue, while stars of the

188

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

first and second magnitude were struggling to display
their icy glitter. The Captain obtained an observa
tion and was able to find our position by fixing a
planet and a star. Latitude 69° 46' 30'^ longitude
81° 59'. It is curious how a little thing like the
definite knowledge of our position raises the hopes
and anticipations of everybody on board. Though
such a knowledge is a mere play of figures, it as-
sures us that we are at least on a fixed point upon
the unknown under surface of the globe. We make
calculations accordingly ; some plan work and pleas-
ure for the return to the world of living, and others
lay down a system of effort for exploration of the
new regions to which we expect to penetrate, and
surely all are elated at the prospect of some other
view except the inhospitable whiteness, at present
on every side of our position.

At noon we made a deep sea sounding, with a
long series of temperatures at various depths. We
lowered five hundred and sixty metres of wire, and
brought up a cup of blue clay. The temperature at
the surface was at the freezing point, and at the bot-
tom slightly warmer. We have made various ex-
cursions to obtain photos of the ice and the life, and
to study the physical laws which govern the con-
struction and destruction of the sea-ice. The pans
are closely packed, but in some places there are
soft buffers of pulverised ice and snow, arid these
are dangerous to the traveler. Gerlache stepped on
such a place and promptly sank into the icy water
beneath. Fortunately I saw him before he sank too
far, and jerked him out by the coat collar. I tore

189

THROUGH THE FI-RST

his collar, and disturbed his buttons, but I had the
satisfaction of keeping him from a complete bath at
a temperature six degrees below zero.

The sunset is again superbly beautiful to-night.
All day we have remained firmly held by the ice.
The sky has been of a pale, wintry blue with alto-
stratus and fracto- stratus clouds of a leaden and steel-
gray colour. In the north-west and the north-east
there is a water-sky, but the hopeless ice-blink is
in every other direction. A dazzling whiteness has
made the pack glitter to such an extent that it has
become painful to walk about without smoked
glasses, but to-night there is a restful lilac over the
white glitter, which is a charming relief from the in-
tense brilliancy of the day. As the sun descended
into the invisible mist of ice- crystals, which always
hangs over the pack, it poured out a wealth of
golden light over the clouds and onto the pack.
For a very brief period the clouds had the appear-
ance of streams of hot metal, and the projecting
snows were aglow like mounds of fire. As the
sun sank from view a great bunch of cumulus
clouds, in the south, suddenly lit up with a brilliant
rose light. The yellow then vanished and the rose
was thrown on the snows. The rose later faded
into the purple of twilight, which for several hours
gave a steady glow of lilac to the pack.

We did not retire until late to-night. There is
something about our present position which suggests
many premonitions. For forty-five hours we have
not consciously moved, and the ice holds us with
a grip which promises us no relief for forty-five

190

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

weeks. There is a cheer and a new joy in the curious
colour effect of the coming night, and this is about
the only encouragement in our present prospects.
We have persistently tried, to-day and to-night, to
steam northward and southward, and eastward and
westward, but the Belgica refuses to mind the helm,
while the ice disputes our right of way. The fact
is forced more and more upon us that we are fixed
for the winter, and destined to pass through the first
long antarctic night. Gerlache has all along mani-
fested an inclination for wintering in the pack, but
every officer has been so much opposed to this that
the Commandant did not openly betray his dis-
position. To-night Gerlache is sounding the senti-
ments of all hands, upon their willingness to winter in
the ice. Everybody is opposed to it, but if it must
be, they are inclined to submit gracefully to the un-
questionable fate.

The main objections offered to our voluntary
stay in the pack are the ignorance of the home au-
thorities of our whereabouts, and the certain death
which would follow the loss of the Belgica by press-
ure, or by other accidents. If an expedition has
planned to winter in the unknown antarctic pack
she should have two vessels, so that if one is crushed
another might remain to bring home her precious
cargo of human life, and the records of the equally
precious work. If this is not the fortune of an ex-
pedition, there should, at least, be left at home a
clear outline of the prospective route. It is unneces-
sarily hazardous to trust to the pitfalls and certain
misfortunes of polar work without such safeguards.

191

THROUGH THE FIRST

In our case no one knows of our whereabouts. If our
vessel should be lost, no relief could possibly reach us,
because it is not definitely known where we may be
found. Death by freezing and starvation would be
our lot it our trusty ship were disabled, and such a
possibility must always remain in view, in a battle
against the ponderous polar-ice. With this prospect
before us we do not take kindly to a voluntary berth
among the ever restless floes during the many weeks
of sure darkness and unknowable cold.

February 24. — A sharp southerly wind has been
blowing all night. The sky is again gray and cheer-
less and full of promise for an early tempest. Sailors
at sea rarely pray for a tempest, but this is the
only hope we now have of securing freedom from
the ice. We are longing for a gale of wind.
We are not particular from what direction, anything
will do so long as it breaks the ice and gives us a
little room. With this promise before us, and while
still beset, the Commandant comes forward with the
first of a long series of new programmes. We are
to gain the open sea northward, as quickly as
possible, from here make a line of soundings from
the edge of the pack northward, and another line
parallel to the western shores of Grahamland, then
go to Yankee Harbour, Deception Island, and return
to Belgica Strait for a short period. As the season
for ice exploration ceases we are to go to Ushuaia,
where Racovitza and I are to be left for the winter
to make zoological and anthropological studies of the
Fuegian life, while the Belgica returns to Buenos
Aires to winter. Next season we are to go south of
Australia to Victorialand.

192

The Sailor's Recreation.

Bow of the Belgica After a Collision with an Iceberg.

CHAPTER XIV

OVER UNKNOWN WATERS INTO THE
FROZEN SEA

February 25. — The expected storm has not struck
us, but the ice has separated a Httle and offers us a
chance to push westerly. We are passing through
a loose pack with much new ice, which offers but
little resistance to the vessel. On the ice there are
many groups of small penguins, and we have also
seen several royal penguins. Many snowy petrels
follow in the wake of the ship, but they are silent
companions, never uttering a song or a cry of delight
or fear, always gliding lightly in the air and drop-
ping easily into the water to seek the pelagic fish,
which is their food. There is no wind to-day. The
temperature is again higher — 3.5^ C. (25.7° F.), and
the sky is lined with stratus and alto-stratus clouds
of the usual steel gray. Our position at noon was
latitude 69 ° 17', longitude 82 ^ 24'.

From here we again pushed out into the open sea
northward, and following closely the edge of the
pack westerly, we continued our cheerless voyage
still in search of a promising bay or open lead which
might permit us to push to a higher latitude. At
noon on the twenty-seventh our position was 69°

193

THROUGH THE FIRST

26 ', longitude 86 ° 46 '. After the ensnaring pow-
ers of the pack-ice, which we have learned in the past
few weeks, we were not eager to put ourselves
again in a position to become entangled. For such
an entanglement would now mean confinement. The
season for a campaign to the far south is past. The
nights are becoming long and black, and new ice is
forming on every side; but in spite of these forbidding
signs M. de Gerlache believes it incumbent upon
himself to abandon the new programme, and push
heedlessly into the freezing waters to make as strong
an effort as possible to beat the " farthest south " of
other explorers.

The entire scientific staff are opposed to this
effort, because it is thought too late in the season.
No direct opposition, however, was offered when the
Belgica was again headed southward. She was
forced into the pack and out again, time after time,
making after each rebuff a new effort farther west-
ward. On February twenty-eighth we were forced
to take to the ice that the ship might better ride out
a howling storm.

I can imagine nothing more despairing than a
storm on the edge of the pack. At best it is a cold,
dull, and gloomy region, with a high humidity and
constant drizzly fogs. Clear weather is here an
exception. Storm with rain, sleet, and snow, is the
normal weather condition throughout the entire year.
During the day of the twenty-eighth we are unable
to get a glimpse of the sun, and are in consequence
in doubt as to our actual position. There is some-
thing about the sea and sky which promises a night

194

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

of unusual terrors. The wind comes in a steady tor-
rent from the east, and with it come alternate squalls
of rain, sleet, and snow. Hour after hour it blew
harder, and before night it brought with it a heavy-
sea studded with icebergs — moving mountains of
blackness. The Belgica runs westerly before it,
almost under bare poles, and edges closer and closer
toward the fragments of ice to the south, where the
sea is easier. The sky to the north and east is
smoky and wavy, as if a number of huge fires were
there sending out gusts of smoke, and on the southern
sky there is a bright pearly zone. This is an ice-
blink, a reflection of the ice beyond our horizon upon
the particles of watery vapour suspended in the air.
As night comes upon us it becomes necessary to
choose between the forbidding blackness of the
north and the more cheerful, but less hospitable,
whiteness of the south. With icebergs on every
side, always in our course, coming as suddenly out
of the thickening darkness as if dropped from the
skies, it is not wise, or prudent, either to move out of,
or to rest in, our position. To be more friendly
with the ice, or to rid ourselves entirely of its com-
panionship, is plainly our duty.

We have decided to seek the harbouring influence
of the pack, as an experiment, to ride out the
increasing fury of the tempest. The Belgica is
headed southward, and quickly plows through the
trembling icy seas. But the noise and commotion
which come to a climax every time she rises to the
crest of a great swell, are terrible. The wind beats
through the rigging like the blasts out of a blow-

195

THROUGH THE FIRST

pipe, the quivering masts sweep the sky with the
regularity of a pendulum, and the entire ship is
covered with a sheet of ice. As the eye drops over
the side of the ship the sea glitters with the bright-
ness of a winter sky. This brightness of the sea,
with the sooty blackness of the heavens above it,
formed a weird contrast, never to be forgotten.
Here and there are sparkling, semi-luminous pieces
of ice which spring from the darkness with meteoric
swiftness, and are again as quickly lost in the
gathering blackness behind us. These fragments
increase in number and in size as we press poleward ;
but the Belgica strikes and pushes them aside as
easily as a broom removes dust.

After a short but very exciting time, the pieces of
ice become more numerous and of larger dimen-
sions, and the bergs are so closely grouped that
further progress seems impossible. The sea rolls
more and more, in long easy swells, as we pass
through the ice. This eases the ship and makes
matters more comfortable to the sufferers of sea-
sickness. I must hasten to confess that about one-
half of us are thus afflicted at this time. Still, we
try to be cheerful. I cannot imagine a scene
more despairing, though, than the Belgica as she
pushes into the pack during this dark night. The
noise is maddening. Every swell that drives against
the ship brings with it tons of ice, which is thrown
against her ribs with a thundering crash. The wind
howls as it rushes past us, and comes with a force
which makes us grasp the rails to keep from being
thrown into the churning seas. The good old ship

196

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

keeps up a constant scream of complaints as she
strikes piece after piece of the masses of ice. Occa-
sionally we try to talk, but the deafening noises of
the storm, the squeaking strains of the ship, and
the thumping of the ice makes every effort at speech
inaudible. With our stomachs dissatisfied, and our
minds raised to a fever-heat of excitement, and
with the prospect of striking an iceberg at any
moment and sinking to the bottom of the sea, we
were, to say the least, uncomfortable. When we
had sufficiently entered into the body of the pack,
and were snugly surrounded by closely-packed ice-
floes, the sea subsided, and here the overworked
ship rested for the night.

In the morning the wind changed to the north-
east, and the ice separated, leaving long open leads
of water. These leads offer a tempting highway
poleward, and Gerlache was not long in deciding
the course. With a fair wind pressing the sails and
with steam, we push southward. The navigation
is not easy, still it Is less difficult at this time than
it usually is in an antarctic pack. The pans are
small — from fifty to a hundred yards in diameter
and about four feet thick. They are separated by
quantities of pulverised fragments and discs of
new ice.

Evenly scattered about in the icy expanse are
numerous icebergs ; usually about two hundred can
be counted from the crow's-nest. The navigating
offfcer remains at the masthead, and directs the
course of the ship. It is exciting navigation. The
sky in the north is lined with heavy, lead-coloured

197

THROUGH THE FIRST

clouds, and in the south there is the ever-bright ice-
bhnk. Petrels in large numbers and in great varieties
hover about us, as if to ask our business in their
domain. Penguins walk about on the ice, uttering
squeaky noises which re-echo from berg to berg.
Seals, lazily sunning themselves, come to the edge of
the floe to see the human intruders. Meanwhile the
ship is forced on in a wild manner into the ice. Now
she is running upon the floes to break them ; again
she is pushed between to force them aside ; but
always she is fighting an uneven battle against the
huge masses of ice.

After two days of this ice-ramming, we found that
we had passed through about ninety miles of ice.
We are now made to realise that further progress is
out of the question. The ice is too closely packed ; and
the floes here are heavier ; it is no longer practicable
to break them, or push them aside. We are so
closely hugged, indeed, that movement in any direc-
tion is impossible. To the south there are several
lakes visible from the crow's-nest, and to the north-
west there are also spaces of open water ; but after
several efforts we found ourselves unable to reach
these. On the fourth of March, we were forced to
admit our inability to extricate ourselves. Our
position at this time was latitude 71 ° 22 ^ longitude
^4^ 55' — about three hundred miles across the polar
circle and about 1,100 from the geographical pole.
The nearest land from here is the still unknown
group of Alexander Islands, about three hundred
miles eastward.

We are now again firmly stationed in a moving sea

198

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

of ice, with no land and nothing stable on the horizon
to warn us of our movements. Even the bergs,
immense, mountainous masses, though apparently-
fixed and immovable, sail as we do, and with the
same apparent ease. The astronomical positions
which we obtain from the sun and from the stars
indicate to us that we drift from five to ten miles per
day. It is a strange sensation to know that, blown
with the winds, you are moving rapidly over an
unknown sea, and yet see nothing to indicate a
movement. We pass no fixed point, and can see
no pieces of ice stir ; everything is quiet. The en-
tire horizon drifts with us. We are part of an end-
less frozen sea. Our course is zigzag, but generally-
west — we do not know our destination, and are
always conscious that we are the only human beings
to be found in the entire circum-polar region at the
bottom of the globe. It is a curious situation.

March 5. — We are not yet prepared to resign our-
selves to the doubtful destiny of an unknowable life
in the restless sea of ice. We still hope against
hope that some favourable force will separate the ice
and permit us to retreat. Day after day we have
tried to slide into some promising lead, but each
effort has been a bitter disappointment. The
weather is getting colder and clearer. The pack
and the sky is touched with new charms of colour,
and the life is full of inspiration. Altogether, the
new region in which we are now held is more hope-
ful and less monotonous than the hundreds of miles
of desolate icy waste through which we have passed.
If there were only some sort of relief at hand for

199

THROUGH THE FIRST

our rescue, In case the ship were crushed, we would
gladly make arrangements to pass the winter and the
long night here. If our vessel should be destroyed no
one at home could possibly know the location of our
wanderings, or the site of our final destruction, and
with our equipment we could not navigate the Cape
Horn seas to a land of human habitation. Our
faith then is pinned on the Belgica ; our life is linked
with hers. If she gains freedom our liberty is
assured ; if she sinks, we shall all go to an icy grave.

The drift of conversation for several days has
been in this strain. We must seek to divert
thought to other channels, for to constantly weigh
the prospects of death and misfortune is to cast the
mind into a melancholy state, from which it is diffi-
cult to arouse. To be caught in the ice is, after
all, the usual luck of polar explorers. It is a life of
hardship, of monotony, and isolation, full of certain
dangers and uncertain rewards. For success there
awaits honorable reward, but for failure there is
always ready a storm of condemnation. Our suc-
cess to the present has been such that we feel proud
of our work. We have seized the records to-day and
hope to elaborate our observations. Everything
which we have done will require careful revising,
and this brings to us a new interest and a brighter
promise. It serves to divert our attention from the
darker side of our future.

Outside, the conditions, for the past few days,
have been more cheerful, though there is every
indication of our being permanently fixed here.
The nights are clearer and colder, but longer and

200

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

darker, and the mercury is sinking into the bulb.
When on the ship we brood over, and complain
of our miserable lot, but when we stroll over the
pack, interview the groups of friendly penguins,
seek the company of the gregarious seals, watch the
petrels dive into the icy waters, and behold the
restfulness and contentment of this life within its
lonely world of ice, we are encouraged to stay and
experience the unknown conditions. There is now
also a short glory in the sky as the sun departs, and
a long scene of joy in the curious colours playing on
the ice. Every day we see new charms in our sur-
roundings, which makes us almost hope that we will
stay to study the strange effects. The warm golden
sunsets, followed by a long soft blue twilight, are
now a daily delight. The milky white of the old
floes, with the glitter ' of its miniature mountains,
is under a thin veil of evening lilac. The new ice,
which is quite as extensive as the old, takes the
heavenly colours and glows in lakes of gold, while
the water separating these is a most delightful azure.
There is a fascination in all this ; there is a spirit of
contentment in the white silence, which hangs over
all.

March 4. — This morning a bunch of sharp rays
of light pierced my port as the sun rose over
the icy stillness of the north. It was like a bundle
of frosted silver wire, and it served well the purpose
of an eye-opener. Sleep here is an inexpressible
dream. It does not matter how difficult the work,
or how great the anxiety, we sink easily into pro-
longed restful slumbers. We awake rested, refreshed,

201

THROUGH THE FIRST

and full of youthful vigour, always ready for the
day's task. In the first days of our life in the pack
we ate when we were hungry, slept when we were
tired, and worked when the spirit moved us. (But
later we were never hungry, always tired, and the
spirit never moved us.)

This morning the vessel was allowed to rest quietly,
though there was considerable water about. On
board we are adjusting things to guard against the
expected heavy seas, which we anticipate when we
leave this accursed pack. At noon we took a sound-
ing and struck bottom at 530 metres. Soon after,
steam was raised and we began to ram through the
ice northward. We now intended to visit Peter
Island if possible. At first we made good progress.
The young ice was five inches thick, but this we cut
like butter. The large old floes were either pressed
out of our way, or broken. There were many
groups of small penguins, shedding feathers and rest-
ing with their ragged coats in the lee of hummocks.
There were also many seals on the ice. On the
whole, however, our hard efforts were poorly
rewarded, for, after battling with the ice six hours,
we had gained not more than two miles and were
again as snugly beset as before.

We have wearied of pushing southward this sea-
son, and are discouraged in our ability to move in
any direction, but we have tried hard to make a
higher latitude. Nature frowns upon us and re-
fuses to reward our dearly-bought venture. She
guards the mysteries of the frozen south with much
jealousy. She tempts us by permitting a small

202

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

advance and a long look ahead, but when we have
resolved to force on into the white blank, the icy-
gates close as if to say, " You can look, but you
must not enter." A water sky, a land blink, or
some other sign, indicative of land or open water, is
constantly before us and these are, to the polar
explorer, like the Star of Bethlehem to the children
of Israel. They perpetually urge us on. We burn
down the fires and wait impatiently for better suc-
cess on the morrow, feeling always that we have
won our success, thus far, by our own hard efforts,
and by the same methods we hope to master the
barriers now walled around us. Pressing ice, blast-
ing head winds, blinding snow squalls, and all the
worst elements of sea and weather combine to be-
wilder and defeat us.

The south polar lands are carefully shielded and
fenced off by the circumpolar pack. The regions be-
yond the outer edge are not to be secured from the
depths of mystery by a dash or an assault. The
fortifications are more firmly laid than ever a human
mind suggested. The prodigious depths of snow
above, and the endless expanse of ensnaring sea
around are mostly impregnable to man. He who
comtemplates an attack on this heatless under-
surface of the globe will find many tempting allure-
ments and many disheartening rebuffs. Such has
been our experience. The battle, however, should
be fought, though it promises to be the fiercest of
all human engagements. Science demands it,
modern progress calls for it, for in this age a blank
upon our chart is a blur upon our prided enlighten-

203

THROUGH THE FIRST

ment. A measure of success
is certain to follow, and the
victory should be crowned by
the '' Stars and Stripes."

Except for the little touch
of colour at sunrise this morn-
ing, the weather has been one
of a type which we now style
gray days. These gray days
are entirely characteristic of
the antarctic. There is no
brightness, no sparkle, no
moving wind or water, noth-
ing to infuse new life or to
lighten our spirits. The at-
mosphere is heavy, but not
opaque, the sky is low and
gray, the extensive pans and
bands of new ice are a smoky
colour, the water is leaden,
and only the snow-decked old
pans form a contrast to the
gray monotony, and even these
take on a dirty aspect. All
of this is impressed upon the
mind, and when taken together
with our immobility it sets up a grayness in our
moods. To-night we saw a sight which aroused
us to other thoughts. The sun had set rather
tamely, leaving only a narrow zone upon which
colour was poured ; this zone was light blue at the
water-line, a little darker above, merging into a

204

Moon Faces.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

violet, and then into an orange
red, and over all was a mouse-
coloured sky. These colours
soon vanished, leaving a lemon
colour which followed the sun
on its journey eastward. At
about eight o'clock a speck of
fire was seen above the purple
ice northward, but neither the
ice nor the sky showed any
signs of a reflected light. The
sky was a dark purple blue.
All was still and dead ; there
was not a breath of air stirring.
The dull flame slowly in-
creased in size and changed
its form with marvellous ra-
pidity. Above it there was a
little blackness suggestive of
smoke, and under it was a
cone-like image of a mount-
ain peak from which the fire
and smoke seemed to ooze.
Excitement ran high on the
Belgica, The thing came up-
on us out of the smoky purple
sky with the suddenness of a flash-light. To many of
us it seemed like a volcanic fire ; to all it was an awe-
inspiring, but fascinating, puzzle. As it rose slowly
higher it seemed to pull the mountain up with it ;
presently we noticed that the weird object had not
only an upward movement but also a lateral progress.

205

Moon Faces.

THROUGH THE FIRST

Then the fire separated from the mountain and later
the smoke separated from the fire, and then both
smoke and mountain vanished, leaving only a cone of
rayless flame. Every few seconds for fifteen minutes
this extraordinary object underwent a remarkable
transfiguration ; now it was oblong with its greatest
diameter parallel to the line of the horizon, again it
formed an inverted cone, at other times it became
semi-circular, and, most curious of all, it was a globe
divided by a line. There was at no time any sign of
luminosity about the spot. It remained a dull red,
fading into orange, and when it had ascended about
five degrees it assumed the form of a ragged ball of
old gold. By this time we had discovered that it was
the moon making anomalous faces as it passed
through the icy atmosphere resting on the pack.
(It was a sight which we saw many times after-
wards, and it was always full of a sort of weird
glory, of which we never tired.)

March 13. — For ten days we have had clear
skies with a falling thermometer, and though the ice
has spread considerably, leaving large open leads
and lakes, new^ ice has covered the water so quickly
that we have been unable to push out of our icy im-
prisonment. Few of us now entertain any hope of
seeing real water or land again until the Frost King
loosens his grasp upon us. There is considerable
difference of opinion as to our present position. When
one walks about the decks the men are frequently
heard discussing the recent efforts to push out of the
ice. They say the attempts have been half-hearted,
and that we are in the pack to winter by in-

206

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

tendon. This opinion is shared also by some mem-
bers of the scientific staff. Within the past four or five
days the ice has been much separated, but our efforts
to force out have been made with half-steam and for
short periods. There is a claim of indifference among
the officers as to whether we return to South America
to winter, Or harbour in the pack, and this indifference
is shown in the feeble attempts to navigate the ship.
Most of us have assumed the responsibility of criti-
cising the management, and all blame the director
for entering the main body of the pack at the sea-
son's end. After airing opinions, though adverse
and bitter to the men in charge, everybody feels
better. These complaints are a sort of safety-valve,
and the grunts are taken good-humouredly. The
opportunity to find fault is the privilege of men on
the threshold of polar darkness, and, according to
my experience, the members of every expedition do it
freely, but such sentiments are generally expunged
from the narratives. In spite of our disheartening
prospects, fits of melancholy, and spells of fault-
finding, there is, in general, hearty laughter and
jolly good feeling on board. In the forecastle the
men sing, whistle, and squeeze out old tunes on
the accordion. On deck they kick and dance and
tell funny stories. In the cabin the music boxes are
kept on cheerful notes, and altogether we are mak-
ing the dead world of ice about us ring with a
boisterous noise. Even the most disheartened among
us now begins to see new charms in the curious
chance which may make us the first of all human
beings to pass through the long antarctic night.

207

CHAPTER XV

HELPLESS IN A HOPELESS SEA OF ICE

We are now doomed to remain, and become the foot-
ball of an unpromising fate. Henceforth we are to be
kicked, pushed, squeezed, and ushered helplessly at
the mercy of the pack. Our first duty is to prepare
for the coming of the night, with its unknowable cold
and its soul-depressing effects. Aboard, the crew are
re-storing coal and re-arranging the store of pro-
visions. The scientific men are making plans for a
year of observations, while the cook is racking his
brain to devise some new dishes to appease our
fickle appetites. His soups are full of "mystery,"
and the ''embalmed meats" are on every tongue for
condemnation. Outside there has been a rapid trans-
formation. The summer days of midnight suns are
past, and the premonitory darkness of the long night
is falling upon us with marvellous rapidity, for in this
latitude the sun dips below the southern skies at
midnight late in January. This dip increases, and
sweeps more and more of the horizon every day
until early in May, when the sun sets and remains
below the horizon for seventy-one days. When we
first skirted the pack-ice in February there were a,

208

M. van Rysselberghe at the condenser, which was converted into
a snow melter. This apparatus, by the combined ingenuity of van
Rysselberghe and van Mirlo, was taken out of the engine-room,
placed on deck, and so altered that it burned seal blubber, From
this the Belgica was supplied with water,

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

few hours, at midnight, of bright twilight. The
darkness then was not sufficient to prevent naviga-
tion throughout the night ; but now it is really dark
for eight hours. The temperature, too, is falling
rapidly. We have been led to believe by the ex-
periences of previous antarctic explorers that the
temperature, compared with arctic, would be more
moderate ; but in this we are disappointed. An icy
wind comes from the south, brushing the warm,
moist air seaward and replacing it by a sharp, frigid
atmosphere. The temperature falls to ten degrees
below zero, then to twenty (and later it descends to
thirty, forty, and finally forty-five).

Soon after we entered the main body of the pack
a fortnight ago, it was discovered that we drifted
with the ice in a south-westerly direction. We con-
cluded, at that time, that we were in a current. The
shallow sea and the speed with which we moved
were in favour of this theory ; but now we are drifting
north-westerly, and we begin to doubt the existence
of a current. The ease with which the entire horizon,
with its numerous mountains and fields of ice, sails
over the invisible sea makes us anxious as to our
destiny. If we remain here, on this blank space of
the globe, where will we find ourselves a year hence ?
Will it be north, south, east or west ? In this drift
it is possible that the ship may be dragged over a
submerged reef, and it is also possible that we may be
carried onto a rocky shore, or against the formidable
land-ice. In each case destruction of our vessel and
a miserable death for all must be the inevitable result.

To forestall such a future we now ascend to the

209

THROUGH THE FIRST

crow's-nest daily and with the telescope search the
horizon. New bergs come over one part of the cir-
cle, old ones disappear in other directions. Appear-
ances of land are often noted, but such appearances
are no longer credited. New crevasses form, old
ones close, but on the whole it is, day after day, the
same heaving sea of frozen whiteness. Neverthe-
less the views are encouraging, and they now and
then revive the dying hope of release from the icy
prison. There is promise in the movement of the
bergs, the continued swell of the sea, and the slow
mysterious turning of the floes, together with the
present northerly drift. The fact that each floe per-
sistently remains as a single individual, and refuses
to unite with its neighbours to form a conglomerate
mass, which would effectually and finally cut off all
hope of a retreat this year, is a pleasant thought.
A brisk storm would easily separate these floes, and
the open water, but ninety miles north, would carry
us on its stormy bosom to a more congenial climate
for the winter.

Last night was clear and blue. We knew from the
stillness of the air and crackle of the ice that it would
be very cold, and so it proved. At six o'clock it was
- 14.6° C. (5. 72° R), at midnight, - 20° C. (- 4^ F.).
A number of royal and small penguins and some
seals were led by curiosity to visit us. They called,
and cried, and talked, and grunted, as they walked
over the ice about the ship, and were finally captured
by the naturalist and the cook, who had an equal
interest in the entertainment of our animal friends
and in their future destiny. A few nights past a sea

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

leopard interviewed the meteorologist, Arctowski.
The animal sprang suddenly from a new break in
the ice onto the floe, upon which Arctowski had a
number of delicate meteorological instruments, and
without an introduction, or any signs of friendship,
the animal crept rapidly over the snow and examined
Arctowski and his paraphernalia with characteristic
seal inquisitiveness. The meteorologist had nothing
with which to defend himself, and he didn't appear
to relish the teeth of the leopard as it advanced and
separated its massive jaws with a bear-like snort.
He walked around the floe, the leopard after him.
The seal examined the instruments, but they were
not to its liking, and as to Arctowski, it evidently did
not regard him of sufficient interest to follow long,
for after it had made two rounds the seal plunged into
the waters, swam under the ice and around the floe,
and then raised its head far out to get another
glimps,e of the meteorologist. Thinking that the
creature contemplated another attack, Arctowski
made warlike gestures, and uttered a volley of sul-
phureous Polish words, but the seal didn't mind that.
It raised its head higher and higher out of the water,
and displayed its teeth in the best possible manner.
Now and then its lips moved, and there was audible
a weird noise, with signs which we took to be the
animal's manner of inviting its new acquaintance to
a journey under the icy surface, where they might
talk over the matter out of the cold blast of the
wind, in the blue depths below.

March 15. — The weather is remarkably clear.
There is no wind, no noise, and no motion in the

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ice. During the night we saw the first aurora
austraHs. I saw it first at eight o'clock, but it was
so faint then that I could not be positively certain
whether it was a cloud with an unusual ice-blink
upon it or an aurora ; but at ten o'clock we all saw
it in a manner which was unmistakable. The first
phenomenon was like a series of wavy fragments of
cirrus clouds, blown by strong, high winds across the
zenith. This entirely disappeared a few minutes after
eight o'clock. What we saw later was a trembling
lace-work, draped like a curtain, on the southern sky.
Various parts were now dark, and now light, as if a
stream of electric sparks illuminated the fabric. The
curtain seemed to move in response to these waves
of light, as if driven by the wind which shook out old
folds and created new ones, all of which made the
scene one of new interest and rare glory.

That I mio^ht better see the new attraction and
also experiment with my sleeping-bag, I resolved to
try a sleep outside upon one of the floes. For
several days I had promised myself the pleasure of
this experience, but for one reason or another I had
deferred it. At midnight I took my bag and, leav-
ing the warmth and comfort of the cabin, I struggled
out over the icy walls of the bark's embankment, and
upon a floe three hundred yards east I spread out
the bag. The temperature of the cabin was the
ordinary temperature of a comfortable room ; the
temperature of the outside air was - 20° C. ( - 4° F.)
After undressing quickly, as one is apt to do in such
temperatures, I slid into the fur bag and rolled over
the ice until I found a depression suitable to my

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

ideas of comfort. At first my teeth chattered and
every muscle of my body quivered, but in a few-
minutes this passed off and there came a reaction
similar to that after a cold bath. With this warm
glow I turned from side to side and peeped past the
fringe of accumulating frost, around my blow-hole
through the bag, at the cold glitter of the stars. As I
lay there alone, away from the noise of the ship, the
silence and the solitude were curiously oppressive.
There was not a breath of air stirring the glassy
atmosphere, and not a sound from the ice-decked
sea or its life to indicate movement or commotion.
Only a day ago this same ice was a mass of small
detached floes, moving and grinding off edges with
a complaining squeak. How different it was now !
Every fragment was cemented together into one
heterogeneous mass and carpeted by a hard, ivory-
like sheet of snow. Every move which I made
in my bag was followed by a crackling complaint
from the snow crust.

At about three o'clock in the morning a little
wind came from the east. My blow-hole was
turned in this direction, but the slow blast of air
which struck my face kept my moustache and my
whiskers, and every bit of fur near the opening,
covered with ice. As I rolled over to face the lee-
ward there seemed to be a misfit somewhere. The
hood portion of the bag was as hard as if coated
with sheet-iron, and my head was firmly encased.
My hair, my face, and the under garments about
my neck were frozen to the hood. With every turn
I endured an agony of hair pulling. If I remained

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still my head became more and more fixed by the
increasing condensation. In the morning my head
was boxed like that of a deep sea-diver. But
aside fi*om this little discomfort I was perfectly at
ease, and might have slept if the glory of the
heavens and the charm of the scene about had not
been too fascinating to permit restful repose.

The aurora, as the blue twilight announced the
dawn, had settled into an arc of steady brilliancy
which hung low on the southern sky, while directly
under the zenith there quivered a few streamers ;
overhead was the southern cross, and all around the
blue dome there were sparkling spots which stood out
like huge gems. Along the horizon from south to
east there was the glow of the sun, probably reflected
from the unknown southern lands. This was a band
of ochre tapering to gold and ending in orange red.
At four o'clock the aurora was still visible but faint.
The heavens were violet and the stars were now fad-
ing behind the increasing twilight. A zone of yellow
extended from west around south to east, while the
other half of the circle was a vivid purple. The
ice was a dark blue. An hour later the highest ice-
bergs began to glitter as if tipped with gold, and
then the hummocks brightened. Finally, as the
sun rose from her snowy bed, the whole frigid sea
was coloured as if flooded with liquid gold. I turned
over and had dropped into another slumber when I
felt a peculiar tapping on the encasement of my face.
I remained quiet, and presently I heard a loud chat-
ter. It was uttered by a group of penguins who had
come to interview their new companion. I hastened

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

to respond to the call, and, after pounding my head
and pulling out some bunches of hair, I jumped into
my furs, bid the surprised penguins good morning,
and went aboard. Here I learned that Lecointe, not
knowing of my presence on the ice, had taken me
for a seal, and was only waiting for better light to try
his luck with the rifle.

215

CHAPTER XVI

BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE PACK— AUTUMNAL
TEMPESTS

On the morning of the i6th several of us went to
the crow's-nest to get a bird's-eye view of the pack.
Only two could rest in the nest at one time, and at
best it is a shivery roost, but Arctowski and I re-
solved to enter it this morning and there spend an
hour in study and philosophy. We climbed up over
a series of rope ladders which were coated with an
inch of hoar-frost in large crystals. The metallic
jingle of these crystals made a music full of curious
interest, and the gem-like glitter of the masts fired
by the silvery beams, as the sun rose over the white
splendour of the pack, was a sight which made us hes-
itate to tread on the bejewelled ropes. Arctowski
entered the bottom of the barrel first and quickly
kicked and pushed out the frost, sending down a
cloud of ice which covered my face and sent streams
of sharp crystals down my back. We had been in
the crow's-nest some minutes surveying the splendour
of the widened horizon before we began to talk and
discuss the situation. On deck there had been no
wind, but here there is a little air coming from all

216

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

directions ; now from the south, now from the north,
and again from the east or the west. This we
regard as a certain sign of an immediate change in
the weather. There is also a restlessness in the
pack which is an equally certain indication of a
change. The water-sky, which we saw yesterday,
has extended considerably. The ice is spreading
out in some directions, leaving large open lanes of
bright blue sea with a metallic lustre. The width
of these lanes is from ten to fifty feet, and they
extend northerly as far as the eye can reach. Many
of these expanses of water offer us a free highway
out of our present dilemma. Over the beam, within
three hundred yards, there is a river-like stream, but
we cannot get to it. In a direction at right angles
to these lanes there is considerable pressure. This
is shown by the many lines of hummocks raised on
the edges of the floes.

We have taken a few pictures of this bird's-eye
view of the site (which later proved to be our winter
home), but these in black and white are poor illus-
trations of the pack which is always flooded with curi-
ous colours, in unique blends, and soft shades. At
this time the sun burst through a torn space in
a gathering blackness northward, and sent her
beams lightly to the ice, making each pan as lumi-
nous as if frosted with a covering of diamonds. The
edges of these pans are raised by contact with neigh-
bouring pans. Suspended from these elevations
are icicles, and over and under these the ice is
charged with yellow sea algae, making a ring of gold
around the gem-strewn floes. In a few places the

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water is covered with a green lacework of new ice,
and everywhere there is a delicate suggestion of
lilac, raising the high lights, colouring the shadows,
and saturating the air with a mysterious luminosity.
Our position at the top of the mast is like that of
a bird far up under the heavens. The great ugly-
looking, but vigourous, giant petrels are dashing
past our heads with an air of inquisitiveness. The
little dove-like white petrels come to us almost within
reach of our arms, and the graceful brown sea-gulls
rush over us and around us with a startling buzz.
We are inclined to drift into poetry and philosophy
this morning, and everything about encourages this
mood. The day, with a temperature — 9° C. (15.8°
F.), is a delight, and as we look down upon the
endless expanse of restless frigid ocean, with its
primitive life and death-like silence, we dream
of primeval nature. For here is the world nearest
to its youthful character. The moving crust of the
earth with which we drift, the hardy, simple
life, and even the sky, all suggest a period of the
earth in its infancy, long before the advent of man.
It is this strange simplicity, this other- world air of
terrestrial youth, which makes the polar regions so
fascinating to nature-loving man. Everything about
is new, yet old ; every sight is simple, yet clothed
in mystery ; every phenomenon, like a shy maiden, is
attractive but difficult of access. The haste and
the bustle of the living world are far from the mental
horizon, and the mind is ready to examine the new
problems. It is fortunate that one can, after a little
experience, here open the book of Nature and record

218

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the causes and effects of nearly all phenomena, for
then the mysterious halo which surrounds everything
polar disappears. Each point of attraction which at
first bewilders us by its strangeness becomes a writ-
ten page to be added to the future annals of science.
There are a hundred things which, in this way, pre-
sent new aspects daily and urge the mind out of its
lethargy of monotony into a state of fascination.
Now we see some peculiar strip on the sky, a strik-
ing series of clouds, a rare fog effect, an unusual sun-
burst, or an aurora ; then it is something connected
with the sea or its burden, the ice. Perhaps the
surface will seem motionless, while at a little distance
a small blue-ridged berg will bound and dance as if
animated by some strange submarine spirit ; or per-
haps one of the bergs, with whose face we are familiar,
will suddenly turn, offering a new face and a curious
colour. Again a berg is seen with black spots and
discoloured stratifications. What is the origin of
this ? Is it the output of a volcano, or is it natural
glacial debris ? We see the effects, but what are the
causes? And so the questions run. Hardly have
we learned one lesson when another is brought to our
notice. This time, perhaps, it is some speck of life,
curiously embedded in a wilderness of ice. What
story has it to give ? To what family does it belong ?
We want to know its manner of life, its food, some-
thing of its migration, and so on. There is always
a stimulus for an endless series of interesting obser-
vations. It is these tempting studies which lift the
spirits above the even plane of white monotony. It
is this fresh interest in the unknown which makes

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life tolerable. We all like to ponder over the days of
our youth; those of an inquiring turn of mind love to
reflect upon the youthful days of the earth; and look-
ing at the polar world, as a whole, it bears a close
relation to what it must have been when man first
came to it.

Shortly after noon the thermometer rose, the
barometer fell, and the sky assumed a dirty gray.
Out of the north came a brisk wind with a steadily
increasing force. We have now learned that this is
the condition for a storm. The wind increased to
a half gale with snow, and continued to blow fiercely
all day. At four o'clock we noticed by the squeak-
ing of the ice that a swell was rolling under us.
We did not feel its effects about the ship until seven
o'clock. Then the ice cracked about us, and was
forced together with a pressure which aroused con-
siderable fear regarding the safety of the Belgica.
Huge hummocks rose on every side, floes were
forced over each other, and against the sides of
the vessel. The paint was scraped from her, frag-
ments of wood were gouged out of her, and she was
thrown over on a floe where she lay taking the
thumps and steady pressure with cracks and groans;
but the good old ship fought her battle bravely.
At about eight o'clock the pressure ceased and the
ice separated, leaving small open leads. The Belgica
settled down again into the water and sought her
equilibrium, and, though there was considerable
scraping and grinding against our berths later,
there was no more pressure. Early in the evening
there appeared a strip of blue sky in the north and

2 20

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

in It appeared the moon, now a small crescent, a
mere shadow of the huge ball of red seen a fortnight
ago. The sky continued to clear during the night,
but the storm increased in force.

March 17. — The storm is still raging; the sky,
and even the snow seems black under the inky
gloom. The temperature has risen nearly twenty
degrees in twenty-four hours, which is a very
remarkable phenomenon for the antarctic. The sky
in the north-north-east is almost constantly black,
indicating what we believe to be open water in that
direction. From the ease with which the swell
comes in under the pack, and the frequent zones of
water-sky, we estimate that we are within fifty miles
of the open ice-free ocean ; but to reach it is at
present impossible. The Commandant and the cap-
tain still entertain hopes of getting out, and if our
engines were stronger and our efforts to gain freedom
were more prolonged we might. The majority, how-
ever, are now resigned to the fate of a year on a field
of drifting ice, though Gerlache still talks of going to
Buenos Aires, and Lecointe discusses a long list of
needful things which he wishes to purchase for the
next campaign. The days are growing rapidly
shorter and the nights, only too noticeably longer.
The nights have not now that white glow which
they had a few weeks ago. It Is this discourag-
ing veil of blackness, falling over the sparkling
whiteness of earlier nights, which sends a vein of
despair running through our souls.

March 18. — The storm persists with Its hellish
howl, but the wind is veering easterly. The tem-

221

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perature remains near zero and this, with the satura-
tion of the atmosphere and almost continuous fall
of snow, makes everything about wet and slushy.
The decks are covered with a mixture of wet snow
and soot and heterogeneous masses of wood. The
surface of the pack is wet and the snow on it is
soaked with water. We cannot travel on it without
snowshoes, and we cannot use snowshoes because
the snow adheres to the wood. We must in con-
sequence remain on board in our cabins and listen to
the maddening howl of the tempest, as it plays on
the ropes and masts and deck over us. Nothing
could be more uncomfortable than this thaw coming,
as it does, while the winter is well advanced. We
are now prepared for cold weather. Steady low
temperatures would be our delight, but these wet,
warm days bring out a grunt and a complaint from
everybody, and when a wet snow-charged tempest
drives the slush into our faces and through every
break in our clothing, as we make the necessary ob-
servations, the situation becomes befitting to the sul-
phureous epithets which one hears from stem to
stern.

About a week ago we killed a seal. The skin
and blubber were removed, but the balance of the
carcass was left on the floe, about one hundred yards
westward. This carcass has attracted great num-
bers of giant petrels. All the birds about except
the penguins are scavengers, but the giant petrel is
the king of all. We have had an excellent oppor-
tunity for the past few days to study these ugly crea-
tures. In size they are about as large as a goose, but

222

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the spread of wing is greater and the body smaller.
Their usual colour is sooty-brown with a grayish head.
There is, however, considerable difference in colour;
for they range from fawn to chocolate, and from black
to a silvery gray; occasionally one sees an albino, and
also some white, spotted with black feathers. In
habits they are gluttons. Many of these about us
now have eaten so much that they are unable to rise
into the air, but sit on the ice with head and feet
tucked into their rough, bushy feathers. If we ap-
proach them they run along a few hundred feet and
then, if we persist in the chase, the birds vomit
great quantities, after which they rise into the air and
hover above us in a threatening manner. When
we first entered the pack we thought, as did Captain
Cook and other early navigators, that these huge,
coarse, and ugly petrels were indicative of a near-
ness to land, but we have now abandoned this idea.
The giant petrel is a pack animal, and seemingly
prefers the pack-edge, where it can fish in the open
leads and light upon the carcass of an occasional
seal or penguin. We learned to like this bird for its
noticeable, uncouth ugliness. It was, indeed, our
most constant companion during the twelve long
months following, while we were frozen to a piece of
drifting ice.

March 19. — The tempest still continues, but it
is coming from the north in doleful wails, like the
moans of a dying soul, which indicate that its force
is nearly spent. The low, gray sky, the dead
white of the ice, and the general monotone of neu-
tral colours is still our cheerless outlook. We are

223

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indescribably tired of these seemingly ceaseless
storms. It is not possible to work outside, and in-
terior occupations fatigue us so much that we soon
weary of regular work.

5 p. M. — The storm has at last abated. It has
left us so suddenly that the calm is as unexpected
as it is appreciated. The barometer is steady
and the temperature is falling fast. It is already
— 9°C., and is still falling. The scene now be-
fore us is full of new delights. The ice is spread
out again, bright, soft and tinted with delicate colours.
Every time the thick air and the gloomy clouds of
storm are brushed away, the pack, white and spark-
ling, has a new story to tell. It brings to us moods
like a cheerful page in a sad story. Under the in-
fluence of this spell everybody is singing, whistling,
and humming familiar tunes ; all are planning new
work and nursing big ambitions. In the cabin the
music-boxes are grinding out favourite music, which
rings over the pack with a new joy. In the forecastle
the men are dancing and playing the accordion with
telling effect. From some invisible point of the pack
there comes a weird response to every discord of the
music. It is the gha-a-ah, gha-a-ah of the penguins.
We have had a peep at the sun and this has brought
about an intoxication akin to alcoholic stimulation,
and well it might, for the brief period of its visibility
has been a dream of charms. The great twilight
zone of purple fringed with violet and orange and
rose is rising over the east. The zenith is pale blue
studded with a few scarlet and lavender clouds, and
the sun, a great ball of old gold, is sinking under

224

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the pearly rose-tinged line of the endless expanse
of ice.

8 p. M. — The ice shows signs of strong pres-
sure from the north. Along the crevasses, running
easterly and westerly there are great lines of hum-
mocks from four to eight feet in height. The colours
of the pack are now far from the despairing mono-
tone of yesterday. The yellow sea algae have
already fixed themselves in the new ice and make it
appear ocherous. The twilight on clear nights is
extended by the latent luminosity of the snow. The
blueness of the pack in this twilight, separated by
the ebony lanes of open water and decorated by the
algae-strewn yellow and green lines in the hummocks,
make the scenes curiously attractive. Added to this
we have the bergs, tall, sharp, and imposing, stand-
ing out against the soft blue of the sky and the
hard blue of the pack as if cut from huge masses of
alabaster. The whole scene is one of lively con-
trasts, pleasing to the eye and stimulating to the
mind, having quite the reverse of the effect of the
days of darkness and depressing storms which have
preceded.

At about ten o'clock we saw a second aurora. It
began as a ragged arc, spread easterly and westerly
across the southern sky with a straight line running
under it close to the horizon. The space under the
arc was noticeably darker than the surrounding sky,
and in this space, also in a straight line, were four
luminous spots. The colour of the aurora was a
bright cream with an occasional suggestion of pink.
There was no noticeable reflection of light on the

225

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snow. There was a quick and constant transforma-
tion in the form of the phenomenon. A wave of Hght
ran through the luminous bands and spots from east
to west. Some parts brightened and enlarged, others
darkened and faded away. The arcs were generally
of a steady rayless brightness; the apparent move-
ment and wavy effect of light was in a series of sharp
rays on a film-like display before the arc. I found
it difficult in the low temperature to remain outside
for periods sufficiently prolonged to catch the minute
changes in force and character, but I made a series
of eight sketches at intervals of about twenty min-
utes apart, which illustrate the most striking changes.
The second form was a homogeneous arc with a
fragment of a second arc under it. This hung for
some time with a steady nebulous glow between
it and the one previous, as well as between the in-
tervening periods of all. The following typical forms
then were rapid and almost imperceptible grada-
tions. The third sketch represents the same pri-
mary arc always of the same size and in the same
position on the heavens : but under it are portions
of two other arcs and a suggestion of a luminous
horizontal line. At times a wave of rays, converg-
ing to the pole of the circle described, ran over the
main arc. In the fourth sketch there are two arcs
and a portion of a third which were seen persistently
in all the exhibits to the present. In the fifth there
is a second arc crossing the first. This was sug-
gested in the third and it reappeared in the seventh.
The sixth form was an arc with three ribbons of
luminous beams waving from side to side. The ex-
hibit ended with a plain arc aglow with a steady light.

226

CHAPTER XVII

THE FADING DAYS OF THE AUTUMN

March 20. — Although the wind which has swept
the pack for the past few days has entirely subsided,
the temperature has not fallen as low as we had ex-
pected. The thermometer has registered to — 1 5^ C.
(5° F.) during the night, and is about —9° C.
(15.8° F.) to-day. After these storms we usually
have a few days of calm weather with a low tempera-
ture, and after each successive blow we find that the
mercury settles closer and closer to the bulb. We are
expecting every morning to find the quicksilver frozen.
This is a cloudless day with a sharp sun and a blind-
ing glitter. The topography about has changed
much under the influence of the drift-snow during
the last storm. About the ship there are huge drifts
of snow which make it difficult to disembark. The
old hummocks are reduced to little rounded hills, the
small crevasses are filled with new ice and snow, and
the entire pack of restless floes near the bark seems
more like one homogeneous mass. Everything is
restful and motionless, and covered with the white
silence of death. We, of the scientific staff, have
taken advantage of this promise of ice stability to

227

THROUGH THE FIRST

make short excursions over the ice to the neighbour-
ing bergs, and to interesting spots in the surround-
ing regions that we might better study the Hfe and
the upbuilding of the sea of ice in which we are
fated to be kicked about, until the thaw of another
year may set us free. The snow is sheeted with
a hard crust, as it usually is after a storm, but we
find it unsafe to travel even short distances without
snowshoes. The depth of snow is such, and the
crevasses are so numerous, that the small bearing
surface of the foot is likely to permit us to sink
down out of sight.

For these journeys, when a quick unencum-
bered march is intended, we all prefer the Nor-
wegian ski, but when it is necessary to ascend
slopes, to cross rough ice, or to pull sledges, the
ski is decidedly inferior to Indian or to Alpine
snowshoes. Our skis are mostly nine feet long;
with these on our feet we skate leisurely over
the rough uneven surface at the rate of about three
miles per hour. Over the snow-covered old ice
the work is not difficult, but when we come to
new ice recently formed, we find the surface as
difficult for gliding purposes as rubber. To cross
these it is generally necessary to remove the ski
and walk. It was a matter of some surprise to see
the large number and the great width of these strips
of new ice which indicate the expansion of the pack.
At a distance of five miles we found ten leads with
an average width of a thousand feet. This gives an
expansion of two miles as a result of the last storm.
Ten days ago we went over this same path to a

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

favourite iceberg which has been named " Sweet-
heart." We then found the distance less than three
miles; to-day the journey was nearly twice as
long. If the pack increases at this rate what will be
its limit at the end of the coming winter night ? We
saw only one small and two royal penguins, one
giant petrel, and a few white petrels. There were
no open spaces of water, hence seals and whales and
penguins have departed for more open regions in the
pack farther north. The penguins we saw were
stragglers who failed to go to more congenial re-
gions before the new ice formed ; they remain
near icebergs where they are sure to find new crev-
asses in the next few days, and to be deprived of
food and water for a few days does not seem to seri-
ously disturb a penguin. About the bergs we
found some small holes through the new ice, out of
which there came a puff of vapour with a hiss at regu-
lar intervals. These were the breathing holes of the
crab-eating seals who, like the stranded penguins,
await a change in the movement of the ice when
new crevasses with open spaces of water will again
appear.

The icebergs seem to be the great disturbing ele-
ment in the movement of the sea-ice. We have
several times thought that they were propelled by
some contrary under-current, but the extended ob-
servations we have made to the present prove quite
another fact. We know that the pack, as a whole,
is extremely sensitive to the force of the wind ; it
easily and quickly takes the direction of winds of
even mild force. When this wind is long continued

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there is a line of pressure ridges at right angles to
the direction of the wind, and lanes of open water
in line with the wind, indicating a tendency of the
ice to separate in the way of least resistance, which
is always north. The bergs always have an ap-
parent movement diametrically opposite to the move-
ment of the pack. This is indicated by a number of
hummocks and pressure ridges to the windward, and
the usual open lakes to the leeward of each iceberg.
While it is thus proven that the berg passes through
the sea-ice in a direction opposite to the force of the
wind, the nautical observations prove that the entire
mass, icebergs and sea-ice, move with the wind
with a speed depending upon the resistance, the
force, and the direction of the wind. Under ordi-
nary conditions an iceberg sinks seven-eighths of its
mass under water. A berg two hundred feet above
water therefore has a base fourteen hundred feet
under water. The force of the wind expended upon
the two hundred feet above is extremely small com-
pared to the enormous resistance offered by the four-
teen hundred feet under water. The conclusion must
be that the berg seems to move against the wind
because of its greater resistance ; but in reality it,
like the sea-ice, is also carried along by the wind
and forced on by the greater speed floe-ice.

March 21. — It is a dull, gray day. The sky is
low, with a high fog, but along the south and east
there are breaks in the clouds permitting a few rays
to steal a passage to the cold, white world below.
The night was bright early in the evening with a
few auroras, cloud-like fissures, or luminous patches

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

in the south-west, but they were of short duration.
After midnight the heavens assumed the dullness
which now makes the scene one of deep gloom. It
is on such days that we assume a disgusted and
fault-finding mood. To-day we are dissatisfied with
the food. We have complained intermittently for a
long time, but now everybody seems bent on having
his say as to the badness of our provisions. We
have tried penguins and cormorants, but the major-
ity have voted them unpalatable. The excitement,
heretofore, of new discoveries and new sights to in-
fuse fresh life has been too frequent and too long
continued to permit us to think of dainty foods and
tempting relishes. Now it is different. We are
held by the increasing grip of the too affectionate
pack. We are imprisoned in an endless sea of ice,
and find our horizon monotonous. We have told all
the tales, real and imaginative, to which we are
equal. Time weighs heavily upon us as the darkness
slowly advances. The despairing storms and the
increasing cold call for some new fuel to keep the
lowering fires of our bodies ablaze.

I have taken the trouble to make a personal can-
vass of every man of the Belgica to-day to find out
the greatest complaints and the greatest longings of
each. The result of this inquiry was certainly a les-
son in curious human fancies. In the cabin the fore-
most wants are for home news and feminine society.
We are hungry for letters from mothers, sisters, and
other men's sisters, and what would we not give for
a peep at a pretty woman ? Racovitza reminds us
daily that he will write a book describing life in the

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"Ladyless south," and we have all agreed to con-
tribute articles to a forthcoming paper in which we
shall advertise our wants. This paper will take the
generic name given us by the naturalist, *'The Pack
Loafers' World." In the forecastle the men are less
sentimental and less inclined to poetry. They desire
first some substantial for the stomach. Fresh food,
such as beefsteaks, vegetables, and fruits are their
foremost wants. Two or three, in lone dark corners
and in tears, slyly admit that a few moments with the
girls of their hearts would be more to their liking.
They would like fresh foods, but they long for free-
dom from the lonely pack, and the congeniality of a
land of feminine charms. Our hatred is all heaped
upon one class of men. They are the inventors and
manufacturers of the various kinds of canned and
preserved meats. Our general name for ** embalmed
beef" is ** Kydbolla." If these meat-packers could
be found anywhere within reach they would be-
come food for the giant petrels very quickly. In
this one sentiment we are all of one accord. Down
with "embalmed beef" and everybody associated
with it !

I must hasten to say that our food is not without
variety, its quality is good, and it is perhaps all that
could be desired under the circumstances ; but men
in the monotone of polar regions develop flighty long-
ings. We have for breakfast cereals, such as corn
meal, crushed oats, hominy, good, freshly-baked bis-
cuits, oleomargarine, marmalade, and coffee. Our
supply of sugar is low and the provision of milk is
almost exhausted. It is the sugar and milk which

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

are in greatest demand. For dinner we have soups
of various kinds, canned meats, preserves, potatoes
and macaroni, with a dessert of fruit pudding. Our
supper consists of fish, cheese, and an occasional
conglomerate mixture of macaroni, nulles, pemmi-
can, and tinned meats. There is a sufficient vari-
ety to prevent a dislike for any one article. There
are, however, a few things to which many have
developed a sharp animosity. These are usually the
articles with a neutral flavour. The things hated
most violently are kydbolla and fiskabolla ; both are
Norwegian concoctions of doubtful stuffs. The
kydbolla is said to be a mixture of ground beef and
cream, and the fiskabolla is described as a compound of
fish and cream. We are, however, ungrateful enough
to doubt the usual truthfulness of our Norse friends.
The colour and consistency of the meats and fish
balls are such that no suggestion as to the composi-
tion is possible, and thus one idea after another is
developed. Some prove by a plausible argument
that they are the refuse of the packing-house, defibri-
nated, bleached, ground, and compressed. Others
insist that useless dogs, cats, and what not, have
been utilised. All traces by which one might dis-
cover the composition have been removed ; even the
odour of the fish has been destroyed in the fish balls.
It is in this spirit that we have begun to eat pen-
guin meat. The doubtful recommendation which
it has received from other explorers has caused
us to shun it; but now, for variety, we would
gladly take to anything ; even horse meat would be
a relish. For some time a few of us have insisted

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upon collecting and saving all the penguins pos-
sible, both for the skins and fresh meat. We have
tried the meat several times, and it seems to im-
prove upon acquaintance. It was amusing to
watch the first trials: little pieces were taken and
tasted, and allowed to settle into the stomach slowly.
With a few some time elapsed before a second trial
was attempted. Some never ventured farther, and
others passed their plates for a second and third help-
ing. No one seemed to eat the penguin steaks with
any kind of relish, but somehow we stored away quite
a little stack of it. It is rather difficult to describe its
taste and appearance ; we have absolutely no meat
with which to compare it. The penguin, as an animal,
seems to be made up of an equal proportion of
mammal, fish, and fowl. If it is possible to imagine
a piece of beef, an odoriferous codfish, and a canvas-
back duck, roasted in a pot, with blood and cod-liver
oil for sauce, the illustration will be complete.

March 22. — The storm continued through the
night and subsided this morning at sunrise, but be-
gan again at 3 p.m., and now at 5 p.m. it is blowing
a full gale with snow, and a temperature — 1.5° C.
(29.3° F.). The effect of the wind and the drift has
made little change upon the pack in general, but the
Belgica is being more and more buried in the accu-
mulating banks. The last wind drove us south nine-
teen miles, and west twenty-six miles, and this
storm, being from about the same direction, will
undoubtedly drive us still farther into the frigid
unknown.

March 23. — The day dawned under a clear sky
with a little wind coming from the south-east. The

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

temperature is— 11.5° C. (11.3° F.). There Is no
marked change in the ice except that the hard sharp
edges and projections have been reduced, and the
entire pack has assumed a soft, velvety-Hke mantle
which is due to the enormous quantity of drift-snow
which comes with the strong easterly and north-east-
erly winds. At about nine o'clock we saw a mirage,
a cream-coloured ridge of ice apparently raised thirty
or forty feet above the general surface of the pack.
After dinner, accompanied by Lecointe, we took a
journey on i-y^/ for recreation. We chose a course
due south and travelled about two miles. The ice
was rough, full of small hummocks and crevasses,
and altogether very difficult for travelling, but it gave
us just the hard physical task which we desired for
exercise. At the end of our journey we found a
large lead partly covered with new ice. Its direction
was south-east and its width about fifty feet. It was
a beautiful river-like band of sparkling, blue water
which would have afforded the bark an easy passage
homeward or poleward, but there were two miles of
hard unbroken ice between it and this promising
highway. To each side of the lead were a number
of small penguins sunning themselves, arranging
and oiling their feathers for a plunge into the waters.
In the lead in several places we saw a few black spots
which, upon closer examination, proved to be groups
of penguins coming up from the depths of the ocean to
breathe and to sport on the surface after having had
a full meal of shrimps. On the return some of these
penguins followed us to the ship and were captured
by the hunters after considerable difficulty.

March 24. — There were a few faint, luminous

23.5

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patches of aurora last night, but the exhibit was so
weak that, had it not been in the usual position of
auroras, it would have passed unrecognised. The
day is dull and gloomy. The .morning was
somewhat bright and cheerful, but the wind has
veered to the north-west, and at three o'clock it
increased to a howling gale with snow and a sky
sheeted with lead. The barometer is falling with
a quiver which seems to indicate an increase and
prolongation of the storm. There is much move-
ment in the ice ; new fractures are visible, and from
the south to the east there is a water-sky, probably
indicating a large lake of open water. One giant
petrel was the only life seen to-day. A few minutes
before six, while the storm still raged, a strip of the
sky in the west brightened, and over it the sun,
brushed by snow-charged winds, sank to her rest.
It is now so dark in the cabin at seven o'clock that
we must use a light during supper.

March 25. — The storm continued all night, but
stopped suddenly soon after sunrise. The morn-
ing gave no promise of better weather. The sky
remained low, the atmosphere wet and uncomfort-
able. After noon a southerly wind cleared the sky
and the air, and sent the thermometer falling rapidly.
The ice is separating, leaving large, open, endless
leads running north-west and south-east; any one
of these leads offers us an excellent passage out
of this unearthly sea of ice. There is one within
two hundred yards of the bow, but this might as
well be ten miles off, for we cannot get the vessel to
it. We have made some journeys along these leads,

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

but have seen only one giant and two snow petrels.
The captain's observation at noon shows that we
have drifted eleven miles northward. We have made a
sounding to-day, and are beginning to prepare the
Belgica for her long sleep through the coming winter
darkness.

March 26. — A white day, with a blinding glitter
from the ice. An ice-edge southerly wind is keeping
the temperature close to — 20° C. (—4° F.). In our
excursions to-day, we found the leads of yesterday
converted into large lakes partly covered by quickly-
forming new ice, which was about an inch thick and
covered by a decoration of hoar-frost in large crystals.
In the centre of these lakes there were small pools
of open water, and in these several families of
small penguins were darting like sunbeams through
the water to keep from freezing to the new ice. The
shores of these lakes and the broad sheets of ice,
which spread out over the glassy blue water, were
covered, decorated, and bejewelled by a garden-like
growth of ice-flowers. In the absence of budding
plants we take very kindly to these crystal shrubs.
It is remarkable how much real pleasure we find in
our admiration for apparently insignificant things.
The forms of the hummocks, the figures of the drift-
snow, and the clusters of glittering ice crystals, dis-
played everywhere, are a source of never-ceasing
entertainment. The most remarkable of these for-
mations are what we have affectionately styled ice-
flowers. In reality, they are snow crystals, so as-
sembled as to form clusters, which are arranged in
rows on the new ice. These ice-flowers possess the

THROUGH THE FIRST

charm of both jewels and blooming plants. In form
they are flowers, in texture they are gems. They
bud, if I may so express it, with the first sharp breath
of winter, casting their fragile tendrils into a hundred
delicate forms wherever a suspicion of humidity can
be hardened with sufficient regularity and force.
Upon porous young ice, adjacent to open water, is
the garden spot for these curious growths. They
give the finishing touch of harmony to the rough
outline of the frowning cliffs of ice. They gleam
from the miniature ice mountains. They appear as
sparkling flowers upon the black sheets of young ice,
and convert the cold monotony of the pack into a
glistening field of beauty.

March 27. — During the night we had a striking
auroral display. It began shortly after eight as a
luminous patch, seemingly a part of an arc. This
brightened and faded, and at nine it disappeared en-
tirely. A half-hour later a complete arc was visible
with a ragged patch of a second arc under it. At
ten o'clock bunches of rays converging towards a
common centre alternately brightened and faded
over the steady luminosity of the arc. This gave
the phenomenon an appearance of movement. At
eleven o'clock the aurora was very bright and the
sky under it seemed much darker. Later the fan-
tastic displays settled into a plain white arc, with a
steadily fading glow.

The wind this morning is still light and southerly.
The sky has a brisk wintry look — a quivering high
pale blue, lined by a few orange-tinged and violet
alto-stratus clouds near the horizon, which seem to

238

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

be placed there for the express purpose of striking
a contrast and a Hne of division between the azure of
the heavens, and the blue of the surface snows. The
ice has separated much northward and westward.
The leads running south-west and north-east have a
general breadth of sixty feet and are mostly covered
by a green sheet of new ice. Nearly everybody is out
on ski for recreation to-day. Some are on hunting
excursions, others are visiting icebergs for toboggan
and ski sports, but all are trying to have a royal
good time, as they generally do on Sundays when
the weather will permit.

Gerlache, Danco, and I went on a long journey
due north to examine the ice and, if possible, visit a
huge tabular iceberg which we estimated was eight
or nine miles away. We found the ice very much
crevassed, but there was everywhere a tendency for
the floes to unite and assemble into a larger con-
glomerate sheet, which we call a field because from
one edge we cannot see its termination. The snow
was hard and fairly even, making excellent ski
travelling except at the pressure angles where the
fields pommelled each other, raising rough uneven
ridges. Most of the leads were covered with new
ice sufficiently strong to bear our weights on skis.
We saw little life. There were many penguin tracks
on the snow with a general northerly direction, from
which we concluded that the little creatures with
good sense had migrated northward. We saw also
some blow-holes of seals, but no life except a few
snow petrels. The whole white world about us was
deserted. The berg was a much greater distance

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from the ship than we had estimated, for after we
had wandered over the ice six miles the great wall
seemed as far away as ever. We should have con-
tinued our journey, but Danco found himself unable
to follow because of " shortness of breath." At the
limit of our journey, looking north-westerly, we saw
a series of low yellow clouds, and under these a
vague, irregular outline which had the appearance of
land.

On our way back we were discussing the matter
of raising flags and the formality of taking posses-
sion of newly discovered lands. The conclusion at
which we arrived was, that the first chart of a new
country was quite as good a deed to the title of land,
as the empty formality of pinning a bit of bunting
to a temporary post and drinking to the health of
the Royal Ruler, as is the custom of British ex-
plorers. Thus far we have not unfurled a flag, nor
have we made any other effort to take formal posses-
sion of the many new lands which we have discov-
ered, except by our attempts at scientific exploration.
This is in sharp contrast to the British, German and
Russian, and all the ancient explorers whose first act
always was to land and say, ''This by the help of
God, the consent of the Pope, and the permission of
the King, belongs to us and to our countrymen."
The modesty of the Belgians is shown by the fact that
the staff of the Belgica went ashore to gather, not
financial returns, or titles to unclaimed lands, but
links of truth to add to the disconnected chain which
is to bind the growing annals of terrestrial knowledge.

240

CHAPTER XVIII

THE AUTUMN (CONTINUED). WORK
AND PASTIME

March 28. — It is another day of clear, white
silence. At sunrise and at sunset the twilight zone
is becoming more and more marked. It is, to-night,
an intense purple blue, and through it we see a star.
Arctowski puts down the mysterious purple as a re-
flection from the shadows of the pack-ice, which at
this time is a deep ultramarine blue, but to most of
us it is still a puzzle. We are all occupied to-day
preparing for a winter campaign of work. Danco
is building a triangular hut in which he expects to
make his magnetic observations. Arctowski is ar-
ranging a new system for meteorological observa-
tions and is scattering his instruments over the ice,
about the ship, and in the masts. Racovitza is
studying bird and seal parasites, and everybody else
is preparing for his own special line of work. We
all have big ambitions, but I fear our efforts will
be dwarfed when the gloomy, dayless night settles
down over us.

March 29. — A light northerly wind has lowered,
and darkened the heavens, and brought over us a

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wet, warm, uncomfortable atmosphere, with an occa-
sional fall of snow. The snow on the pack is made
adhesive by the water-charged air which is being
blown over the ice from the open sea now, per-
haps, one hundred miles northward. The ski will
not slide and sledges can be drawn only with great
difficulty. The ice is still spreading out, increasing
the width of the leads, while the temperature, which
is close to zero, is not low enough to make new ice.
Life has again returned in abundance. We saw four
finback whales spouting, blowing, and sporting,
and moving leisurely southward in the leads. We
saw also many white and giant petrels, and great
numbers of royal and small pack penguins. On a
floe about three miles from the ship we encountered
six crab-eating seals. We killed all of these and
found their stomachs distended by a fresh meal of
shrimp. Two were pregnant, and from these the
naturalist secured embryos which were, indeed, rare
and beautiful. These were placed in a jar and
marked for future study. As the sun settled under
the horizon westward, a lemon colour spread along
the sky in that direction and early in the night the
sky cleared somewhat. There was a small feeble
fragment of an arc aurora hanging in the south-
west with a steady glow during most of the night.
March 30. — The morning opened bright and
cloudless with a temperature— 20^ C, and a gentle
southerly air which has brushed away the heavy
humid air of yesterday. Racovitza and I went to a
lead which Koren, the cabin-boy, visited yesterday,
and who reported thousands of penguins and hun-

242

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

dreds of seals. The distance was about two miles
and the travelling on the floes was good, but when it
was necessary to cross old breaks over the hum-
mocks, and crushed ice, it became a task of consider-
able difficulty. When we reached the lead we found
that what Koren had said was to some extent true.
Upon a large hummocky floe in the lead there was
much life. We counted twenty crab-eating seals
and seventeen king penguins. This was certainly
the largest assemblage of the great penguins and
seals which we had seen on the pack. With a rifle
Racovitza shot six seals and with my ski stick I
killed all the penguins. We realised the fact that it
was cruel to do this, but the calls of science and the
dire needs of our stomachs made the deed absolutely
necessary. The seals were all females and from
them we obtained four embryos. The penguins
were bagged for food. Later in the day a westerly
wind raised the temperature and brought great
quantities of drift-snow. During the night the wind
increased to a half-gale.

March 31. — The wind has veered to the north
and is still coming with the force of a half- gale. There
are great drifts of snow lined about the bark and
over the pack. The temperature is — 2^ C. Every-
thing is wet and far more uncomfortable than it is
when the thermometer is at — 20°. The captain and
Amundsen have brought aboard two small live pen-
guins and turned them over to Racovitza for physio-
logical experiments. We find it very difficult to
bring in our game. It takes the full force of three
men to drag the skin and blubber of one seal,

243

THROUGH THE FIRST

weighing perhaps two hundred and fifty pounds.
One man cannot drag more than two royal penguins
on a sledge when the snow is either extremely dry or
slightly humid, as it has been for the past few weeks,
but if the penguins are bunched and dragged on
their own feathers without a sledge, a man is able to
draw six with ease. The lesson which we have
learned from this experience is that sledges, if
possible, should be shod with a strip of penguin
skin with feathers attached. We are designing such
a sledge to-day. It is certainly the first effort of the
kind on record and we hope it will prove useful.

April I. — The storm still continues and the
barometer is steadily falling, but the wind is coming
in gusts, which is a cheerful indication that its force
is nearly spent. The one food upon which the
most unlimited hatred has been heaped is the fiska-
bolla. The cook serves these on Fridays, and the
coarse sarcasm brought out before and after dinner
is certainly remarkable. In the cabin only two
men, Gerlache and Amundsen, eat the soft, taste-
less, fiberless, and useless things, and they seem to
put them away with a grim relish. Lecointe has
touched them but once since crossing the Atlantic
from Madeira to Rio. Two weeks ago he made
a bet with Racovitza, which was supported by a
resolution to eat four fiskabolla. Lecointe lost and
selected April first on which to pay his forfeit.
Poor fellow ! I believe he would rather have paid a
hundred dollars. He ate the things, but he suffered
with gastric discomfort for a week, and resolved
forever afterwards never to touch, taste, or smell
"embalmed fish-balls."

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

April 2. — The storm has ceased, and a lighter
wind is coming from the south-west. The sky is
fairly clear at the zenith, but a bank of atmosphere,
charged with fine ice crystals, hangs over the pack
and makes the horizon obscure. The sun and the
moon, rising and descending through this haze of
ice, are distorted, refracted, and deflected, into all
sorts of curious fantastic shapes. To-night there
was a parhelion in prismatic colours. There was a
simple reproduction of the image of the sun, one to
each side, and the three suns sank slowly under the
hazy violet of the horizon. Soon after, the moon
rose through the same haze of floating ice crystals,
with luminous spots indicating crescentic rings and
four distant moon dogs.

April 3. — The same haze of suspended ice crys-
tals is being driven over the pack, filling up the
chasms and rounding all the sharp edges of the
hummocks. The temperature is — 22^ C. and the
wind is due south, sending the ice-laden clouds over
the crusted snow with a metallic ring. As the sun
rose through this mist this morning we saw a variety
of parhelia, with bright crescentic patches, chang-
ing rapidly in brilliancy and form as the sun
ascended. At four in the afternoon the moon rose
again through this icy mist. In colour and form
it was the most remarkable lunar aspect I ever saw.
First, as it came over the horizon, its size seemed so
much above what we were accustomed to that we
did not easily guess it was the moon. After it rose
clear of the ice-line it took a wrinkled, distorted form,
which in shape and colour resembled an old withered
orange.

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April 4. — There has been a great excitement to
day — one which has forced a new interest into the
usual sameness of the daily dry routine. The wood-
work about the pipe of the cabin stove became
ignited, and for a few seconds there was a cry of
"fire" and a great scramble for water. Amund-
sen, with admirable presence of mind, drew out
the pipe from the deck and then smothered the
flames with snow, while the rest of us hustled
about for water, which is always scarce on the
Belgica. The captain was able to g'et an ob-
servation of the sun to-day at noon, from which
he fixes our position at latitude 71° 22' 15^^ longi-
tude 84° 54' 45'^ A sounding was made which
proved the depth of the sea 530 metres. Although
the sky has been fairly clear, at noon a steady east-
erly wind was driving over the pack, sending sharp-
edged crystals across the ship with a cutting force.
The temperature ranges from — 17° to — 20^ C. In
the past forty-eight hours we have drifted northward
nine miles, and eastward about eight miles. The
wind, coming as it does now with a steady blow,
will probably send us drifting westward with a rapid
pace.

April 5. — The day opened doubtfully, the sky
presenting neither a stormy nor a fair aspect. There
is no wind, which is a curious condition of things for
this region of eternal blasts. The wind of the past
few days has rolled up great drifts, which give a
charm of form in rounded irregularities to the sur-
face of the icy sea. With the sudden cessation of
the wind, there has been considerable pressure

246

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

which has fractured some floes and raised great lines
of hummocks along the fissures and old leads. The
temperature is steadily falling; to-day it ranges from
— 1 8° to — 27° C. We saw little of the sun except a
crimson burst at its setting, but the moon has had
for us a curious attraction. It is full, and rose over
the north at half-past three this afternoon. The
purple twilight curve at this time was feeble but dis-
tinctly visible. The moon rose slowly behind this,
and had the appearance of a great, irregular ball
of crude gold, but as it rose above the purple and
over the usual line of orange-red, which limits the
curve, it was a full sharply-cut globe, pale yellow
and fresh, as though washed in the polar whiteness.
This was at five o'clock. The sun had just sunk
under a line of snow flushed by a rich rose colour,
and the sky above it, in the west, was fired by a
mass of feathery clouds. As the moon ascended, all
of this display of vivid colours faded into the blue
electric glow, which is seen only over the polar pack.
By this light we were able to read ordinary print at
eleven o'clock at night. The heavens at this time
were so bright that only the stars to the fourth mag-
nitude were visible.

April 6. — Still it blows from the east. There is
now and then an intermission for a day, or a part of
a day, when the wind turns to the north or the south,
but strong easterly winds prevail. The other winds
are hardly of sufficient force or duration to set the
pack into motion. Parhelias and paraselenas are
now of daily occurrence. This morning at nine
o'clock, when the sun was over a bank of drift-snow

247

THROUGH THE FIRST

on the horizon, there was first, a halo, then a rapidly-
changing series of sun dogs ; generally two extra
suns, one to each side, and all having perpendicular
lines drawn through the centres. The days are fad-
ing rapidly, and the nights are lengthening with an
alarming quickness. The life, too, is less and less
in evidence. We now walk miles over the desolate
waste of white expanse without seeing penguins or
seals, where only a few days ago we saw great num-
bers. There are some tracks of animals which have
been stranded by the closing of fissures and open
spaces of water. The direction of these is gener-
ally northward, or towards some large iceberg, where
there is usually open water into which the creatures
dive to seek a more congenial region northward,
where the fissures are sure to be open. We took
a ski excursion at noon to-day, and travelled over
twelve miles without seeing a speck of life.

April 8. — All the leads and open spaces of water
seem to have closed, and all the snowy world about
us is saddened under the increasing gray of the com-
ing night. Lecointe has put up a box-shaped house
in which he intends to make the nautical observations
for the year. We of the cabin have all given him a
lift at his house-building. The commandant had a
hammer and nails ; Racovitza had a saw; Arctowski
made the plans; Danco acted as general director;
Lecointe and I did the horse work of transporting
the planks and other material from the ship to the
site of the new observatory. We enjoy such little
tasks as pastime before and after our regular scien-
tific observations and official duties. It took us one

248

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

day to build the captain's house, but it was inar-
tistic in shape, unstable in its setting, and the wind
blew through it, making drafts and an interior at-
mosphere colder than that of the open expanse
outside. We next covered it with tar paper and
anchored it by banking and burying the structure
under snow. The captain made his first observation
in the new house to-night. He sighted two stars,
came in, and rather hastily said, '' It is splendid,"
but shortly after I was called upon to attend to two
frozen fingers. This is the first result of our newly
constructed shelter.

April 9. — It is the birthday of King Leopold, of
the Belgians, to-day. The commandant has made it
a holiday and ordered a special menu with a liberal
supply of wine to the officers and crew. All are
expected to celebrate the day in good form. We
enjoy these days of rest, recreation, and change
from the usual formula of regular work, and we con-
scientiously point out, far in advance, the legal holi-
days of all lands and the birthdays of each of the men
of the Belgica. It is a slow week when we have not
succeeded in having at least one day set aside as a
period of special feeding, followed by a flow of cham-
pagne. ** All honor to the King " is the voice of the
Belgica to-day. His picture is in a prominent place
in the dining-room, and his name is on every tongue.
If His Majesty could hear the flattering toasts, the
words of loyalty and praise, the genuine feeling of
good fellowship which now rings over the new world
about us, he would feel that we were, one and all,
glad citizens of that little land which deserves the

249

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credit of opening the gates of antarctic darkness and
mystery. He would and should know that, though
we are from many lands, we are now proud subjects
of King Leopold.

That we might better mark the king's birthday
and remember it as a period of great rejoicing, and
to arouse our sleeping regard for women we have
instituted a ''beauty contest." Lecointe, Racovitza,
and Amundsen, I think, were responsible for the in-
vention. At any rate, anything suggestive of kind,
tender, feminine recollections, or of love and poetry,
is first championed by one of these gentlemen. It
was so in the ** beauty contest." For several days
they had been electioneering and pointing out the
special merits of the women of their choice. The
pick has been made from the illustrations of a Paris
journal, illustrating women famous for graces of
form and manner, and public notoriety. Nearly
five hundred pictures were selected, representing all
kinds of poses and dress and undress, and anatomi-
cal parts of women noted as types of beauty. The
result of this concourse Is shown in the following
official record of the great event: —

250

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

ANNOUNCEMENT BY

THE MINISTER OF ARTS, FEMININE BEAUTY, AND
PUBLIC WORKS

GRAND CONCOURSE OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

ORGANISED IN THE COLD ANTARCTIC, HELD
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF

S. M. ARTOCHO I.— KING OF THE POLAR ZONE

AND

S. A. ROALD, PRINCE OF THE KYODBOLLA

FIRST PART. — Total of Votes for the Most Beautiful

Women.

Description for Balloting.

First

Second

Third

Prize.

2«;2

217

2l8

183

326

339

391

323

260

306

245

264

210

209

230

319

463

lOI

134

180

""""

274

404

391

208

397

405

288

291

290

I. Poses plastiques

II. Disposition (dreamy, fond of flattery) .

III. Appearance, common

IV. Rosy complexion

V. Irreproachable character

VI. Grace, personified

VII. Elegant appearance (sweet disposition)

VIII. Underclothing

IX. Most artistic poses

X. Sporty girls

XI. Most graceful dancers

PART SECOND.

•Total of Votes on the Excellence of
Special Parts

Description for Balloting.

I. The most beautiful face ....
II. Luxuriant hair

III. Flashing eyes

IV. Mouth (Cupid's bow) ....
V. Shapely hands (tapering fingers)

VI. Arms

VII. Sloping, alabaster shoulders . .

VIII. Supple waist

IX. Les jambes

X. Feet

First
Prize.

94
308
312

309
311
212
212
218
209

Second Third
Prize. Prize.

479
320

217

480
282

191

251

THROUGH THE FIRST

PART THREE. — Each voter must accept the woman who is

selected by his companions as most suitable for

his welfare, happiness, etc.

Gerlache 94

Melaerts 191

Lecointe 209

Cook SS

Danco 282

Amundsen 256

Racovitza 64

Arctowski 392

PART FOUR. — The umpires will decide which girl will be

likely to be preferred by the various " Wandering

Willies " of the expedition.

PRIZE OF HONOUR

The prize of honour will be given to the most beautiful woman
— the one having obtained the largest number of votes.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

The photographs of the " Beauties " to enter into the contest are
filed in the " Minister's " book. There are four hundred and
sixty-four (464) pictures, charms, delights and fascinations,
but voters are cautioned not to become too enthusiastic or
overheated. Those carrying photographs (of favoured ones)
in their pockets and pinned to their vests, as nearly as possible
to their hearts, may submit them for inspection to the " Min-
ister."

It is hoped that the elections will be honourable, but " all is fair
in love and war," and in the " Ladyless South," swindling of all
kinds is allowable providing it is in an honourable cause.

Distribution of the Prizes

On the arrival of the Belgica in port the Minister will send the
diploma, drawn by the " King's " own hand, to the fortunate
winners of the prizes. The presentation of the prizes is con-
ditional upon the later appearance of the woman before the
committee to exhibit the parts for which ballot has been cast,
not for re-examination, but to obtain an official photograph.

(Signed)
Raconevipadeca, President of the "Pack Loafers."

Lecointwhisky, Minister of the Land of Beautiful
Women, and *' Lady Specialist."

252

CHAPTER XIX

THE FADING DAYS OF THE AUTUMN
(continued)

April io. — Yesterday the wind was from the
east and it came with a maddening hiss. To-day it
is from the south, still, sharp, and icy. There is a
great commotion in the ice. Old leads have again
opened and widened, new fissures have formed, and
there is a distinct swell noticeable in the steady, regu-
lar shift of the ice-floes. About the ship the ice is
much crevassed, and less than one hundred yards
away there is opening a new lead, which is now
forty feet wide. We saw in this lead two finback
whales and several seals. Seals and whales have
been heard blowing most of the day. While taking a
usual evening excursion over the floes I saw, to-night,
two distinct fragments of an arc aurora in the south-
east. The thing remarkable about this aurora was its
colour. It began as two faint, luminous patches,
crescentic in form. There was a rapid play of light
in these from a pale, pearly glow to a vivid cream
color, but the most wonderful of all was the glisten-
ing green shade to which it changed for a few sec-
onds just before it disappeared. The same aurora

253

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reappeared at about half-past eight in the evening,
but it was white and dull.

It is Easter Sunday. We have been up most of
the night trying to settle the many disputes which
have arisen out of the '' beauty contest." It is so long
since we have seen a girl that I doubt our ability to
pass judgment on the charms of beautiful women.
On the whole, though, we have not come to any defi-
nite conclusions except that the Princess de Chimay
and Cleo de Merode are voted by the majority to
be the world's most beautiful women. The excite-
ment of the contest has been such that a new life and
a new stream of ideas are coming over our frosty spir-
its. To-day we talk of sweethearts, of sisters, of
mothers, and of home. For a time we have forgotten
the never ceasing sameness of storm-beaten pack-
ice and our uncertain future. Our minds and our
hearts are homeward, and it is a good change in the
drift of sentiments. We can ill afford to go into the
spell of the long, unknowable night with the air of
despondency which has fogged our mental energy
for the past few weeks. Easter Sunday should bring
new joys and the poetry of the budding passions of
spring. The artificial hilarity of last night has placed
us in an easy mood for a new period of fresh pleas-
ures.

But how different is our lot to that of the usual
Easter worshipper ! The seasons are here reversed.
We have not behind us the winter storms and cold dis-
comforts. We have not before us the evident joys of a
coming summer; sweet smelling flowers, green fields,
pretty girls in new bonnets, and the hundreds of

254

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

things which go to make up the accustomed pleasures
of Easter are all far removed from us. We are on the
verge of what promises to be the worst winter on
record. The faint delights of summer are behind.
The desperation, the despondency, the mystery of the
unknown, impenetrable darkness, with its ceaseless
frost, is on the horizon. Hellish storms with icy
vapours are almost constantly sweeping over us.
There is not a rock or anything suggestive of land
within many hundreds of miles, and there is not a
tree or flowering plant within thousands of miles.
Nearly one-third of the circumference of the globe
is between us and our loved ones at home. Under
such circumstances, far away from the world of life,
isolated from accustomed comforts, on a sea of mov-
ing ice, in a dead, white world of eternal frigidity,
how can we enjoy Easter? We try hard to arouse
a buoyant spirit, and each has taken it upon himself
to bring out the bright side of the one nearest to
him, but our efforts are poorly rewarded. For
after superficial laughter we sink into a lethargy
which becomes more and more normal to us as the
winter and the night advance. Some one has said
we want only our home surroundings, some loving
women, fresh food, a few flowers, and our lot will be
happy. I believe this, but I also beheve it is just
these which are all that is required to make Hell
agreeable to the average man.

April II. — The ice is spreading, leaving large
open lanes in which we see whales, seals, and pen-
guins. The day is clear with a very light air from
the south-west. Four white petrels are about the

255

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ship, and far out over the leads we observe a few giant,
and some spotted brown, or antarctic petrels. Aside
from our usual work of making observations, and
recording the passing conditions of weather, and life,
and ice, we have begun to house the Belgica. The
sailors have, for a long time, been building a wall of
blocks of snow about the bark. The great quantity
of drift-snow during the past few weeks has evened
this up to the gunwales,but the decks are still too open
and permit, unnecessarily, the escape of the heat from
our stoves. It will be necessary to economise greatly
with fuel, for we have now hardly sufficient to give
full steam for fifteen days. The poop remains
buried under a bed of snow and ice two feet thick,
and most of the windows are being closed because
there is already upon the glass too much conden-
sation of frost to permit light to enter. Amidships we
are building a shed to permit a sheltered passage
from the cabin to the laboratory. This will be covered
by snow, and under it the engineer will erect a smith-
shop in which to make iron repairs to the Belgica
and the various articles of equipment. Heretofore
it has been difficult to get out because of the great
quantities of snow which has buried everything on
deck. We hope the new shed will eliminate this
misery which almost forbids our disembarkment.
We have found it necessary to make double storm
doors and double windows to prevent sudden changes
in interior temperatures. By experience it has been
found that ventilation through small pipes from cor-
ners of the rooms is the best. If the windows or
doors are opened a volume of cold air rushes in, and

256

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

at once everything is wet from the condensation
out of the air by sudden chilling. If I were to
sum up in two words the things which in polar
regions bring about the greatest amount of suffering,
I would say humidity and isolation. We try in every
possible way, in the cut of our garments, in the
construction of our winter quarters, and in the
arrangement of our sleeping apartments to eliminate
moisture, but our success is small. If we drop our
hands behind our beds a weight of frost falls with a
metallic tingle. If the mattress is removed every nail
is found to be covered with ice. Both Racovitza and
Danco vow that they have icebergs as bedfellows, and
when one goes between decks there is always suffi-
cient hoar-frost falling down one's back to keep up a
warm volley of words. My room mate frequently
opens the port and forgets to close it when the wind
changes: consequently we have to shovel a bank
of snow out of our beds every second or third
day. If we could only get rid of this infernal
humidity which plagues and follows us like an agent
of Satan, and if we could take a run to a civilised town
once monthly so that we might absorb a new train of
thoughts, life would be bearable. Certainly the cold
is not a cause of serious suffering in the antarctic,
for I have shivered more in New York.

April 12. — Snow is falling in huge flakes. The
temperature is now rising, but during the night it fell
to —23.5^ C. The wind is east-north-east. The ice
continues to separate, but we have seen no life to-day.
We are still at work housing the Belgica and fitting
the cabins for the long imprisonment. It is warm,

257

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and dull, and gloomy, making the air on board un-
endurable. Everything about the decks and the
doors is moist, and the coating of hoar-frost, which
yesterday made every nail and every bit of iron
sparkle, is melting, making the floors, the table, and
the chairs uncomfortably wet.

April 14. — The wind has veered to the south-
east and is coming with increasing force charged
with a dry sand-like snow which cuts the skin like
a knife. Temperature, 6 a.m., —8°; 10 a.m., —19°.
We saw two finback whales and one snow petrel. As
is always the case when the air is charged with drift
snow, we have a variety of sun and moon dogs to-
day. At 7 P.M. there was in the south-east an unu-
sual aurora. It was an arc with steady brilliancy,
and to the westward were fragments of two addi-
tional arcs.

April 15. — To-night we saw an aurora of ex-
actly the same form as last night, in the same posi-
tion, appearing first at the same hour. The zenith
has been clear, but the horizon has been hazed by
the suspended ice specular which again made a
countless number of sun and moon halos, parhelias,
and paraselenes.

April 16. — In this shiftless sea of ice everything
depends upon the wind. If it is south, we have
steady, clear, cold weather. If it is north we have a
warm, humid air with snow and unsettled weather. If
it is east or west it brings a tempest with great quan-
tities of driving snow ; but it never ceases blowing.
It is blow, blow, from all points of the compass. It
is because of this importance of the wind, because

258

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

It is the key-note to the day which follows, that our
first question in the morning is '' how is the wind?"
To-day it is east, and has increased to a gale, in which
it is absolutely impossible to take even a short walk
on the pack. For recreation we have taken to
mending. Racovitza is patching his pantaloons for
the tenth time. This, he says, will be the last time,
and I think he is right, for he has used leather to
strengthen all the weak parts. Amundsen is patch-
ing boots ; Lecointe is mending instruments ; Danco
and I are trying to repair watches. Nearly all of
our good timepieces are out of commission. Our
hands are better adapted for the trade of a black-
smith than that of a jeweller, but we are trying hard
and have, to some extent, succeeded. Just at pres-
ent it is the crystals which we wish to replace. We
have no extra glasses, but we have found some small
pocket compasses with crystals too small. How can
we make them fit? Danco said, "Try sealing wax,"
which we did. We covered half of the watch and
a good part of the crystal and thus made a very
effective job, but in appearance it is a woeful object.
April 20. — The easterly storm which has raged
unceasingly for a week, and almost continuously for
a month, shows some signs this morning of ceasing.
At 4 A.M. the barometer began to rise, and the tem-
perature fell to— 2° C. The wind shifted to the north-
east, but its force was soon spent. During the day
the wind came only in intermittent puffs. The
mouse-coloured clouds separated, permitting an oc-
casional sunburst to light up the awful gloom which
has so long hung over us. To-night, at ten o'clock,

259

THROUGH THE FIRST

it is actually calm, and snow is falling lightly in huge,
feathery flakes. This sudden calmness and dark
unbroken silence, after the many days of boisterous
gales, instill within us a curious sensation. The ship
no longer quivers and groans. The ropes about
the rigging have ceased their discordant music, and
the floes do not utter the usual nerve-despairing
screams. This sudden stillness, seemingly increased
by the falling snow, brings to us a notion of impend-
ing danger.

April 2 1. — The night and the morning contin-
ued calm. What a relief to be able to step out upon
the open expanse of the frozen sea without being
pounded, and battered, and smothered with needle-
like ice cystals driven by these damnable storms ! We
are all out on the pack to-day to get a breath of air
in comfort and to see once more the height of the sky
and the broadness of the horizon. This polar under-
part of the world is decidedly unfit for human life, for
it is seemingly the part which receives the kicks of the
angered spirits as the globe passes through space.
The temperature has fallen from —3^ this morning to
— 1 7° at eight to-night. The sun has struggled to
pierce the heavy cloud of ice crystals which rests on
the pack, but its efforts have been rewarded only by
prismatic effects. Halos, and parhelias, and fog-bows
have been on the sky most of the day ; the warmth
of direct beams, however, has not been felt. For
two days we had seen no life, but to-day we heard
a whale spout, and saw two white petrels.

At noon the sun was visible behind a screen of sus-
pended ice particles. Its edges were barely percep-

260

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

tible, but the captain tried an observation to find our
location on this unknown sea. The result of the cal-
culations was latitude 71° 03' 18''. The sun is now
extremely unreliable as a fixed point to find our po-
sitions. It is so low on the horizon at noon that,
owing to the great refi-action caused by the increased
depth of the atmosphere and the increased refractive
quality of the air at this temperature, it is difficult to
make the necessary corrections. From this time on,
until the sun rises higher next summer, Captain Le-
cointe will use the stars to get positions.

April 22. — During the night there was another
fall of snow of about two inches. This morning the
sky was dull and gray. The air continues calm,
which is remarkable, but because of the unstability
of the barometer and the persistent gloominess of
the sky we anticipate another storm presently. At
noon we felt coming, this time from the north, the first
breath of this promised gale. It swept the pack with
a blackness and a moisture which are characteristic
of northerly winds. The temperature ranges from
— 6° to —9° C. The ice is in considerable agitation;
old leads are closing and new ones are opening,
with a direction almost due north. We made a
sounding at two o'clock in the afternoon, hoping
that the night would be clear enough to permit
an observation for position, but the night is cloudy,
which makes the work of sounding useless. The
captain has figured out the declination of the com-
pass for our position of yesterday and finds it to be
38° l"]' east of north.

April 25. — It has been a charming, clear day, with

261

THROUGH THE FIRST

only a few stratus clouds along the horizon, and a
light, pearly mist rising in a straight line from the ice.
Several times during the day we saw parts of a white
rainbow or fog-eater. The photographs which we
now take prove that the light is feeble, though seem-
ingly bright. It is quite impossible to make good
negatives at the present time. This, I believe, is due
not only to the feebleness of the light, but to the
glancing direction of the rays, the yellowness of their
colour, and the fact that the beams of light strike the
snow at such an angle that they glance off into space,
and make the atmosphere itself partly luminous,
which destroys the plates.

The pack is again apparently at rest ; the new
leads and lakes are covered with young ice, which is
frosted by a beautiful growth of flowery bunches of
hoar-frost. These leads, in the present yellow light,
have assumed a most intense green colour, and as
they wind about the blue ice-walls and the cream-
coloured floes the scene becomes entrancing. The
temperature this morning was —21° C; to-night, at
nine, it is —27.5° C. There is a feeble arc aurora in
the usual position. Its brightness is about like that
of the milky- way, and this is the average strength
of most antarctic auroras. Our position is daily get-
ting to be of greater interest. This is shown by our
attention to the work of the captain and others upon
whom we depend to tell us where, in this aimless
drift, we are pointing. When Captain Lecointe
goes out to ''shoot" the stars we await his return with
some impatience, and, though he cannot at once give
us the exact figures, we are inquisitive to learn quickly

262

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

his guesses at the amount of the latest drift, but he
must often stamp and kick, and we must punch and
rub him, to start his circulation before he can talk.

An electric signal has been arranged so that Dob-
rowolski, who assists Lecointe, can remain in a
comfortable stateroom with the chronometer to fix the
time for the observations. The captain has ex-
hausted every ingenuity to make the work as agree-
able as possible, but there seems to be no way to
lessen materially his own discomforts while sighting
the stars. The observatory is sheltered from the
wind, but the air in it is just as cold as that out-
side. To-night the temperature was almost —28°
during the time of the observation. The diffi-
culty of keeping the teeth from chattering, the
eyes from quivering, or the instruments from shak-
ing, can be more easily imagined than explained.
Danco came in after making his sights with a frosted
foot, and with a piece of skin, torn from his
eye, frozen to the metal of the eye-piece of his in-
strument. Lecointe lost some of his eye-lashes, and
a bit of his ear was white. Both Danco and Le-
cointe have resolved to cover the metal parts of all
instruments with flannel in the future, and from them
we have copied the idea and covered the metallic
portions of everything we use for our work outside.
It is, however, an almost daily occurrence to have
men come to me with fingers " burnt," as they ex-
press it, by contact with bits of cold metal. One
sailor, who was at work between decks nailing up
cases containing geological specimens, placed two
nails in his mouth. He snatched them out quickly,

263

THROUGH THE FIRST

bringing along bits of his tongue and lip, and leav-
ing ugly wounds which in character were exactly like
the injuries of a hot iron. The sailors who have
metallic pegs in their boots claim that ice-caps form
under their feet. This I have taken as a sailor's
yarn, but to-night I went on deck in slippers ; on re-
turning my stockings were thoroughly wet, — remov-
ing the slippers to discover the source of humidity
I saw about a dozen, glistening caps of ice that
had formed over nails which had been carelessly
driven through the soles. These things seem in-
credible, but similar instances are repeated daily.

But I have started out to-night to write, not of
the little nothings which really do make up the bulk
of our work and pastime, but of the more serious
drift of the Belgica. We are going westerly with a
steady and rapid gait, and though we drift frequently
northward, our general progress is also at times slowly
southward. Where will we be when the thaw of
next summer shall set us free ? Since the first of
March, when our position was latitude 71° 04' 45'',
longitude 85*^ 26', we have gone a zigzag course west-
erly, now above the 71 parallel, now below it, but gen-
erally west, until at present our situation is latitude
70° 50' 15'', longitude 92^ 21' 30''. We have thus,
in less than two months drifted westward about
seven degrees of longitude. We are curious to
know whether this drift will continue, or whether
the prevailing winds of the coming winter will
send us adrift in another direction. Almost with-
out knowing it, without setting sails, and without

264

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

steam, we have made a snaky course of about
five hundred miles over an unknown sea. This is
pecuhar navigation. We have seen nothing move,
there has been no fixed point to indicate our drift,
and we cannot see that we pass through the water
because the entire horizon, the countless fields and
mountains of ice, slide with us at the same rate of
speed. We are carried along with the restless pack,
slowly but steadily, with majestic ease, against our
desires, without seasickness, always on and on in
response to the ever furious winds. This is explor-
ing under difficulties because we are absolutely help-
less to direct our course, but we hope that the Hand
of Nature will guide us to some interesting region.

Our drift has already proven geographical prob-
lems of considerable interest. We are now drifting
two degrees south of the assigned position of Peter
Island, and we have seen no definite signs of land.
This proves that the island is not one of an archi-
pelago, extending far south and guarding closely
a continental mass of land as might have been
supposed. The freedom with which we drift here,
and the absence of unusual pressure, warrants the
assertion that there is no land of sufficient extent to
check the drift of the pack within a hundred miles.
We have now sailed with the bergs and the floating
crust of the earth over a sea about 500 metres deep,
through a region where John Murray has placed a
hypothetical continent. Murray's "Antarctica," if it
exists, must be reduced in size, for we have sailed over
it without finding a projecting rock. We have, in our

265

THROUGH THE FIRST

helpless drift, been forced soutll of Bellingshausen's
farthest, and are now headed for Wilke's "'appear-
ance af land " and Captain Cook's historic farthest.
Perhaps if we were able to direct the vessel we could
not more effectually explore these regions. May
the elements which have sent us thus far continue to
guard and push us forward!

Arctowski and Amundsen ready for a stroll

CHAPTER XX

THE DAYS OF TWILIGHT PRECEDING THE
LONG NIGHT

April 26. — The sky is again hazed, the baro-
meter is falling, and the temperature has risen from
— 21° at 8 a.m. to —2° at 3 p.m. We made a sound-
ing and found the depth 410 metres. During the
day Racovitza lowered his paraphernalia to fish sub-
marine life for the laboratory. We had hardly lost
the effects of the last storm and were beginning to
enjoy the clear steady weather, with the light
southerly winds, but to-day there is another storm.
The sun burst through the high fog at ten o'clock
this morning, but her rays were too feeble to dis-
solve the cold vapours. Quickly the only bright
spot of heavenly glory was smothered by cold leaden
clouds coming from the darkness of the north-west.
This we knew to be an announcement of the coming
of dirty weather from that direction. For five days
the barometer has steadily risen, but this morning
it began to fall and in this descent we read the
story of another week of trouble. Violent winds,
in conjunction with the noise, the gloomy darkness,
and forbidding exterior conditions, will set up a spirit

267

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of discontent and melancholy, followed by insomnia
and disturbances of digestion. I suppose, however,
we should not complain, for these gales carry us
along on interesting journeys where no other human
eyes have before scanned the horizon.

April 28. — It is a neutral gray day. There is
no sun and nothing to arouse an interest in life.
The atmosphere is dark, warm, wet, and, in general,
most disgusting. The temperature is — i °, but about
the ship the snow has melted much, allowing the
Belgica to settle now and then with a crack and a
sudden jar. The wind is westerly and comes with a
steady rush. The ice is separating, leaving open
leads running north-westerly. We saw several white
and two-spotted brown petrels. The trawl, yester-
day, brought up a mass of weird-looking deep-sea
creatures which Racovitza is to-day stowing away
in alcohol. In these storms it is not prudent to ven-
ture outside over the pack. There are just now too
many large fissures covered by soft snow-bridges
which are dangerous. We have already had several
cold baths by sliding through these soft drifts, and
a fatal accident might easily occur. With these
perils in view we do not risk going out on the pack
for the usual recreation and exploring excursions.
The men, too, find it extremely difficult to keep
open a passage to embark. The drift is such that
it requires the constant efforts of one and sometimes
of two men to dig a path. It is irritating that the
drifts are usually a few feet from the side of the
bark where they do not give the needed shelter,
while the excellent wall of snow which the men have

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

placed around is again mostly melted or settled
to such an extent that it must all be done again.
On board, the naturalist has several mysterious
creatures from the bottom of the sea, under the
microscope. The geologist is packing away the
stones picked from the new land a few months ago.
The captain and the commandant are laying out
the chart of the discoveries and we are all looking
up the bibliography of everything antarctic.

April 30. — It is snowing and blowing still, but the
temperature is again falling. It is dark and gloomy
and humid outside. We begin to think that the sun,
and the moon, and the stars have deserted us, leav-
ing us alone in a cold, howling wilderness. We saw a
few white petrels hovering over large lakes of inky
waters, which the change in our drift has made from
the wide leads of a few days ago, but there is no other
life. It is now necessary to light our lamps at three
o'clock in the afternoon to do ordinary work about
the vessel. I expect it will not be long before it will
be necessary to use candles during our midday meal.
To-night there is a sign of clearing in the whirling
cloud of snow which has driven about us so long.
The moon is glowing brightly in an inky sky. It is
the first glimpse of a heavenly body In nearly a week.
The new moon has partly spent itself above the
banks of frosty clouds which, for weeks, have veiled
the heavens. To-night it comes to us with a ragged
fringe on its upper surface, but we are glad enough
to get even that. The moon, like the sun, is sailing
along the northern sky from north-east to north-west
about 30° above the horizon. There is a bright band

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of green rays running through the moon to the sur-
face snows where the light expands and becomes
diffused. Late last night we observed a series of
luminous clouds which, from their quick movement,
we took to be an aurora. But the position of the
moon to-night, together with a similar exhibition of
luminous clouds in the same position which we know
to be brightened by lunar light, convinces us that we
have been mistaken.

By an observation at ten o'clock to-night our posi-
tion is deduced to be latitude 70^ 43' 30'', longitude
90^ 30^ 45^^ It is evident that we have begun to drift
rapidly on an easterly course. In five days we have
drifted northward seven miles and eastward nearly
two degrees. (From this time on, through the long
night and far into the advancing day, the trend of
our drift was easterly, in response to prevailing west-
erly winds.)

The months of March and April were, in many
respects, the happiest months of the year. Every-
thing at this time was new to us. We found interest
in the weird cries of the penguins ; we found pleasure
and recreation in hunting seals, and we prided our-
selves on our ability to wing petrels for specimens.
Everything about the new life and the strange, white
world around us was fascinating. The weather at
this time was occasionally clear and cold, though
generally stormy, which was not the case during the
greater part of the year. The pieces of ice gathered
into groups, and united to form larger fields. The
entire pack, one endless expanse of apparently
motionless, but still constantly moving, ice, was full

270

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

of interest to us. The sun presented a curious face in
its rise and descent; and the colour effects, though
not gorgeous, were attractive for their simpHcity of
shades. The moon, too, had a distorted face as it
came out of the frosty mist resting over the pack.
The stars shone occasionally through their setting of
heavy blue with a sparkle like huge gems. At this
season the aurora australis displayed most of its rare
glory on the southern skies. We were drifting
rapidly from one unknown sea to another still more
unknown. '' Perhaps we are on the way to the
south pole," was an everyday suggestion.

Our first and most important work in the pack
was to study the strange sea over which we drifted.
This necessitated observations, not only of the sea-
ice and icebergs and the scant life about us on the
ice and in the water, but also of the composition of
the water, its depth, the temperatures at various
depths, and the material of the sea-bottom. It
required also a careful study of the atmosphere.
The heads of the various scientific departments and
their assistants were kept busy for a part of the time
making these studies. The sailors, in addition to
assisting with the scientific labour, were kept well en-
gaged by the ordinary routine work of the ship and
the task of embanking the vessel with snow to pro-
tect her from the expected cold of the coming win-
ter-long night.

By the end of April our ship was snugly arranged
for her winter imprisonment. A roof had been
erected over the deck amidships, and under it were
an anvil and a fire for the use of the engineer while

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making the necessary iron-work. The cabins were
rearranged to offer the greatest possible amount of
heat, light, and freedom from humidity. A floor
was placed over the engine-room, and on it a small
stove to heat the officers' quarters. The galley was
put between decks next to the forecastle, into which
should go the superfluous heat. Double doors and
double windows were made everywhere, and all pos-
sible openings where heat might escape were closed.
Exteriorly, the sides of the ship were banked by snow
blocks, the decks were blanketed by the constantly
falling snow, and over it all the snow-charged winds
drifted, making a neat and perfect embankment.
Our antarctic home, then, was imbedded under a
huge snowbank, on a field of ice which drifted with
the winds over the unknown antarctic seas.

It was my delight to ascend to the masthead and
from the crow's nest view our horizon day by day.
The general aspect of our view changed very little.
Some new cracks formed in the ice, and old ones
closed. Some of the icebergs occasionally turned a
little, showing a different face, but no marked alter-
ation was ever visible in the general topography of
the pack. Moving about as we were, there always
seemed to be a possibility of finding a speck of land,
a rock, or something new in our path ; but this never
happened. We saw no land during the entire drift.
Appearances of land were reported every few days,
but always proved deceptions. They were only
illuminated clouds. Along the edge of the field in
which we were frozen were large ridges or pressure
lines, where the contact and pressure against neigh-

272

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

Louring fields raised fragments of ice above the sur-
face. These ridges were from three to fifteen feet in
height. The field, usually about two miles in diam-
eter, was everywhere dotted by pyramidal and dome-
shaped miniature mountains, which arose above the
surface from two to twenty feet. These are technically
called ''hummocks." Around the hummocks and
along the edge of the floe penguins and seals rested,
sheltered from the wind. Near the ship and about
the outhouses the snow was thrown up in great
banks, dotted by black spots representing sledges,
snowshoes, sleighs, and general implements. As
we emerged from the little hold on the port side
which was our only exit, a narrow path led out about
one hundred yards to a circular hole through the
ice. Over this we had erected a large tripod, from
which we suspended the instruments for sounding
and fishing and recording deep-sea temperatures.
About midway between this and the ship, we built
a box-shaped hut for nautical observations. About
one hundred yards from the stern of the ship, Mr.
Danco contrived a curiously shaped box for magnetic
observations, and a little distance beyond, upon a
convenient hummock, were placed the meteorological
instruments. About two hundred yards off the port
bow, a small house had been put up to capture the
electricity from the aurora australis. Efforts were
made to keep a path open to each of these houses, but
the work generally proved futile. The quantity of
drift- snow was always so great that it buried every
path and every irregularity in the vessel's vicinity.
It was at no time possible to leave the ship with-

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out snowshoes of some sort. The little exercise on
the ice, which freedom from duties permitted, was
taken on the Norwegian snowshoe, the ski. For
mere pleasure-journeys these proved in every way
superior to the Canadian rackets and other patterns ;
but where it became necessary to pull sledges or
travel over rough paths, the other kinds were bet-
ter. We made several long journeys to neighbouring
icebergs. Sometimes on these journeys we met
with serious obstructions and detentions. It was not
found practicable to carry food, extra clothing, or
camping equipments, and yet often the need of these
became very great. The ice, in separating, would
leave large zones of water between us and the next
field, thus cutting off our retreat, and leaving us to
spend hours of meditation upon the prospect of star-
vation and of death by freezing.

May I. — The day is fair with a light south-west-
erly wind at noon. Low down on the northern sky
the sun has been edging along the pack, screened
by flying banks of ice crystals, but it has given no
perceptible heat and only a feeble light. Hardly had
the sun sunk under the sea when a furious westerly
gale swept over us, and drove snow into every crack
and opening of the Belgica. Leads have spread
again, and great lakes are pictured on the sky by
smoky patches. We secured five small and two king
penguins and saw some seals and whales. Life is always
abundant when large continuous leads are open.
There is so much movement now among the indi-
vidual floes, and so much pressure and crushing about
the ship that we believe it unsafe to venture out in

274

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the dark for fear of stepping into one of the many
new crevasses. For the same reason we entertain
some anxiety regarding the safety of our outhouses
and the implements scattered about on the ice. It
is curious that we should have such continued warm
weather, and equally curious to find the pack break-
ing up when the days are already far advanced in
the antarctic winter. The only explanation for this
unexpected condition of things is that we have drifted
to a region close to the edge of the pack.

There are many changes in our surroundings which
seem to indicate our nearness to open water. There
is a noticeable swell which is shown by the alternate
advance and retreat of floes about the icebergs, and
by a total rise and fall of six inches of the sea-ice on
the walls of the icebergs. The time between each
rise is from 24 to 32 seconds. The evidence, then,
of a wave under the ice is quite conclusive. Just how
far beyond the pack edge the swell can be made to
penetrate will depend very much upon the size of
the floes and the amount of space between them.
From our present experience it seems likely that a
northerly storm is able to send an undulation at
least fifty miles under a loose pack and, perhaps, much
farther. But there are other signs of a nearness to an
open sea. The floe into which the Belgica is frozen
is getting noticeably smaller, and all of the other
floes are diminishing likewise. There is a great
deal of brash, broken blocks, and pulverised ice and
snow, in the water. The icebergs turn and move
about, changing their relations to each other. New
cracks and new leads are daily appearing. The tem-

275

THROUGH THE FIRST

perature is rising steadily instead of falling, as it
should with the retreat of the sun. The weather
is unsteady, and constantly changing, but always in
such a way as to indicate a nearness to an open sea.
A month ago a storm had little effect upon the ice,
but now even light winds bring about a noticeable
commotion.

May 4. — At seven o'clock this morning Lecointe
rushed out of his bunk to get a glimpse of the stars,
which broke through the high mist for a short
period. From this observation he calculates our
position at latitude 70° 2>2>' 2>^"^ longitude 89° 22'.
A sounding made at about the same time gave a
depth to the sea of 1 1 50 metres. From this great
increase in depth we are still more convinced that
we are going to the edge of the pack, and off of the
submarine bank over which we have drifted since
entering the main body of the ice. In nine days we
have drifted about seventeen miles northward, and
eastward nearly three degrees. We are going back
to the east, and when the veil of darkness rises, we
shall perhaps find ourselves near the position where
we entered if, in the meantime, we are not forced
out of the ice into the open sea. To be compelled
to leave the ice at present, much as we should like it,
would be quite dangerous. We have almost no day-
light ; the weather outside of the ice would certainly
be stormy and foggy. How could we find our way in
the darkness, among the certain dangers of icebergs
and unknown rocks, over the storm-swept seas to
South America at this time ? Since the first the
weather has grown colder; the temperature has

276

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

ranged from —5° to —18^ C. We have occasional
strips of blue sky, with a cold sunburst, but in general
the heavens have been cheerless — still it is an agree-
able change from the wet, dirty weather which we
had before.

May 10. — There are now constant complaints of the
warm weather. A few days ago the temperature rose
a half of a degree above zero, and it has remained
about one degree under zero for several days. Such
weather, in the commencement of winter, when
steady cold weather is expected, is positively op-
pressive. Everybody is in a disgruntled spirit, be-
cause everything is wet, and there is a never-ceas-
ing howl of the storm. It may seem unnatural that
we should hate warm weather in this wilderness
of south polar ice, but it is followed by so much
discomfort that we are ever praying for steady frigid
temperatures. In this warm weather the ice is be-
coming more and more broken. Seals and whales are
sporting in the open channels, but penguins are
rarely seen. There are a few giant and brown petrels
about, and great numbers of white petrels. We
have killed a few seals, and have removed from them
their skins and blubber for future use, but we have
left the remainder of the carcasses out on the floes.
These have been claimed as prizes by the petrels.
For about ten days hundreds of birds have remained
near us. They are mostly white petrels, but there
are also giant and brown petrels and a few brown
sea-gulls.

At noon there was just a slight suggestion of a
sunburst, but it is growing feebler and feebler. The

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beams of light come to us at such an ineffective
angle that our noonday is not now brighter than our
twilight of a month ago. The sun is constantly
veiled by a bank of frozen mist which prevents our
seeing its departing splendour, but there is an occa-
sional break which offers us for a few seconds a view
of his fading face. It is sad, cold, and expression-
less. The accustomed heat is absent, and the light
is a despairing gray glow which, on the surface ice,
makes long blue shadows. Still, despondent as this
seems in comparison to brighter days, it is the only
source of direct light and heat which we now have.
It is the only show of seeming cheerfulness in this
gloomy world of blackness into which we are fast
drifting. This feeble burst of lost noonday splendour
is the last draft of life which now fans the fading
cinders of the soul, while the death-dealing darkness
is doing its devilish work of extinguishment.

May 15. — Unless we get a clear sky sometime
during the night, we shall not be able to determine
the exact commencement of the long night. If our
position is approximately where our dead reckoning
places us, we should have seen the sun for a few minutes
at noon to-day for the last time; but the sky was too
hazy to give us this last peep. In the south-east there
is a dull, creamy light on the clouds, which suggests
the presence of a high country, reflecting an ice-
blink. The west and north, in the morning and
afternoon, were marked by a dark, purple-blue zone.
At noon the light was so feeble that we could not see
the outline of the hummock on the pack.

Our floe, the sheet of ice into which the Belgica

278

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

is frozen, now offers a sad appearance. It Is cracked,
torn, rasped, ground, and so swept by thawing storms
that the picturesque glory of its glowing days has
gone. And what is still more disheartening is that,
torn and fractured as the field is now, it no longer
affords us a safe harbour, free of crushing influences,
as it did when all about was one solid mass. The
thick bed of soft spotless snow, which softened the
sharp edges and cushioned the rough irregularities,
has been reduced to a mere film through which the
hard blue ice, with its savage roughness and its
gloomy skeleton -like projections, is clearly seen. The
unique velvety and wavy surface has given way to
an ugly water-soaked plane of hard ice. We have
watched the field grow by the addition of one floe
after another, and we have steadily increased our
comfort upon its bosom. Our sense of safety has
grown with the augumented breadth and thickness.
We have, to some extent, helped to harbour the Bel-
gica by walls of snow ; but Nature here has curious
moods. With one hand she protects, with the other
she destroys, — she aided us by drifting around the
ship an enormous amount of snow, but she has injured
us by breaking that which sheltered us.

We have learned to regard this Belgica field as a
little polar farm preserved for our special benefit, to
harbour us safely through the long night which is be-
fore us. It is a substitute for land, though it drifts
about with the wind, and on its edges we find products
in the form of seals and penguins. But this faith in
security and prospective rest in a solid unbroken crust
has now vanished and at a time when we most need it.

279

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Only a month ago the broadest diameter of the field
was four miles. About two weeks ago an assault be-
gan along the outer edge of the north and south.
Huge fragments were torn off, bits of other fields were
pushed on by neighbouring sheets. Little by little
our field has been reduced to less than half its former
size ; but the Belgica always escaped this battle of
Nature until this morning. Now the field is com-
pletely destroyed and the bark is again among the
pieces in the sea, taking hard thumps from the restless
ice. We are somewhat anxious about the safety of
our outhouses. There are several crevasses near
Danco's observatory. The captain's ** hotel," from
which he sights the stars, is threatened by a crevasse
under it, and Arctowski has gathered up all his
instruments and placed them aboard for safe keeping.
It is just these little black spots about the vessel which
add the suggestion of a village and a home to our
otherwise dull surroundings. (However, the threat-
ened destruction did not proceed beyond a lively
scare. On the day following the ice came together,
the temperature fell, the fissures closed, and a heavy
fall of snow gave the Belgica a soft feathery bed in
which she rested until relieved by our own hands.)

280

CHAPTER XXI

THE SOUTH POLAR NIGHT — DEPARTURE OF

THE SUN.

May 1 6. — The long night began at 12 o'clock last
night. We did not know this until this afternoon.
At 4 o'clock Lecointe got an observation by two
stars which placed us in latitude 71° 34^ 30^^ longi-
tude 89° 10'. According to a careful calculation
from these figures the captain announces the melan-
choly news that there will be no more day — no more
sun for seventy days, if our position remains about
the same. If we drift north the night will be shorter,
if south it will be longer. Shortly before noon the
long prayed-for southerly wind came, sweeping from
the pack the warm, black atmosphere, and replacing
, it with a sharp air and a clearing sky. Exactly at
\ noon we saw a brightening in the north. We ex-
/ pected to see the sun by refraction, though we knew
^it was actually below the horizon, but we were dis-
appointed. The cold whiteness of our earlier sur-
roundings has now been succeeded by a colder black-
ness. Even the long, bright twilight, which gladdened
our hearts on first entering the pack, has been reduced

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to but a fraction of its earlier glory ; this now takes
the place of our departed day.

The winter and the darkness have slowly but
steadily settled over us. By such easy stages has
the light departed that we have not, until now,
appreciated the awful effect. The circumstance has
furnished a subject for our conversation for most of
the time which we now mis-name day, and a large
part of the sleeping hours of the night. It is not
difficult to read on the faces of my companions their
thoughts and their moody dispositions. We are all
wandering northward — homeward, with the fugitive
sun. The curtain of blackness which has fallen over
the outer world of icy desolation has also descended
upon the inner world of our souls. Around the tables,
in the laboratory, and in the forecastle, men are sit-
ting about sad and dejected, lost in dreams of mel-
ancholy from which, now and then, one arouses with
an empty attempt at enthusiasm. For brief moments
some try to break the spell by jokes, told perhaps
for the fiftieth time. Others grind out a cheerful
philosophy ; but all efforts to infuse bright hopes fail.

Each man is intent on being left alone to take what
comfort he can from memories of happier days, though
such effort usually leaves him more hopelessly op-
pressed by the sense of utter desertion and loneli-
ness. For six weeks we have been so intent in
prosecuting the various lines of research and in pre-
paring the bark, as well as our clothing and equip-
ment for the winter, that we have not with sufficient
interest, noticed the melancholy decline of the day.
It has gone slowly, and the persistent storms have

282

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

so screened the heavens that it has vanished as if by
stealth. Now, however, the gloom of night which
has so rapidly followed its lengthening shadow, has
suddenly impressed upon our passive minds the
awful individual loneliness, and the unfathomable sol-
itude of this impenetrable antarctic wilderness.

Henceforth, for a period which is a blank in
human history, the fair-haired goddess of light will
repose beneath the polar star over the more hopeful
arctic lands. Her pathway is no longer over the
familiar hummocks and icebergs and the even spreads
of this icy desert under the Southern Cross. Her
silvery tresses have swept for the last time this sea
of frozen wave ; her departing breath has stilled, as
by the hand of death, the bosom of this great body
of water upon which we have cast our fortunes.

May 17. — At ten o clock this morning the purple
twilight curve settled over the south-west, edged with
an indescribable blending of orange, red, and gold,
and at eleven o'clock this curve was met by a zone
of rose which gradually ascended over the north-east,
above the sun. The ice, which had been gray, was
lighted up by a lively flash of pink, which was re-
lieved by long river-like leads of open water having a
glowing surface of dark violet. These, however, were
the surface colours towards the sun. In the oppo-
site direction there was an entirely different effect.
The snow had spread evenly over it a delicate shade
of green, while the waters were a very dark purple-
blue. A few minutes before twelve a great, distorted,
ill-defined semi-globular mass of fire rose over the
north, edged along the line of sharp hummocks, and

283

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then sank beneath the ice. It was an image of the
sun, lifted above its actual position by the refrac-
tive character of the air, through which its light
passed to our eyes. It was in reality an optical il-
lusion, based upon the principle that if a beam of
light is compelled to pass through a medium of vari-
ous densities, as the air here is sure to be, its course
is deflected. The sun, then, though actually below
the horizon to-day, was raised by this apparent uplift
and we were able to see one-half of his face.

We have been fishing through the sounding hole
to-day with hooks, but our efforts proved disappoint-
ing. The hooks, when we raised the complicated
deep-sea apparatus, were missing. Either some
submarine "monsters have taken the hooks or they
have dragged on a rocky bottom. The temperature
at 9 A. M. was — 12^ C, and the weather shows signs
of clearing, though the wind is veering northerly.

It is remarkable how a little incident, especially
one surrounded by some mystery when brought
suddenly into our horizon, will arouse great excite-
ment. This does not often happen, which accounts
for the air of lethargy and disinterestedness which is
coming over us with the increase of darkness. The
weird outline of the dying face of the setting sun a few
days ago, and the premonitions of the seventy .sun-
less days through which we are now to pass, aroused
a new sensation. The extraordinary effects of the
moon, vague lights and shadows on the horizon, in-
indicating the possible outline of a new land; an
occasional peak of a new iceberg coming into our
plane of vision ; the uncommon changes of the

284

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

auroras, of the weather, and the visit of a penguin
or a seal, all incite new life, but the inspiration is
of short duration. In a few hours the soul sinks
again into its sleep which is induced by the long
night of months. This morning, however, there
was an incident which startled everybody in a man-
ner quite unusual.

At about seven o'clock the captain went out to
find two stars from which to obtain an observation
for position. The sky was too hazy to give him an
observation, but his eye rested upon an inexplicable
speck of light in the west. He stood and looked at
it for some moments. It did not change in position,
but sparkled now and then like a star. The thing
came suddenly, disappeared and again reappeared in
exactly the same spot. It was so curious and as-
sumed so much the nature of a surprise, that Lecointe
came into the cabin and announced the news. We
accused him of having had too early an eye-opener,
but we went out quickly to see the mystery. It was
about eight o'clock ; the sky was a streaky mouse
colour. The ice was gray, with a slight suggestion
of lilac in the high lights, but the entire outline of
the pack was vague under a very dark twilight. We
looked for some time in the direction in which
Lecointe pointed, but we saw only a gloomy waste
of ice, lined in places by breaks in the pack from
which oozed a black cloud of vapour. We were not
sure that the captain's eyesight was not defective,
and began to blackguard him afresh.

After we had stood on the snow-decked bridge
for ten minutes, shivering and kicking about to

285

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keep our blood from freezing, we saw on a floe some
distance westward a light like that of a torch. It
flickered, rose and fell, as if carried by some moving
object. We went forward to find if anybody was
missing — for we could only explain the thing by
imagining a man carrying a lantern. Everybody
was found to be on board, and then the excitement
ran high. Soon all hands were on deck and all
seemed to think that the light was being moved
towards us. Is it a human being? Is it perhaps
some one from an unknown south polar race of
people ? For some minutes no one ventured out on
the pack to meet the strange messenger. We were,
indeed, not sufficiently dressed for this mission. Few
had had breakfast ; all were without mittens and hats,
some without coats, and others without trousers. If
it were a diplomatic visitor we were certainly in an
uncomfortable and undignified uniform with which
to receive him. Amundsen, who was the biggest,
the strongest, the bravest, and generally the best
dressed man for sudden emergencies, slipped into
his annorak, jumped on his ski and skated rapidly
over the gloomy blackness of the pack to the
light. He lingered about the spot a bit, and then
returned without company and without the light,
looking somewhat sheepish. It proved to be a mass
of phosphorescent snow which had been newly
charged by sea algae, and was occasionally raised
and brushed by the pressure of the ice.

May 1 8. — During the few hours of midday dawn
we made an excursion to a favourite iceberg to view
the last signs of the departing day. It was a weird

286

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

jaunt. I shall always remember the peculiar mi-
pression it produced upon me. When we started
almost all the party were outside, standing about in
groups of three or four, discussing the prospects of
the long winter night and the short glory of the
scene about. A thing sadder by far than the fleeing
sun was the illness of our companion, Lieutenant
Danco, which was emphasised to us now by his ab-
sence from all the groups, his malady confining him
to the ship. We knew at this time that he would
never again see a sunrise, and we felt that perhaps
others might follow him. '' Who will be here to
greet the returning sun ? " was often asked.

My companions on the excursion were Gerlache
and Amundsen. Slowly and lazily we skated over
the rough surface of the snow to the northward. We
had not gone far before we discovered that the ice
was cracking and large leads were cutting off our
retreat. We mounted hummocks of unusual height,
and there awaited the imitation of the rising of the
sun. Where the ice broke it separated, leaving a
lane of black sea, from which oozed a peculiar va-
pour— in reality a cloud of small icy crystals which fell
on the neighbouring ice-fields. The countless minia-
ture mountains, or hummocks, which covered the
white fields, had their northern faces brightened by
a pale yellow light and their southern shadowed by
a dull blue. This gave a little light to the usual life-
less gray of the ice-fields. Along the fresh leads
there were a few penguins and an occasional seal,
and in the water, whales were spouting jets of breath.

The pack, with the strange play of deflected light

287

THROUGH THE FIRST

upon it, the subdued high Hghts, the softened shad-
ows, the little speck of human and wild life, and our
good ship buried under its snows, should have been
interesting to us ; but we were interested only in the
sky and in the northern portion of it. A few
moments before twelve the cream-coloured zone in
the north brightened to an orange hue, and precisely
at noon half of the form of the sun ascended above
the ice. It was a misshapen, dull semicircle of gold,
heatless, rayless, and sad. It sank again in a few
moments, leaving almost no colour and nothing cheer-
ful to remember through the seventy long days of
darkness which followed. We returned to the ship,
and during the afternoon laid out the plans for our
midwinter occupation.

May 20. — It is the fifth day of the long night and
it certainly seems long, very long, since we have felt
the heat of the sun. During the parting days of light
the weather was exceedingly unsteady, and the sky
was then constantly veiled by a frozen smoky vapour,
but now a disturbing element seems to have been with-
drawn. The horizon is not yet clear, but the zenith
is almost always high and blue, with the Southern
Cross generally visible until nine o'clock in the
morning and after three o'clock in the afternoon.
From eleven to one o'clock at noon to-day there was
light enough thrown over the northern ice to read
ordinary print outside, but in our rooms it is neces-
sary to burn lights continually. The little midday
twilight is used to make soundings and to secure the
fauna and flora of the shallow sea under us. Those
not engaged in this work are busied in still more

288

An Old Lead.

A New Crevasse.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

snugly housing the Belgica and In shoveHng path-
ways around the ship. I have selected this part of
the day to take a daily walk over the pack to neigh-
bouring floes, and to distant Icebergs, to study the Ice
and the life, and to obtain sufficient physical exercise,
as well as mental recreation, to retard the spell of
indifference which is falling over me.

For fifteen minutes before and after twelve o'clock
the sky and the ice are flooded by a wealth of fascin-
ating colours. The northern sky is such that one
momentarily expects the sun to rise. Here are the
warm shades of red and yellow and on the snow,
looking in this direction, there is a noticeable flesh
colour in which one sees fetching lines of lilac.
In the opposite direction there are some weird
shades of blue-black and a few dead sheets of gray-
blue In shadowed surfaces, in the caverns of bergs,
and In the fissures, but the mixed shades of green
and purple and violet are also displayed with crystal
purity. I cannot describe this short spell of mid-
day glory as it impresses me. If I could wield a
brush, and lay these colours on canvas I feel that one
of the ambitions of my life would be accomplished.
But I cannot — and what am I to do in black, with
an overworked pen, frosty Ink, and a mind which Is
wearied as soon as the cheer of noon-day passes?

To the first of May our health had been fairly
good. We have had little complaints and some in-
significant injuries, bruises, cuts, strains, and frost
bites, but there has been little of which to make a
medical note. Since entering the pack our spirits
have not improved. The quantity of food which we

289

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have consumed, individually and collectively, has
steadily decreased and our relish for food has also
slowly but steadily failed. There was a time when
each man enjoyed some special dish and by distribut-
ing these favoured dishes at different times it was pos-
sible to have some one gastronomically happy every
day. But now we are tired of everything. We
despise all articles which come out of tin, and a gen-
eral dislike is the normal air of the Belgica. The
cook is entitled, through his efforts to please us,
to kind consideration, but the arrangement of the
menu is condemned, and the entire food store is used
as a subject for bitter sarcasm. Everybody having
any connection with the selection or preparation of
the food, past or present, is heaped with some criti-
cism. Some of this is merited, but most of it is the
natural outcome of our despairing isolation from ac-
customed comforts.

I do not mean to say that we are more discon-
tented than other men in similar conditions. This
part of the life of polar explorers is usually sup-
pressed in the narratives. An almost monotonous
discontent occurs in every expedition through the
polar night. It is natural that this should be
so, for when men are compelled to see one an-
other's faces, encounter the few good and the many
bad traits of character for weeks, months, and years,
without any outer influence to direct the mind, they
are apt to remember only the rough edges which rub
up against their own bumps of misconduct. If we
could only get away from each other for a few hours
at a time, we might learn to see a new side and take

290

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

a fresh interest in our comrades; but this is not
possible. The truth is, that we are at this moment as
tired of each other s company as we are of the cold
monotony of the black night and of the unpalatable
sameness of our food. Now and then we experience
affectionate moody spells and then we try to inspire
each other with a sort of superficial effervescence of
good cheer, but such moods are short-lived. Physic-
ally, mentally, and perhaps morally, then, we are
depressed, and from my past experience in the arc-
tic I know that this depression will increase with the
advance of the night, and far into the increasing
dawn of next summer.

The mental conditions have been indicated
above. Physically we are steadily losing strength,
though our weight remains nearly the same, with a
slight increase in some. All seem puffy about the
eyes and ankles, and the muscles, which were
hard earlier, are now soft, though not reduced in
size. We are pale, and the skin is unusually
oily. The hair grows rapidly, and the skin about
the nails has a tendency to creep over them, seem-
ingly to protect them from the cold. The heart
action is failing in force and is decidedly irregular.
Indeed, this organ responds to the slightest stimula-
tion in an alarming manner. If we walk hurriedly
around the ship the pulse rises to no beats, and if
we continue for fifteen minutes it intermits, and there
is also some difficulty of respiration. The observers,
going only one hundred yards to the observatories,
come in almost breathless after their short run. The
usual pulse, too, is extremely changeable from day

291

THROUGH THE FIRST

to day. Now it is full, regular, and vigorous ; again
it is soft, intermittent and feeble. In one case it
was, yesterday, 43, to-day it is 98, but the man
complains of nothing and does his regular work.
The sun seems to supply an indescribable something
which controls and steadies the heart. In its
absence it goes like an engine without a governor.

There is at present no one disabled, but there are
many little complaints. About half of the men com-
plain of headaches and insomnia ; many are dizzy
and uncomfortable about the head, and others are
sleepy at all times, though they sleep nine hours.
All of the secretions are reduced, from which it fol-
lows that digestion is difficult. Acid dyspepsia and
frequent gastric discomforts are often mentioned.
There are also rheumatic and neuralgic pains, mus-
cular twitchings, and an indefinite number of small
complaints, but there is but one serious case on
hand. This is Danco. He has an old heart lesion,
a leak of one of the valves, which has been followed by
an enlargement of the heart and a thickening of its
walls. In ordinary conditions, when there was no
need for an unusual physical or mental strain, and
when liberal fresh food and bright sunshine were at
hand, he felt no defect. But these conditions are
now changed. The hypertrophied muscular tissue
is beginning to weaken, and atrophy of the heart is
the result, dilating and weakening with a sort of
measured step, which, if it continues at the present
rate, will prove fatal within a month.

May 22. — It is clear and still. The temperature
has fallen to — 19° C.,and altogether, though sunless,

292

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

this sharp, cold weather at present is more agree-
able to us than the dull, stormy days with warmth
and light a month ago. It is Sunday, and we have
nearly all been out for a jaunt on skis. We took
some photographs, but they are ugly, because there
is nothing distinct in the pictures. It is not possible
to make good, clear pictures except on bright moon-
light nights or on sharp, sunny days. It is the cus-
tom aft to go into the masthead and scan the horizon
for signs of life, before starting on our tours of recrea-
tion. In this way we are reasonably sure to return
with a penguin, a seal, or the story of an adven-
ture. To-day we saw a seal about a mile from the
ship, but when we got to it the animal started
towards the Belgica. We urged it on and drove it
easily to our home. The creature looked about with
much curiosity when it came to the rough, dirty
snow about the bark, and searched diligently for a
hole through which it might plunge to the sea below.
But no such hole or crevasse was within a mile of us,
for the calm cold of the past week has reunited all
the broken fragments into large fields. We threw a
rope around the seal, which was a crab-eater, intend-
ing to take its temperature and make other physi-
ological experiments, but the thing was too slippery
and too lively for us. Several instruments were
broken, and some very strong ropes were snapped
like ordinary twine. Finally the seal was shot, and
its skeleton was prepared to enrich a Belgian
museum of natural history. There was to-night
a bright aurora. It began as a straight horizontal
zone low on the southern sky. Later it changed

293

THROUGH THE FIRST

to an arc with the parts of two other arcs below it.
A similar phenomenon appeared last night.

May 27. — The little dusk at midday is fading more
and more. A feeble deflected light falls upon the ele-
vations, the icebergs, and the hummocks, offering a
faint cheerfulness, but this soon withdraws and leaves
a film of blackness. The pack presents daily the
same despondent surface of gray which, by contrast
to the white sparkle of some time ago, makes our
outlook even more melancholy. The weather is now
quite clear and in general more settled. The tem-
perature ranges from 5° to 10^ C. below zero. We
have frequent falls of snow, but the quantity is small
and the period is short. Generally we are able to
see the stars from two in the afternoon until ten in
the morning. During the four hours of midday the
sky is generally screened by a thick icy vapour.
There are a few white petrels about daily, and in
the sounding hole we have noticed a seal occasion-
ally, but there is now no other life. All have an
abundance of work, but our ambition for regular oc-
cupation, particularly anything which requires pro-
longed mental concentration, is wanting ; even the
task of keeping up the log is too much. There is
nothing new to write about, nothing to excite fresh
interest. There are now no auroras, and no halos;
everything on the frozen sea and over it is sleep-
ing the long sleep of the frigid night.

294

CHAPTER XXII

THE SOUTH POLAR NIGHT (CONTINUED)—
DAYS OF DISCONTENTMENT.

The grayness of
the first days of the
night has given way
to a soul-despair-
ing darkness, bro-
ken only at noon
by a feeble yellow
haze on the north-
ern sky. I can think
of nothingmore dis-
heartening, more
destructive to hu-
man energy, than
this dense, unbro-
ken blackness of the
long polar night.
In the arctic it has
some redeeming features. There the white invader
has the Eskimo to assist, teach, and amuse him. The
weather there is clear and cold ; and in the regions
about Greenland, where I have been engaged, there

295

A Helpless Ship in a Hopeless
Sea of Ice.

THROUGH THE FIRST

is land — real solid land, not the mere mockery of it,
like the shifting pack that is about us here. With
land at hand, prolonged journeys are always possible,
but what are we to do on a moving sea of ice ?

May 29. — Yesterday we had a warm northerly
gale with much snow and a thick fog. The ice is
again in rapid motion. There are many new leads,
numerous pressure angles, and fresh fissures in the
ice. Danco is steadily failing. To day is Sunday ;
the men look forward with some anticipation to this
day because Sunday is set aside, not as a day of wor-
ship, for I have never seen a man on the Belgica with
a Bible or prayer-book in his hands, but as a time of
freedom from usual duties. It is the weekly period of
recreation and special feeding. The few eatables
which are still relished are placed on the menu for
Sunday. This serves to mark time and to divide,
somewhat, the almost unceasing sameness of our life.

This morning had in it no element of promise or
cheer. Even at noon it was dark and gloomy. But
the wet, warm, northerly wind of yesterday is blowing
its last breath. The cold air of the upper atmos-
pheric stratus is settling down over us again, as it
always does in an approaching calm. In this region
nothing is more conducive to comfort than a sharp
atmosphere with a low temperature. Warm weather
is nice enough in summer or in more temperate lati-
tudes ; but in this sea of ice and in midwinter, it is
far from desirable. Aside from the personal discom-
forts, high temperature in our position adds enormous
dangers to our safety. The ice, now being firmly
congealed, is crushed and thrown from one part of

296

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the ever restless sea to another. It is broken,
crushed, and ground into a snowy powder, which only
too well indicates to us what would become of our
vessel if it were torn from its present bed.

Last night a tremendous force was expended against
the end of our floe, which made the sleeping Belgica
quiver from stem to stern; but, fortunately, the good
old iceblock held together, while the smaller ice pans
around her were pushed on the surface with a groan
like that of a man in dire pain. To-day all is quiet, no
pressure groans, no noise of animals, no wind, even the
usual noise on board has ceased. Since three o'clock
the temperature has fallen three degrees every hour.
Now, at eight o'clock, it is —25.2°; this is our favour-
ite temperature and what a joy it brings. The day is,
perhaps, as a Sunday ought to be, cold, solemn, and
silent. A feeble arc aurora appeared at about nine
o'clock to-night. It was in the usual position, but the
exhibit was so faint that had we not been trained by
our previous observations, the phenomenon would
have passed unrecognised.

May 31. — By a careful observation Captain Le-
cointe deduces our latitude to 71° 36', longitude ^"j^
Z2) 2>^" ' For about a week we have drifted very
little. The longitude has changed slightly, but since
the 1 8th we have gone southward about nineteen
miles. To the present this is our farthest point
southward. On the 20th of March we were at 71°
35^ longitude 88° 02^ a position very near that at
present. (The latitude of this day, 71° 36^ proved
to be our farthest south during the entire drift
with the pack.)

297

THROUGH THE FIRST

The morning Is perfect, as we regard weather.
The thermometer is at — 23° C. There is almost no
wind, and every break in the pack is covered by a
thick sheet of new ice. We expected cold, clear
weather, but it was otherwise yesterday and last
night. The wind howled, the ice was again torn
into small pieces, and there was a great amount of
pressure evident in the lines of hummocks running
easterly and westerly. Either we have come against
some obstruction southward, or the northerly pressure
is extraordinary. During the night we were anx-
ious about the safety of the Belgica ; for, as the fury
of the wind rushed over us, the ice was broken and
the vessel was subjected to a great amount of pressure.
The ice is heaped up around the Belgica in huge
walls from five to twenty feet in height. The floes
are turning, giving the good old ship hard jabs in
her ribs. She takes the savage blows with an agon-
izing moan. Although the pressure has been such
that we packed our kits and were prepared to try
the hospitality of the pack, there has been no real
injury which we can discover. We were extremely
glad, this morning, to find that the broken ice had
been reunited, and we soon learned that the raised
walls about would prove an effective embankment in
future battles with the storms.

At noon there was a faint show of a dawn. The
sky in the north was touched with light fiery clouds.
The snow had upon it not the slightest suggestion
of this red, but remained a dull gray, while the sky
above was a smoky blue. One not familiar with the
freaks of polar day would have thought the sun

298

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

would surely rise, or that it had just sunk under the
snow, but we know only too well that we are doomed
to see it make a fainter and fainter display at noon
for three more weeks.

Precisely at twelve o'clock a strange rectangular
block of fire appeared in the east-south-east. Its
size was that of a small tabular iceberg, but it had a
dull crimson glow which made the scene at once
weird and fascinating. Its base rested on the hori-
zon and it seemed to rise, brighten, and move nor-
therly. The sky here was a purple, thinly veiled by
a light smoky haze, caused by icy crystals in the
lower stratus of atmosphere, but there was not an-
other speck of redness on this side of the heavens
except the orange bow usually seen over the twilight
zone. We watched this with considerable awe and
amazement for ten minutes before we could deter-
mine its meaning. It passed through several stages
of forms, finally it separated, and we discovered that
it was the moon. It was in fact a sort of mirage of
the moon, but the strange rectangular distortion,
the fiery aspect, and its huge size, made a sight long
to be remembered.

During the past days of the night we have made
soundings of the sea, and have taken samples of sub-
marine and surface life. This has given Arctowski
and Racovitza an abundance of work. It is in-
teresting to see them plod along, working steadily
and faithfully in the dark laboratory, packing away
specimens, jotting down notes, stooping over the
microscopes and other instruments, always with a
pencil in one hand, and a stick in the other to greet

299

THROUGH THE FIRST

the first man who dares to interrupt them in their
den. Poor fellows ! — their faces are tired and
drawn, as if some great calamity had come upon
them. Danco is keeping up with doggish persist-
ency his magnetic observations, the details of which
are such that he is almost constantly occupied dur-
ing working hours. He is steadily failing, but he
complains little and keeps up a kind of abnormal
cheerfulness.

The meteorological work is now the most trouble-
some task, for it requires some one to make the obser-
vations every hour, and sometimes oftener. Each
of us had planned a work of some magnitude to be
completed before sunrise. Commandant de Ger-
lache started to rewrite the ship's log. Lecointe
began to complete the details of the summer s hydro-
graphic work. Racovitza, in addition to regular
laboratory work, was to plan the outlines of a new
book on the geographical distribution of life. Arc-
towski had in mind a dozen scientific problems to
elucidate. Amundsen entered into a co-partnership
with me to make new and more perfect travelling
equipment; and in addition to this, I had the an-
thropological work of the past summer to place into
workable order, and a book on antarctic exploration.
Thus we had placed before us the outline for in-
dustrious occupation ; but we did little of it. As the
darkness increased our energy waned. We became
indifferent, and found it difficult to concentrate our
minds or fix our efforts to any one plan of action.
(The work mapped out was partly accomplished, but
it was done after the return of the sun.)

300

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

The regular routine of our work is tiresome in the
extreme, not because it is difficult of execution or
requires great physical exertion, but because of its
monotony. Day after day, week after week, and
month after month we rise at the same hour, eat the
same things, talk on the same subjects, make a pre-
tense of doing the same work, and look out upon the
same icy wilderness. We try hard to introduce new
topics for thought and new concoctions for the weary
stomach. We strain the truth to introduce stories
of home and of flowery future prospects, hoping to
infuse a new cheer ; but it all fails miserably. We
are under the spell of the black antarctic night, and,
like the world which it darkens, we are cold, cheer-
less, and inactive. We have aged ten years in thirty
days.

Here is an outline of a day's life on the Belgica.
Rise at 7.30 a.m.; coffee at 8 ; 9 to 10, open air
exercise; 10 to 12, scientific work, such as the regu-
lar meteorologic, magnetic, or laboratory tasks, for
the officers ; and for the marines, bringing in snow,
melting snow for water, replenishing the ship's
stores, repairing the ship, building new quarters,
making new instruments, and doing anything which
pertains to the regular work of the expedition ; 1 2
to 2 P.M., dinner and rest or recreation ; 2 to 4,
official work (regular work during this period was
suspended for the greater part of the night) ; 6 to 7,
supper; 7 to 10, card-playing, music, mending, and,
on moonlight nights, excursions. At ten o'clock we
went to sleep.

Up to this time our health had been fairly good.

301

THROUGH THE FIRST

Excepting a few light attacks of rheumatism, neu-
ralgia, and some unimportant traumatic injuries,
there had been no complaint. We ate little, how-
ever, and were thoroughly disgusted with canned
foods. We had tried the meat of the penguins, but
to the majority its flavour was still too *' fishy." We
entered the long night somewhat underfed, not be-
cause there was a scarcity of food, but because of our
unconquerable dislike for such as we had. It is
possible to support life for seven or eight months
upon a diet of canned food ; but after this period
there is something in the human system which makes
it refuse to utilise the elements of nutrition contained
in tins. Against such food, even for a short period,
the stomach protests ; confined to it for a long period,
it simply refuses to exercise its functions. Articles
which in the canning retain a natural appearance
usually.remain, especially if cooked a little, friendly to
the palate. This is particularly true of meat retaining
hard fibers, such as ham, bacon, dried meats, and
corned beef It is also true of fruits preserved in
juices ; and vegetables, such as peas, corn, tomatoes ;
and of dried things. Unfortunately this class of food
formed a small part of our store. We were weighed
down with the supposed finer delicacies of the
Belgian, French, and Norwegian markets. We had
laboratory mixtures in neat cans, combined in such
a manner as to make them look tempting — hashes
under various catchy names ; sausage stuffs in
deceptive forms, meat and fishballs said to contain
cream, mysterious soups, and all the latest inven-
tions in condensed foods. But they one and all
proved failures, as a steady diet. The stomach

302

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

demands things with a natural fiber, or some
tough, gritty substance. At this time, as a relief,
we would have taken kindly to something containing
pebbles or sand. How we longed to use our teeth !

The long darkness, the isolation, the tinned foods,
the continued low temperature, with increasing storms
and a high humidity, finally reduced our systems to
what we call polar anaemia. We became pale, with a
kind of greenish hue ; our secretions were more or
less suppressed. The stomach and all the organs
were sluggish, and refused to work. Most danger-
ous of all were the cardiac and cerebral symptoms.
The heart acted as if it had lost its regulating
influence. Its action was feeble, but its beats were
not increased until other dangerous symptoms
appeared. Its action was weak, irregular, and en-
tirely unreliable throughout the night. The mental
symptoms were not so noticeable. The men were
incapable of concentration, and unable to continue
prolonged thought. One sailor was forced to the
verge of insanity, but he recovered with the return-
ing sun. The first to feel the effects of polar anaemia
seriously was our lamented friend and companion.
Lieutenant Danco. With the descent of the sun
began the beginning of his end. On the short
journeys which we took during the few moments of
noonday twilight Danco complained of shortness
of breath. Indeed, we all had some difficulty of
respiration upon the slightest exercise, but Danco
would frequently stand still and gasp. For this he
came under medical care early in May, but in spite
of every effort he rapidly sank.

June I. — It is now difficult to get out of our warm

303

THROUGH THE FIRST

beds in the morning. There is no dawn, — nothing
to mark the usual division of night and morning un-
til nearly noon. During the early part of the night
it is next to impossible to go to sleep, and if we drink
coffee we do not sleep at all. When we do sink into
a slumber, it is so deep that we are not easily awak-
ened. Our appetites are growing smaller and smaller,
and the little food which is consumed gives much
trouble. Oh, for that heavenly ball of fire ! Not for
the heat — the human economy can regulate that —
but for the light — the hope of life.

June 2. — The night was very cold with a wind
veering from south-west to west, coming in puffs
with a coldness that made the ice and the rigging of
the Belgica groan. At about six o'clock last night,
while a stiff wind was blowing, the ice fractured
around the Belgica'dind allowed her to sink gradually
into the water out of which she had been raised. The
squeaking of the ship, the groaning of the ice, and the
howling of the wind, were for a short time maddening.
After a time we became accustomed to this and sank
our anxiety and some fear (though we hesitated to
own it) in a lively game of whist. This proved to be
the coldest night thus far — 29° C. ( —20.2° F.).

I had resolved to rise at seven o'clock, but owing to
the lethargy due to the long darkness and the pro-
found sleep, I did not find myself out of my berth
until eleven. When I arise at this time I omit the
formality of a breakfast, and of this my stomach does
not complain. Four months ago, during the antarc-
tic summer, to omit breakfast would have been to
reject one of the delights of polar life, but now in this

304

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

melancholy darkness it is like being relieved of a
weighty duty.

June 3. — The men forward are kept busy with the
usual work of the ship, cleaning, restowing, repair-
ing sails, ropes, and woodwork, etc. One man is
constantly occupied in keeping the fires going. An-
other man keeps up the supply of snow, which is
melted for water. The work of sounding, taking
deep sea temperatures, and fishing, keeps many busy.
For much of the time it is also necessary to employ
several men to keep the vessel well banked with snow,
and the observatories need a similar attention. Thus
the sailors are evenly occupied in easy work which
keeps them from feeling the melancholy of our isola-
tion from the world, and also helps them to forget
the prolonged darkness of this dayless night.

Our floe has again grown to encouraging dimen-
sions. From the mere fragment, which remained
after the last severe disturbance, it has gradually
taken unto itself pan after pan, until now we can no
longer see its end. On the sky we observe mouse-
coloured bands at noon, which tell us that there are
a few fissures where a heavy mist rises from the
open water. This is the usual water-sky in minia-
ture. From the shape of these dark streaks we
know the size and outline of the open water under
it. The bergs change position a little, new ones
occasionally crowd over our horizon and remain vis-
ible a short time, then return to their old positions ;
old ones turn about somewhat, thus presenting a
new face to us. Some are raised by a mirage, and
all are buried under the gloomy veil of blackness

305

THROUGH THE FIRST

which Is so rapidly spreading over the once white
splendour.

We have had much snow within a fortnight,
which by the aid of the varying winds has drifted
over the icy hummocks and ridges, raised by pressure,
and made for us a substitute for Mother Earth
once more. On ski and snowshoes we can again
travel about for miles on the newly-assembled old
floe. But the position marking the old leads and
lakes is still difficult for pleasurable journeys.
These places resemble in their contour a bird's-
eye view of a large city. To cross them is as if we
tried to cross a city over the roofs of the houses.
Still, it is possible to travel in this wilderness of ice
if one is fortunate enough to have polar patience,
and a body which can be tossed about like a football.
Our floe, with all its roughness, with all its faults, is
nevertheless a providential protection to the good
little Belgica and a godsend to its occupants.

We are all eating appreciably less now than dur-
ing the bright season — and either there is a con-
stant inclination to sleep or persistent insomnia. We
eat an amount of fat, however, that would surprise
most people ; fat pork, fatty meats, the pure oil of
bacon, and tremendous quantities of oleomargarine,
are consumed with apparent relish. This is to me
particularly surprising because during three arc-
tic voyages I never noticed any particular craving
for fat ; but this I ascribe to the fact that we always
ate liberally of fresh meats north, and these we have
not here. • We eat a little penguin with a show of
pleasure, but most of us are quite tired of its marine

306

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

flavour and fish-oil smoothness. If we had sufficient
ham it would afford immense gastric delight. There
is much indigestion now — fermentation, gastric in-
ertia, intestinal and gastric pain, imperfect hepatic
action, and a general suppression of all the digestive
secretions. The heart is unsteady, easily disturbed,
and mitral murmurs, which I have not heard before,
are audible. Temperatures, almost without excep-
tion, are subnormal. The breathing is often difficult,
the blood retreats from the skin, but the larger veins
are abnormally full. Piles, hemorrhoids, headache,
neuralgia, rheumatism, are the systemic complaints;
but while we all have our little disorders, no one is
really disabled.

307

CHAPTER XXIII

THE SOUTH POLAR NIGHT (CONTINUED) —
THE DEATH OF DANCO

The weather is unendurable, the temperature is

— 30° C. and an easterly gale is burying us in a huge
drift of snow. With a high wind, an air thick
with flying snow, and a temperature such as we have
had for the past three days, ranging from — 28° to

— 30°, it is utterly impossible to exist outside in the
open blast. In calm weather such a temperature
causes delight, but in a storm it gives rise to despair.
I think it is Conan Doyle who says, ** What compan-
ion is there like the great restless, throbbing polar
sea ? What human mood is there which it does not
match and sympathise with ? " I should like Mr.
Doyle to spend one month with us on this great,
restless, throbbing sea, under this .dense, restless,
throbbing blackness of the antarctic night. I am
sure he would find conditions to drive his pen, but
where is the companionship of a sea which with
every heave brings a block of ice against your berth
making your only hope of life, the bark, tremble
from end to end. Where is the human being who

308

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

will find sympathy in the howling winds under the
polar night?

For several days our beloved companion Danco
has been failing. From nearly the very first day of
his sickness I saw that, coming upon him as it had
done in the dusk, it must prove fatal during the long
antarctic night. To pass through a polar night, with
its prolonged and awful cold, and remain well is a
very difficult matter even for a man with sound or-
gans. One who has not these, and perfect health,
always fares badly in these sunless and lifeless
polar days. Danco has had, unconsciously, for
years a serious heart defect. For a time the heart
walls increased in strength and thus a safe equilibrium
was established ; but to keep an even or compensa-
tory balance, mild exercise was necessary in the open
air with an abundance of sunlight. The sun has
now been entirely absent for more than a fortnight,
and for forty days its light has been of no physio-
logical service. The atmosphere has been so con-
stantly filled with snow and ice-crystals that, at best,
the sun shone with less brilliancy than the moon,
and that only for a few moments at midday. During
all of this time Danco has not felt well ; his manly
courage, however, is such that he will not complain.
But as the darkness becomes blacker, and the frigid
night advances he has been compelled to surrender
himself a candidate to the sick list.

June 4. — The ice is again breaking and the pres-
sure of the floes, as they ride over each other, makes
a noise converting the otherwise dark quietude into
a howling scene of groans. It is again snowing and

309

THROUGH THE FIRST

the wind keeps veering from the north-west to north-
east.

Whenever we have advanced on our mysterious
drift with the restless pack, either far east or far
south, or both, we are arrested in our progress and
the temperature falls. In the east there is also great
pressure, and it is only in the far east or south that
we get easterly or southerly winds. These winds
have the character of land breezes — extremely dry,
with a low temperature — followed by delightful, clear
weather. From these facts we must conclude that
the east and south are lined with land of large pro-
portions or islands united by ice. An easy wind
south or west drives us quickly; indeed, at times we
drift northward without wind. The bergs now seem
to press north and east.

June 5. — To-day we have to record the darkest
page in our log — the death of our beloved comrade,
Danco. It has not been unexpected, for we have
known that he could not recover, but the awful
blank left by his demise is keenly felt, and the sud-
den gloom of despair, thus thrown over the entire
party, is impossible of description. Poor fellow ! in
the past forty-eight hours he had been steadily im-
proving, and, although we were not encouraged by
this, he felt so much better that he was cheerful and
altogether more like his former self, but it was the
calm before the storm. Without any premonition of
his coming death Danco passed away easily to-
night; his last words to me were, " I can breathe
lighter and will soon get strength." A companion
with noble traits has left us. The event is too sad

310

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

to note in detail. His life has steadily and persist-
ingly sunk with the northerly setting of the sun. In
ordinary health, his circulation was so nicely balanced
that it needed but the unbalancing element of the
prolonged darkness to disturb the equilibrium, and
send him to a premature grave.

June 7. — We have made a bag of sail-cloth, and
into it the remains of Danco have been sewn. This
morning we searched the crevasses for an open-
ing which might serve as a grave. We found
no place sufficiently open, but with axes and chisels
we cut an aperture through the young ice in a recent
lead, about one hundred yards from the bark. Owing
to the depressing effect upon the party, we found it
necessary to place the body outside on the ice upon
a sledge the day after the death. At a few minutes
before noon to-day the commandant, followed by
the officers and scientific staff, came to this sledge.
The crew, dressed in an outer suit of duck, then
marched out and, taking the drag rope, they pro-
ceeded over the rough drifts southerly to the lead.
The day was bitterly cold, with a wind coming out of
the south-west. Much snow in fine crystals was
driven through the air, and it pierced the skin like
needles. The surface of the ice was gray, but the sky
had here and there a touch of brightness. In the
north there was a feeble metallic glow, and directly
overhead there were a few stratus of rose-coloured
clouds. The moon, fiery, with a ragged edge, hung
low on the southern sky. There was light enough to
read ordinary print, but it was a weird light. Danco
was a favourite among the sailors, and his departure

311

THROUGH THE FIRST

was as keenly felt in the forecastle as among us. The
men expressed this in the funeral procession. Slowly
but steadily they marched over the rough surface of
the ice with an air of inexpressible sadness. The
sledge was brought to the freezing water. Here the
commandant made a few fitting remarks, and then
two heavy weights were attached to the feet, and the
body was entrusted to the frosted bosom of the ant-
arctic ocean.

June 8. — The melancholy death, and the inci-
dents of the sad burial of Danco, have brought
over us a spell of despondency which we seem
unable to conquer. I fear that this feeling will
remain with us for some time, and we can ill afford
it. Though there are none among us sick at this
time, we may at any moment have small complaints
which will become serious under this death-dealing
spell of despair. We are constantly picturing to
ourselves the form of our late companion floating
about in a standing position, with the weights to his
feet, under the frozen surface and perhaps under the
Belgica.

June lo. — The temperature remains low. Yester-
day it fell to — 32° C. ( — 25.6° F.), and it seems to
linger about the twenties. The weather is more
and more settled and steady, as the night advances
and the cold increases. The wind is moderate, and
it intermits with calm periods, but the barometer
is very high. There is little movement in the ice;
all the crevasses and leads are closed by new ice,
and the Belgica's berth is now positively secure
for a long time to come. The small floes, intp

312

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

which the Ice was broken ten days ago, have been
pushed over and under each other in such a man-
ner, that the bark has been raised out of the water
with an uncomfortable Hst. We have seen no Hfe
for a long time, but there is no open water near.
We are inclined to believe that when there is a
space of open sea there will be found some life,
even at this time.

It is the doctor's birthday. We have had a
special feast with champagne. Many efforts were
made to lighten the spirits of the men, but our efforts
were only of temporary duration. The captain has
made the greatest endeavour to break the spell of
*' shivers " which hung over us. He fixed up in his
full-dress suit, and induced the doctor to do the
same. In this costume we came to the dining table,
and took the cabin by surprise. After a half-
hearted meal, a full-hearted exchange of greetings
followed a certificate of honour, presented by Cap-
tain Lecointe.

Doctor Cook:

I make fast the occasion of your anniversary in

order to exprime all the sympathy you suggest to me.

In proof of that friendship, and because of that

great day, I take the engagement to repair one pair

of your knit stockings.

Dixi,

G. Lecointe.
Antarctic Ocean, S. Y. Belgica, June lo, 1898.

The amusement, however, was expensive to us,
for we shivered and felt most uncomfortable. We

THROUGH THE FIRST

had not worn stiff collars nor boiled shirts in seven
months; nor had we the custom of arranging neckties
and holding our heads and bodies steady enough for
the tight fit of our suits. Lecointe made a nautical
observation in the suit with an ordinary winter over-
coat. The temperature was about — 20° C. The
stars used for the observation were Jupiter and Canis
Majoris, and the position as fixed was latitude
71^ 2d 7'', longitude 87° 17' 50''. Lecointe de-
clared that he would never try the experiment again.
He came to the cabin shivering with a chill, which did
not entirely pass off for some minutes.

June 12. — The barometer still continues very high,
but we are momentarily expecting a reaction. Al-
ready the temperature has risen from— 25°to — 2°C.,
and it promises to rise still more. The west is black,
and out of its gloom comes a half-gale with wet
snow. The Belgica, feeling the effect of the sud-
den change in the temperature, is alive with weird
noises. The masts, the spars, the ropes, and every
projecting object have long been covered by a thick
encasement of accumulating hoar-frost. Heavy pieces
of this ice-plating are loosened by the warm draught
of the winds and they fall to the decks below with
thunderous bolts. The bark changes its position
in its bed of ice somewhat like its occupants in their
bunks, and this is followed by a long series of jars
and groans. Altogether, the noise outside and in is
maddening. We hope for a speedy return of cold
weather to our favourite temperature somewhat
below — 20° C.

June 16. — No wind; a few cirrus and stratus

314

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

clouds ; the stars at zenith are visible at noon. The
Southern Cross over the mizzenmast is arrayed in all
its glory. The sun has only five minutes more to re-
cede before it reaches the equinox, and then it will
come back slowly and perceptibly, with its life-giving
rays. We are drifting eastward, but there is no
sign of movement in the ice, — no cracks, no leads,
no lakes.

June 17. — We are still drifting eastward, slowly
but steadily, which fact suggests several questions :
Is there land to the eastward or southward ? If so,
what is its character? If not, why are the easterly
and southerly winds cold and dry, and why are we
checked in our drift, after passing far eastward or
southward ? There are but two explanations. First :
It is possible that we are far off a continuous coast
line, or nearly so, in which case the ice near the land,
with a westerly wind, would be forced toward the
point of least resistance, which w^ould generally be
north. This would explain what we have often
noticed, a northerly drift with a westerly wind. But
even with our checked progress we seem to move
eastward too quickly for such a condition of things.
The next probability seems to explain better our
actual experience. The second explanation is, that
the easterly drift of the ice is only checked by a few
widely separated islands through which the pack is
forced into the Weddell sea by the prevailing
wind. When the sun returns, and the ice loosens
its grasp on our bark, we hope to clear up this
mystery.

We are having considerable trouble in keeping

315

THROUGH THE FIRST

our stoves burning. With the use of soft coal it is
necessary to disturb the fire often, which makes the
air unendurable because of the escape of poisonous
gases, while it also fills the room with smoke and soot
and ashes. The moisture which leaves the room
through the stove draughts is condensed in the pipes
and mixed with soot ; the whole mass freezes, which
occludes the opening of the pipe. To remove this
obstruction it is necessary to take out the pipes once
weekly and clean them, an operation of no little conse-
quence in polar regions. This is the second expedi-
tion with which I have been connected where we
have had the same trouble. It would be entirely
overcome by the use of anthracite coal for the winter
fires, instead of the bituminous, with its unnecessary
filth.

Mr. Peary has tried to overcome this by a substi-
tion of oil stoves, but such a procedure, in my judg-
ment, is not only accompanied by a polluted atmos-
phere causing headaches, insomnia, and difficulty
of respiration, but it is quite dangerous to life. A
coal fire removes from a room most of its poisonous
gases and keeps up a free circulation of air, but an
oil stove does just the reverse. An oil or a gas stove
consumes air in a somewhat similar manner to man.
It burns oxygen and gives off carbon dioxide and
other gases. An ordinary oil stove will consume as
much oxygen as fifteen men, and it does not replace
the polluted air, as does a coal or wood fire. There
is another point, which has been too little regarded
in polar ventures^ During the long months of win-
ter darkness the life-giving rays of the sun are with-

316

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

drawn, leaving the summer whiteness of the earth
in cold and despondent blackness. Bright artificial
lights relieve this to some extent, but all the animal
organism is in a condition similar to that of a planet
deprived of the direct sunlight. The skin is pale,
the muscles are weak, and the organs refuse to per-
form their functions with usual vigour. This effect
is most noticeable in the action of the heart which,
during the long night, is deprived of its regulating
force ; now quick, now slow ; then strong, again
feeble, but never normal. The best substitute for
this absence of the sun is the direct rays of heat
from an open fire. From an ordinary coal or wood
fire the effect is wonderful. I have stripped and
placed men, before the direct rays of heat, whose
pulse was almost imperceptible, and in the course
of less than an hour had a heart action nearly
normal. From an oil stove it is quite impossible to
get this effect, hence its use in polar regions should
be confined to camp life.

The selection of proper means for obtaining arti-
ficial light is quite as important as that of heat.
Electric light is ideal, but the means for obtaining
electricity are not easily transported. Candles are
said to be the safest and best for general use ; but the
illumination of a single candle is so feeble that each
man must have one or more in general use. From
this it results that candles are posted in all parts of
tlie rooms, — in the bunks and other nooks where a
conflagration might easily originate. Hence the
danger of a fire by candles is quite as great as that
of petroleum lamps, while the light is far inferior to

Z^7

THROUGH THE FIRST

It. A good petroleum lamp is undoubtedly the
most practical. But even a petroleum lamp has its
drawbacks in polar regions. . On the Belgica we had
several, and about fifty glass chimneys, all of which
were broken during the past few weeks of the ant-
arctic night. We were then bound to utilise the ingen-
uity of the mechanics on board to make substitutes.
The geologist, who is a chemist by profession, made
the first trial with glass tubes ; this was better than
nothing, but the assistant engineer next took the
matter in hand, and after a time became quite a
lamp specialist. He altered the construction of the
lamp and of the burner; made chimneys of glass
jelly jars, removing the bottom and placing over all
a zinc funnel. On the whole it was a very happy
contrivance, and while it was not quite perfect it
served the purpose for which it was intended, during
the balance of the black night.

June 19. — A midwinter and a midnight thaw, with
the ice breaking and pressing upon the vessel, is
the most dreadful thing which could happen to us
now. But it is just this most despairing condition
of ice and weather which is threatening us in these
darkest days of the midnight. The temperature and
the wind for three days have suddenly risen. It is now
blowing a gale from the west. The temperature is
— 2°; the ice is breaking and separating, leaving
wide endless leads running northward and southward.
Between the gloomy clouds northward there is a faint
suggestion of brightness, but this only seems to in-
crease our longing for light. It is dark ! dark !
Dark at noon, dark at midnight, dark every hour of

318

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the day. And thus we jog along day after day,
through the unbroken sameness. There is plenty of
work close at hand. The weather should be care-
fully studied; the sky and the frozen sea contain
problems for solution. We are in a world unknown,
but just at present we care little about our novel
position or our future rewards.

The darkness grows daily a little deeper, and the
night soaks hourly a little more colour from our
blood. Our gait is now careless, the step non-
elastic, the foothold uncertain. The hair grows
quickly, like plants in a hot-house, but there is a
great change in the colour. Most of us in the
cabin have grown decidedly gray within two months,
though few are over thirty. Our faces are drawn,
and there is an absence of jest and cheer and hope
in our make-up which, in itself, is one of the saddest
incidents in our existence. There is no one willing
to openly confess the force of the night upon him-
self, but the novelty of life has been worn out and
the cold, dark outside world is incapable of intro-
ducing anything new. The moonlight comes and
goes alike, during the hours of midday as at mid-
night. The stars glisten over the gloomy snows.
We miss the usual poetry and adventure of home
winter nights. We miss the flushed maidens, the
jingling bells, the spirited horses, the inns, the
crackling blaze of the country fire. We miss much
of life which makes it worth the trouble of existence.

At noon some of us went on a ski journey, and
about a mile south-east of the ship we were stopped
by a wide lead of inky water, extending north and

319

THROUGH THE FIRST

south as far as the sight could reach. The darkness
was such that we dared not approach closely to the
open sea. We were anxious to search the fringe of
ice bordering on the gloomy water for animal life,
and discussed the possibilities for some time, but the
thickening veil of darkness drew over us tighter and
tighter as we waited. Looking toward the Belgica
we saw that she was already nearly obscured by
the sooty blackness, which was falling from the noon-
day heavens. Looking over the silent and endless
sea of ice, however, the aspect was not one of
night. A subdued glow seemed to rise from the
white snows and illuminate the lower stratas of air ;
but this was only apparent. Nearly all irregulari-
ties were obscured or distorted. Huge hummocks,
ten to twenty feet high, were not observed until we
stumbled against them. Small elevations, with sharp
angles, sometimes produced a mirage like that ot an
iceberg at a great distance. We would glide along
leisurely on ski and suddenly find that we had
crossed this huge obstacle, — in reality only a few
inches in height.

For the past month we have not felt like writing.
Our humour and our ambition are not such as to make
us transfer ideas to paper easily. If I could write
poetry I should like to select the topics of conversa-
tion as subjects for gloomy moods, — for we certainly
painted the skies darker, and made the snow blacker,
than they ever appeared in reality. We made a feeble
attempt to lift the gloomy seal, now and then, by a
superficial humour, — a sort of frothy effervescence of

320

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the soul, but the efforts were as feeble as our anaemic
muscular fibres. The long polar night lies heavily
upon us. Our health has suffered considerably. We
have not been so fortunate as Nansen's party, if we
may accept Nansen's account of the health of his
crew at the dawn of the arctic day. With a few
boastful remarks he passes over the physical effects
of the arctic night, and concludes to his own elation
that they felt none of the usual complaints ; but since
it is reported that one of the best men has returned
mentally deranged, of which Nansen leaves us in
ignorance, we may infer that other matters have
also slipped his memory. It is not possible for an
expedition, with twelve men, to live three years in the
arctic or any other region without some bodily ail-
ments. These are as certain as human sins, and
quite as interesting, but we look for them in vain in
Nansen's narrative. Perhaps Dr. Blessing or some
other member of the expedition will give us a more
serious account.

In my experience with polar expeditions, and from
every reliable record which I have been able to find
where the observations have been given by honest
and competent observers, there is a general agree-
ment in the description of the physical effects of the
polar night. Anaemia, or a condition allied to it, in
one form or another and under various descriptions
is always found if sought by an experienced eye.
This malady we have had in by far the severest form
which I have noticed in any arctic experiences, and
more severe than is recorded in the literature of polar

321

THROUGH THE FIRST

exploration. We have lost one officer, and a second
barely escaped death. The marines are all afflicted ;
the condition is truly alarming. At present I have
the captain in the "baking treatrnent." He is pale
and yellowish, with a feeble, almost imperceptible,
pulse of from loo to 140, — his recovery, while hope-
ful, is uncertain.

322

CHAPTER XXIV

THE SOUTH POLAR NIGHT (CONTINUED).
MIDNIGHT TO DAWN

June 2 2. — It is midnight and midwinter. Thirty-
five long, dayless nights have passed. An equal
number of dreary, cheerless days must elapse before
we again see the glowing orb, the star of day, The
sun has reached its greatest northern declination.
We have thus passed the antarctic midnight. The
winter solstice is to us the meridian day, the zenith
of the night as much so as twelve o'clock is the me-
ridian hour to those who dwell in the more favoured
lands, in the temperate and tropical zones, where
there is a regular day and night three hundred and
sixty-five times in the yearly cycle. Yesterday was
the darkest day of the night ; a more dismal sky and
a more depressing scene could not be imagined, but
to-day the outlook is a little brighter. The sky is
lined with a few touches of orange, the frozen sea of
black snow is made more cheerful by the high lights,
with a sort of dull phospherescent glimmer of the
projecting peaks of ice. The temperature has sud-
denly fallen to — 27.5° C. at noon, and the wind is
coming out of the south with an easy force which

323

THROUGH THE FIRST

has sent all the floating humidity of the past few
days down, leaving an air clear and sharp. There
will be an eclipse of one of the satellites of Jupiter
this afternoon, and from an observation of this phe-
nomenon the industrious captain expects to regulate
our chronometers. He hopes also to get a good ob-
servation to fix our position, for we are somewhat
anxious to know just where we are in this unknown
world during the important days of the midnight.

June 24. — For the past three days we have had
steady cold weather with a temperature from— 15^
to — 28° C. (—18.4° F.), and every night we have
also had a brilliant aurora in the usual position, at
about the usual hour. Auroras have been con-
spicuously absent from our skies for nearly two
months. There was a feeble display on May
twenty-ninth, and possibly a few faint exhibits have
evaded our notice, but since the end of April there
has been no auroral phenomenon which has attracted
general interest. With this clear weather there is a
noticeable brightness at noon. To-day the northern
sky has a tinge of orange-red, limited by a band of
green with a bit of the moon over it. Overhead we
can see the Cross and other stars of the same magni-
tude. Our position, as calculated yesterday, is now
far east, latitude 70^ 47' 45'', longitude St,^ 43' 45''.
A sounding at this point would be interesting. For
this purpose we have tried to cut a new hole through
the ice. The old opening was closed by the distur-
bance and pressure of a fortnight ago, and since we
have not been able to make another, but to-day we
are desperately at work, chopping and cutting ice

324

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

for a fishing.and>sounclIng*hole. Havingj^found that
the canvas^ .suits) [arei entirely inadequate ^tONretaini
the bodily heat, we are also trying to devise 'some
more effective clothing.

June 26. — It is Sunday ; the weather is warm, wet,
and too stormy to permit ou^- usual Sabbath excur-
sions. We are playing cards and grinding the music-
boxes, and trying in various ways to throw off the
increasing gloom of the night ; but something has
happened which has added another cloud to the hell of
blkckness which enshrouds us. One of the sailors
brought with him from Europe a beautiful young
kitten. This kitten has been named " Nansen," and
it has steadily grown into
our affections. " Nansen "
was at home alike in the
forecastle and in the cab-
in, but with characteristic
good sense he did not ven-
ture out on exploring trips.
A temperature thirty de-
grees below zero was not
to his liking ; the quarters

about the stove and the bed Nansen, the Mascot.

of a favourite sailor were Drawn by Koren, the cabin Boy.

his choice. Since the commencement of the long
darkness he has been ill at ease, but previously he
was happy and contented, and glad to be petted
andJoVed by everybody. The long night, however,
brought out all the bad qualities of his ancestors.
For nearly a month he has been in a kind of stupour,
eating very liftle and sleeping much. If we tried to

325

THROUGH THE FIRST

arouse him he displayed considerable anger. We
have brought in a penguin occasionally to try to in-
fuse new ambitions and a new friendship in the cat,
but both the penguin and the cat were contented to
take to opposite corners of the room. Altogether
'* Nansen " seemed thoroughly disgusted with his
surroundings and his associates, and lately he has
sought exclusion in unfrequented corners. His tem-
perament has changed from the good and lively crea-
ture to one of growling discontent. His mind has
wandered and from his changed spiritual attitude we
believe that his soul has wandered too. A day or
two ago his life departed, we presume for more con-
genial regions. We are glad that his torture is
ended, but we miss " Nansen " very much. He has
been the attribute to our good fortune to the present,
the only speck of sentimental life within reach. We
have showered upon him our affections, but the long
darkness has made him turn against us. In the
future we shall be without a mascot and what will be
our fate ?

June 29. — Since my last writing there has been
nothing to mark time or disturb the gloom of the
long black monotony. The temperature has been
high with its usual accompaniment of stormy discom-
fort. Yesterday and the day before the thermom-
eter rose to zero and everybody accordingly rose to
a spirit of discontent. Such disaffections are always
heaped upon the meteorologist who is blamed for
all the freaks of the weather, but he receives no
credit for the blessings of the steady cold weather
which we like.

326

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

July 4. — It is the day of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence of the United States. With characteristic
Belgian thoughtfulness the Commandant has ord-
ered a special feast and has sent up the Stars and
Stripes to float over the Belgica to be waved by the
virgin antarctic breezes. America and American
affairs are the topics around which our ideas revolve
to-day. It is curious to watch our thoughts wheel
around the incidents of current events. The beauty
contest in April was succeeded by heated discussions
and sentimental philosophy for several weeks. This
was followed by the serious sentiments caused by the
last sight of the sun and the death of Danco. Then
followed a lot of light talk about " Nansen," the cat,
and his future. Has he a soul and is there a Heaven
for him? To-day we are building up a United
States of Europe, and are dreaming of annexing
Canada and all of South America into one grand
Union of States.

There is a strong, steady, westerly wind charged
with great quantities of drift snow. The ice is
separating, leaving wide, endless, ice-free leads run-
ning north and south. In these we have seen a few
finback whales, spouting, and sporting, and court-
ing, in the midday twilight. The increasing light at
noon is now very evident. From 10 a. m. to 2 p. m.
on bright days it is clear enough to make ski runs
over the pack, without tumbling over the many
hummocks which a week ago were invisible. Though
the curtain of night is lifting, the men, when care-
fully examined, show an alarming physical condi-
tion. Almost everybody when questioned vows that

THROUGH THE FIRST

he feels well, complaining only of a lack of ambi-
tion, but the actual condition is otherwise. We are
pale and green about the facial folds. A slight ex-
ercise makes us g'asp for breath, and the heart runs
at an alarming speed. We now make it a rule
to take an hour's walk outside in a path about the
bark, and during these walks the men easily freeze
parts of the face, the fingers and toes, without know-
ing it. The reason for this is the blunted condition
of our senses and the enfeebled circulation, with im-
perfect blood.

July 8. — The temperature is again falling ; to-day
it is —30° C. (- 22° F.) All of the leads and open
spaces of water of a few days ago are covered with
ice thick enough to travel over without fear of
breaking through. In this new ice there are small
holes about two inches in diameter. Along the
edge of these holes is a ring of silvery hoar-frost,
and out of it there comes a jet of vapour every few
minutes. These are the blow-holes of seals, and the
puff of vapour is the expired air of the animals as
they breathe. We have been anxious to see these
seals, for we have seen none since sunset, more
than fifty days ago. They must have come south-
ward from the outer edges of the pack, through
the open leads a few days ago. In travelling over
the new ice we found a place to-night where the
new ice had been broken, and out of it came one
seal after another, until about twenty had mounted
to the surface of the old ice. They all marched
towards us, and when within fifteen feet they
stopped, sniffed the air, grunted, showed their teeth,

328

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

and then sought for a comfortable place to sleep.
Evidently our odour was not to their liking, for they
ignored our presence until we attacked them a half
hour later. We killed three, and surrounded two
with the intention of driving them to the Belgica,
After a long chase over a tortuous path we brought
the animals to the side of the bark, and there ex-
amined them scientifically and gastronomically at
our leisure.

June lo. — It is a bright, calm day, with a gentle
air from the south and a temperature of —30° C.
The men are scattered over the pack in little clicks.
The Norwegians are quite separated from the Bel-
gians, and all are on ski. Some are aiming for a
favourite nook where there is a prospect of finding
seals or penguins ; others are striking out for a
huminock eastward, which offers a splendid slope
for ski exercises. We of the cabin have formed a
small party to make the first long journey. There
is an iceberg about two miles westward which had
been the favourite spot for ski sport in the early
winter, and we are anxious to see what effect the
winter has wrought upon this berg.

We had no serious difficulty in reaching the berg;
the ice was much crevassed, and about the leads
were great lines of hummocks which made ski
travelling a task ; but we were unencumbered and
had become somewhat accustomed to rough roads.
We started shortly after one o'clock. It took us an
hour to reach our destination, and we spent about
forty minutes on the berg and about it, but then,
noticing that the light was quickly departing, we

329

THROUGH THE FIRST

hurried home. The winter effect upon the berg had
been considerable. The pack-ice about it had been
much broken and raised in numerous hummocks by
pressure. To the westward side a great quantity of
ice had been forced upon the berg to a height of
twenty feet, indicating what we had expected, that
the prevaiHng pressure during the night had been
from the west. The old crevasses were mostly
closed, and the sharp, projecting spires were coated
with great quantities of coarse hoar-frost. There
was no evidence about the berg to warrant a belief
in an upbuilding of bergs during the winter. On
the contrary the signs were indicative of their
having been considerably reduced in bulk. On our
way back we secured one king penguin, the first
during the night, and it will be a pleasant addition
to our larder.

July 12. — The light is daily increasing at midday,
which should be a potent encouragement, but we are
failing in fortitude and in physical force. From day
to day we all complain of a general enfeeblement of
strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental
lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.
There has, however, been one exception; one
among us who has not fallen into the habit of being
a chronic complainer. This is Captain Lecointe.
The captain has had to do the most trying work,
that of making the nautical observations, which often
keeps him handling delicate instruments outside,
and in trying positions in the open blast for an
hour at a time. He has come in with frosted fin-
gers, frozen ears, and stiffened feet, but with char-

330

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

acteristic good humour he has passed these discom-
forts off. His heart action has steadily remained full
and regular. The only other man in the party of
equal strength is the cook, Michotte. But to-day
I have to record the saddening news that Lecointe
is suddenly failing. Not that he has complained of
any ill-feeling, for he still maintains that he feels
well ; but in the usual daily examination, I notice,
that his pulse is intermitting, the first sign of coming
debility. He is assuming a deathly pallor, does not
eat, and finds it difficult to either sleep or breathe.
There is a puffiness under the eyes, his ankles are
swollen, and the entire skin has a dry, glossy appear-
ance. The symptoms are all similar to those of
Danco in his last stages ; but Lecointe has a steady
heart and sound organs, which augur in his favour.

July 14. — Lecointe has given up all hope of ever
recovering, and has made out his last instructions.
His case seems almost hopeless to me. The unfa-
vourable prognosis has sent another wave of despair
over the entire party. Almost everybody is alarmed
and coming to me for medical treatment, for real or
imaginary troubles. The complaints differ consider-
ably, but the underlying cause is the same in all.
We are developing a form of anaemia peculiar to the
polar regions. An anaemia which I had noticed
before among the members of the first Peary Arctic
Expedition, but our conditions are much more seri-
ous. To overcome this trouble I have devised a
plan of action, which the sailors call the "baking
treatment."

Medicament, I find, is of little service. A tempo-

33^

THROUGH THE FIRST

rary relief is sometimes effected by well-directed
drugs, but the lasting effects are disappointing. Iron
and arsenic, and many of the ordinary tonics effective
in home anaemias, are entirely inert. After consid-
erable experiment, I have abandoned drugs as an
important aid. Fresh food, artificial heat, a buoyant
humour, judicious clothing, and the least possible
humidity are the conditions which suggest a rational
treatment. I should like to take up this subject in
detail and give my reasons for this plan of treatment,
but the discussions would take us into a long and
technical consideration, which I fear would be of
interest only to medical men. The plan of treatment
in brief is as follows : As soon as the pulse becomes
irregular and rises to one hundred beats per minute,
with a puffiness of the eyes and swollen ankles, the
man is stripped and placed close to a fire for one
hour each day. I prohibit all food except milk,
cranberry sauce, and fresh meat, either penguin or
seal steaks fried in oleomargarine. The patient is
not allowed to do anything which will seriously tax
the heart. His bedding is dried daily, and his cloth-
ing is carefully adjusted to the needs of his occupa-
tion. Laxatives are generally necessary, and vege-
table bitters, with mineral acids, are a decided help.
Strychnine is the only remedy which has given me
any service in regulating the heart, and this I have
used as a routine. But surely one of the most im-
portant things was to raise the patient's hopes and
instil a spirit of good humour. When at all seriously
afflicted, the men felt that they would surely die, and
to combat this spirit of abject hopelessness was my

332

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

most difficult task. My comrades, however, were
excellent aids, for as soon as one of our number was
down, everybody made it his business to create an
air of good cheer about him.

The first upon whom I tried this system of treat-
ment systematically was Lecointe. I had urged
part of it upon Danco, but he could not eat the
penguin, and when I told him he must, he said
he would rather die. When Lecointe came under
treatment I told him that if he would follow the
treatment carefully I thought he would be out of bed
in a week. I did not have this faith in the treat-
ment at that time, but I had confidence in the sound-
ness of Lecointe's organs and I wished to boom up
the man. Lecointe replied by saying, " I will sit
on the stove for a month and eat penguins for the
rest of my polar life if that will do me good." (He did
sit beside the stove two hours daily for a month, and
he ate, by his own choosing, penguin steaks for the
balance of his stay in the polar circle. In a week
he was about, and in a fortnight he again made his
observations, and for the rest of his polar existence
he was again one of the strongest men on the
Belgicd).

For a number of days the temperature has re-
mained below — 30° C. Yesterday and to-day it has
ranged from — 34° to - Zl^ C' with a strong south-
erly and westerly wind. With such temperatures
and a strong wind it is impossible to exist outside.
One freezes the extremities so quickly that it is posi-
tively dangerous to be out ; but in still weather there
is no temperature too low to prevent outdoor work.

THROUGH THE FIRST

To-day the ice Is separating, leaving leads running
eastward and westward, but for a week past the en-
tire horizon has been one solid, unbroken mass.
There is no life visible, but we have seen tracks of
both the royal and the small penguins.

July 15. — The weather continues cold, but clear
and calm, the only three qualities which make the
antarctic climate endurable during the night. There
is now much light. One can read ordinary print at
9 A.M., and at noon the north is flushed with a glory
of green and orange and yellow. We are still very
feeble. An exercise of one hour sends the pulse up
to 130, but we have all learned to like and crave
penguin meat. To sleep is our most difficult task,
and to avoid work is the mission of everybody. Arc-
towski says, *'We are in a mad-house," and our
humour points that way.

July 1 7. — If we had not fresh meat to eat and an
abundance of fuel to give heat, I am sure we would
have an alarming mortality in less than a month.
Several lives have certainly been saved by eating
penguins, and we shall always owe them a debt of
gratitude. And now the sun though invisible is
rising higher and higher under the horizon, giving us
a long dawn from nine until three o'clock. Every-
body is advancing in cheerfulness with the rising sun,
but physically we are in a deplorable condition.
Alcohol, even in small quantities, has now a delete-
rious effect upon us. We have been accustomed to
take light wines at meals, but the wine has a bad
effect upon the heart and kidney functions, so much
so that we have stopped its use altogether.

334

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

July 19. — The health of the sailors is at its mini-
mum. All are anaemic, but their general appearance
is as good as at any previous time. They look strong
and rugged, and have not lost weight; but their
complexion is somewhat pale and yellowish. When
they work outside for an hour the pulse runs up to
from 120 to 150. In the cabin we are improving,
but the Commandant, Arctowski, and Amundsen are
making a slow recovery. On our excursions we
now see many seal and penguin tracks, and the
northern sky gives every promise of soon sending
forth the sun. The shades of dawn are first green,
then orange-red, followed by a bright yellow, so
bright that one almost imagines a sight of the
upper rim of the sun. The ice for days has been in-
tensely purple. We have had a few feeble auroras
during the past two nights, beginning at about
three o'clock and lasting for only a short time. The
sky is losing its bright, cheerful and restful blue-
ness, which it has exhibited during the past fort-
night of cold and comparative calm. A thin veil of
gray is gathering over us, which presages another
spell of warm, stormy, and dirty weather. The
barometer is very high, the temperature is falling,
and to-night there is a wind from the north. All of
this, as usual, is an introduction to a wind from a
warmer and more humid region, — the north and
west.

July 21. — Yesterday the temperature was but one
degree below zero, and for two days the weather
has been warm and stormy. To-day it is again
— 24° C. A beautiful, clear and cloudless day —

335

THROUGH THE FIRST

with a cheerful glow of reflected splendour radiating
over the northern horizon. At eight o'clock the sky
above the sun was a joyous golden ; at noon it
was crimson. We have not had an observation in
twelve days, and are thus unable to determine our
exact position ; hence it will be impossible to calcu-
late with precision the day of the rising of the sun,
after its long and wandering debauch. We saw two
white petrels, the first except one which we saw two
weeks ago, since the first days of the night. There
are no open leads or bands of water-sky.

Three days have been declared as official holidays.
It is the time for the Belgian national feasts, and we
are making, during this period, hard efforts to boom
up the failing spirits of the men. Special foods have
been prepared to please the palates ; wines are
sparingly served to infuse an air of good cheer, and
we try to steer the topics of conversation in such a
manner that a new interest may be created, but it
seems to me that all of our good intentions in this
direction are wasted. Arctowski and Dobrowolski
are in a bad way. Knudsen, Johansen and Melaerts
are in the baking treatment, and altogether we are
in a deplorable condition. If it now became neces-
sary to throw suddenly a difficult physical task upon
the men there would be few able to endure it. If
we were compelled to make a prolonged march over
the cheerless pack we should fail miserably. In the
cabin we know this helpless condition perfectly well,
but we try to push it to the background and talk of
the usual home sentiments of the feast, the coming
sun, and the brighter prospects of a coming surn-

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

mer campaign of exploration. The sailors, always
anxious for a holiday, though their work is never
severe, are assembled in groups, some in the fore-
castle playing cards, others scattered over the pack
on snowshoes drinking in the glory of the coming
day.

The night is clear and sharp, with a brightness in
the sky and a blueness on the ice which we have not
seen since the first few days after sunset. An aurora
of unusual brightness is arched across the southern
sky. The transformation in its figure is rapid, and
the wavy movement is strikingly noticeable. We
are all out looking at the aurora, some by way of
curiosity, but others are seriously studying the
phenomenon. Arctowski, bundled in a wealth of
Siberian furs, is walking up and down the deck,
ascending to the bridge and passing in and out of
the laboratory, as if some great event were about to
transpire. Racovitza, with a pencil in his bare hand,
in torn trousers, and without a coat or a hat, comes
out every few minutes and, with a- shiver, returns to
make serious sketches of the aurora and humorous
drafts of the unfortunate workers in the ''cold, lady-
less south." These daily touches of humour by
**Raco" are bitterly sarcastic but extremely amus-
ing. Lecointe, lost in a Nansen suit of furs, has
been out on the pack in his observatory, which he
calls the '' Hotel," and is particularly elated be-
cause he has succeeded in getting an observation.
"Now," says he, "we will know when this bloody
sun will rise." Our position is latitude 70° 36'
19'', longitude 86° 34' 19''. We are drifting north-

337

THROUGH THE FIRST

ward and eastward; this we have already learned by
the naturalist's drag-nets, but it is comforting to
know the exact rate of drift. If we continue to drift
northerly a little, if the temperature remains low
enough to give- a great refraction, and if the weather
remains clear, the captain promises us a peep of the
sun for a few moments to-morrow. This is the hap-
piest bit of news which has come to us, and it sends
a thrill of joy from the cabin to the forecastle.

338

CHAPTER XXV

SPRING— SUNRISE— TWILIGHT OF DAWN

July 22. — After so much physical, mental, and
tnoral depression, and after having our anticipations
raised to a fever heat by the tempting increase of
dawn at noon, it is needless to say that we are elated
at the expectation of actual daylight once more. In
these dreadful wastes of perennial ice and snow, man
feels the force of the superstitions of past ages, and
becomes willingly a worshipper of the eternal lumi-
nary. I am certain that if our preparations for greet-
ing the returning sun were seen by other people,
either civilised or savage, we would be thought dis-
ciples of heliolatry.

Every man on board has long since chosen a
favourite elevation from which to watch the coming
sight. Some are in the crow's nest, others on the
ropes and spars of the rigging ; but these are the
men who do little travelling. The adventurous fel-
lows are scattered over the pack upon icebergs and
high hummocks. These positions were taken at
about eleven o'clock. The northern sky at this time
was nearly clear and clothed with the usual haze.
A bright lemon glow was just changing into an even

339

THROUGH THE FIRST

glimmer of rose. At about
half-past eleven a few stratus
clouds spread over the rose,
and under these there was a
play in colours, too complex
for my powers of description.
The clouds were at first vio-
let, but they quickly caught
the train of colours which
was spread over the sky
beyond. There were spaces
of gold, orange, blue, green,
and a hundred harmonious
blends, with an occasional
strip like a band of polished
silver to set the colours in
bold relief. Precisely at
twelve o'clock a fiery cloud
separated, disclosing a bit ol
the upper rim of the sun.
. All this time I had been
absorbed by the pyrotech-
nic-like display, but now I
turned about to see my com-
panions and the glory of the
new sea of ice, under the
first light of the new da\'.
Looking towards the sun the
fields of snow had a velvety
aspect in pink. In the opposite direction the pack was
noticeably flushed with a soft lavender light. The
whole scene changed in colour with every direction

340

Distorted Face of the
Rising Sun.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

taken by the eye, and every-
where the ice seemed veiled
by a gauzy atmosphere in
which the colour appeared
to rest. For several min-
utes my companions did not
speak. Indeed, we could
not at that time have found
words with which to ex-
press the buoyant feeling of
relief, and the emotion of the
new life which was sent cour-
sing through our arteries by
the hammer-like beats of our
enfeebled hearts.

Lecointe and Amundsen
were standing on an iceberg
close to me. They faced the
light, and watched the frag-
ment of the sun slide under
bergs, over hummocks, and
along the even expanse of the
frozen sea, with a worshipful
air. Their eyes beamed with
delight, but under this de-
light there was noticeable
the accumulated suffering
of seventy dayless nights.
Their faces were drawn and
thin, though the weight of their bodies was not re-
duced. The skin had a sickly, jaundiced colour, green,
and yellow, and muddy. Altogether, we accused each

341

Distorted Face of the
Rising Sun.

THROUGH THE FIRST

other of appearing as if we had not been washed
for months. The uncertainty of our exact latitude
made it impossible to estimate just how much of the
sun's disk would be visible. Our time, too, was
uncertain, for our pocket timepieces were not relia-
ble, and we were far from the chronometers. We
watched and watched, expecting that the crest of
fire would rise and give us an increased glow of
light and some heat, but it only slid teasingly on
the verge of the sea. It seemed as though our
world of ice was not yet worthy of the blessings of
the "sun-god." A few minutes after twelve the
light was extinguished, a smoky veil of violet was
drawn over the dim outline of the ice, and quickly
the stars again twinkled in the gobelin-blue of the
sky as they had done, without being outshone, for
nearly seventeen hundred hours.

July 23. — We have just finished breakfast, and at
8 A.M. are out on deck to welcome the promise of
the coming day. It is long since we have taken
such interest in the cold outer world, but we are
now anxious to free ourselves from the darkness of
the cabins, and the tiresome sameness of the daily
routine of life. The meteorologist is reading the
barometers and thermometers and recording the sky
phenomena. The captain has just finished a mag-
netic observation. The crew are taking their usual
hourly exercise by a brisk walk in a path about the
bark. The officers are planning the day's work for
the men to perform to-morrow. The scientific
cranks are all scattered about the deck, shivering
and noting matters of special interest to each. I
took a short ski run out over the hazy purple ice to

342

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

get away from the local drift of thought^ and then
reclined upon a hummock to study the scene. The
temperature was — 25° C, there was almost no air
stirring, and aside from the life and muffled noise
about the vessel, a death-like silence reigned over
the entire scene. The Belgica was distinctly visible
in the brightening twilight; her body was buried
under the heavy weight of the accumulated winter
snows, but the masts stood out in bold relief against
a background of gold on the eastern sky. The
masts and ropes and spars were heavily coated
with hoar-frost, and they sparkled in the reflected
glimmer of the dawn, as if beset by millions of
diamonds.

At a few minutes past eleven a wave of light spread
over the vast expanse of the cold heavens, and then
a gleam of fire burst through a large purple cloud
on the horizon northward. The lonely spread of
lifeless ice assumed a face of rose, and soon after,
the entire northern sky was streaked with warm
bands of carmine, but the sun was still partly under
the surface snows at noon, and its face was twisted
and distorted in such a manner that its globular
form was not recognisable. Later in the afternoon
we secured two royal penguins. During the night
we saw and studied an aurora of the usual type.
To-night the days of feasting end, and the freedom
from routine work for the men ceases. The music-
boxes and the accordion are forced to grind out
music until late. We are playing cards and are hav-
ing a joyous time generally in response to the stim-
ulation of the few moments of noonday splendour.

July 24. — It is another beautifully clear day with

343

THROUGH THE FIRST

a temperature of — 34^ C. What a blessing it is to
have clear air and a clear sky during these important
days when the sun is edging over the ice beneath
which it has reposed so long. There is a bright
blue twilight now at 7 a. m., and three hours later
the light of dawn which shoots over the horizon
makes the scene bright and day-like. Perhaps we
shall see the real sun without refraction to-day ; but
if our latitude remains about the same as the last
observation indicates we shall not have it over the
horizon until to-morrow. There are many mirages
on the horizon, inverted icebergs, raised ridges of
hummocks, and bits of pack-ice, looking like moun-
tains of some strange land. We played a game of
whist to-night with unusual vigour. We have
played a few hours each evening regularly, for
several months, but up to the present we have all
lost and won with about an equal measure of success ;
in the last few days, however, the luck has changed.
Last night Raco won one hundred and fifty thou-
sand dollars. To-night I won two hundred and
fifty thousand. We are now satisfied with our suc-
cess and in the future we shall decline all offers at
whist.

July 25. — For three days we have had a glimpse
of the sun, but it has appeared a thing of unreality.
To-day we have seen the normal face. The sun at
noon sailed along the northern sky above the hori-
zon, a distance nearly equal to its own diameter.
We thus have the actual sunrise, since heretofore
we have only been able to see it when aided by the
high polar refraction by which the sun is apparently

344

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ANTARCTIC NIGHT

lifted above its actual position, a distance equal to
about three quarters its diameter. What a peculiar
effusion of sentiments the welcome face of the sun
draws from our frozen fountains of life ! How that
great golden ball of cold fire incites the spirit to
expressions of joy and gratitude ! How it sets the
tongue to pleasurable utterances, and the vocal
chords to music ! The sun is, indeed, the father of
everything terrestrial. We have suddenly found a
tonic in the air, an inspiration in the scenic splen-
dours of the sea of ice, and a cheerfulness in each
other's companionship which make the death-dealing
depression of the night a thing of the past.

July 28. — An officer came in to-day, smiling and
as happy as a child with a new toy, saying, *' I can
feel the heat of the sun," and at once everybody
looked up as if doubting his word. We went out,
and we stood in awe and amazement to drink in the
first sensible sunbeams in nearly three months. To
feel the gentle heat and to see the hopeful source
which promised more, was a long wished-for pleas-
ure and one whose intoxicating influence cannot be
described. The men are journeying in pairs over
winding paths on the pack ; some drop here and
there upon a convenient slope to sun themselves like
snakes in spring ; others sniff the air and run from
place to place like bears.

July 31. — We have now so far improved in gen-
eral health as to long for an extended outing, — a
journey of several days' duration. This desire orig-
inates from an infusion of new life which revives our
thoughts in response to the returning sun. The

345

THROUGH THE FIRST

point selected for our first expedition is the great
tabular iceberg in the east-northeast. All is hustle
and bustle to prepare for this expedition.

During the last days of July the sky and the snow
were flooded by a rich carmine light, which imparted
a delightful warmth and charm to the cold blues of
the pack. Soon after sunrise, however, a smoky
mist of frost gathered over the icefields and smoth-
ered the new glory of the sun, absorbing most of the
colour, all of the heat, and leaving only a dull cop-
pery-red misshapen ball. Many of us were now
anxious to get away from the monotone about the
ship as quickly as the weather would permit. We
were tired of the *' mad-house " promenade about the
bark. The little mountains of tin cans, ashes, and
other debris, which decorated our immediate sur-
roundings, were wearisome. The great drifts of
snow, over which we now marched from the deck,
though picturesque, were painful to the eye because
for many long weeks we had dug paths through, and
tunnels under, the same snow. We felt that if we
could get away for a few days and pitch our camp
upon the bare bosom of the sea of ice near some ice-
berg, we might make some studies worthy of record,
and we would certainly come back loving the Belgica
and our companions better.

To this end we have devoted much of our time
during the stormy days. It is found that for serious
travelling over the pack almost all of our equipment
needs re-modelling. I have begun with the clothing.
In addition to my furs there are but four skin suits
on the Belgica, Sufficient experimental work has

346

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

been done to prove that in the cutting winds, and
freezing temperatures of the coming months it will
not be safe to venture far without furs. Woolens
sufficiently heavy to be comfortable are too cum-
bersome. Three of the suits are made of Siberian
wolf skins, after a pattern suggested by Nansen, but
the hiodel is such that we find them worthless, ex-
cept for work in the observatories. Nansen has im-
proved the Eskimo pattern in a manner which makes
the suit much warmer, but having omitted the vital
point in the construction of polar garments, that of
ventilation, the costume becomes useless for active
work. We have worn it in short ski runs of thirty
minutes, in temperatures of— 20° C. (—4.0° F.) and
each time we have come back wet with perspiration.
Finding Nansen's improvement a failure, we have
reduced the suits as nearly as possible to the aborig-
inal style. Arctowski has a Yakouts suit from Si-
beria, which has undergone a similar transformation.
Both the Nansen and the Siberian outfits are excel-
lent for riding or work which requires little exercise,
but for travelling over the pack the furs must be less
cumbersome and there must be a freer ventilation.
The sailors have been provided with canvas cover
garments cut similar to the Eskimo fur suits. These
are excellent wind guards, but are of little service in
confining the bodily heat. We have devised a similar
covering made of blankets which is worn under the
canvas, and this seems to keep the men comfortable
for their ordinary outside work. But the combina-
tion is much more troublesome than an Eskimo fur
suit and decidedly inferior for active work.

347

THROUGH THE FIRST

In view of our prospective work of endeavouring
to explore the pack, and any new land to which the
drift might bring us, we deemed it necessary to de-
vise some kind of tent for shelter. We had but
one tent, and, like many other things intended for
polar work, this had been so improved that it was
useless. This was also modelled on Nansen's plans,
but its improvement consisted of a coating of water-
proof material suggested by a friend not familiar
with polar work. This water-proofing so hardened
in the cold that the cloth cracked, and was torn
with the first storm of summer. The dif^culties
with all ordinary forms of tents are that they are
too heavy, too complicated, and will not stand the
strain of polar storms. We have tried to build one
which would overcome as much as possible the
faults of others, and our result has been gratifying.
For several weeks we all studied the subject, and I
dare say that we have among us more ideas bearing
upon the construction of tents than ever before ex-
isted among a bunch of men. It is unfortunate that
we have not the time to put all the plans into exe-
cution. The doctor's tent design was accepted by
Amundsen and at once the cloth was cut for its
construction. We worked upon this for about two
weeks, and then, proud of the result of our own
skill, we placed it for exhibition and criticism on
the pack. The tent was made large enough for
three occupants. The main points kept in mind in
devising the plans were lightness, durability, stabil-
ity, and ease of erection. I will not here describe
the faults of other tents nor the excellence of our

348

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

own Invention. The accompanying photographs il-
lustrate our model. Suffice it to say, that this which
we have styled the ''Antarctic tent" weighs but
twelve pounds, will withstand the worst storms, and
can be set up in a strong wind by one man in five
minutes.

No extensive sledge journeys had previously been
made over the pack by us, nor, indeed, by any one
else so far as history knows. Hence, everything
about this prospective jaunt was experimental. Our
specific destination was to visit a great tabular berg,
which we estimated was about sixteen miles away.
The project took its origin from various discussions
as to the possibility of making long journeys over
the pack. Commandant de Gerlache held that it
was possible to travel safely over the pack two or
three degrees southward, but nearly everybody else
opposed this view, because of the absence of any
station or land to which one might retreat in case
the vessel was lost which, with the local movement
in the pack, might easily happen. There were many
volunteers for this venture, but there was room for
only three in the tent, and altogether this is the
most appropriate number for such a trip. The party
was limited to Lecointe, Amundsen, and the writer.
We arranged a sail for one of the American sledges,
and loaded it down with fuel and provisions for ten
days. The selection of the food stuffs had been left
to our own judgment, and we were ungenerous and
selfish enough to select only favourite relishes.

349

CHAPTER XXVI

THE SPRING (CONTINUED)— -RETURN OF LIGHT—
A SLEDGE JOURNEY

The morning of July thirty-first opened with a
golden glow northward, and a fair but cold wind,
driving the hard crystals of snow over the crust
with a metallic ring. The weather for several days
had not been promising, but on this morning the
barometer was steady, the temperature - 34° with
a fresh breeze from the south. The meteorologist
assured us that the signs promised excellent weather.
We have learned to take the official weather fore-
casts with an air of disbelief Still we started ; the
sledge was put on the ice, the bundles of food, fuel,
furs, tent, etc., were tossed on the snow, and quickly
our sledge was snugly loaded, and a sail set to a
fair wind. The sail helped us much ; its force was
equal to that of one man. The surface of the ice
was fairly good for sledge travelling, a thin crust on
the top offering little friction to the sledge, and gen-
erally the runners did not break through. Such
a condition was found on the larger pans upon which
there were small snow-covered hummocks, from one

350

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

to three metres high here and there, but around
these we could always find a passage.

Physically we believed ourselves in fine trim.
Every moment of sunlight had been used by us for
exercise. We had been on a forced diet of penguin
meat, and had undergone the baking treatment to
bring our strength to the maximum. We were,
however, far from normal, though our ambitions, like
the spring flow of rivers, were no longer to be con-
fined to ordinary bounds. Our real difficulty began
when we left the large old fields to cross the young
ice of leads. Here were huge ridges of pressure-lines
all nearly impassable, and the little valley-like spaces
between were covered by beds of dry snow in very
small grystals, over which a sledge runs about as
easily as over sand. Another disheartening series of
regions, were the sites of recent leads and lakes over
which it was necessary to pass. These were sheets of
water thinly covered with ice from three to six inches
in thickness, and coated by a most beautiful fur of
hoar-frost. The nearness of this to the level of the
water, and the great difference between the temper-
ature of the water and that of the air kept it con-
stantly humid. An evaporation rose from this new
ice as if water were boiling under a screen. The
mixture of water with cold snow offers a surface over
which a sledge slides with the greatest difficulty.
There are several methods of overcoming this resist-
ance. One method is to shoe the sledge with ivory
or whalebone, or what I like fully as well, penguin
skin, but for this we were not prepared at the time.

At a distance of about a mile from the ship we

351

THROUGH THE FIRST

stopped to take compass bearings of her and the
surrounding icebergs or landmarks. The scene
here was a picture for the gods. In the north
the sun, a great yellow ball of fire, was gliding
westward along the horizon, laying beams of gold
on the endless sheets of white of the pack. The
moon, nearly full, a bright globe of frosted silver,
floated high in the eastern heavens. The sky was,
here and there, thinly veiled by stratus clouds
formed by the ever-present microscopic specks of
snow which float about in the antarctic atmosphere.
The colours above were iiot rich but restful, and on
the frozen bosom of the sea there was a charm which
cannot be made to flow under my pen. The surface
was everywhere rough and ragged, the line of horizon
in some places looking not unlike a profile of ruined,
marble buildings. The many, rough edges of
blue hummocks, the thin plains of green and yellow,
young ice, the clear-cut edges of icebergs, with walls
assuming various colours, according to the amount
and kind of light absorbed, made a dreamy, fairy-like
scene.

Before us, apparently within gunshot, was our des-
tination, the great tabular iceberg, its deceptive
nearness urging us on to action, and offering us the
hope to be able to camp in the lee of it before night.
But in reality it was not less than sixteen miles away.
Behind us was the little Belgica, the only speck of
human life in this rolling sweep of the great south
frigid zone. How little and insignificant she seems
amid these huge sheets and mountains of ice! Yet
upon her stability, upon her power to fight and resist

352

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

the awful attacks of the storming rams of ice, depends
not only our comfort and success, but our lives. We
travelled in perfect comfort and with much ease, two
on skiy and one on disc snowshoes to push and guide
the sledge. The sun sank under the horizon at
about two o'clock, the moon which had been visible
all day now assumed a more hopeful face, and
little by little the dark-blue twilight circle rose
on the southern sky. In the twilight it was diffi-
cult to see the hummocks, the crevasses, and the
weak sheets of ice. When we began to think of
a site for a camp we were, apparently, no nearer our
destination after the day's march of seven miles than
when we started. At this time we saw a small
smoky discoloration on the sky ahead of us, from
which we concluded that water was not far off. A
little later, we came to a lead covered with new ice
over which we crossed to a very rough peninsular
of old ice. From here we saw first a line of greenish
yellow ice, which we have learned, by experience, is
usually not strong enough to bear the weight of a
a man; then we saw a black line of open water
beyond. After a little careful observation we were
able to distinguish many whales and seals in this
lead.

Our course being directly across this break in the
ice, we decided to pitch the tent on the nearest floe
which offered a solid bed. This lead had a general
direction from east to west; it was about one mile
wide at its narrowest points, but in other places there
were expansions of from two to four miles. A good
floe was found to be south of this, and our site for

353

THROUGH THE FIRST

camping resembled in many ways the margin of a
large river. The old ice with the ridges of hummocks
offered an elevated bank. In the centre were frag-
ments of ice, floating about like the winter ice of a
stream. It was a real joy to pitch the new tent, after
our experience with the ill-adapted old ones. In
less than three minutes it was set, and a fire was in
progress for a needed meal. The temperature was
- 20^ C, and a strong breeze came from the
south, but even with these atmospheric conditions
we were comfortable in our shelter.

It took us a long time to prepare our food —
about six hours ; — everything which contained
water was frozen to the consistency of stone, and to
heat this, or indeed any kind of food, the Jackson
apparatus, which was the only stove we had taken
from the ship, was inefficient, while its consump-
tion of alcohol was, in our experience, so wasteful
that its use as an item of polar equipment is injudi-
cious. It took us about two hours to thaw out some
penguin steak, and two more to make a soup which
has the enchanting name of *' bonne femmeT In this
we managed to mix a liberal supply of reindeer hair,
penguin grease, and other flavouring material. The
soup was a failure, — but not quite so much so as the
chocolate prepared shortly after. This was made in
a can in which the penguin steak had been warmed.
It contained, besides chocolate, milk and sugar, much
butter, penguin oil, blood, and pieces of fishy meat,
some ^^ bonne femme' soup, and reindeer fur. Le-
cointe, who had the honour of having the first cup,
received, besides the major quantity of oil, the lighter

354

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

floating material. He pronounced it "scandalous!"
But the other victims who tried it praised its nutri-
tious qualities very highly. After our feed we
stowed ourselves away in our bags, falling on each
Others stomachs, as our efforts to reach the bot-
tom failed. Finally we went to sleep while the
wind roared and the snow dropped on our tent,
making a sound like bits of metal ; a music which,
when comfortably stowed in our bags, proved restful
and conducive to sleep.

We arose the next morning complaining some-
what of the cold, but this is the grievance of every
first encampment. After three hours of cooking,
chocolate was prepared, and with it we ate alpine
biscuits. This was quite sufficient for our morn-
ing meal. Then we crawled out of our bags, took
our furs from the snow under the bags, shook the
snow out of them, and quickly dressed. Once in
our travelling garments, though frozen and filled
with fine dust-like snow, we soon felt comfortable
and dry. Emerging from the camp we saw the sun
about fifteen degrees east of north and close to the
horizon, from which we concluded it was eleven
o'clock. Our watches had refused to tell the time in
the cold. The day was not promising, the sun was
screened by an increasing mist and the horizon was
everywhere indistinct. The pack was gray, and the
leads black with many smoky zones on the sky, indi-
cating a disruption of the ice and much pack move-
ment. We were permitted a look at our projected
journey's end, the tabular iceberg, and from our posi-
tion the way to it seemed simple enough. Its distance

355

THROUGH THE FIRST

from us was about nine miles ; it was 2,000 feet long
and from 250 to 300 feet high, with a smooth upper
surface and vertical cliffs; along the base, on the two
sides visible to us, was a huge ice fort about 50 feet
high and 100 feet wide. On this were fragments of
ice mostly covered with snow, giving it an appearance
of a smooth terrace. Here and there were huge fis-
sures visible only at the top, and widening into a
valley towards the base. These valleys were strewn
with ponderous boulders of ice. There was no evi-
dence of fresh fissures, no blue lines or stratas; every-
thing wore a homogeneous mantle of unblemished
purity.

The lead before us proved, on further examination,
an impassable barrier for the time. It extended as
far as the eye could penetrate to the east and to the
west, a great polar river in a mid-polar sea of ice.
In it were hundreds of whales, finbacks and bottle-
noses, and countless seals, Weddell sea-leopards, and
crab-eaters, but strangely enough no penguins. The
new ice forming was not of sufficient strength to
bear our weights, hence we returned to the tent to
prepare our dinner, the last meal of the day. When
it takes six hours to prepare one meal, one does not
provide more than two, and in actual practice that is
found sufficient.

Finding that to cross the lead was quite impossible
for a day or two, we decided to build a snow-house
which is always preferable to a tent for a long
stay. This was the second snow-house which we
built in the antarctic, and the first in which men
lived. It was constructed on the Eskimo model,

356

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

conical In shape, like a bee-hive, with circular lines
of blocks, each circle decreasing in size until the top,
which is small enough to cover with one or two
pieces. The Eskimo does this with an ordinary-
knife or a crescent-shaped instrument, made from
a walrus tooth; but this requires much dexterity
and some experience. I have always found that a
small saw was better adapted for the purpose.
With this, one can improve on Eskimo methods
and build a much stronger igloo.

We selected a bank of driven snow with a hard
consistency. To get a working edge here we first
made a straight cut, then a slanting circular incision,
raising the crescent out in pieces. Then we sawed
another groove parallel to the first and cut this strip
into blocks of a size easy to handle. Finally we
passed the saw under the surface at the desired
thickness, after which a slight touch from the hand
or foot separated the block. There is no rule as to
the size of the blocks ; they must be cut according
to the strength of the snow. Usually blocks one foot
thick, two feet long, and eighteen inches wide are
the most convenient. These can be transported on
a sledge to any desired site for the igloo. Such a
place is never far off. The man who builds the
wall must be careful that the blocks of each succeed-
ing circle will centre on the lines of meeting of the
blocks below, a law well known in masonry. He
must endeavour to keep the surface of the wall
from sloping in or out, and every piece must rest
firmly on each of its neighbours. When the igloo is
finished there will be found many holes between tht

357

THROUGH THE FIRST

blocks, but these are easily filled from the outside.
The door should be cut after the structure is erected.
If the igloo is intended for a continued residence,
a low arched entrance is necessary to keep out the
sand-like blasts of fine snow.

Our sojourn in this particular house was very
agreeable. It was an experience which I shall long
remember. We placed the sledge sail on the snowy
floor, and on it our sleeping bags. The only culinary
articles which we used were fixed in terraces on the
wall, or simply driven in the blocks. To undress and
get into our bags in this house was an easy matter.
Taking off everything but our underwear, we placed
the travelling suit, including our boots, under the
bags, and without more discomfort than a little snow
down our backs we slid into the zenith of polar com-
fort, the sleeping-bag. The scene outside was daz-
zling beyond description; the scene inside was restful
beyond all expectation. Through the crevices of the
dome the sharp, silvery rays of the moon pierced and
played in quivering beams and zones of colour. The
pale blue sky, with its wealth of starry gems, was
visible from one or two positions. A brisk, cold
wind drove a little snow into our igloo and over our
beds, but this did not disturb us. We wrote, read,
and played cards by the aid of a candle, and at a
time which we guessed to be eleven o'clock, we fell
asleep.

August 2. — We did not awake until about nine
o'clock to-day. Breakfast was prepared while we
made a hasty examination of our situation. The
horizon was obscured by a light fog ; it had snowed

358

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

a little during the night ; the lead was separating,
and zones of water-sky were noticed in nearly every
direction. These prospects forbidding a continua-
tion of our journey, we packed up for the return.
Many seals appeared on the ice as we left, and some
came over to our camp as if to say ** good-bye."
We did not molest them. The ship was not in sight
when we started, and we knew by its changed posi-
tion yesterday that there was considerable motion
in the ice, enough to make the actual direction of
the Belgica somewhat doubtful. The light was dull
and diffused, making it impossible to observe hum-
mocks and drifts ; a fact which caused constant
stumbling, and the destruction of one pair of ski.
We tried to take a compass course, but this was
difficult because the light was too vague to make
hummocks or landmarks discernible. Many ill-
defined, smoky figures of clouds, generally oblong,
were on the sky. These indicated the disruption of
the ice and an exposure of bands of open water,
which we were soon to locate definitely, with much
disappointment and discomfort.

As we advanced we heard whales spouting on all
sides, but could not yet see them or the open water
in which they gambolled. A little farther on we
saw many seals, and soon after a belt of ice fissured
in every direction. Thinking that we could cross
this we strode over one pan after another, expecting
every moment that we would reach more solid ice
where we might pitch our tent for the night. The
darkness advanced, and the pans separated more
and more. Soon it was perfectly dark. The ice

359

THROUGH THE FIRST

was so black that we could not easily mark the dif-
ference between it and the waters. To proceed
was now impossible, and to camp on a little pan,
the centre of a great pressure angle, was not con-
ducive to rest, but we had no other choice. In a
few moments our tent was pitched, and light within
offered a spark of cheerfulness, but everything out-
side was as dismal as it could possibly be. The
wind blew with a despairing howl, driving snow
into every opening or seam of our fur suits. The
ice groaned and cracked, and complained of the
pressure forced against it ; our floe was little by little
reduced in size until we could hear the seals in the
water as plainly as if they were under the tent. I
cannot imagine a position on the polar pack more
hopeless. We were tired and knew well that we
would sleep, and perhaps not awake until dropped
into the cold water. To overcome this danger we
kept watch.

The seals during the night came upon the ice to
examine our tent, our ski, and our sledge ; but evi-
dently these were not to their liking, for they
went away, and played and gambolled like children
on the end of the floe. Whales also spouted all
around us, and the wind brought their spray onto
our tent in icy globules. About four o'clock in the
morning the pan broke within two metres of the tent,
and we expected momentarily to see an opening in
our floe. Dawn came at last, but the atmosphere
was again too obscure to permit a hope of an early
advance. We thought we could see more firm ice
south of us and made an effort to reach it, but we

360

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

only mounted the neighbouring pan. From here all
further progress was stopped by black bands of open
water. We pitched our tent again and prepared
some hot food and drink. The mist was so opaque
and so much fine snow was drifting that it was im-
possible to see more than ten or fifteen metres. Occa-
sionally there appeared bright spots in various
directions, and in these we thought we could dis-
tinguish familiar icebergs, but they always proved to
be only small hummocks at a short range.

In the afternoon the wind came out of the south
and cleared the air. We now saw the Belgica, and
also men coming in our direction. This gave us great
pleasure. The ship was not more than a mile from
us, and the men soon reached a floe south of us, but
they could not gain our floe. Van Mirlo made a
desperate effort, but slid into the water and nearly
lost his life. We ate a hearty meal, then again crept
into our bags. For this night it was not necessary to
keep a watch, because the pressure had ceased and
the temperature was falling rapidly, protecting our
pan by one of new elastic ice ; but a knife was
kept ready to cut an opening for our escape should
the ice suddenly separate under us. The night was
one of comparative quietness.

We arose early the next morning, — about 8 a.m., —
prepared breakfast, and at noon were ready for a des-
perate attempt to get to the vessel. We left the tent
and most of the equipment behind, but took on our
sledge enough food and our bags, in case it became
necessary to make another camp. Using the sledge
as a bridge, we succeeded in crossing the many leads

361

THROUGH THE FIRST

and crevasses and reached the Belgica about two
o''cIock. She seemed now a big ship full of comfort
and rest. It was nearly two weeks before the ice
was sufficiently formed and packed around this pan
to permit a removal of the tent.

The month of August was, on the whole, one of
the greatest disappointments of our experience in
the antarctic. We expected low temperatures and
bright, cheerful weather. With the coming sun we
hoped to dispel our anaemia and make ourselves
ready for a series of difficult tasks to be undertaken
in September and October; but instead we failed
more and more in strength, and developed alarming
mental symptoms. One man was temporarily in-
sane, and several others were nearing a similar con-
dition. The weather was stormy, the atmosphere
was charged with clouds of sand-like drift-snow, and
the sun was almost constantly invisible, though it
rose higher and higher and swept more and more of
the horizon daily. For one month following sunrise,
like the month preceding its departure, the condi-
tions were in effect a part of the night. It is true we
had a little misty grayness at noon which we called
daylight, but this was counterbalanced by the never
ceasing tempests which drove such a blast of cut-
ting snow that life outside was impossible. The first
glimpses of sunlight had aroused us to new ambitions,
and to spasmodic spells of cheerfulness, but this hell-
ish series of storms sent us again into the most abject
gloom of the night.

The last week of August and the first two weeks
of September was the coldest period of the year. At

362

AiNTAKCnC NIGHT

this time the thermometer ranged steadily from
— 20° C. to — 43^ C ; the lowest temperature of the
year, — 43°C., being recorded at four o'clock in the
morning of September eighth. The lowest average
for any one continuous month was in July, — I2°C.
From the minimum on September eighth, the tem-
perature rose rapidly to +1° C. during the week
following, which was a point within a half degree of
the maximum of the hottest weather of midsummer.
We thus had our coldest and our warmest weather
in the month of September which, in the cycle of the
seasons south, is similar to March of the northern
hemisphere. Great quantities of drift-snow were
driven over the ice at this time, and the air was so
charged with crystals that halos of the sun and moon,
and parhelias and paraselenes, were of almost daily
occurrence. The ice was now the most continuous of
any period of the year. The limit of the field in
which the Belgica was held was not visible from the
masthead. From the crow's nest it was always diffi-
cult to determine the edges of the fields, because the
raised pressure ridges made the cracks and narrow
lines of water beyond invisible. We were, however,
easily able to locate some wide leads, and the almost
constant smoky vapour, which rose over fresh breaks,
made it possible to determine even small cracks.

We have made the subject of finding open spaces
of water a special study. Such knowledge is part of
the acquirement of an antarctic hunter. An inex-
perienced wanderer will walk over the pack day after
day until his eyes are blinded by the dazzling blink
of the ice before he finds a trace of life ; but an adept

THROUGH THE FIRST

will adopt the methods of the penguin or the seal,
who, when stranded on a field with the blow-hole
closed, will mount a hummock and scan the horizon
to find the jets of black vapour which rise from open
spaces of water. We have to go a long distance now
to secure game to replenish our larder with fresh
meat, which is, at present, almost our sole diet. The
life at best is very scarce, and to find it we must roam
over the ice for several miles. With a revolver in
our pockets, and a sheath knife at our sides, we go
about daily from crevasse to crevasse, eagerly look-
ing for penguins and seals. As a rule we are fairly
successful ; at any rate, the table is liberally supplied
with fresh steaks.

364

CHAPTER XXVII

SUMMER

October, 1898.
It is but slowly that this blackness
of "the polar night is dissolved by the
whiteness of the coming day. Until
the first weeks of September we felt
little of the cheering influence of the
rising sun except for short spasmodic
periods. The human system accom-
modates Itself sluggishly and poorly
Snow-Goggles, to the Strange conditionj of the polar
seasons, and we, too, are slow in adapiing ourselves
to the awful despondency of the long winter night.
It is possible to close your eyes and befog your brain
after a time, when all the world is erveloped in pro-
longed darkness, but this is not physiological adap-
tation ; it is abnormal education. We have all felt
the effects of the night severely. The death of Danco,
and also the insanity of a sailor, are due to this ith-
drawal of light. Now that the light is brigntening
every day, we are as backward in recuperating as we
were in establishing a balance of living comfort dur

THROUGH THE FIRST

Ing the vanishing dawn of the early night. The pres-
ent cheering influence of the rising sun invites labour
and frivolity. The soothing light of the long even-
ing twilights invites repose. The change from day
to night and from night to day, so long absent from
our outlook, is now beginning to lighten the burdens
of the weary mind and the aching muscles; elevat-
ing the depressed spirits of hope, augmenting the
dwarfed courage, and raising the moral perceptions
to the great life battle of work before us.

We have talked only of the discomforts of the
night, and of the misery. The long unbroken dark-
ness has not totally blinded us to its few real charms
which are strikingly brought out by the awful con-
trasts of heat and cold, of light and darkness. As
lovers of Nature, we found many pleasures for the eye
and the intellect in the flashing aurora australis, in the
play of intense silvery moonlight over the mountain-
ous seas of ice, and in the fascinating clearness of the
starlight over the endless expanse of driven snows.
There was a naked fierceness in the scenes, a bois-
terous wildness in the storms, a sublimity and silence in
the still, cold dayless nights, which were too impres-
sive to be entirely overshadowed by the soul-despair-
ing depression. The attractions of the polar night
are not to be written in the language of a people who
live in a land of sunshine and of flowers. They are
found in a roughness, ruggedness, and severity, ap-
preciated only by men who are fated to live in similar
regions, on the verge of another world, where animal
sentiments take the place of the finer, but less real-
istic human passions.

366

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

From May 31, when we were in latitude 71° 36',
a point farthest south, to September 16, when
we were in latitude 69° 51' 16'', we steadily and
persistently drifted northward. The movement has
been extremely slow, and at times we have been sta-
tionary, but we have not gone south with northerly
winds. This we explain by the fact that new ice
forms rapidly in the leads which open behind us,
thus closing all the spaces. In a similar manner, but
with many more interruptions, and with a much more
rapid pace, we have drifted eastward during this
time from longitude 87° 2>?>' 2>^" to 82^ 22' 45."
The longitudinal drift, however, has changed with
every direction of the wind. From this time until
November 19, we drifted southward again, while still
continuing our easterly drift.

October 15. — We are now able to read our ther-
mometers and other instruments outside without arti-
ficial light from 2:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The five hours
of night are made so brilliant by the twilight during
clear weather that we can read ordinary print all
night. We no longer need lamps on board during the
day, which is fortunate, for our stock of candles and
petroleum is getting low. The snow in the night
now assumes a noticeable brightness after a day of
sharp sunshine. During the long night, and in the
early days of spring when the sun was feeble, the snow
was dull and black. The present change to a sort
of phosphorescence I have ascribed to a kind of la-
tent retention by the snow of the light of the sun.
I have taken much interest in this phenomenon, and
have recently made certain tests which seem to confirm

2>^7

THROUGH THE FIRST

my theory. For a number of days I have placed black
cloths over certain smooth fields of snow. During
the night I have removed these and invariably there
has been a dark spot, corresponding to the size of
the cloth, while the snow everywhere else was semi-
luminous. This, in my estimation, proves that the
snow absorbs and retains for a time certain rays of
light.

There is now considerable life, but we must go far
to find it. The leads are several miles from the ship.
When we get to them they seem like huge endless
rivers, winding through a white plain. On the
banks are lines of pressure ridges, from two to twenty
feet high. In these spaces of water are some freed
icebergs and a few small pans of old ice; but the
low temperature soon covers every bit of open sea
with an even sheet of new ice, through which the
whales and seals must force their blow-holes.
Nature favours them by breaks here and there ; but
the steady, calm, cold weather of the present is
opposed to much ice-movement, which accounts for
the few breaks. All of the seals which have been seen
since the months of April and May are crab-eaters
(Lobodon Carcinophaga). They seem to travel in
groups of from two to ten, and they follow the leads
southward after every storm. The whales do the
same, and when the new ice forms, and the retreat is
cut off, they seek the regions about the icebergs where
the retarding influence of the bergs in the drift
causes enough commotion to keep spaces of water
open. Failing in this, they break through the new
ice by forcing their heads through it. It is a curious

368

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

fact that, up to the present, we have seen only finback
whales (Balaenoptera Sibbaldii) in the pack, but now
we find an occasional bottlenose (Megaptera Boops)
in the little lakes and streams. The convenience,
which the whale and seal holes offer, made us think
that perhaps penguins might utilise them as breath-
ing spaces, but this never happened so far as our
experience went. Penguins, being better able to
move over the ice, have a wider range of habitation,
and they always use open leads.

The weather, the ice, and the general life and
surroundings have been so monotonous for the past
month, that I have found little of interest to tabulate.
The general health of the crew is improving. They
no longer have an anxious, dejected aspect, and their
spirits are rising. In clear weather they sing, and
dance, and speak in happy, cheerful tones. The
ship is being prepared for sea, which is a matter of
considerable work. Being imprisoned in the grasp
of the pack for these many months has made the
locality like a small village. Out-houses, sledges,
sounding machines, and many other things are
strewn on the pack. Aboard, the fixtures have all
been more or less disarranged, so that everything
must be restored and refitted for the new voyage.
We have filled the water-tanks with snow. By
burning seal blubber and coal in our condenser, we
are able to melt snow and bring the resulting water
to a boiling point very quickly ; this is poured over
the snow in the tanks. This method is very satis-
factory, for in this way we are able to make sev-
eral hundred gallons of water daily. I believe, how-

THROUGH THE FIRST

ever, that a jet of steam directed into the tanks
would do the work much more quickly and with
greater economy ; but to make the necessary altera-
tions for this is, with our equipment, quite impossible.

Could there be a more melancholy, a more mad-
dening, or a more hopeless region than this ? We
are passing rapidly into the polar summer, the time
when, in other zones, all Nature smiles; — even the
sister zone, the arctic, has striking attractive features
at this time. The birds fill the air with music, new
animals make their appearance, and on land even
flowers and mosquitos serve to make life interesting ;
but here, in this icy antarctic wilderness, the charm
of Nature is dead. We see the sun so seldom that
it is, indeed, a surprise when its unobstructed rays
fall upon the frosted whiteness. Though it sweeps
more than half of the horizon daily, we get only the
cold blue light which is filtered through a constant
haze of icy clouds. An occasional sunburst for a few
moments each day and a clear sky once fortnightly
is our average. Storms, tempests, and steady howl-
ing winds with snow, are our constant lot, and these
come from all points of the compass. There is no
inspiring solitude, no rest, no cheerful outlook ; the
sea is imprisoned under a restless and irregular
mass of storm-driven ice. The sky is always cloudy
and dirty ; the air is always wet, cold, and agitated ;
under such circumstances the human mind assumes
a like attitude.

For two days we have had a fierce gale veering
from south-east to south-west ; an excellent direction
to send us north at a rapid pace, which is a pleasant

370

An Old Wind-swept Hummock.

The Sand-like Drift Snow.

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

consolation for the ill-effects on the spirits and on the
personal comfort. The storm is, of its kind, the
worst I have ever seen. The wind is strong, but one
could hardly call it a tempest ; it brings with it, how-
ever, all the elements of misery which follow a tem-
pest. The air is so loaded with very fine snow-
crystals that its action upon the face is something of
the nature of emery paper. This snow is blown in
gusts and constant streams, which scrape and rasp
all projections, and bury every declivity, while the
snowy surface is cut into small ridges which we call
cestrugi; and around the Belgica it is deposited to
such an extent that nothing but the masts are visible.
A very strange accompaniment is a perfectly cloud-
less blue sky at the zenith, while all along the hori-
zon there is an opaque circle of icy haze, which is
tinged with the most delicate hues of red, blue, and
yellow. One can nowhere see more than loo metres,
yet this haze seems far off. It is, of course, the
driven snow which causes this phenomenon, and also
a nearly constant parhelia; but the fact that the sky
above is perfectly clear proves that the obscurity is
very low' on the ice, perhaps not more than ten
metres, for the topmasts of the ship are visible above
it, and now and then the tops of icebergs also ap-
pear. The picturesque effect of this hurling, seeth-
ing confusion of icy crystals is far beyond my power
to paint in words. It is a picture at once full of
incomprehensible grandeur, indescribable discomfort,
and irresistible attractiveness. But who will tabulate
this with enthusiasm when snow is being driven down
your neck, into your eyes, ears, and almost into the

THROUGH THE FIRST

pores of your skin, while your boots, your mittens,
and every opening or fold of clothing are filled with
snow at a temperature of — 20° C, ? Who will paint
the colours, or sing the joys of Nature, when the wind
pipes the notes of a buzz-saw, and will not permit
you to stoop without helping you to a sommersault ?

The Commandant gave us a new programme yes-
terday for the summer campaign but we do not now
regard programmes seriously. We think more of
the many little things which cause life to fall and
drift and settle into our boots, like the snow around
us. Indeed, there are but few things greatly inter-
esting, except the character of our food, the prosecu-
tion of our special work, and the prospect of our
release from the iron grasp of the rigid pack.

I have heard of a deaf man who once said that life
was of value to him only because of ''reading, eat-
ing, drinking, and the prospect of death." This sen-
timent in a modified form would, I am certain, be
the confession of many, if not most, of our party,
during every stormy period. The modification is,
perhaps, only in the last word, and this we would
change to " the prospect of an early return to the
inner world and to renewed social conditions." The
storms are so numerous and close that a tempest
is nearly always on the horizon. If it is not so, as
was the case a week ago, the air about the BeU
gica rings with happy voices and musical sounds.
But there is always something to make hilarity
short-lived. If it is not the weather it is a frozen
batch of skins, a garment hopelessly torn which needs
mending, a watch to repair, a boot to mend, a camera

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

to alter, or any one of a thousand discomforts and
distractions about the ship which send the soul to the
verge of desperation. To-night I have stockings to
darn, to-morrow pantaloons to mend, and all of next
week carpenter-work, mending and making sledges,
sewing sails, dressing skins, and taking photos in
a temperature —22^ C. — all of this is far from pleas-
ant, but it contains a lesson. It teaches us how
much of the drudgery of life is done uncomplainingly
by mothers, sisters, wives, and other members of the
family circle. It makes us feel the importance of fem-
inine existence, causes us to see the ups and downs,
the ponds and eddies, the rapids and cataracts of the
humdrum side of life which man ordinarily escapes.

November 16. — The winter night, with its death-
dealing blackness, has passed ; the spring, with its
awful storms and gray monotony has followed, and
the summer, with its continuous noonday splendour,
commences to-day. At least it ought to, if our esti-
mated position is correct. We have, however, had
no observations in a week, and are not, in conse-
quence, able to fix our exact position, and the per-
sistent cloudiness of the sky is such that we cannot
determine whether the sun is above or below the
horizon at midnight.

November 25. — Latitude 70° 25', longitude S^^
27'. For more than a week the sun has sailed
around our heavens without setting, and thus we
have entered upon our summer nightless days. We
should have seen its warm glow at midnight and at
mid-day, but we have not seen it at all, not even for
one hour, during this time. By this I do not mean

373

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that it is dark ; in fact, it is quite the contrary. It is
too Hght. The sky has been constantly Hned with
thick clouds, and there has been an endless period of
fog and snow; but under all of this opacity the light,
by refraction from the cold mist and by reflection from
the dazzling whiteness of the unbroken snow, has
been so great that all who have not worn goggles
have complained of incipient snow-blindness. At
night, or during the sleeping hours, the men are
compelled to hang black cloths over the ports to
gain sleep and rest from the diffused, piercing light.
Nearly every one is suffering, more or less, from in-
somnia, and the cases which have been mentally
deranged before show new signs of disturbance.
Thus, though the light, even during cloudy days, is
too strong for our eyes, and at night too piercing to
permit sleep we long, with an intensity impossible
to describe, to see the unobscured face of the sun,
and we hunger for its warm, life-giving rays.

November 26. — At last we have had a little direct
sunshine, and what seems very strange is that this
has come to us with continued northerly winds.
Without exception thus far, the wind from this di-
rection has been warm and humid, bringing clouds,
snow, rain and everything to make life uncomfort-
able. We can only come to one conclusion, which
is that we have been steadily driven south against
the main body of a closer pack. The pack before us
towards the open sea, of which there is perhaps not
less than three hundred miles, has been driven to-
gether. With such a condition of things we might
suppose that the wind would not be so thoroughly

374

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

charged with pack vapour. But this is a hypothe-
sis. The fact is that we have fair weather, which is
unusual with wind from any direction but south, and
we are feasting our souls on direct sunny rays, the
first in weeks.

There is a somewhat surprising movement in the
individual masses of the pack, as is seen by the chang-
ing position of the various icebergs. In this move-
ment there is regular order in the direction. It is
not a motion like the entire drift of the main pack,
to and fro in response to the wind. The Belgica,
firmly held in the body of a floe whose general
diameter has been about four miles, has turned her
prow steadily with but very little interruption from
south in May, to west in August, to north in
October, and she is now — 22° C. on her way to the
east. From this we can draw only one conclusion —
that there is a feeble undercurrent which, acting on
the bergs, is the cause of local disturbance in every
pack. Our observations thus far verify this curious
suggestion. The floe in which we are fixed has no
icebergs in its grasp, like many of the floes around us.
If such a current existed it would not be propelled
with the same force as the berg- charged floes,
but with a tendency to lag behind an active mass to
the one side would, by friction against its side, cause
it to revolve. Such has been our experience. A
group of floes, in which there have been several huge
tabular bergs entangled, has slowly but persistently
passed around our starboard, while we have turned
in response to it ; and as a final proof of this move-
ment we have constantly observed the appearance

375

THROUGH THE FIRST

of new bergs south, and the disappearance of old
friends to the north.

The winter effects on the ship have been ex-
tremely injurious. Her hull has been subjected
to very little pressure, but she has been unevenly
covered with snow ; the stern, buried and forced
below her natural water-line, has made her leak;
the bow has been exposed to the many alternate
freezings and thawings ; the rigging, for much of
the time, has been loaded with a ponderous weight
of accumulated hoar-frost which, with its continued
movement in the never-ceasing storms, has weak-
ened every fibre of rope, and now the burning sun
splits the masts like sticks of green wood near a
fire. The interior has also suffered great injury.
The constant drying effects of the internal heat has
split or cracked nearly every important beam, while
the seams are everywhere wide open. There are
two things we seldom have here which will certainly
seem strange to my readers. They are sunshine and
snow-showers. In a region where the sun does not
set for a period of more than two months, one cer-
tainly has a right to expect fair and sunny days, and
likewise in an area where the whole face of the
earth, both land and water, is buried under a peren-
nial sheet of snow one naturally expects to see fre-
quent falls of heavy snow ; but in reality, both
sunshine and actual snow-showers are very rare, so
much so that their appearance affords a special delight
and a great surprise. To-day we have had the phe-
nomenal pleasure of having both in one day. Real
sunbeams in the morning, large and slowly falling

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

flakes of snow in the afternoon. We have had appro-
priate music to celebrate the occasion and are happy.

November 27. — Our winter temperature was very
slow in falling, and the minimum was not reached
until after sunrise. Our lowest observation was
recorded on September 8, —43.1° C. In less than
ten days after this it had risen to a fraction above
zero, and we were drenched with rain and melting
snow ; since then it has occasionally fallen to — 20^,
but it has slowly and persistently risen until now the
normal temperature is one or two degrees below
zero, falling with a southerly wind to — 10° and rising
above zero with a strong northerly wind.

The zoologist has seen what he persists in calling
a new bird. It resembles the giant petrel in size and
colour, but its motion is entirely different. Anatom-
ical details have not been observed, and, ''The bird,"
says the naturalist, '' is either shot-proof or it is able
to dodge the lead." But since Mr. Racovitza had
considerable fun from our mistaken reports of true
sea-leopards, we have taken advantage of this story
to restore our fallen reputation. We persist in saying
that unless he produces the bird, or gives us an exact
technical description, anatomical and physiological,
we maintain the privilege of ascribing the sight to a
kind of sunny intoxication which at present, under
the influence of the midnight sun, is not uncommon.

CHAPTER XXVIII

SUMMER (CONTINUED).

December 2. — Our drift lately has been almost
imperceptible. The winds, always feeble and never
continuing long in one direction, have simply kept
up a little agitation in the pack while the tides have
driven the bergs to and fro a little, and thus the
pack has become more and more divided. For
most of the time the wind has followed the sun
around the horizon, and nothing could be more in-
effectual in making ice navigable than light, shifting
winds. Since it takes the pack a long time to gain
momentum, a wind which does not last for several
days is of no use unless it is a tempest. Our lati-
tude to-day is 70° 18', longitude 83° 25'. Our drift
throughout the season has been considerable. If it
had been in one direction it could have taken us
across the south pole or to the magnetic pole.

During the winter, and a part of the advancing sum-
mer, we have made various guesses as to when the
bark would be liberated from the grasp of the pack.
The captain has set the day of departure at October
25; I at November 15; Amundsen, February i.
Both the captain and I are already overruled, and

378

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

there is even some fear of a possible second winter.
Yesterday a lead made its appearance loo metres
to the east, running north, and for the past few weeks
we have watched with considerable interest the
slow but persistent diminution of our pan. From its
original nearly circular form, five miles across and
three metres thick, it has dwindled to less than
one-half its original size, and even the thickness of
the ice is rapidly decreasing. The temperature has
gradually ascended, with very many irregular curves,
from an average in September of-i8° to —3^ C.
now. But the change has been so irregular that the
effect has hardly been felt.

During the entire winter and throughout the
year, though snow fell almost every day, even on
the brightest and the clearest days, the total snow-
fall seemed small at all times. There are two
reasons for this. First, the actual snow-showers,
as seen in temperate regions, periods when much
snow falls within a short time, were quite un-
known. Second, the topography of the pack is
such that every wind carries before it huge drifts
of snow which it deposits in open leads, where it
is either melted or converted into ice at once.
During the blackness of the night, and during the
endless gray snow-days since, we have constantly
longed for a fair old-time snow-storm : a storm
bringing sufficient snow to blanket the ship and
keep us warm inside: a gentle, quiet fall of large,
soft flakes to soften the hard outlines of the pack,
and without the ever accompanying thunder of winds
and whizzing, cutting, maddening ice-crystals. But

379

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such a pleasure has not been mixed with our as-
signed experiences. I think it is Nansen who says
" the snowless ice-plain is like a life without love,"
and in this there is a truth which can only be realised
by men who, like us, are imprisoned in the polar
pack. The constant war of the winds, which here
strive for a place, brings about a restless agitation
of the ice. Now it is driven east, then north, then
south, and so on, tearing the floes, crushing pans,
crowding huge pieces over each other, making hum-
mocks, cliffs, ridges, crevasses, and what not ; a veri-
table chaos of icy destruction, a surface impassable
for a journey, and unpleasant to the eye.

The sharp, rough angles of the hard ice project
like the ribs of a famished animal, making a picture
quite as melancholy in the feeble light of winter and
early summer. Snow, deep, soft snow, has upon
this coarse framework an effect like that of fat on the
animal. It covers the ugly open rifts, pads the sharp
corners, and it gives a smooth, pleasant, rounded
surface to the pack in general. It buries the un-
pleasant ruggedness and the gloomy blackness under
a velvety covering of white, which is always pleasing
to the eye. It gives to the pack a face at once sug-
gestive of warmth and fertility. It is only within
the past few days that we have had sufficient snow
at one time to give to our moving sea of ice this
much-to-be-desired aspect. Snow has fallen in great
quantities ; not softly and without wand, but noisily
and with the never-ceasing gale which is so char-
acteristic of this region. The quantities, however,
have been sufficient to bury the Belgica in a huge

380

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

drift, and the bare ridges, hummocks and irregulari-
ties, are softened by the most beautiful crystal drift
in which the sunbeams play like kittens.

December i6. — There appears to be a promise in
the air and in the quick rising of the barometer
which bespeaks a tempest, and how we long for it !
Almost the entire year has been one long monoto-
nous series of tempests, but now that we need one to
break asunder the floe which retains us as prisoners,
and open navigable leads of water, it is tardy in
making its appearance. For nearly two months the
barometer has been steady, and only spasmodic jerks
or varying breezes have driven us about. If we had
had but one of the many tempests which, during the
winter, made life so miserable, we might have been
freed. The temperature is rapidly rising ; now gener-
ally about — 2^ C, at mid-day slightly above zero, and
at midnight from — 6^ C. to — io° C. We thus have
our greatest diurnal range. The snow on the pack
is melting with a surprising rapidity, and about the
ship there is a zone of water in which she sits in her
natural environment. The pack everywhere is break-
ing into small pans, but our old floe holds together
with a surprising tenacity; it is about seven miles
in circumference, and is lessening very slowly along
its fringe, but apparently the snow which the masts
have swept and condensed out of the winds holds it
with unnatural firmness, for it is certainly the largest
floe in our neighbourhood. We watch every new
piece which is torn off its edge with a pleasure and
an assumed confidence of an early liberation, but if
the Belgica were now in free water she could do

381

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nothing but wait. The ice is so closely packed that
progress would be absolutely impossible.

These unsystematic winds and steady weather have
kept us in a locality over which we have sounded
and fished, hence there is a sort of stagnation of
work — no sounding and no fishing. To obtain
birds for the collection, meat for our food, and blub-
ber to melt snow is, however, a matter of no lit-
tle labour. The men have had the second week of
half-days to mend their personal effects, and since
these are next to nothing they use the time in hunt-
ing, reading and discussion. A new system of pen-
guin hunting has been discovered. At meal-time a
cornet is used to call the men together, and the
penguins, it seems, also like this music; for when
they hear it they make directly for the ship, and
remain as long as the music lasts, but leave at once
when it ceases. In this manner we have only to
wait and seize our visitors to obtain penguin steaks,
which are, just at present, the prize of the menu.
But not so with the seals, — they like music, and will
come up out of the water onto the ice to enjoy it,
but they will not deposit their carcasses, penguin
fashion, on board. On the other hand, when we
approach them they are more easily obtained. A
shot from a revolver straightens them out, but then
we have to transport 1 50 pounds of blubber and 50
pounds of meat over rough, hummocky ice to the
ship. This is an occupation which easily drives sport
out of one. Our good sailors, however, do it volun-
tarily, and at times when free from regular work.

A few days ago Amundsen and I resolved to make

382

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

a final attempt to reach the tabular iceberg in the
east. It has long been our ambition to do this, as
it has been the one venturesome aim of every man
on board. We have tried it several times before, but
always in vain. Wide open leads have prevented
our going more than four or five miles, and have
also cut off our retreat. But now we decided to take
no food and no provision for sleep, but to push boldly
to the berg and back in one day. We left after
matte at 4 o'clock ; the wind was light and easterly,
the sky clear, with a temperature —7°. We had no
difficulty in making the first seven miles, but the
two miles about the berg were much torn and
separated by lakes. Among this small ice there
were several seals, mostly Weddells (Lep tony c hot es
Weddelli), but we also killed the first true sea-
leopard {Og7norhynus Leptonyx) here, and also a
crab-eater {Lobodon Carcinophagd), which we cached
with a view to later use as a food supply as a last
resort in case the ice separated so much as to pre-
vent our easy retreat. We saw here, also, some
giant petrels {pssifraga giganted), and some white
petrels (^pagodroma nived). The floes appeared
smaller and smaller, as we approached the berg,
and around it they w^ere mere discs of about an
average diameter of seven metres ; these were
separated by huge quantities of brash. After con-
siderable difficulty we finally found a place on the
iceberg where we could make a debarkment. The
ascent was over a long platform which resembled
an ice-fort of the arctic land-ice. It was the base
of a cliff of ice which once covered it, but the

383

THROUGH THE FIRST

berg was perfectly tabular. We estimated the ice-
berg to be 800 metres long, 500 metres wide, and
40 metres high. To its crest there was but one
access in the valley made by the decay of a part of
the cliff. We ascended this without difficulty, and
reached the top in a few moments.

From here the view of the pack was superb. We
counted seventy-five icebergs on the horizon, of
which ten were tabular. They seemed to be evenly
scattered over the pack. The sea-ice appeared blue
under the midnight sun, for it was nearly mid-
night before we reached our destination. The floes
seemed small, averaging about one mile in diameter,
except those close to the berg. Here and there
were seals, and white petrels flew about our heads.
The Belgica appeared in the endless blue expanse
westward, and to us, at our distance, she was not
unlike a stick in the ice not far off. Nothing par-
ticularly new was in our increased horizon ; possibly
a few new bergs were in view eastward, but about
these there was little remarkable. From the crow's
nest on the ship, we could count sixty-four ice-
bergs, and the view in general was similar to that
which now spread out before us. The top of the
berg had a gentle inclination westward ; its surface
was generally flat, excepting here and there the line
of a crevasse filled by re-congelation. We came
back over the same path on ski, which we had used
on the top, and for the first two miles we had no
serious trouble. The ice had remained the same,
but at this point there had been much commotion.
The easterly wind had gone down, and the ice im-

384

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

mediately began to separate, and thus in the few
hours occupied by our ascent onto the iceberg the
entire topography of this part of the pack had
changed. Huge lakes had formed, and a dense fog
shut off our way. With the compass we sought
points of each floe where they touched others, and
thus we worked until 4 a.m., when we reached the
ship with photos of the berg, and the head of the
leopard as a trophy. The work and the resulting
fatigue had been so great that Tollefsen, who had
joined us at the last moment of our departure,
fainted twice after he reached the ship. Poor fel-
low ! his brain has for a long time been unsteady
as a result of the unbroken daylight and hopeless
isolation. We thought this jaunt would do him
good, but it has had a contrary effect, for his mind is
now permanently deranged.

December 25. — Christmas in midsummer is cer-
tainly an anomaly to residents of the northern
hemisphere, but our midsummer is more sterile than
the midwinter of any known spot on the globe. At
home there may be snow and wind, but there is at
hand the companionship of warm friends, the cheer
of a bright fire, the charm of flowers and pretty
things ; but what have we in place of this accus-
tomed holiday gayety ? Each man has, among the
Belgicas company, his special corps of chums, and
brotherly distress has strengthened these bonds, but
there are no other human souls within reach to enter
our narrow circle of life with new inspirations. We
have long since worn out all social enthusiasm, and
can unearth nothing new to infuse fresh life into the

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desired good cheer of our Christmas dinner. In-
side then, there is nothing new, while outside all is
cold and white and wearisome. There is no flower-
ing-plant within thousands of miles, and no land,
not even barren rocks, within hundreds of miles.
At dinner we drank to the health of " King Leo-
pold," to the pleasure of '' Queen Wilhelmina," to
the continued success of the expedition, and every-
body expressed a hope of an early release from our
ice-imprisonment. Altogether, I noticed that the
enthusiasm was forced. At heart we were not in
a feasting mood, and the doubt of our future was
pictured on every face.

We have now been nearly a year in this hopeless
desert of ice. Everything seems solid and immova-
ble. We seem to be frozen to the earth, for there is
nothing which indicates movement. But with all
this appearance of solidity we are in reality continu-
ally afloat, adrift with the polar winds, on a peren-
nial ice-sheeted sea. How we long to put our feet
on solid ground ! We do not desire so greatly to
see trees, and plants, and flowers as we do to s^'"
upon something immovable ; something not covered
with this eternal whiteness, and not glittering with
a dazzling iceblink — plain ground and bare rocks
will satisfy us.

January i. — New Year's Day passed like Christ-
mas, with a special feast followed by anxious discus-
sions as to the time of our prospective liberation.
We are now doing much travelling over the pack-
ice, studying the life and the ice-changes. The Be/-
gica is about ready for the sea, so far as her internal

386

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

arrangement Is concerned, but outside there is noth-
ing which promises a disruption of the ice in such a
manner as to permit us to push out of it. The field,
in which the bark is held, is still about two miles in
diameter. The sun has reached its highest altitude
and is sliding down the hillside of winter. We can-
not hope that the fading days of summer will bring
us relief, since the bright days of November and De-
cember were of so little avail in breaking the ice.

In October and November the ice separated, leav-
ing wide open leads, often a mile in width, winding
around the floes to the end of vision. If we had
been free at this time, we might have gone farther
south or north to the open sea in a short time, for
we were then only about two thousand feet from a
lead of navigable water. We are not now any
closer, but the entire pack has changed since then.
Around the bergs the ice is broken into small pans.
There are a few fields about two miles in diameter,
but the main body of the pack is made up of floes
less than a half mile in diameter and with an average
^hickness of six feet. This smallness of the floes pre-
vents severe pressure, but it gives the pack a sort
of elasticity which opposes the formation of wide
open leads necessary for navigation. We no longer
see the great zones of tempting sea, but instead,
only small lanes along the edge of the large fields.
If, however, we were able to get i to these we might
take advantage with every shift jf the ice to force
our way into more favourable locr lities.

Since Christmas the weather I is already become
colder. New ice is forming eve y night, but early

387

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in the morning this thaws again and the snow of the
pack is mehing rapidly ; the soHd ice seems to lose
little of its thickness, though it is becoming more
porous and is more easily disrupted. By a series of
holes drilled by Mr. Arctowski, he finds the general
thickness to be 2.60 metres. This is nearly the same
as I found it to be two months ago ; from twenty-five
measurements along fresh cracks it was 2.65. To-
day there are many signs of pack movement, but for
three weeks with the steady easterly winds we have
moved south-westerly, holding the same relative po-
sition with our neighbouring icebergs. A sudden
brisk westerly wind is sending us east and north
rapidly. This wind does a triple service. It sends
us north, it loosens the pack, and it breaks the fioes.
It is indeed a godsend so early in the new year, for
we are already half expecting a prolonged ice-im-
prisonment through another year, and if for another
year, perhaps for much longer.

At midnight we, of the cabin, went forward to sur-
prise the crew. We took with us a liberal allowance
of wine, also an abundance of cheese, ham, and
biscuits for a lunch. The sailors received us with
song and music, and then told us stories which were
new to us, but had been told a hundred times in the
forecastle. We in return did some speech-making,
and a little story-telling, too. The meeting was cer-
tainly a success as an entertainment, and though the
music was limited to accordions which, from the com-
bined effects of cold, humidity, and rough usage, had
many defects, we sat and listened to the discordant
notes with real enjoyment.

388

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

Outside, the scene was beautiful, the sun was in
the south, low on the horizon, spreading golden rays
over thin stratus clouds to the zenith. In the north
the moon was high, and though somewhat paled by
the sun it was bright, and stood out in the cold, cloud-
less blue like a ball of lustreless silver. The endless
sea of ice under us was ridged by a line of pressure,
at right angles to the line of force, which was from
south-west to north-east, and separated by inky lanes
of water parallel to the lines. The entire ice was
a mass of quivering blue. It was thus midnight and
midsummer, and New Year's Day, and to this series
of strange contradictions we owe the peculiar phe-
nomenon of seeing both the sun and the moon at
the same time, and that at a nocturnal scene.

389

CHAPTER XXIX

FREED FROM THE ICE-EMBRACES —
RETURN TO CIVILISATION

January 5. — We are satisfied with the success of
our mission to the present. We should like to ter-
minate our campaign with a striking sweep of dis-
coveries, such as marked our beginning last year,
but such a hope is now quite beyond the range of
possibility. Our provisions are nearly all used, and
to penetrate again into another part of this ice-
strewn sea, with our present equipment, would be
injudicious. We are inclined to bundle our results,
and quit the under-world of ice as soon as the ice
breaks enough to give us freedom.

Indeed, we ought to be contented with the un-
paralleled series of scientific records which are now
written in our journals. Beginning with Tierra del
Fuego, we have secured ethnological data of a race
of primitive people, scientifically unknown ; there
we have also read the story of two vanishing Amer-
ican races ; while the naturalist and geologist have
worked out facts and gathered specimens unique in
value and usefulness. We have sounded the un-
known seas between the terminating point of South

390

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

America and the antarctic land. In the new regions
south of Cape Horn we have discovered many
islands, and several hundred miles of the coast of a
great country. Passing into the pack-ice we have
drifted thousands of miles over the bed of a virgin
sea; have discovered a great submarine bank, and
have collected skeletons and skins of a curious life,
previously almost unknown. Racovitza has hun-
dreds of bottles of odd-looking specimens of creat-
ures in alcohol, and his notes record, for the first time,
the life story of antarctic fauna throughout the year.
Arctowski has a record of hourly meteorological
observations taken systematically, night and day,
during one year. This, too, is a valuable record,
for previously we have had only a few short notes
on the climate of the summer months of the antarc-
tic. Lecointe has made a painstaking series of
magnetic observations, which will be useful in mak-
ing valuable deductions for the compass, in the
southern hemisphere. There are many studies val-
uable to oceanographic sciences, and our examina-
tion of a part of the great restless sea of ice, which
encircles the pole, will be the basis of all future work
in this region. We shall emerge from an area of
perennial winter, never before invaded by man, with
the knowledge of having been the first of all human
beings to pass through the south polar winter and
its long night. We feel, one and all, that our mis-
sion has been accomplished, and we are waiting
impatiently to be freed from this embrace of the
frozen sea.

January 9. — From the first to the ninth there was

391

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little of interest aside from the usual run of life. We
took a few Ross seals {Ommatophoca Rossi), saw two
new birds, but did not secure them, and were gener-
ally busy preparing the ship for the home voyage.
We have had a continuous southerly wind, but its
force was so light that we drifted little, though our
sounding yesterday was 1490 m., which we take as
an encouragement of a northerly movement off of
the shallow sea over which we have floated so long.
The bergs continue to change positions, but our pan,
which is a little over two miles in diameter, is the
same as it was two months ago, except that the snow
has melted to an average thickness of about a half
metre. Because our floe has not changed its form
or shown any signs of disruption since November
first, and also because we have had no ice-destroy-
ing tempest since that time, we have no good reason
to suppose that we shall have a storm, or that our
floe will fracture in a line to liberate us during the
remaining two months of possible navigation.

There is at present sufficient water in long leads
to navigate, and to reach this is the ambition of all
on board, from the Commandant to the cabin-boy.
But thus far we have done nothing to liberate the
ship. It is true, our men have had more than suffi-
cient work to prepare the sleeping Belgica for the
sea, but for this they will have sufficient time during
the many days when we shall be pressing out of the
pack. If we do not help ourselves, as matters go
now there is a great possibility of wintering again
in the pack. To do something in this direction, I
submitted, yesterday, a plan to the Commandant.

392

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

It is based on the fact that the sun acts much more
powerfully upon water, and upon everything else of
a dark colour, than upon snow. Keeping this in
mind, my suggestion involves the digging ot two
trenches, one from the bow, the other from the
stern to the water, at the edge of the Belgica field.
These trenches are to be carried through the snow
and the superficial fresh water sheet of ice, leaving
a narrow current of water from the ship to the lead,
which we hope by the aid of the sun will so weaken
the ice in this direction that it may break in this
line. Otherwise it might fracture, if it fractured at
all, a mile to the other side of us, and then our po-
sition would be no better than it is now.

January 12. — -We have finished the trenches. For
three days we have worked, not like men, but like
dogs in chase of game. With picks and axes and
shovels, we have excavated the ditches, and have
hardly taken time to eat or sleep, because we have
been so eager to watch the progress and effect of
our work. As the work is completed, we find that
our project is a failure. The sun at midnight is now
so feeble that it permits the formation of new ice to
such a thickness that the heat of the following day is
barely sufficient to melt it. Had we done this in
December, the result might have been more satis-
factory, but now it is too late.

With the cutting of these trenches I proposed,
as a last resort, to cut a canal through the ice from
the Belgica to the edge of the field. The lines for
the trenches were so laid that the saws might be run
through the same groove; in this way we hoped

393

THROUGH THE FIRST

to save the labour of twice removing the upper sheets
of ice and snow. The work of sawing was begun
last night and at first the progress was encouraging.
Upon more careful examination, however, by drilling,
we found that the lines which we had laid out for the
canal, though shorter, ran over several submarine
projections of ice from fifteen to twenty- five feet
thick. We had learned by this time that with the
saws it is nearly impossible to cut ice more than
seven feet in depth. We now began renewed ex-
periments with tonite, an explosive said to be more
powerful than dynamite and much safer. It certainly
is decidedly safer, but we were unable to discover
its power.

Two months ago we all had faith in tonite. We
had on board a large supply, and believed that with
it we could blow the Belgicas ice-fetters to atoms.
Our confidence was much shaken with the early ex-
periments. In the first trial we were afraid of the
stuff. We handled it with the greatest care, placed
it cautiously on a sledge, and drew it with a long
rope. We selected a spot nearly two miles from the
Belgica for the first explosion. At the time of this
experiment the bark was not yet ready for the sea,
and we thought it not wise to break the ice in close
proximity. We also feared the "■ great power " of
the tonite, and thought the whole field would be
broken and scattered in the air, only to fall down
and smash the decks, but all of this faith in, and fear
of tonite changed upon a more intimate acquain-
tance with the stuff. We are now amused at our
extraordinary precautions during the first experi-

394

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

ments. We took the tonite far away, put to it long
fuses to permit us to run off a great distance out
of the reach of the expected shattered fragments.
The explosion went off with a hiss and a great fire,
but in the air there was only smoke, and under the
explosion there was only soot and a concavity in the
snow. There was nothing broken, not even a hole
through the ice, and we stood a half mile away be-
hind a hummock, shivering for fear the ice would be
so broken that we could not return to the Belgica.
In later experiments we were more bold, and brought
the scene of action nearer the ship, but we found that
in temperatures lower than — io° C. (14.0° F.) the
tonite exploded feebly, so much so, indeed, that the
engineer, seeing the beautiful fire it made, vowed
he would get better service by using it to get up
steam. Most of us have lost faith in the power of
tonite to release the Belgica^ and we have also lost
faith in its power to do damage of any kind. In-
stead of handling it with the extreme care of a few
months ago, we now have it in our beds, on the
table, and in every corner of the cabin. Lecointe
and Racovitza, however, still have some confidence
in the destructive powers of the explosive, and be-
fore we begin the seemingly impossible task of saw-
ing a canal it is important to determine the limits of
tonite in breaking the ice.

A number of experiments were made yesterday
and to-day, but the consensus of opinion is that
tonite will " cut no ice." If we are to get freedom,
we must seek it by our own muscular efforts with
the saw and the axe. We have argued for several

395

THROUGH THE FIRST

days in favour of sawing a canal. To this there has
been considerable opposition, based upon the fact that
the entire working force could not be spared for such
work, and that the suggestion, at best, gave little
promise of success. The sawing experiments in the
trenches, however, proved that much could be done,
and the eagerness of the men assured a concerted
effort if the plan could be made the one aim of every-
body. The repeated failure of the tonite proved
that a continuation of our work in the old trenches
was unwise, because ice of more than seven feet was
impregnable to us. Gerlache has suggested the
sawing of an old lead over the stern which might
prove less obstructed by hummocks. A vigilant
sounding of this lead proved the general depth of
the ice about five feet, but the distance was some-
what greater than the line of our trenches. A care-
ful study of all other possible routes easily proved
this the most practical. The plans were then made
as cautiously as if we were to dig the Nicaragua
Canal, and every contingency was vigorously dis-
cussed by the officers. When the project was once
thoroughly developed we divided into three or four
crews according to the work, and every man, from
the highest officer to the cabin-boy, took to the saws
and the axes.

The work on this canal was begun on the evening
of January eleventh, and was continued night and
day until the bark was released. The distance of
the canal was about 2200 feet. The sawing of the
two sides with the cross sections made the distance
to be cut, in a straight line, something over a mile

396

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

and a half. We were able to remove the upper
sheets of ice and snow by shovels and picks and
specially constructed implements to the depth of
from one to two feet. This left solid ice from three
to four feet thick to be cut by the saws. We kept
at it day after day, working eight hours daily, as do
day labourers. No men ever worked harder or more
faithfully. We were sixteen in number, officers and
sailors working side by side, with no easy berth for
anybody. Our main food supply was only sufficient
to last three months longer. We were accordingly
put on reduced rations, but we had a plentiful sup-
ply of seal and penguin meat and were adding to
the larder every day the game coming into our new
canal. We ate ravenously, and were contented
with the fishy penguin steaks, developing strength
and enthusiasm with the increased length of the
canal.

January 23. — We are still hard at work at the
channel for the release of the Belgica. Every man is
still putting in eight hours daily on the work except
the cook, and he is working twenty hours a day in
doing his own work and that of the cabin-boy and
steward. The work is proceeding nobly, so quickly
and so perfectly as to surpass all expectation. This
can only be explained by the cheerful manner and
manly vigour with which every man is at work. The
men need no urging, no special direction, no super-
intendence. Given a plan and system of action, they
arrange themselves and work with an effort almost
superhuman. The Commandant, the captain, the
first officer, the meteorologist, zoologist, and the doc-

397

THROUGH THE FIRST

tor are all shoulder to shoulder with the sailors, and
occupied at the same work. The meteorologist says,
** There simply exists no longer a Commandant, no
captain, no officers. We are all ordinary workmen."

I have had little time to write for one week.
Eight hours daily with a heavy saw, and the spine
twisted semi-circularly, is not conducive to literary
ambitions. It is, however, a capital exercise. Every-
body is being hardened to the work and developing
ponderous muscles. Our skin is burnt until it has
the appearance of the inner surface of boot leather.
Our hands, we have found by experience, are more
comfortable if not washed, especially with soap, be-
cause then they crack and become painful. The
result is that we all have a more savage physical
appearance than most Indians. But this is of little
consequence to us. There are no ladies here to
arouse the sleeping vanity which we all once pos-
sessed, and our one ambition is to free the ship.
This now seems quite certain. We eat like bears
the meat of seals and penguins twice daily, dis-
posing of three, four, and five steaks each. We find
time and gastric capacity for no less than seven
meals daily. All work was stopped Sunday morn-
ing at 4 A.M., and it began again Monday, at 8 a.m.;
during that time we slept no less than thirty-six
hours, and twelve hours is about an average of our
daily sleep with the channel work. Before the canal
was begun we could barely sleep eight hours.

By the first of February we had extended our
canal to within one hundred feet of the Belgica, but
the ice which remained to be cut was from six to

39B

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

seven feet in depth, and of a consistency so hard that
the saws barely made an impression upon it. In one
spot we sawed eight hours and cut less than five
feet. While we were busily occupied in devising
new plans to cut this ice, the wind changed and
altered the drift of the ice, bringing a strong pres-
sure on a tongue of the floe, which caused a fracture
contiguous to our canal, around the bark and through
the remaining ice to the edge. This new crevasse
opened, and in so doing, the new floe drifted, partly
closing our canal. This sudden and unexpected
change, before our canal was completed, brought a
look of disappointment and despair to every face.
Now our prospective way of retreat was not only
useless, but our position was such that the Belgica
was subjected to dangerous pressure. To relieve
this pressure we cut an oblong concavity in the
body of the main floe with the idea of taking the
vessel to this as a harbour. In this effort we suc-
ceeded on the evening of the thirteenth, but our
canal was so effectually closed by new ice and the
pressure of neighbouring floes, that we could not
escape. On the morning of the fourteenth, the wind
again changed. There was a general expansion of
the pack, leaving wide open leads on all sides, and
our canal again widened. We lost no time in steam-
ing out. No body of men were ever happier than
the officers and crew of the Belgica as the good old
ship thumped the edge of the ice which had held her
a prisoner for nearly a year.

Our supply of provisions did not permit a contin-
uation of the campaign, and after all our mission was

399

THROUGH THE FIRST

about fulfilled. Accordingly we headed northward
in the most direct manner for the open sea. In two
days we pushed, through closely packed ice, twenty
miles northward, and then we entered a zone of the
pack where the ice was broken into small pieces and
closely pressed by an almost continuous line of ice-
bergs. Beyond the bergs there was a dark blue-
black sky which, after a time, we recognised as a
water sky, indicating that under it there was the
open ice-free Pacific. Here, within sight of the open
sea, we were again imprisoned by the closely packed
ice for thirty days, but at last, when we had almost
abandoned all hope of escape and were preparing
for work during a second winter night, a gentle
southerly wind drove us with the sea ice out beyond
the line of icebergs, and then we were free to seek
the world of life in our own way. We left the pack-
ice in latitude 70° 45' south, longitude 103° west,
and then headed for Cape Horn.

At last we feel again the pleasure of being out of
the frigid stillness and on the bound of the broad
ice-free waters. We have left the white line of the
pack-ice under the black sea behind us, and now the
ever-present electric glimmer, the iceblink, is fading
over our stern. As the blink vanishes, and the sky
is screened by the normal South Pacific dulness,
we descend from our world of lofty thoughts, in
which we had been raised and upheld by the long
months of isolation, and frost, and storm ; and with
this descent our minds and our hearts are set on the
joys of home-going. The feeling of isolation and
desertion now comes over us stronger than ever be-

400

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

fore. There is still a long spread of tempestuous
waters between us and Punta Arenas, the nearest
outpost of civilisation, and as we plough this hope-
less sea, with souls raised to a fever-heat of antici-
pation, our old winged companions in the long drift
with the frozen sea leave us. While among them,
we thought we were wearied of their songless poses
on the icy spires, and of their noiseless flights. We
believed that we had seen all of their cold white
world that we ever desired, but even before we have
felt the heat of the sunny inner zones we are half
sorry to leave this weird other- world life. A year
hence, I am sure we shall all long to return again to
this death-like sleep of the snowy southern wilder-
ness ; but just at present we long, as no tongue can
tell, for the kindly breast of Mother Earth, with her
soul-stirring warmth, her running streams, her sweet-
smelling flowers, and her air of colour, of perfume,
and of pleasant musical sounds.

On the morning of March 28, 1899, we steamed
into the port of Punta Arenas. After a fifteen months*
absence from civilisation the new delights which we
saw around this end-of-the-world town were surpris-
ing. We noticed with considerable interest the worn
roads snaking through grassy fields, around groups
of trees to the summits of green hills. Behind us
were the olive and purple waters of Magellan Strait.
The harsh Cape Horn winds, which blew over the
forest-covered lands, seemed soft to us ; to our frozen
perceptions the sweets which these winds brought
seemed to combine into one joyous perfume.

Little time was lost in seeking the shore. We

401

THROUGH THE FIRST

were hungry for home news, and anxious to tread
on soHd ground. The sensation of having real earth
under our feet was new to us. For more than a
year we had roamed about over the moving frozen
waters of the antarctic sea, with no sight of land, and
no feeling of stability. When we mount the first
hill we shall sit down and watch and wait to see if
it, too, does not move like the hills of ice upon which
we have rested so long. We landed quietly, and
almost unnoticed ; there was no crowd, no tooting
of whistles, and no display of bunting as we passed
over the long iron pier. In Patagonia nothing short
of a volcanic eruption creates an uproar, which was
to our liking, for we hated excitement and display
and much desired to spend our time as it best suited
our inclinations. A few of the sailors who came
ashore remained on the beach, kicked about in the
sand, and tossed pebbles. So much were they in-
terested in this first touch of solid ground that they
continued to play in the sand for hours, with the
delight of children at the seashore. The officers
marched straightway to a hotel, but in getting there
they were made to feel their own previously unno-
ticed awkwardness. It is a sad undertaking for one
endowed with a graceful walk to engage in polar ex-
ploration. I do not know whether any one on the
Belgica ever boasted of such an accomplishment,
but I do know that our walking attitudes, as we
strolled up these streets, were a study in alcoholism.
We had travelled on skis and other snowshoes so
long, and had been tossed about on the sea so
much, that we had forgotten how to walk normally.

402

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

We spread our legs, dragged our feet, braced and
balanced our bodies with every step, and altogether
our gait was ridiculous. It may all be imagination,
but we felt unnatural, as, indeed, we must have
looked.

We had hardly learned to realise this ourselves
when we got a glimpse, for the first time in many
long months, of a woman. She simply stood and
stared at us, and we at her, and then she gathered
up a couple of youngsters nearby and rushed away
from us into the house, as if we were dangerous
characters. Morally hurt by this incident we went
along taking some notice of the men who eyed us
with considerable interest. Presently we passed a
door in which two pretty girls were standing. This
sight sent a new sensation through us like that of
a Faradic battery. Somehow we all, at the same
time, unconsciously brushed aside the year's growth
of hair from our faces, and made an effort to arrange
our neckties and change the set of our coats, but
we were made to realise, more and more, that we
looked hideous. The girls gave a sudden giggle,
rushed back into the hall, and we had to content
ourselves with the rustle of skirts. This rustle of
the skirts of these first girls who warmed our frozen
hearts would make spicy poetry if we dared to write
it. But we are not poets : we must hasten on to
the hotel where we hope quickly to change our
freak-like appearances.

At the hotel we soon learned something of the
events which had occurred during our absence, but
we were able to get very little connected news. The

403

THROUGH THE FIRST

Spanish-American War and the Dreyfus Case, of
which we knew nothing, were explained to us. We
next tried to get a hasty gHmpse of the newspapers,
but the fifteen months previous being a blank to
us, we were unable to read the papers with any
idea of assimilation. It was impossible for us to
understand the short daily announcements until we
were able to get a general idea of the drift of the
previous events, and this we knew would take long.
We next returned to our rooms and began to scru-
tinise ourselves in the mirrors, to learn the reason
why mothers guarded their youngsters, and girls
ran away as we came along the streets.

We presented curious and funny physiognomies.
Our faces were drawn, and but a shade lighter than
old copper kettles ; our skins were rough, like nut-
meg-graters ; and our hair was long, stubborn,
and liberally lined by bunches of gray, though the
eldest among us was less than thirty-five years of
age. Our clothing was in a good state of repair,
but its appearance was odd. We had been short of
patching material, hence pieces of leather, bits of
canvas, and strips of carpet were used to cover the
tears and to reinforce the weak parts of our coats
and trousers. We were ourselves so used to all of
this that we did not think it strange ; but when we
heard the rustle of skirts it brought our sleeping
vanity all back. Henceforth we must again wear
boiled shirts and bright feathers. We soon brought
in the barber, who made for us new faces, and the
tailor, who fitted us with presentable up-to-date out-
fits. While this was being done the mail was
brought, and at once each took a bundle and wan-

404

ANTARCTIC NIGHT

dered to some corner. These were moments of
sentiment. Business letters, cheques, drafts, papers,
and, indeed, the bulk of correspondence was put
aside, and each had soon in hand a series of sheets
with feminine inscriptions, in which all interest for
the time was centred. Racovitza said : " What
means it all? Surely the indications are that in six
months there will be as many new wives as the
present number of bachelors on the Belgica!'

After a time, however, this sentimental trance
gave way to material instincts. We had ordered a
dinner to be specially prepared for us. We didn't
care for fancy dishes and desserts ; our appetites
craved plain substantial. We had fed during a
year on "embalmed" foods and meat, tasting like
cod-liver oil. We enjoyed this when we could get
nothing better, but now we want beefsteak, and a
good deal of it. The waiter interrupted our inter-
esting occupation by the announcement that dinner
was ready. We all followed without a second bid-
ding, and I should be ashamed to confess to the
amount of beefsteak which we devoured.

In a few days we settled down in the normal
routine of life. An opportunity was found to send
a cable message by steamer to Montevideo announc-
ing our discoveries and the general results of our
explorations. Most of us lingered a few weeks in
southern South America to prosecute various
branches of research, and then the scientific staff
sought their respective homes by the easiest and
quickest routes, leaving the Belgica to follow in her
own slow way.

It seldom falls to the lot of polar explorers to be

405

THROUGH THE FIRST

made to feel, as we have been, the importance of
their work and the success of their mission. By the
honours bestowed upon us by his Majesty, King
Leopold ; by medals from the Royal Society of
Belgium, the Geographical Society of Brussels, and
the Municipality of Brussels, we are assured that
our hard efforts have been appreciated. The fa-
vourable criticism of the geographers of all lands
convince us of what we had hardly dared to hope,
that the expedition was an entire success. I am
sure that I voice the sentiment ot every member
of the expedition when I say that in receiving the
substantial recognition of King Leopold, of the
various scientific societies, and above all of our
fellow-countrymen, we feel that we have been re-
warded beyond our deserts. Such appreciation by
knowing critics is indeed the highest honour which
falls to man.

406

APPENDICES

Appendix No. I

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE BELG1AJ\
ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION

Emile racovitza

Translated by Professor Emile Coulon de Jumonville

A GREAT many parts of our globe are yet unexplored
or imperfectly known. Among these regions the antarctic
is certainly the largest and the least known, but not the
least important.

The solution of the numerous questions connected with
atmospheric circulation and oceanic waters, the biology
of aquatic animals and the geographical distribution of
living species, depends upon the progress of our informa-
tion in that part of the globe. The aim of antarctic
expeditions must, for the present, be scientific. It is of
far less importance to reach high latitudes in those quarters
than to bring as much scientific information as possible.
It was this idea which moved Adrien de Gerlache, the pro-
moter, organiser and chief of the Belgian Antarctic Expedi-
tion. He consecrated to the scientific implements an
important portion of the feeble resources he had on hand,
and surrounded himself with specialists to whom he in-
trusted the care of making scientific observations during
the voyage.

409

APPENDIX No. I

To Georges Lecointe was intrusted hydrography and
cartography; to Emile Banco, the magnetic observations
and the pendulum — after the latter's death which oc-
curred in June, 1898, his service was continued by Georges
Lecointe. The meteorological observations were made by
Henryk Arctowski and by Antoine Dobrowolski. Arctow-
ski also had charge of the oceanographical and geological
studies. Frederick A. Cook, the surgeon of the expedi-
tion, took charge of the photographic service and anthropo-
logical observations. I was charged with the zoological
and botanical observations.

The materials brought by the expedition are numerous
in all their branches, but their study will not be completed
before two or three years. It will not be until then that
we can ascertain the importance of the results obtained.
Thanks to the Belgian Government, a great pubHcation
is expected, and a commission has been chosen to organise
and direct it.

We can, nevertheless and immediately, enumerate some
of the results. This is what I propose to do in a few words
with this reservation : that these indications are, for the
most part, provisional and far from representing a complete
table of the scientific advantages which will be derived from
the expedition.

GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

The geographical discoveries were made in the south
and west of Bransfield Strait in Dirk-Gerritz Archipelago.
In this region earlier explorers noticed a large land (Palmer-
land), separated by a gulf (Hughes Gulf) from another land
situated in the east (Trinityland). Larsen, the captain of
the Jason (1892), having seen south of Louis Philippeland
a vast communication between the Atlantic and the Pacific,

410

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION

Trinityland became an island for geographers. Dallmann,
the captain of the Grofiland (\Z']2), had discovered on the
Pacific side an entrance to a strait (Bismarck Strait).
Geographers then made an effort, upon the maps, to com-
municate Hughes Gulf with Bismarck Strait.

The observations of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition
demonstrate that this is all incorrect. Palmerland is a vast
archipelago of small islands; Hughes Gulf is the entrance
to a large strait which brings Bransfield Strait into com-
munication with the Pacific Ocean. This strait extends
from latitude 63° 51' to 65° south, and its direction is
northeast to southwest. The Pacific mouth of Belgica
Strait does not coincide with the entrance to Bismarck
Strait which, from the position assigned by Dallmann, is
situated much farther south; but it is possible that Dall-
mann made a mistake in his observation, and that this is
the very same strait. Trinityland is but the cape-land of a
large tract (Dancoland) which forms the eastern shore of
Belgica Strait, and which is only the continuation of Gra-
hamland.

The shores of Belgica Channel are formed by high,
mountainous table-lands with steep slopes and narrow val-
leys. One of the peaks appears to rise above an altitude
of two thousand metres. The channels which separate these
lands have steep perpendicular shores and possess great
depths in their centre. The appearance of these lands and
channels indicates that we have to do with a sunken region,
in which the valleys were invaded by the sea. These lands
are entirely formed by ancient crystalline rocks, granites,
greenstones, and syenites. We have seen gneiss only at
th^ mouth of the Pacific Strait. This fact indicates that
we were in the central part of the antarctic chain, whose
general direction is that of Belgica Strait. At the time
of our sojourn in these regions, from the 23d of January

411

APPENDIX No. I

to the 1 2th of February, the strait was free from ice.
There were only a few icebergs. If some small islands
were only partially covered with ice, all those of a larger
extent and Dancoland were completely covered with an
immense crust of ice which showed itself under three differ-
ent forms. The interior was all occupied by a frozen sheet
which may be compared with the Greenland inland ice.
Everywhere upon the mountain-sides were suspended gla-
ciers, and in all the valleys were tremendous crystalline
currents which ran into the sea. The limit of eternal snow
coincides here almost to a certainty with the level of the
sea. The study of the moraines allowed us to state that
the glaciers had receded, and at the same time gave us a
decisive information as to a much more considerable exten-
sion at an anterior epoch. The erratic materials furnish us
with rocks much more varied than those found on the spot.
We have even met with transformed sedimentary rocks.

Another important geographical discovery is that of a
continental table-land or plateau situated between longi-
tude 75° and 103° west of Greenwich, and from latitude
70° to 71° 36' south. Its mean depth is 500 metres, with
an abrupt fall to 1500 metres towards the north. The depth
of the continental plateau, generally placed at from 200 to
300 metres, shows that this region has also undergone the
depressive movement which was remarked in the lands of
Belgica Strait. The continental plateau rises gently to-
wards the south, and lowers in its eastern portion towards
the north in order to connect itself most assuredly with the
continental plateau of Graham and Alexander lands. It
must connect in a like manner towards the west, fifty degrees
farther, with the continental plateau discovered by Ross east
of Victorialand. We would then have a continuous or un-
interrupted continental mass from longitude 50° west to 63°
east. However, the discovery made by the Belgica gives a

412

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION

serious support to the hypothesis of an antarctic continent
— an hypothesis made the more likely from many other con-
siderations, of which I shall cite only one, which is in its
place here ; that is to say, the terreous nature of the sedi-
ments of the continental plateau and neighbouring regions.
Indeed, these sediments contain, besides the grayish slime,
a very strong proportion of sand, gravel, and a very great
number of pebbles of rounded form, which were certainly
rolled by the sea, and were a part of a littoral cordon. I
need not say that the transport of these substances must
have been made by the ice. If this plateau indicates the
existence of a continental mass south of the seventy-second
parallel, inversely, the driftway of the Belgica demonstrates
the non-existence of the ice- wall reported by Bellings-
hausen, and the same thing may be said of the land signalled
by Walker, since we passed with the ice-drift over its sup-
posed position. The easy drifting of the pack towards the
west renders impossible the presence of the land reported
by Cook towards longitude 105° west.

ASTRONOMY AND MAGNETISM

The magnetic observations were the object of mensura-
tion upon the deflection, inclination and terrestrial mag-
netic intensity. They were effected principally with the aid
of the Neumayer apparatus ; Gambey's compass and Brun-
ner's theodolite were utilised on land, either at the stop-
ping-places on Belgica Channel or in the known regions
where they were used for comparing and determining con-
stant quantities. On the ice-pack the perpetual motions of
the ice did not allow us to install our apparatus for varia-
tions. Absolute and ready measurements were the only
ones made. The magnetic stations number sixty.

The astronomical observations had for their principal

APPENDIX No. I

object chronometric regulations. We utilised the method
of lunar distances — that of star occupations by the moon,
as well as the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites.

Pendulum measurements were made in the Strait of
Magellan, at Punta Arenas.

The sketch of Belgica Strait was drawn by taking, as
principal points, twelve stations whose co-ordinates were
astronomically determined. The other stations were ob-
tained either by the method of sufficient segments or by
that of magnetic bearings. We employed also Admiral
Mouchez's method.

While drifting, the positions of the ship were observed
and calculated either by Marcy Saint-Hilaire's method or
Borda's, when the latitude had been determined beforehand
by a culmination or a circummeridian.

METEOROLOGY

The only notions we had about the climate of the antarctic
were based upon the very inadequate observations made
during the three summer months. The Belgian Antarctic
Expedition is the first which enables us to furnish a series
of observations taken hourly during a full year. These
observations were made during the year of the imprison-
ment of the Belgica in the ice-pack between latitudes
70° and 71° 36^ south, and from longitude 85° to 103°
west. In order to appreciate thoroughly the conclusions
which can be derived from these observations, we must
not forget that the Belgica, during her wintering in the
ice-pack, was in the neighbourhood of free waters; in
consequence, the climate studied is a coast climate, influ-
enced partly by the neighbourhood of the sea, partly by
that of the continental antarctic land mass covered with
eternal snow. The definite corrections of figures obtained

414

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION

have not as yet been made; still, we are able to present
the general results with an adequate approximation.

The minimum temperature was observed in September;
it was —43°. ' The maximum is remarkably low: +2° (in
February). The month of July is the coldest of the year,
with an average of —22.5°. The warmest month is Feb-
ruary: average,— !^. The mean temperature of the year
is —9.6^, an extraordinarily low figure for that latitude.

North of the Spitsbergen, at latitude 80° north, we have

— 8.9°. The mean temperature in summer is —1.5°, a
figure just as remarkable for its latitude, considering that
the expedition of the Fram obtained for a summer average

— 1.2° by latitude 84° north. This low temperature can
only be explained by the absence of land towards the north,
and the presence of an antarctic continent entirely covered
with ice. This hypothesis is based upon a fact which was
observed by the expedition. Every time the wind blew
from the north the temperature rose, even in midwinter, to
0°, but did not ascend higher. As soon as the wind shifted
and blew from the south the thermometer descended
abruptly, even in the middle of summer, to a very low
temperature.

In the interior of the antarctic continent there must
be a pole whose temperature is much lower than the frigid-
ity of the arctic poles of cold ; the frozen surface of the
antarctic continent is in effect much larger than that of
Greenland, northern Siberia or North America. The zone
explored by the Belgica lies in a cyclonic region ; yet the
mean barometric pressure of the year, 744 mm. .7, obtained
by a direct observation, is superior by 6 mm. to the theo-
retical figure obtained by Ferrel for that latitude, and de-
monstrates that the pressure does not decrease progressively
towards the pole, where, on the contrary, there must reign
an anticyclone. The absolute minimum was 711 mm. .74,

415

APPENDIX No. I

one of the lowest pressures observed on the level of the
sea. The maximum pressure was ']']2 mm. .14. The max-
imum average monthly variations of the barometer height
is 34 mm. .30 — a very high figure, which indicates that the
tempestuous region extends beyond the polar circle. The
barometer height is in the average maximum at the solstices,
and minimum at the equinoxes, which shows that in the
antarctic there is a direct and very simple relation between
the barometric pressure and the sun's altitude. Winds are
frequent and generally violent. Only fifty-five days of
calm or very feeble wind were reckoned for a whole year.
In the summer, breezes blow mostly from eastern regions ;
in winter from the western. It is probable that our region
is already freed from the direct influence of the circular
antarctic zone of western winds. The air is almost con-
stantly saturated with watery vapour, and humidity settles
down in the form of fog and snow with remarkable facil-
ity. Hoar-frost accumulates in enormous quantities upon
every object— upon the ice-pack, the new ice, and even
upon the falling snowflakes. During the year we counted two
hundred and fifty-seven days of snowfall and fourteen days
of drizzling rain. The sky is almost constantly obscured by
a cloak of grayish and low mists, which, when they some-
times happen to disappear, allow a pure sky to be seen,
upon which only a few high clouds and very elongated cirri
may be noticed. It would not do to generalise these
observations and come to the conclusion that the whole
antarctic is subject to the climatic regime which we have
just described. It is very probable, on the contrary, that
in the interior of the antarctic continent the sky must be
very often pure, humidity Hghter, and snowfalls less fre-
quent. The Belgica was, in fact, imprisoned in a littoral
zone, that is, in a zone where came, to be condensed itself,
all the humidity brought forth by the winds of the vast

416

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION

regions of a free sea situated farther north. The south
wind, or land wind, always had the effect of driving the
clouds away and bringing on a dry cold. Optical phenom-
ena were very often noticed. Splendid sunrises and sun-
sets, parhelia, paraselenae, and mirage phenomena were re-
markable and varied. During the whole winter austral
auroras were frequent, but not remarkably vivid. One
single drape-like aurora was seen ; the others looked like
luminous clouds traversed by moving rays.

Insolation during the summer months is considerable.
On the 30th of December the thermometer with a black
ball marked +41°, while the temperature of the air was
at —1°. The effect of that insolation is, however, but little
felt upon the ice-pack; the upper layer of snow hardly
melts in summer.

ICE

The observations made with regard to this subject confirm
what was already known from the examination of the arctic
ice. The ice directly produced by the freezing of sea- water
is never of great thickness, but this thickness increases on
one side by the accumulation of snows on its surface, and
on the other by the heaping of blocks during the pressure.
These mechanical phenomena are able to form slabs eight
metres in height. The pressures are produced, in the
regions explored by the Belgica, by the wind, which is thus
foretold : In summer, during calm weather, there is always
a change in the ice-pack, which is accompanied by a forma-
tion of cracks and leads. The pressure is produced after-
wards, but before the wind is felt ; it generally ceases some
time after the wind prevails and when the ice-pack is drift-
ing. This seems to me to prove that the pressure is the
result of difference in the velocity of the drifting parts of
the ice-pack, and this difference is due to the fact that a

APPENDIX No. I

wind which begins to blow drives the portion of the ice-pack
on which it blows upon the rest, which has not hitherto felt
its influence.

It must be said that the pressure may also be produced
when the ice-pack is driven by the wind against land.
The icebergs met by the* expedition are incontestably
formed by an ice which has a different origin from that
which forms the ice-pack, properly speaking. An iceberg
is indisputably a fragment of a terrestrial glacier. All the
particulars which we have been able to state, concerning
the structure of the floating iceberg, were equally observed
in the structure of the fa9ades of the glaciers of Belgica
Strait.

OCEANOGRAPHY

A SOUNDING-LINE was much used between Staten Island
and the South Shetlands. It allowed us to find out that
Drake Strait is the prolongation of the oceanic basin of
the Pacific. At a short distance from Staten Island the
continental plateau falls abruptly from 296 metres to 1574
metres; farther south we find 4040 metres; then the bot-
tom rises gently towards the South Shetlands, which rest
themselves upon a continental plateau. These soundings
bring forth an important argument for those who, like
myself, beHeve in the independence of the American and
antarctic continents. The chain of the Andes, first directed
from north to south, bends or inclines towards the east to
Tierra del Fuego, and takes a west-easterly direction in
Staten Island. Perhaps also this curve is in the direction
of the northeast through the Falkland Islands. In the
same manner the chains of Grahamland are divided from
southwest to northeast, and through the South Shetlands
from west to east, a direction which, in the South Orkney

418

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION

Isles, leans slightly towards the southeast. It seems to me
that there is here a system of divergent chains. Other
people, however, connect these two chains by means of a
vast hypothetical curve. It is evident that this question
can only be solved by the oceanographical study of the
region comprised between New Georgia of the south and
Drake Strait.

In Drake Strait the temperature of the superficial sheet
of water is above o°, but below its surface the temperature
descends to — 1°, to ascend again from 200 metres there-
about, and maintains itself in the depths above 0°, at the
bottom (3660 metres), where it is +0.6°; the whole column
of water cools progressively towards the south. The sheet
of cold water signalled below its surface has the shape of a
wedge, whose point is directed north and whose base is
south. This sheet of cold water increases in thickness
towards the south, and nears the surface at the same time.
It is due to the presence and melting of icebergs.

In the region situated between longitudes 75° and
103° west, and from latitude 69° to latitude 71° 30' south,
the temperature of the water is somewhat diverse.

Above the continental plateau the superficial sheet of
water has a temperature of —2°, but the temperature ascends
gradually as far as the bottom, where it maintains itself
between 0° and + 1 °. The cold water occupies a greater
thickness than the warm water, and this thickness increases
towards the south. North of the continental plateau the
temperatures of the water are nearly the same as in Drake
Strait. No constant currents were observed, although the
ice-pack in which the Belgica was inclosed was in constant
motion ; and though the drifting movement exceeded some-
times ten miles a day, it is not possible to establish to a
certainty the existence of a current. The drifting was cer-
tainly determined by the exclusive influence of the wind,

419

APPENDIX No. I

and I do not doubt but that a careful comparison of the
successive positions of the ice-pack and mariners' cards will
demonstrate it in a definite manner.

The sediments found upon the continental plateau and
north of it are of a terreous origin, as stated before; but
what is most remarkable is the great number of globige-
rinae which are met there, and an absence of diatomaceae.
Yet the rapid examination of the plant showed a very-
abundant or rich flora of diatomaceae, and almost no globi-
gerinae.

ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY

As I have already remarked, the Belgica Channel lands
are entirely covered with a continuous and thick cloak of
ice; a few small islands, shores, and perpendicular cliffs
alone show the naked rock. Upon this limited portion of
antarctic land can vegetation alone develop itself ; and, indeed,
it does on these spots. The only floriferous plant we found
is of the ord^r Graminece J which probably belongs to the Aira
species ; but the mosses (known among others, Barbula and
Bryum) and the lichens (known among others, Lecanora]
Verrucaria, and Usnea) are more abundant. On the spots
where the water oozes from the melting snows there grow
some soft water- wracks — oscillariaceae and diatomaceae.

The terrestrial animals, properly so called, are repre-
sented by a small species of Diptera with rudimentary
wings, podurellae in large quantities, living with three or
four species of small Acarida or mites among mosses and
lichens. Upon soft water-wracks there rises a microscopic
fauna composed of Nematoidea, Rotifera, Tardigrada, In-
fusoria, and Rhizopoda. These animals and plants represent
at the present day the terrestrial antarctic fauna and flora,
and no other living animal has yet been discovered upon the

420

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION

whole extent of the properly called antarctic region, for we
cannot consider as terrestrial animals the birds and seals
which inhabit this region. The question is to know what has
become of the autochtone fauna and flora, which must have
inhabited the great antarctic land and wastes during the
geological periods, when the ice had not invaded the polar
regions. To this question, it seems to me, there is but
one answer to be made; the whole terrestrial antarctic
fauna was destroyed during the glacial epochs, which, be-
fore the present epoch, covered over with ice more com-
pletely than to-day the whole antarctic region. We possess
decisive information concerning the existence of a vast
crystalline cap which stretched over the whole of Patagonia
and Tierra del Fuego. Moreover, we observed in Belgica
Channel some glacial phenomena which incontestably in-
dicate a much greater extension of ice than the present
existing one. I believe that even the plants and terrestrial
animals that were found upon the lands of Belgica Strait
are not the remains of the antarctic flora and fauna of the
preglacial epoch, but American immigrants brought by the
large-winged birds which are common to both regions.

Birds are very numerous in the Belgica Channel, and the
greater part of them rest in the holes and cracks of the
cliffs. With but one exception, the Chionis alba, all are
web-footed and are a part of the orders Gavia, Tubmares,
Steganopoda, and Impenes. The most common are the
Dominican sea-gull {Larus dominicanus), the brown sea-gull
{Megalestris antarctica), the sea-swallow {^Sterna hirundi-
naced), the large petrel [Ossifraga gigantea), the bird of
tempests {Oceanites oceanicus), the Cape pigeon {Daption
capensis), the carunculated cormorant {Phalacrocorax ca-
runculatus), the Papuan penguin {Pygoscelis papua), and the
antarctic penguin [Pygoscelis antarctica), these latter two
living in vast rookeries ; in short, the curious beak-sheathed

421

APPENDIX No. I

bird {Chionis alba) which, like most other birds already
mentioned, nests in the holes and crevices of rocks.

Two varieties of seals were seen in Belgica Channel —
the Weddell seal {Leptonychotes weddelli), frequently met
in small bands, and the crab-eater seal [Lobodon carci-
nophagd), which is more scarce. Among the Cetacea, the
Megaptera boops ( ?) is met in large troops, often in the com-
pany of a large balaenoptera [Balcenoptera Sibbaldii) ( ?), but
no genuine black or Greenland bone whale was ever seen.
The Httoral fauna and flora are badly represented on account
of the constant motion of the ice along the rocky shores of
the sea. Sea-wracks cannot fix themselves upon them, nor
can animals. Yet in some well-sheltered crevices I found
some rare sea-grasses (Desmarestia, etc.), and patellae with
small inferior animals.

The first biological example we could ascertain, during
our imprisonment of thirteen months in the ice-pack, was
a general presence of diatomaceae on the superficial sheets
of the sea, as well as upon icebergs and in the interior of
the holes and cracks of the sea-ice. The most frequently
represented species are Chcetoceros, Coscinodiscus, and
Chorethron. The bed or plant is not very rich and but
little varied. It is composed of small-sized animals, of
which the most frequently represented are enumerated in
the order of their frequency : the Copepodaes Radiolaria
(ProtocystiSy CannosphcBrd)^ Pteropoda {Limacina)^ Poly-
chcBta {Pelagobid), Copelata {Oikopleura)^ Ostracoda^
Siphonophora [Etidoxia), etc.

The size of the bed or plant undergoes a season's change.
During the winter, sea-ice, being very thick, intercepts
daylight; in consequence the diatomaceae cannot increase
and the bed decreases considerably in size. In the sum-
mer, on the contrary, sea-ice thins, cracks, and tracks are
numerous ; light can thus penetrate, which accounts for an

422

GENERAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION

abundant growth of diatomaceae, and the bed increases con-
siderably in volume.

One of the most important plancton forms, a shrimp,
with regard to the part it plays in the economy of antarctic
life, is a species of the Euphaiisia kind. In fact, there
exist immense shoals of this animal under the ice-pack, and
these shoals serve as an almost exclusive food for seals,
penguins, and presumably cetaceans.

Dredgings performed upon the continental plateau spoken
of elsewhere brought forth a fauna which, from its general
character, shows a remarkable affinity with the abyssal
fauna. We fished, in effect, pedunculated Crinoidea,
Elasipoda, benthal Asterias, Aselidce, Pantopoda, Gorgon-
idce, PolychcEta, Cumacea, Mysidce, Ascidice, which have
a striking air of relationship with the similar forms fished
in the great oceanic depths. This fact ought not to astonish
us, for we well know that the great factor in the distribution
of marine animals is temperature. Now, the temperature of
the water upon this plateau of five hundred metres in depth
is much the same as that of the oceanic depths. The groups
best represented are the Echinodermata, Crustacea {Edri-
ophthalma), Polychceta, Gorgonidce, and Bryozoa. The
birds which were constantly present upon the ice-pack are
not numerous: the very large petrel {Ossifraga gigantea)^
the snow petrel {Pagodroma nivea), the antarctic petrel
(Thalassoeca antarctica), the brown sea-gull i^Megalestris
antarctica), Forster's penguin {Aptenodytes forsteri\ and
the Adelia land penguin {Pygosulis adelice).

The whole four seal species inhabiting the antarctic were
seen during our stay in the ice-pack; that is, the crab-
eater seal {Lobodon carcinophaga), Weddell sea- leopard
(Leptonychotes weddelli), the true sea-leopard (Ognio-
rhymis leptonyx), and Ross's seal {Ommatophoca Rossi).
Balcenoptera of a small size and Ziphiidce came very often

423

APPENDIX No. I

to breathe in the cracks and leads of the ice-pack. The
temperature of the bodies of the seals is about +37°, that
of the penguins about +40°. These figures are below the
normal. These animals, in order to fight against the ex-
terior cold, do not create more heat than this, only they lose
less, and they arrive at this result by means of the thick
covering of fat which surrounds them. Direct observations
allow us to state this fact. The cold does not appear to
have a pernicious influence upon the human organism. In
temperatures of from— 30° to —40° and calm weather, the
feeling one experiences is rather pleasant and invigorating.
It is naturally otherwise when the wind blows. I believe
that for a traveller the great inconvenience of cold upon the
ice-pack is that it creates a condensation of aqueous vapour
which is eliminated by the skin's surface. At the end of a
short time the clothes are all wet, and it is hard under such
conditions to get warm. But the greatest inconvenience
in polar regions Hes in the absence of the sun during the
winter months. The pernicious influence of the absence
of direct sunbeams, upon the human organism, was witnessed
to a certainty during the winter of 1898.

The whole crew of the Belgica, without exception, pre-
sented symptoms which in medical books are grouped under
the name of chronic anaemia. With them all we could
notice a discoloration of the mucous membranes, dyspnoea,
acceleration of the pulse, dizziness, insomnia, a complete
incapacity for prolonged intellectual work, and even a swell-
ing of the legs. The report of the surgeon of the expedi-
tion promises to be interesting under this head.

I have spoken only to call attention to the studies which
were made by the members of the expedition in Patagonia
and Tierra del Fuego. They will bring out some zoologi-
cal, botanical, geological, and anthropological contributions
for the knowledge of these important regions of the globe.

424

Appendix No. II
THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE

HENRYK ARCTOWSKI

The following is a preliminary account of some of the
additions to our knowledge of the meteorology of higher
southern latitudes contributed by the recent Belgian Ant-
arctic Expedition.

These desolate antarctic regions, still so little explored,
present many physical problems of the highest interest;
the question of their climate, attacked as early as the time
of Croll, must prove a subject of exhaustive investigation
in the immediate future. The results I have obtained were
not originally intended for publication in their present
form, because the mean values involved can only be re-
garded as first approximations; however, it appears that
my provisional numbers are sufficiently exact to indicate
the general nature of the climatic regime in parts of the
globe about which we have been, up to the present, prac-
tically without information. The fact that other antarctic
expeditions are about to set out has decided me to publish
my figures as they stand.

F'or the purposes of our inquiry, it is a matter of indiffer-
ence whether an antarctic continent exists or not ; we have
undoubtedly to deal with a continuous surface of ice, which
the meteorologist must regard as a land surface as opposed

425

APPENDIX No. II

to an open sea. This ice-cap is entirely isolated by an
ocean which surrounds it, and is subjected to the peculiar
conditions of polar day and night. Hence the first points
to be considered are the average distribution of pressure and
the direction of the prevailing winds. The positions (about
8i° and 95 ^ west longitude, and 69° 50' and 71^ 30' south
latitude) show a relatively small distance from the open sea
and great distance from the pole. In consequence we ex-
perienced two distinct types of climate according to the
direction of the wind, — a continental and an oceanic, — in
effect a coastal climate depending on the passage of cy-
clones which varied in frequency with the seasons. This
seems to be the key of the whole position. As regards
details, I take into consideration the mean and minimum
temperatures and the barometric pressures, the direction
of wind, the amount of cloud, and the amount of precipi-
tation.

Table I. gives the mean values obtained from hourly
observations of temperature made on board the Belgica
during her drift in the ice.

July was the coldest month; its mean temperature was
— 23.5° C. (— 10.3° F.), and the lowest temperature observed
during the month, —37.1° C. (—34.8^ F.). The extreme
minimum of temperature was observed in September,
-43.1° C. (-45.6° F.).

The warmest month was February, with a mean temper-
ature of — 1.0° C. (30.2^ F.), and minimum for the month,
-9.6° C. (14.7° P.).

If we regard June, July, and August as the antarctic
winter months, and December, January, and February as
summer, we may take it that the mean winter temperature
is —16.8° C. (1.8° P.), and the mean for summer, —1.5° C.

(29.3° P.).

Table II. shows the minimum temperature for each

426

THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE

month. The maximum temperatures are less interesting;
the winter average is — 1° to o° C. (30° to 32^ F.) ; the
absolute maximum for the equinoctial months is 0° to 1°
C. (320 to 340 F.), and for summer, 2° C. (36° F.).

These tables show that between the seventieth and
seventy-first parallels of the southern hemisphere, and
amid the ice of the Antarctic Ocean, first, the mean temper-
ature is lower than that of the northern coast of Spitsbergen
— Mossel Bay, 1872-73, —8.9° C. (16° F.); second, the
minimum temperature is quite as low as the minima ob-
served on the east side of Greenland (Sabine Island and
Scoresby Sound) ; and third, that the mean temperature of
the three summer months is lower than the corresponding
mean in the ice of the Arctic Ocean — ^the observations of
the Fram give a mean for June, July, and August of — i.2°C.
(29.8° F.). Note that the calculations of Spitaler and Supan
give a mean temperature for the parallel of 70° north lati-
tude of — 10.2° C. (13.6° F.). If we consider that a con-
siderable fraction of the seventieth parallel of south latitude
is land, we can suppose that it may have a mean tempera-
ture as low as the seventieth degree north, and include a
pole of cold with lower temperature, as the Asiatic or North
American poles of cold.

As in the case of the mean temperatures, the values I
am able to give for mean barometric pressure must be
regarded only as first approximations. During our drift
in the pack-ice hourly observations were made with a
marine barometer and with an aneroid. I have not yet
been able to apply exact corrections to these observations,
but if we bear in mind that while the temperature correc-
tion is negative, the correction for latitude is positive, and
that for temperatures about 13° to 15° C. (55° to 60° F.)
these corrections are numerically nearly equal, we can ac-
cept the uncorrected values as near enough for our present

427

APPENDIX No. II

purpose. Table III. gives the averages of the aneroid
observations, calculated to whole millimetres- only. The
mean for the year is 744.7 mm. (29.319 inches).

Tables IV. and V. give the principal minima and maxima
of pressure observed; the values are reduced to the freezing-

mm.

vii vni IX

Xll

770
760
750
740
730
720

FIO. 1.

point and gravity at 45 ^ latitude. The lowest pressure ob-
served during our wintering was 7 1 1 . 74 mm. (28.022 inches),
and the highest ']']2. 14 mm. (30.400 inches), a range of 60.40
mm. (2.378 inches). Table VI. gives the monthly varia-
tions of the barometer, the mean value of which amounts
to 34.30 mm. (1.350 inches), showing even more clearly
than Table IV. that the cyclonic belt extends beyond the
polar circle. From this table it appears, further, that the
threfe months of almost continuous daylight (November,
December, and January) are characterised by a very small
variation of pressure — only 23.95 mm. (0.943 inch). The
three corresponding months of winter have also a mean
less than those for the intermediate or equinoctial months.
Compare this with the mean pressures (Table III.). The
differences between the annual and monthly means (Table
VII.) show that February, March, and April form a nega-
tive group, in which the pressure is relatively low; the
three months of polar night form another group of maxi»

428

THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE

mum barometric pressure ; then follow August, September,]
and October, months of decreasing pressure, a group which,'
although not actually negative, forms a distinct secondary
minimum ; and lastly, three months of polar day forming a
secondary maximum of pressure. The general result is
illustrated in Fig. I, — high pressure at the solstices, low
pressure at the equinoxes, — and, the existence of a direct
simple relation between the barometric pressure and the
progress of the sun is at once obvious.

Table VIII. gives the observed wind directions: the
figures indicate the number of hours during which the
wind blew from each direction during the twelve months,
the sums constituting the " wind-rose " of the point of
observation. Fig. 2 shows that winds blow from northerly
and southerly points with almost equal frequency, and* that
easterly winds predominate over westerly. The directions'
of greatest frequency were west, east, and northeast.

PIG. 2.

The monthly wind-roses show some interesting seasonal
variations in the ^prevailing directions of the wind; we note
specially the predominance of northeast to southeast over
westerly winds from November to February, and the rela-
tive frequency of westerly winds during June, July, and

429

APPENDIX No. II

August (Fig. 3). The figures show that, on the whole,
the station was beyond the westerly wind region, although
at certain seasons the westerly system did extend as far
south.

i. 1899.

FIG. 3.

Some further points must be referred to in describing
the climatic conditions we experienced. The temperature
of the air is doubtless the most important element in the

430

THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE

study of climate ; but it seems to me that its importance is
relatively less in polar regions than in other parts of the
globe. In polar latitudes the human organism is chiefly
influenced by the absence of the sun during the night of
winter. In the summer, on the other hand, the radiant
heat of the sun is so strongly concentrated that the temper-
ature of the air scarcely measures the warmth we feel.
Further, the action of the solar rays is directly beneficial —
the sun strengthens and reanimates. And besides direct
insolation, the diffused daylight itself must be considered.
One feels quite different under a cloudless vault and under
a sky overcast and sombre. The presence or absence of
the sun is a much more important matter to us than the
state of the thermometer.

The wind is another extremely important factor from the
physiological point of view. In calm weather a tempera-
ture of —20*^ C. (—4° F.) is quite tolerable, even agreeable
if the sun is shining ; but with a light breeze one feels the
cold at once, and in strong wind it is impossible to remain
long in the open air with so low a temperature. It appears
to me that humidity plays a quite secondary part in the
physiology of the polar climate — at least, at low tempera-
tures ; in any case, the humidity of the atmosphere rarely
makes itself felt.

Some actinometric observations will serve to indicate the
intensity of radiant heat. At 2 P. M. on December 30, the
temperature of the air being — 0.2° C. (31.6^ F.), the black-
bulb thermometer read 45.1° C. (113.2^ F.) in the sun,
which explains why in reality the weather felt very warm.

The sky was usually overcast, most frequently with a
thick layer of stratus, which formed a uniform gray cover-
ing, and often persisted for days or even weeks together,
with only short breaks. Table IX. shows the state of the
sky during each month of the year.

431

APPENDIX No. II

The number of days during which the air was not satu-
rated, i.e., on which the hygrometer indicated humidity less
than ninety per cent, was, in October, 12 ; November, 18;
December, 22; January, 15; and February, 11.

If we include ice-deposits from fog and similar precipita-
tion, we find that snowfall is recorded on 257 days of the
year, made up as shown on the first column of Table X.
The second column of Table X. shows the number of days
on which rain (even a few drops) was recorded. Speaking
generally, it may be said that the weather was extremely
cloudy, that fogs were frequent, that snow fell on many
days, and that the air was saturated nearly the whole time.

Table XL gives particulars with regard to wind force.

Table I.— Mean Temperature.

March

April

May ,

June

July

August

September
October —
November
December.

January

February..

Year

— 16.8

15-6
10.8
20.3

15.6

41)

— io.3>

11.7)

10.
II.

1-3
17.8
19.6
28.0'
29.8
30.2

1.8

29- 3

9.6

14.7

Table II. — Monthly Minima of Temperature.

1899.

February 23, at 10 p.m

March 15, at 4 a.m

April 3, at 6 p.m

May 29, at 8 p.m.

June 3, at 6 p.m

July 17, at 10 p.m

August 28, at 3 a.m

September 8, at 4 a.m

October 25, at 3 a.m

November 2, at 4 a.m

December 2, midnight

January 2, at 2 a.m

February 11, at 2 a.m

March 4, midnight

18.3
• 45
157
134

'22.0

•34-8
21.3

•45-6

6.5

5-9

17.4

14.7

10.4

THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE

Table III.— Monthly Means (Approximate) of Barometric Pressure.

1898. February*

March ■

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1899. January

February

Year

* Latter half of month only

29.075
29.190
28.961
29.382
29.508
29.441
29.418

29-351
29.319
29.371

29.457
29.422
28.997

29.319

Table IV.— Minimum Pressures Observed.

REDUCED TO FREEZING-
POINT.

REDUCED TO FREEZING-
POINT AND LAT. 45°.

INCHES.
28.581
28.405
28.195
28.811
28.941
28.870
28.241
28.377
28.486
28 . 852
29.016

28.955
28.350
28.022

1899.

February 18, at 6 a.m. . .

March 22, at 4 a.m ,

April 20, at 3 a.m

May 10, at 11 p.m

June 21, at i a.m

July 31, at 2 a.m

August 12, at 4 a.m

September 22, at 6 a.m. .

October 23, at 4 a.m

November 19, at 3 p.m. .
December 22, at 10 p.m.
January 30, at 10 p . m. . .
February 17, at 11 p.m. .
March 2, at 3 a.m

MM.

INCHES.

724 53

• 28.526

719.96

28.345

714.66

28 . 136

730.26

28.751

733 58

28 881

731 -77

28.811

715.81

28.182

719.29

28.319

722.06

28.428

731 -33

28.793

735-52

28.958

733 92

28.895

718.59

28 292

710.26

27.963

MM.

725 -93
721.48
716.15
731.78

735 11
733 28

717.31
720.77

723 -53
732.82
737 01
735-43
720.08
711.74

Absolute minimum, 711.74 mm. = 28.022 inches.

Table V. — Maximum Pressures Observed.

REDUCED TO FREEZING-
POINT.

REDUCED TO FREEZING-
POINT AND LAT. 45°.

1898. February 11, at 4 p.m. . .

March 29, at i a.m

April 26, at 7 a.m

May 13, at 4 p.m

June II, at i a.m

July 18, at 8 p.m

August 29, at 6 p.m

September 16, at 9 p.m.

October 12, at 8 a.m

November 13, at 4 a.m. .
December 18, at 5 a.m. .

1899. January 24, at 8 p.m

February 22, at 3 a.m. . .

755
755
753
764
770
761
765
757
764

754
757
760

751

INCHES.

29 -757

29-739
29 ' "
30
30
29

30
29
30
29
29

678

090
334
983
135
834
III
688
829
951
593

MM,

757
756
755
765
772
763
766

759
766

755
759
762

753

-33

-17

INCHES.
808
802

739
154
400
044
197
894
172
748
890
013
653

Absolute maximum, 772. 14 mm. = 30.400 inches.

433

APPENDIX No. II

Table VI. — Maximum Variations of Pressure, and Means of those

Variations.

INCH.

1899. February . .

1898. March

April

May

June

July

August

September.
October . . .
November .
December .

1899. January . . .

35-93

12^

03 > 33 -66

823

68,

43-68

23-95

1-303
1-397
I -544
1-343
1.458
1. 174

1-955
1.518
1.686
0.897
0.874
1.059

Mean.

34-30

1-350

Extreme range for the year: 772.14 — 71 1.74 = 60. 40 mm.

30 . 400 — 28 . 022 ^ 2 . 378 inches.

Table VII. — Differences of Monthly Means of Pressure from the

Mean of the Year,

The -|- sign indicates pressure greater than the mean, the — sign

pressure less than the mean.

1899. February .

1898. March

April

May

June

July

August

September
October . .
November
December ,

1899. January . . .

minimum.

- -0.063

-0.189 )> maximum.

■0.122

■0.098'^
- -0.031 J>2nd minimum.

0.000

0.051)

0.138 >2nd maximum.

Table VIII.— Table of Wind Directions.
The figures shoMr the number of hours during M^hich the wind blew from each

direction.

ca5

C/2

c/5

1^'

i
^

^2;

'4*

Xfl

';i

1898.

March

.30

April
May

100

121

June
July

191

August

141

104

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

.34

Dec.

107

1899.

Jan.
Feb.

124

156

104

—

III

387

375

624

599

705

608

442

351

394

207

519

445

882

490

452

26s

434

THE ANTARCTIC CLIMATE

Table IX.
Column I shov's number of days of continuous fog or overcast sky.
Column 2 shows number of days with sky partially clear for several hours in suc-
cession (cloud amount 30 per cent, or more).
Column 3 shows number of days on which fog was observed.

March

April

May

June

July

August

September
October . . ,
November,
December ,
January . . ,
February . .

14
26
27
28
17
25
14

13
17

Table X.
Column I shows the number of days on which snow was recorded.
Column 2 shows the number of days on which rain was recorded.

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

Year

Table XI.
Column I shows the number of days of calm, or of wind not exceeding force 1.
Column 2 shows the number of days of wind force less than 4.

March

April

May

June

July

August . . .
September
October. . .
November
December.
January...
February .

435

Appendix No. Ill

THE BATHYMETRICAL CONDITIONS OF
THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS

HENRYK ARCTOWSKI

The scientific work of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition
was commenced in the channels of Tierra del Fuego, and
after the vessel left the pack they were concluded at Punta
Arenas. It is thus impossible to discuss the physical geog-
raphy of the antarctic regions in general without including
the scientific results of the expedition of the Belgica.

The works of Murray, Neumayer, Fricker, and others/
give a general account of the previous state of our know-
ledge of the antarctic regions, and therefore I prefer to give
a short summary of the results obtained by the Belgian
Antarctic Expedition from the point of view of ocean-
ography.

1 G. Neumayer, " Die Erforschung des Siid-Polar Gebietes." Berlin, 1872.

G. Neumayer, ** Ueber Siidpolarforschung " (Report of the Sixth Inter-
national Geographical Congress, London, 1895).

Sir John Murray, " The Renewal of Antarctic Exploration " (** Geograph-
ical Journal," January, 1894); and the "Narrative" of the Challenger Re-
ports.

K. Fricker, ** Entstehung und Verbreitung des Antarktischen Treibeises."
Leipzig, 1893,

K. Fricker, '* Antarktis." Berlin, 1898.

For bibliography, see T. Chavanne, " Die Literatur iiber die Polar-Regionen
der Erde" (Wien, 1878); and the Antarctic Number of the *♦ Scottish Geo-
graphical Magazine " (October, 1898).

BATHYMETRICAL CONDITIONS

The Belgica had the advantage of navigating a region in
which no previous bathymetric researches had been made,
and her soundings have a special value (although their

actual number was not great) because they were not taken
at random. On the voyage from Staten Island to the
South Shetlands, a line of soundings was run nearly from

437

BATHYMETRICAL CONDITIONS

north to south, giving a transverse section of the *' antarctic
channel " which separates the Andes from one of the pro-
jecting angles of Murray's hypothetical antarctic continent.
In another place also, beyond the antarctic circle, and to
the west of Alexander I. Land, we were able to obtain a
series of soundings, some before entering the ice, the others
on account of the drift of the vessel when imprisoned in
the pack. The soundings on our way southward are given
in the Table as Nos. 1-9, and those taken between 70° and
107° west as Nos. 10-56, while the results are represented
chartographically in the two maps.

The first map shows the probable arrangement of the
depths to the south of Cape Horn and in the antarctic
regions. Soundings Nos. i, 2, and 3 prove that south of
Staten Island the continental shelf is very narrow, and ter-
minates seaward in an abrupt slope, the greatest depth
sounded (2209 fathoms) lying, in fact, very near the island.
To the east, on the contrary, the continental shelf extends
to a great distance as Burdwood Bank.

Between the southern versant of the Andes and the
mountain system forming the framework of the antarctic
lands visited by the expedition, there lies a deep, flat-bot-
tomed depression, the floor of which rises gently towards
the south, and not far from the South Shetlands an abrupt
slope leads up to the rocky shallows near Livingstone Island.
The last sounding taken gave a depth of 2625 fathoms in
56° 28' south and 84^ 46' west, proving that the depth
increases towards the Pacific Ocean. As, on the contrary,
the Sandwich group. South Georgia, and Shag Rocks He to
the east, it seems probable that this great basin (called
Barker Basin on the chart in the Challenger Reports) does
not extend to the east of these islands. In a note on the
interest which attaches to the geological exploration of the
lands in the far south, which I published in December,

439

APPENDIX No. Ill

1895/ I suggested that " Grahamland is connected with
Patagonia by a submarine ridge, which forms a great arc
extending between Cape Horn and the South Shetland
Islands, and that the tertiary chain of the Andes reappears
in Grahamland." I maintain this hypothesis, which de-
mands for its satisfactory demonstration not only the geo-
logical study of the land, but also and chiefly a detailed
bathymetrical map. The first step to this end has now
been made.

The second map, showing soundings in the pack, is on a
larger scale than the first, and shows the distribution of
the soundings to the west of the land, and within the ant-
arctic circle. It clearly demonstrates the presence of a con-
tinental shelf. The section along the line AB is extremely
characteristic, showing distinctly that the submarine slope
is discontinuous. The submerged bank, which terminates
abruptly towards the ocean, has depths of from 200 to 300
fathoms, and farther south the depths are probably still
less. I shall not discuss the configuration of this submarine
elevation as one might imagine it to be from the sound-
ings taken upon it, for the soundings are not numerous
enough for this to be done profitably. But I cannot re-
frain from calling attention to one point which seems to
me of great importance. The edge of the plateau is indi-
cated by the isobath of 300 fathoms, beyond which the
depths increase very rapidly. Now, it is the lOO-fathom
line which is generally accepted as the limit of the con-
tinental shelf, and it would appear possible that in the
antarctic regions the continental shelf had been submerged.
The discussion of this interesting question would, however,
lead us too far.

It is noteworthy that the soundings carried out by the
Erebus and Terror to the east of Victorialand, and north

1 Bull. Soc. Gdol. de France [3] , xxiii, p. 589.
440

BATHYMETRICAL CONDITIONS

of the ice-barrier discovered by Ross, also indicate the
existence of a continental shelf with much greater depths
to the north. Between the two there still remains a space
of 60° of longitude to explore before one can say whether
they are connected.

All the positions were fixed by M. Lecointe, and I am
indebted to the kindness of this accomplished astronomer

METHOD OF SOUNDING

for the exact place of each sounding. The sounding-ma-
chine of the Belgica was constructed by L'e Blanc at Paris,
and is similar to that employed on the Pola by the Austrian
expedition. During the wmtenng in the ice, M. de Ger-
lache had a simple but effective arnangement constructed
on board, which was fitted up on the ice close to the ship,
and only required a hole to be cut in order to allow a
sounding to be made It consisted of a wooden drum
carrying the sounding-wire, a brake consisting of a cord
and a strong piece of wood serving as a lever to regulate
the descent of the weight, and two cranks on the axle of

441

APPENDIX No. Ill

the drum to heave in the wire. A wheel of one metre in
circumference, with a counter from the Le Blanc machine,
allowed the depth to be read off. The line ran through a
block attached by a dynamometer to three poles arranged
as a tripod. The soundings and temperature observations
were laborious, and it is due to the co-operation of MM.
Amundsen, Tollefsen, Johansen, Melaerts, Van Ryssel-
berghe, and of M. de Gerlache himself, that it has been
made possible for me to write these notes on the bathy-
metrical conditions of the antarctic regions.

TABLE OF SOUNDINGS.

Date.

Depth
IN Metres.

Fathoms.

Latitude.

Longitude
West.

No.

1898.

0 /

Jan. 14

296

162

54 51

63 37

" 14

1564

855

55 3

63 29

" IS

4040

2209

55 51

63 19

•• 16

3850

2105

56 49

6430

" 18

3800

2078

5958

63 12

" 19

3690

2018

61 5

63 4

" 20

2900

1586

62 2

6x 58

" 20

1880

1028

62 II

61 37

" 28

62s

342

64 23

62 2

Feb. 16

135

67 59

7040

" 19

480

262

69 6

78 21

" 23

565

309

6946

81 8

" 24

510

279

69 31

81 31

•• 25

2700

1476

69 17

82 25

" 27

2600

1422

69 24

8439

•• 27

1730

946

69 41

8443

Mar. I

570

312

71 6

85 23

" I

520

284

71 17

8543

" 2

460

251

71 31

85 16

" 4

S30

290

71 22

8455

" 5

520

284

71 19

85 29

" 9

554

303

71 23

85 33

" 20

390

213

71 35

88 2

April 22

480

262

71 2

92 3

" 26

410

224

70 so

92 22

May 4

1 150

70 33

89 22

" 20

435

238

71 16

8738

" 26

436

238

71 13

87 44

Sept. 2

502

274

70 0

8245

" 9

Sio

279

69 51

82 36

" 14

480

262

69 53

83 4

" 22

485

265

70 23

82 31

" 26

485

265

70 21

82 52

" 29

480

262

70 21

82 39

Oct. 7

480

262

70 30

82 48

" 16

532

291

69 59

8054

442

BATHYMETRICAL CONDITIONS

TABLE OF SOUNDINGS. — (•CoKtfKKfrf. J

Date.

Depth
IN Metres.

Fathoms.

Latitude.

Longitude
West.

No.

1898.

0 '

0 /

Oct. 19

580

317

70 I

81 45

" 24

537

294

6943

80 SI

Nov. 2

518

283

6951

81 24

490

268

70 9

82 35

" 28

251

70 20

8323

Dec. 20

569

70 15

84 6

" 22

64S

253

70 19

8451

" 27

630

344

70 20

85 52

" 29

660

361

70 IS

85 51

.. 31

950

519

70 I

85 20

1899.

Jan. 2

1360

744

6952

85 13

1470

804

6950

85 12

J\ 7

1490

81S

6952

85 32

Feb. 10

1 166

638

7034

93 17

J' ^9

1740

951

70 30

94 12

Mar. 2

430

235

7053

97 17

425

232

70 51

97 57

" 12

564

308

70 56

100 18

" 13

"95

653

70 so

102 14

" 23

4800

2625

56 28

8446

443

Appendix No. IV

NAUTICAL POSITIONS AND MAGNETIC
DEDUCTIONS

CAPTAIN GEORGES LECOINTE

Dates.

Local Time.

Latitude
South.

Longitude

West of

Greenwich.

Tempera.
TURK Cen-
tigrade.

Declina-
tion.

Inclina-
tion.

an. 2

5.30 p.m.

69° 52' 00"

8s°i3'3o"

— 1.6

34.22

68.27

an. 7

9 a.m.

69° 52' 00"

8s° 32; 15''

— 2.8

34-21

68.27

'an, 14

12 m.

54° so' 40"

6303900^

an. 14

5 p.m.

55° 02' so"

63° 29 IS

an. IS

12 m.

55° 50' 45"

630 i^/ 15V

an. 16

12 m.

56° 47' 30"

64° 23' 45"

an. 16

5 p.m.

56° 48' 45"

64° 30' 30"

an. 17

5 p.m.

58° 43' 30"

63° 43' 15"

an. 18

12 ni.

59° 58' IS"

630 12' IS"

an. 19

12 m.

61° 05' 30"

630 04' IS"

an. 20

12 m.

62° 02' IS"

61° s8' is"

an. 20

4 p.m.

62° 11' 00"

610 3/ IS"

an. 23

12 m.

63° 28' 30"

62° 13' 00"

an. 24

12 m.

64° 09' 00"

62° 13' 00"

an. 25

10 a.m.

64° 06 24"

61° S9' 30"

an. 25

3 p.m.

63° 57 04"

?^o<34;;

an. 27

7 a.m.

64° 02 26"

61° 3S' 20"

an. 27

12 m.

64° 09 00"

6i0 3s'2o"

;

an. 28

8 a.m.

640 22' 4S"

62° 02' is"

an. 30

8 a.m.

64° 31' 15"

620 2I'4S"

'^eb. 5

12 m.

64° 27' 45"

62O2/45"

Feb. 8

12 m.

640 38' 00"

62O2/4S"

Feb. 9

7 a.m.

64° 47' IS"

630 29; 2S"

Feb. 9

12 m.

64° 54' 23"

63° 39 10

— 2.

38.20

70.09

Feb. lo

8 a.m.
7.15 to 8 p.m.
8 to 8.30p.m.

8 p.m.

70° 33' 45"

93° 1/ 00"

— 6.8

— 4-5

— 4.5

38.20

70.30
70.14
70.22
70.27

Feb. II

9 a.m.

65° 04' 25"

630 go' is"

Feb. 12

10 a.m.

65° 01' 30"

63° 49' 25"

Feb. i6

12 m.

67° 58' IS"

70° 03' is"

Feb. i8

4 p.m.

67° 59' 30"

70° 39' 30"

Feb. 19

12 m.

69° 06' IS"

78° 21' 30"

— 0.8

39.16

70.07

Feb. 23

9 p.m.

69° 48' 45"

81° 08' 30"

444

OBSERVATIONS BY LECOINTE

Dates.

Local Time.

Latitude
South.

Longitude

West of

Greenwich.

Tempera-
ture Cen-
tigrade.

Declina-
tion.

Inclina-
tion.

Feb. 23

12 m.

69° 46' 30"

81° 08' 30"

Feb. 24

12 m.

69° 30' 30"

K^KK

Feb. 25

3P-m.

69° 17' 00"

K^<K

Feb. 26

12 m.

69° 13' 30"

82° 20' 30"

Feb. 27

12 m.

69° 24' 00"

84° 39' 15;;

Feb. 27

5 p.m.

69° 40' 45"

840 42'30"

Feb. 28

12 m.

70° 23' 00"

85° 56' 45';

Mar. I

8 a.m.

71° 06' 00"

85° 22 45

Mar. I

12 m.

71° 04' 45"

85° 22 45

Mar. I

4 p.m.

71° 17' 00"

850 26' 00"

Mar. 2

12 m.

71° 31' 15

85° 15' 45;;

-1- 0.6
-|- 0.2

40.41

71.17

Mar. 2

3.30 p.m.

970 16 15

40.32

71.15

Mar. 3

12 m.

71° 28' 00"

85° 11' 15"

35 10

Mar. 4

12 ra.

71° 22' 15"

84° 54; 45;;

+ 10.4

41.07

71.17

Mar. 5

12 m.

71° 19' 00"

850 28' 30"

Mar. 6

4 p.m.

71° 18' 30"

85° 34' 45"

- 6,7

71.32

Mar. 7

12 m.

71° 26' 30"

!5°44;°«;;

Mar. 7

9 p.m.

71° 29' 15"

85° 55' 15"

Mar. 8

4 p.m.

71° 28' 30"

85° 54' 30;

Mar. 9

12 m.

71° 23' 00"

85° 32' 00"

Mar. II

12 m.

71° 23' 15"

85° 38' 30"

Mar. 12

12 m.

71° 24' 45"

85° S3 15

— 12.5

41.47

71.56

Mar. 13

12 m.

71° 19' 15"

86° 02' 15"

Mar. 14

4 p.m.

71° 16' 15"

85° 3/ 00"

Mar. 15

12 m.

70° 52' 15''

85° 3/ 00;;

Mar. 20

3 p.m.

71° 35' 00"

88° 02' 00"

Mar. 23

12 m.

71° 34' 45"

88° 50' 45"

— 13.2

38.56

Mar. 24

12 m.

71° 35' 15"

88° 50' 45"

Mar. 25

12 m.

71° 24' 15"

88° 32' 00"

Mar. 26

12 m.

71° 19' 45'

88° 23' 00"

Mar. 27

12 m.

71° 16' 30"

88° 23' 00"

Mar. 28

12 m.

7i°i3'cx>"

88° 23' 15"

Mar. 30

8 a.m.

71° 13' 00"

88° 06' 15"

Apr. 2

12 m.

71° 09' 30;;

88° 06' 15"

Apr. 3

12 m.

71° 07' 03"

88° 06' 15"

Apr. 5

12 m.

710 04' 15;;

88° 06' 15"

Apr. 7

7 p.m.

70° 54 45

88° 42' 00"

Apr. 8

12 m.

70° 53' 04"

88° 42' 00"

Apr. 10

12 m.

7°° 52' 04;;

88° 42' 00"

Apr. II

12 m.

70° 48' 15'

88° 42' 00"

Apr. 21

12 m.

71° 03' 18"

88° 42' 00"

Apr. 21

8 p.m.

71° 02' 00"

92° 03' 15"

Apr. 22

a p.m.

Apr. 25

10 p.m.

70° 50' 15"

92° 21' 30"

— 24-S

36.51

Apr. 26

8 a.m.

Apr. 30
May 4

10 p.m.

70° 43' 30"

90° 30' 45"

7 a.m.

70° 33' 30"

89° 22' 00"

May 5

II a.m.

May 10

II a.m.

May 16

4 p.m.

710 34' 30;;

89° 10' 00"

May 17

7 p.m.

71° 22' 00"

88° 39' 49''

May 18

8 p.m.

71° 1/45;;

88° 02' 15"

May 20

7 p.m.

71° 15 45

87° 38' IS"

May 21

8 p.m.

0 15/ 1^//

87° 26' 30"

May 25

7 p.m.

71° 13' 15"

87° 44' 00"

May 26

II a.m.

May 26

7 p.m.

71° IS' 00"

87° 39' IS"

May 29

7 p.m.

71° 23; 45''

87° 35' 00"

— 25.

70.07

May 31

7 a.m.

710 36' 00"

87° 38' 30"

— 9-

70.14

445

APPENDIX No. IV

Dates.

Local Time.

Latitude
South.

Longitude

West of

Greenwich.

Tempera-
ture Cen-
tigrade.

Declina-
tion.

Inclina-
tion.

, une I

7 p.m.

71° 25' 15"

86° 55 15"

1 une 2

10.30 a.m.

71° 25' IS"

86° 55' 15"

-28.1

69.38

, une 3

7 p.m.

71° 23' 00"

87° 22' is;

-27.4

69.18

^ une 7

7 p.m..

71° 23' 30';

86° SS' 15

. une 8

7 p.m.

71° 21' 30'

87° so' 00"

' une lo

7 p.m.

71° 20' 00"

870 16' 00"

] une 14

5 p.m.

71° 04' 00"

86^ 03' oo''

— 27.1

35-34

69.02

. una 15

9 p.m.

71° 04' 00"

86° 30' 45"

, une 22

8 a.m.

70° 56' 15''

83° 30' 15 '

-27.2

34 04

68.09

, une 22

8 p.m.

70° 56' 15"

83° 30' 00"

" une 23

7 p.m.

70° 47 45'

83° 43' 45;,

" ^ly 7

II p.m.

70° 51' 00"

86° 4/ 15"

;uly 8

9 p.m.

70° 48' 30"

87° 14' 00"

,uly 9

9 p.m.

70° 54' 15"

88° 19' 00"

-32.6

3704

69. IS

_ uly 21

3 p.m.

70° 35' 15"

86° 34' 15"

— 29-3

35 38

69.23

Aug. 10

7 p.m.

70° 52 30'

86° 33' 30"

Aug. 19

7 p.m.

70° 26' 00"

84° 26 15"

Aug. 20

6 p.m.

70° 72; 15"

84° 03' 30'

Aug. 22

6 p.m.

70° 09' 15"

83° 41' 15"

Aug. 24

6 p.m.

70° 15' 30"

83° 15' 15"

Aug. 26

7 p.m.

700 16' 00"

83° 15' 00"

Aug. 27

12 m.

70° 16' 00"

83° IS' 00"

Aug. 29

7 p.m.

70° 13' 15"

83° 26 45"

Aug. 31

7 p.m.

70° 04' 30;

83° 06' 30"

Sept. 2

7 p.m.

70° 00 15';

82° 45' 00"

— 23.

33 13

68.38

Sept. 2

8.40 p.m.

70° 00' 15"

— 23s

33 19

67.16

Sept. 3

II a.m.

69° 58' 45"

82° 38' 45"

— 15-6

33-28

67.52

Sept. 4

2 to 3 p.m.

3 p.m.
4.30 p.m.

— 20. 5
-20.5

— 20.3

68.09
68.07
67.45

Sept. 5

7 p.m.

69° 59' 16;;

82° 43' 45"

Sept. 7

12 m.

69° 53' 45"

Sept. 7

7 p.m.

69° 54; 00;;

82° 35' IS"

— 33-3

33 06

67.45

Sept. 8

7 p.m.

69° 53' 45"

82° 38' 30"

Sept. 9

7 p.m.

690 51' oo'-

82° 36' 15"

-38.5

33- II

68.23

Sopt. 9

4.30 p.m.

— 32.2

68.16

Sept. 10

7 p.m.

69° SI' 45"

82° 40' 45"

Sept. II

12 m.

69° 51' 30"

32° 40' 45"

Sept. 13

7 p.m.

69° 50' 15'

83° 03' 00"

— 32.7

33 17

67.58

Sept. 14

I p.m.

69° 53' 00"

830 03/ 30./

Sept. 14

6 p.m.

69° 55' 30"

83° 04' 15"

Sept. 16

7 p.m.

69° 51' 15"

82° 22' 45"

Sept. 22

3 p.m.

70° 22; 45"

82° 31' 00"

- 4-8

33 40

68.13

Sept. 23

4 p.m.

70° 24' 30"

82° 3/ 00"

— 131

33-45

67.56

Sept. 26

12 m.

70° 21' 15"

82° 52' 15"

— 15.2

33 58

68.06

Sept. 26

3-45 p.m.

— 15-2

68.07

Sept. 29

12 m.

2.30 to 3.30

p.m.

70° 21' 00"

82° 39' 00"

— 21.5

— 18. 1

33-45

68.10
68.22

Oct. 6

12 m.

70° 38' 30"

82° 39' 00'

Oct. 7

12 m.

70° 30' 30"

82° 48' 00"

— 14-5

3342

68.20

Oct. 8

12 m.

70° 23' 30''

82° 46' 45"

— 15.1

33 12

68.17

Oct. 10

12 m.

70° 09' is'

82° 42' 30"

— 6.2

33 29

68.02

Oct. 16

12 m.

690 59'oo"

80° 54' IS"

— 6.0

33 16

67.40

Oct. 19

5 p.m.

70° 01' 30"

80° 44' 45"

Oct. 20

12 m.

70° 00' 30"

80° 44' 45"

Oct. 21

12 m.

69° 56' is"

8o°44'45"

Oct. 22

8 a.m.

69° 55' 00"

80° ii' 00"

— 16.

32.11

67.22

Oct. 23

12 m.

69° 50' 15"

446

OBSERVATIONS BY LECOINTE

Dates.

Local Time.

Latitude
South.

Lonc-.itudk

West of

Greenwic .

Tempera-
ture Cen-
tigrade.

Declina-
tion.

Inclina-
tion.

Oct. 24

12 m.

69° 43; 00;;

80° 50' 30';

— 19-3

32.00

67.32

Oct. 25

12 m.

69° 38' 45"

80° 36' 30"

— 19.8

31 SS

67 13

Oct. 28

12 m.

69° 39' 30"

80° 36' 30"

Oct. 29

12 m.
II a.m.

690 38' 00"

8o0 35'3o"

— 15-7

— 12.

31 SO

67-37
67.22

Oct. 30

12 m.

69° 44; 45;;

80° 35; 30;;

Nov. 2

12 m.

69° 51' 00"

81° 26' 00"

— 13.0

32.21

68.22

Nov. 2

4 p.m.

69° 51' 15"

81° 23' 45';

Nov. 3

12 m.

690 48' 15"

81° 19' 00"

Nov. 3

SP-m.

69O4/00"

81° 20' 00"

Nov. 5

12 m.

690 48'30"

81° 20' 00"

Nov. 5

SPm.

69° 44' 00;;

81° 28' 15"

Nov. 10

5 P-m-

70° 09' 00"

82° 35' 15"

— 13.0

32.21

68.17

Nov. 17

12 m.

70° 05' 30"

82° 35' 15"

Nov, 20

4 p.m.

70° 06' 00"

K^iK

— 4-2

3303

68 07

Nov. 25

12 m.

70° 25' 00"

830 2/ 00"

— 2.7

33-39

68.40

Nov. 26

12 m.

70° 23' 30"

83° 27' 00"

Nov. 28

5 p.m.

70° 19' 45"

83° 23' 15"

— 2.4

33 46

68.20

Dec. 2

6 p.m.

70° 18' 00"

83° 33' is;;

Dec. 6

12 m.

690 54' 00"

83° 33' IS

Dec. 7

6 p.m.

69° 51' 30"

82°48'4S

Dec. 9

5.45 p.m.

69° so' 30"

820 4S'oo

— 1-9

32.51

67.40

Dec. 12

5.40 p.m.

69° 49' 15

82° 46' 4S"

— 31

32 -53

67.52

Dec. 20

4.30 p.m.

70° 15' 00"

84° 06' 15"

— 1-4

34 19

68.26

Dec. 22

5pm.

70° 18' 30"

840 5i'oo;;

— 0.9

34-33

68.41

Dec. 27

4-25 p.m.

70° 20' 15"

85° 52' 00

-- 2.7
-- 0.3

34-30

68.31

Dec. 29

530 P-m-

70° 15' 00"

85° SI 15

34-43

68.35

Dec. 31

5.30 p.m.

70° 01' 30"

85° 20' 15"

— 2.5

34 19

68.32

447

Appendix No. V

THE NAVIGATION OF THE ANTARCTIC
ICE-PACK

ROALD AMUNDSEN

Profiting by the accumulated experience of centuries, the
arctic explorers of our day have succeeded in obtaining
splendid results. Upon the lessons drawn from the experi-
ences of the ill-fated Jeannette expedition, Nansen, to a
great extent, built his plan of drifting across the polar sea.
The construction of the Fram also was based upon ob-
servations made through ages. Peary is now, with un-
shaken energy, step by step working his way towards the
north pole. Here, what aid and support does he not derive
from his predecessors, the English expedition under Nares,
of 1875-76, and especially from the expedition of his
countryman Greely, of 1881-84, which came to such a
tragic end, but which now affords the daring arctic explorer
the most valuable assistance by the depot estabHshed at
Fort Conger and Lady Franklin Bay ! And Nature herself
lends a helping hand in always leaving the line of retreat
open to the arctic explorer.

The antarctic explorer, however, is forced to work under
far less favourable conditions. Earlier expeditions have,
indeed, tried to penetrate far south, but without leaving
any material sources of help for their successors. The
honour of the earliest acquaintance with the antarctic region

448

NAVIGATION OF THE PACK-ICE

belongs to James Cook, who, in 1774, reached as far as to
70° 10' south latitude, where a stop was put to his progress
by compact ice. In 1823 Weddell reached 74° 15^ south
latitude, and in 1842 James Clark Ross made the record
of farthest south when he arrived at 78° 9^ 5'^ south lati-
tude, which, as far as we know, still remains the southern-
most point that has been reached.

The unexplored region around the north pole only con-
stitutes about five million square kilometres ; that around
the south pole amounts to between twenty-one and twenty-
two million square kilometres, or a tract of land corre-
sponding to more than double the size of Europe.

While we have already learned about the arctic winter
from the Dutchman William Barents, who passed the winter
of 1596 in Nova Zembla, and from many subsequent explor-
ers, the antarctic winter up to our time has remained but a
fable. It was the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, led by the
Belgian, Lieutenant Adrien de Gerlache, that brought the
first information about the south polar night, after spending
the winter in the antarctic pack-ice west of Grahamland in
1898-99.

Taking part in this expedition, I had daily opportunities
to survey and study the ice which for nearly thirteen
months formed our surroundings. It would be premature
to pronounce a decided opinion as to the best way of navi-
gating throughout the entire antarctic region according to
the observations here made. In order to do that it would
be necessary to have a thorough knowledge of the state of
the ice in various places. The knowledge which Ross, and
subsequently Kristensen, gained of the pack-ice north and
east of South Victorialand, was widely different from that
acquired by us of the ice west of Grahamland. Therefore,
when I state my opinion below as to navigation in the ant-
arctic ice, I do so with specific regard to the ice which

449

APPENDIX No. V

stopped our progress and held us prisoners for such a long
period of time.

Here it is, from the very start, quite evident to the ant-
arctic explorer that he incurs a great risk by attacking the
ice. To the south, as far as the eye can survey, he sees
nothing but ice, and by experience he knows that he has to
contend with a frozen ocean, agitated by storm. If his
vessel should by chance be hemmed in, and possibly crushed
by the ice, what ways of escape would there be open to
him ? The possibility of reaching land in small, open boats
he certainly does not consider very great. The chance of
finding human beings on new land possibly to be discovered
farther south, cut off from the rest of the world by immense
masses of ice, appears to be even less probable. This is, I
suppose, the reason why earlier explorers have not dared to
attack the ice in these regions.

It was a northeasterly gale that, on the 28th of Febru-
ary, 1898, forced us through the ice. Comparing this
ice with that which I came across on my sealing expe-
ditions in the arctic seas on the eastern coast of Green-
land, the difference was at once apparent. While we
find in the arctic ice channels and lakes several miles in
length, formed by the rapid currents prevailing there, in
the antarctic ice we do not find any signs of similar forma-
tions. The spaces which we found here were intermediate
spaces between each separate floe of ice, broken up by
the storm and carried away from its original position.

What, above all, struck me after being imprisoned in the
antarctic ice was the " indolence " of the ice — that is to
say, its stagnation or indisposition to move within its own
bounds. That the entire main body of the ice was in lively
motion soon became evident from the nautical observations,
but the movements within its compass were very slight.
The cause of this lack of local movement of the ice may^

450

NAVIGATION OF THE PACK-ICE

no doubt, be traced to the nature of the current. That
currents exist here, as everywhere, is not to be doubted,
but they must be very insignificant, and are surely without
any importance to navigation.

From the month of December, 1898, up to March,
1899, easterly winds were predominating, and these caused
a very considerable drifting of the ice. In the course of
these three months we drifted in this way from about 87°
longitude west of Greenwich as far as to 103°, or a distance
of about 950 kilometres (this distance is calculated in a
straight line on the seventy-first parallel circle). That this
easterly wind, which prevailed for such a length of time and
mostly with great violence, was no local wind, we can safely
assume. Its place of origin was no doubt the regions around
Grahamland and Alexander Islands. This gives me further
cause to believe that the sea along the western coast of these
countries was perfectly navigable during the months of Feb-
ruary and March, 1899. But there is no reason whatever to
suppose that this is the case every year. On the contrary,
previous expeditions have always found this part of the ant-
arctic drift-ice completely closed. We, on board of the Bel-
gica in February, 1898, also found within the drift-ice along
these countries absolutely no navigable water. If a future
expedition were to choose the same region where the Bel-
gica did its work for a field of investigation, my unqualified
advice to it would be to linger for some time near the coast
of these countries, awaiting a separation of the ice from the
land. What a great advantage there would be in navigat-
ing alongshore! Possibly harbours might be discovered,
stations built, and depots established, and one would then
always have something to depend on. During our drift in
the ice we never dared venture on foot so far out as to lose
sight of our ship. It would be wholly different if there were
regular stations from which to start the work. We could

APPENDIX No. V

then safely proceed southward with a sleigh-boat and pos-
sibly accomplish fine results, for the antarctic ice, compared
to the arctic ice which I have had a chance to observe, is
much more level and even, and consequently easier to
traverse,

I see a great advantage in having two vessels, but in
that case it is necessary that both of them should be exactly
on the same level in regard to power and outfit, as, in my
opinion, the idea of taking along a so-called " auxihary
vessel," which in some respect or other is inferior to the
principal ship, is to be entirely rejected. The principal
ship, in that case, might sometimes have to perform the
duty of a tugboat and take the auxihary vessel in tow.
In order that two vessels of this kind should be able to
make any headway in the drift-ice, they would always
have to be within sight of each other, and one of them
being inferior to the other, it is easy to understand that it
would be more of a hindrance than a help. It would be
altogether different if we could start our work from regular
stations. Then one vessel might be stationed on the coast
as a reserve ship while the other pressed onward ; but as
long as our knowledge of the antarctic regions remains so
insignificant as at present, we must, in order to work with
expectation of success, employ only first-class equipment,
which by experience has been proved effective.

The Belgica entering the antarctic pack-ice was the first
ship to make the venture on this side of the globe. Almost
nothing was previously known about the character of the
ice of this region. Now the situation is entirely changed.

The ice has been tried and examined, and observations
have been made which may prove of invaluable service to
future expeditions.

452

Appendix No. VI

THE POSSIBILITIES OF ANTARCTIC
EXPLORATION

FREDERICK A. COOK, M, D.

The heterogeneous branches
of human knowledge are so
intimately interwoven that it
is hard co conceive an im-
provement in one which does
not cbnduce to the advan-
tage of others. The modes
of association which
exist between the nu-
merous objects of men-
tal and physical re-
Sledge-sailing. ^^^^^j^ ^^^ U^^ ^j^^

membranes which embrace the humours of the eye, so
minute and transparent that, while they give union and
solidity. to the whole, they themselves remain unperceived
or wholly invisible. The general advancement in the
knowledge of our globe, which follows the work of polar
exploration, is not at first perceived. The collective results
are rearranged and interwoven with the other threads which
go to make up the fabric of the various branches of natural
science. Around the two poles of the earth, and particu-
larly around the south pole, there are extensive unknown

453

APPENDIX No. VI

regions. In these regions are hidden the finishing fila-
ments of much exact knowledge. To seek these is the true
object of polar exploration.

Efforts at clearing up the mysteries of the arctic will
now for a time give place to projects for antarctic research.
The disputed questions, bearing upon the value of such
enterprises, have been answered in the affirmative by the
Belgian, the British, and the German governments. Each
of these governments has contributed large funds, not to
find the south pole, but to gather the ends of the threads
of science which are there lost in white obscurity.

The possibilities of exploration in the far south are
many, and properly to understand them we must first
review the regions actually known. Perhaps it is not cor-
rect to say that anything antarctic is actually known.
Almost the entire space beyond the polar circle, with the
exception of a few dotted Hnes, is a blank upon our charts.
Even the sub-antarctic lands, like Tierra del Fuego, Ker-
guelen, and the Auckland Islands, are for scientific purposes
unknown. Of the truly antarctic lands the first in time of
discovery and in value is the always accessible land-mass
south of the South Shetland Islands, which is erroneously
charted Grahamland.

This is a large mass of land which is labelled on the
various charts with different names, and is parcelled out to
suit the nationality of the chart-makers. No navigator will
be able to recognise the landmarks of Grahamland from
any modern chart. This was the experience of the Belgica.
The American sealer. Palmer, first saw the northern outline
of this land. The British sealer, Biscoe, saw a part of the
western border of the same land. But neither Palmer nor
Biscoe has given sufficient information to make a chart.
The British explorer, James Ross, and the French explorer,
d'Urville, touched along the northeastern limits, and re-

454

ANTARCTIC POSSIBILITIES

cently the Norwegian sealer, Larsen, has traced a part of the
eastern limits. From the work of later explorers, and the
guesses of the early sealers, the present map is constructed.
But since the Belgica sailed over two hundred miles of this
region where high land was placed, and since she sailed
over the regions where the Biscoe Islands are placed, it is
evident that even this, which is the best known of the
antarctic lands, needs a general rediscovery.

The actual existence of a land, corresponding to what is
charted as Grahamland, is a matter of considerable doubt.
On the map it extends from the sixty-ninth parallel of lati-
tude northward four hundred miles. Alexander I. Land,
which makes the southern termination of this, is a group of
islands, and we saw no land eastward. The character of the
land which may or may not exist between this and the newly
discovered Belgica Strait is questionable. It may be a con-
tinuous land, but, from the large indentations which we saw,
it is quite as likely to be an archipelago. The possibilities
of future exploration in this region are very great. The
country is easy of access, and has an abundance of bays and
channels, which will afford shelter to exploring vessels. It
offers scientific and commercial prospects promised by no
other new polar region.

Following the polar circle from Grahamland eastward,
the next land is Enderbyland. Ten degrees farther another
line is put down and named Kempland. Enderbyland was
reported by Captain Biscoe in 183 1. The pack-ice was so
closely set around the land that Biscoe was not able to de-
bark or approach within twenty-five miles. So far as we
know, he saw but one headland to distinguish the land from
an iceberg.

Kempland was also inaccessible, and Captain Kemp, the
British sealer who discovered it, gave on his return only a
verbal report. Captain Morrell, an American sealer, but a

455

APPENDIX No. VI

few years previous sailed over an ice-strewn sea about fifty-
miles south of both Enderbyland and Kempland without
seeing anything resembling land. This makes it extremely
probable that neither Enderbyland nor Kempland is a large
mass connected with any other land. The geographical
problems which seem to be indicated here are : Is this an
archipelago, like the Palmer Archipelago, fronting a higher
and more continuous country or continent? Or is it an
isolated group of islands? An expedition devoted to this
object and this only would add certain and unique records to
geographic and all other sciences.

Following the polar circle still farther to ioo° of east
longitude, and close to the circle, there is another inter-
ruption in the unknown. This is the much-disputed Wilkes-
land. It is by far the largest land-mass in the entire
antarctic area. The land, including Victorialand, its better-
known eastern border, occupies more than one sixth of the
circumference of the globe. It covers more degrees of
longitude than the entire spread of the United States. In
a territory of this extent, even under the most hopeless
spread of snow, would it not be strange if something of
value and much of interest were not found? It is not at
all probable that the disconnected lines seen by Wilkes are
a continuous line of the continent. These are, very likely,
off-lying islands which front a great continent. We are
led into the conviction that there is a continent here by
the very great number and the enormous size of the ice-
bergs which were here encountered. But this conviction
without better evidence will not, and ought not to, satisfy
explorers. Wilkes made his voyage of exploration in small
vessels which were not specially strengthened for ice work.
If he was able to approach the coast in ordinary ships, a
vessel fitted for ice navigation will certainly be able to get
nearer and bring back more definite results.

ANTARCTIC POSSIBILITIES

From Victorialand to Grahamland there is but one
spot to interrupt the movement of the great sea of restless
ice. This is Peter Island. It was discovered by the Rus-
sian explorer, Bellingshausen, in 1821, and it has not been
seen since. The Belgica, in her year's drift, came close to
the assigned position, but we saw no indications of land.
It would be interesting to know if this island really exists,
and if it is not a part of another small archipelago.

Before passing from the known to the possibilities of the
unknown, I will answer the business man's question : " To
whom do these lands belong?" It seems to me that the
nations seeking to divide China and Africa might turn their
ambitions briefly towards the antarctic. Here are milHons of
square miles which belong to nobody ; at least, there are no
vaHd claims filed, except those which accrue from the right
of discovery. Victorialand would seem to belong to Eng-
land, but it is possible for the United States to lay a strong
claim by right of extension of territory. Wilkes, the
American explorer, was the first to see and to chart the
great masses of land of which Victorialand is a part. The
work of Ross, though better in quality, is supplementary
to that of Wilkes, which gives the United States a priority
claim. There is also a small French claim. There is in-
deed room for a future boundary dispute of the limits and
claims of the Americans, English, and French in Wilkesland.
The British Government seems to have no doubt on this
question, for twelve years ago the Queen issued a grant for
Possession Island, making Mr. Albert McCormick Davis,
of Montreal, colonial governor of its numerous cities of
penguins, and giving him for a stipulated period a monopoly
of its guano-beds. Mr. Davis never rose to the dignity of
being the first south polar king. He was content with the
honours of appointment, and returned his credentials three
months after their issue.

457

APPENDIX No. VI

Peter and Alexander islands, and one or two islands of
the Sandwich group, belong to Russia. The Balleny, Bis-
coe and Sandwich groups, as well as Enderbyland and
Kempland, belong to Great Britain. Grahamland, like

Wilkesland, offers many bones of contention. The entire
northern coast should belong to the United States. A part
of the eastern coast, and a part of the still uncharted western
coast, belong to England. Norway has a claim for about
two hundred miles on the eastern coast. The recent discov-
eries of the Belgica give to Belgium the most beautiful and
the most useful body of water in the entire antarctic area.

458

ANTARCTIC POSSIBILITIES

In the adjustment of these various claims there is no end
of trouble in store.

It is generally held that all these countries belong to
nobody — indeed, that they are not worthy of ownership;
but this is not true. The issue of a grant for Possession
Island is an indication of the sentiment in England ; another
indication is to be perceived in an incident which happened
a few years ago. The Argentine Government, being anx-
ious to secure possession of the South Shetland Islands,
aiming probably to control the harbours and the possible
fisheries, made some preparation to place there a lighthouse
and thus take possession by right of prior occupation. In
response to this, according to a rumour said to have been
based on official instruction, a British cruiser was ordered
to speed, as soon as the Argentine steamer left port, to the
South Shetlands and there to receive the Argentinos. The
long period which has elapsed since the discovery of every-
thing antarctic weakens the natural claims, and any one
who now takes the trouble to occupy any portion of it
would undoubtedly become the owner. The man who sits
on the southern ice, under the hellish antarctic storms, long
enough to make good his deed, deserves all there is under
him, even if it proves a Klondike.

I must beg leave to differ with the prevailing opinion,
regarding polar exploration, that there is no commercial or
material reward commensurate with the expenditure of
time and money. In the antarctic there are several pros-
pective industries, and much of the future work has a direct
bearing upon commerce. There are seals, penguins, and
whales in abundance around the circumpolar area. Every
rock which offers an accessible beach is covered with either
seals or penguins, and every channel of open water between
the pack-ice or around the ice-sheltered lands is alive with
whales. Fur-seals were at one time so numerous that a

459

APPENDIX No. VI

whole fleet of American sealers were engaged in the hunt;
but the fur-seals are now nearly extinct. The several
varieties of antarctic seals have a coarse coat of single hair
which is useless as a fur ; but the skin and oil are of con-
siderable value. There is no reason why a profitable fishery
could not be prosecuted, like that off the coast of Labrador
and Greenland. The penguins are not widely known to
commerce, but their countless millions will surely attract
enterprise and yield some useful product. Already they
are being taken at the Falkland Islands for the oil they
possess. We must abandon the hope that right whales,
possessing the prized whalebone, exist here in numbers
sufficient to warrant a promise of future whaling. Ross
reports having seen right whales, but a diligent search
since has failed to confirm this report. From the Belgica
we saw no whales of this variety, but finback and bottlenose
whales were seen in great numbers. These are small whales
having no bone of commercial value, and a somewhat in-
ferior quality of oil. But the hunt for a similar variety of
whales in Norway has given profitable employment to
thousands of men in the past ten years. Whaling and
sealing in the antarctic cannot, however, be made to pay
the enormous expense of fitting out from Europe and
North America for so distant a hunting-ground. To make
these industries successful, permanent bases must be estab-
lished either in the antarctic, on the sub-antarctic islands,
or in the southern parts of South America or AustraHa.

The guano-beds of Possession Island offer an enterprise
which seems to promise certain results. The guano is rich
in nitrates, and exists in quantities sufficient to keep a fleet
of cargo-vessels occupied for years. There are strong
possibilities of the existence of hundreds of other islands
within the area of the unknown, loaded with a similar or
even a greater weight of the fertiliser. Such islands may

460

ANTARCTIC POSSIBILITIES

be found in more accessible places, outside of the pack-ice,
off the coast of Grahamland, or among the partly known
groups such as the South Shetland, Bouvet, Prince Edward,
or Macquarie islands.

The future for fisheries and guano industries has an
appearance of reasonable certainty, but this is not true of
the possible mineral wealth or of other revenue-bearing
material which may be hidden behind the icy gates. Our
geological knowledge of this area is still too imperfect to
offer even a guess of the probable finds of precious metals
or gems. Arguing by analogy, the South Shetlands in
general appearance, and what little is known of the geolog-
ical formation, resemble Tierra del Fuego, and we now know
that gold is here found in paying quantities. Since these
islands are an extension of the Fuegian lands, is it unrea-
sonable to expect to find gold here ? An antarctic Alaska
is by no means beyond the future possibiHties.

Are there not people or unknown animals in the regions
around the south pole? NoveHsts have pictured this
mysterious region since the time of Dalrymple, in 1760,
with curious races of people and strange forms of animal
Hfe. It is the last unexplored expanse on the globe of
sufficient area to offer room for fictitious creations of new
worlds, and it will continue to be a special domain for
imaginative writers for many years. From the explorations
thus far, we have no reason to hope for any startling dis-
coveries of human or other animal life. Borchgrevink,
owing to his inexperience and hasty conclusions, mistook
ordinary penguin tracks for the footprints of some large
and unknown animal. No reliable traces of either large
new animals or human beings have been found. The
regions are, as homes for adapted people, far superior to
the arctic lands, where the Eskimos periodically starve or live
in blubbery abundance. If sailors or wild people were cast

461

APPENDIX No. VI

adrift on the antarctic shores they would not necessarily
starve. There is food and fuel, and even clothing, to be
had from the seals and penguins everywhere. The life
would not be full of comforts, if measured by our standards,
but compared to Eskimo existence there is a decided ad-
vantage in life-sustaining prospects of the southern pole —
not in cHmate or in the degrees of cold, but in the certainty
of food. People then, if they once find a foothold, might
easily thrive, but to the present we have found but one
doubtful sign. This was reported by Captain Larsen, the
Norwegian sealer, in 1893. Larsen found about fifty clay
balls, perched on pillars of the same material, on Seymour
Island, off the eastern coast of Grahamland. ** These," said
Larsen, '" had the appearance of having been made by
human hand."

There is one train of industries for which the antarctic
and sub-antarctic regions offer the best conditions of the
globe. This is the farming of fur-bearing animals. It is
an industry which is still in its infancy, but the recent ex-
periments upon the barren Alaskan islands have been
eminently successful. There are thousands of isolated
islands in the southern oceans which offer just the condi-
tions for the cultivation of such life. These islands, though
almost barren of vegetable life, are fertile with birds and
seals and smaller forms of marine life, which will offer food
to prospective generations of transplanted animals. So
far as I know, this is a new suggestion to the future south
polar possibilities, but the conditions which I have seen are
too favourable to be ignored. The antarctic lands lie
isolated in a deserted and frozen sea. The drift-ice and
the overland mass of glacial ice bar the passage to adven-
turous travellers who seek to penetrate the mysteries of the
frozen south. But it is just these barriers which fence the
*' land of promise " for the coming fur-farmer, who is to

462

ANTARCTIC POSSIBILITIES

take the place of the life- destroying hunter. I am sure that
in the near future these wild wastes of the antarctic, with
their million of bird-inhabited islands, will form an island
empire of thrifty fur-farmers. What nation shall guard the
interests of this coming race of hardy pioneers ?

Independent of material results, a continued exploration
of the antarctic will certainly disclose priceless scientific
acquisitions. A region of the globe nearly eight million
square miles in extent, into which the foot of man has not
yet trodden, is not likely to prove barren of scientific data.
The polar question is not a problem of adventure, as it is
ordinarily thought to be, nor is it a matter of dollars and
cents. It is a problem of science, and has for its principal
objects an exact knowledge of the limits of land and
water; a careful study of the physical condition of the
earth and of the life; in short, it aims at perfecting that
network of lines with which comparative science seeks to
surround our planet even at the poles. The prosecution of
this labour will add to our knowledge of the physical laws
which regulate climates, which indicate the origin and destiny
of atmospheric and sea currents, and which serve as analogies
for geology and other natural sciences. The Gulf Stream
was discovered by a study of polar phenomena. Our pres-
ent knowledge of the glacial system, which, at some distant
time, covered not only the poles, but the lands we now
inhabit, would not have been conceivable without a know-
ledge of the present polar ice. Who will say that new gems
will not be added to the annals of science by antarctic
explorers ?

Specifically, terrestrial magnetism, geography, meteorol-
ogy, geology, and oceanography are to be most enriched
by the results of far southern exploration. Magnetism has
an important bearing upon the navigation of the southern
hemisphere, and even upon the land surveys. If the bear-

463

APPENDIX No. VI

ings of the compass cannot be accurately deduced, evidently
the course of a ship or the base-line or fixed point of a
survey must be unreliable. For greater accuracy of the
all- important compass, more continued and more prolonged
magnetic observations in various parts of the antarctic are
indispensable. Even the seemingly simple task of fixing by
calculation the location of the south magnetic pole is, with
our present knowledge, impossible. The positions assigned
by the best authorities differ several hundred miles from
each other, and the work of the Belgica placed it approxi-
mately two hundred miles east of the spot designated by
Ross, whose observations have been generally accepted.

Closely associated with the magnetic pole is the mysteri-
ous phenomenon, the aurora australis. It would be inter-
esting to have a prolonged series of auroral observations to
add to the first records taken by the Belgica. Perhaps this
information would help to solve the puzzling questions of the
physical character and the origin of the mysterious celestial
lights. Some of these questions are : What is the differ-
ence between the aurora australis and the aurora borealis?
Is there any coincidence in the appearance of the phe-
nomena at both poles? What is the relation of the ex-
hibits with the sun-spots ? What relation have auroras with
meteorological phenomena — the weather, the clouds, the
atmospheric electricity ? What are the connections between
auroras, earth-magnetism, and telluric currents?

The geographical possibilities have been indicated in our
discussion of the known lands. It would be interesting to
know if the various traces of land, so close to the polar
circle, are or are not connected to form one large continent.
What are the physical conditions of this great unknown
area of land or sea? Geographically, this is the only re-
maining unknown expanse of our globe where great dis-
coveries may be expected.

464

ANTARCTIC POSSIBILITIES

The interior south polar lands are likely to prove the
coldest part of the earth. This is contrary to what might
be expected, because the great circular sea which surrounds
the entire globe should warm the comparatively small ex-
panse of land. In the region of the Belgica's drift, how-
ever, the indications were otherwise. Our position was in
a restless sea of ice, far from land, with large open lanes of
water constantly about us. It follows, then, that we should
have had a mild marine climate. But our temperatures
were persistently low, from —5° to —45° C, rarely above
the freezing-point. And, following southerly winds, the
mercury at once sank into the bulb. The suddenness and
intensity of cold which came with interior winds bespeaks
a very high and a very cold area. This question and a
hundred others will be solved by meteorological studies.
Problems of weather are associated with neighbouring
phenomena. For the proper understanding of the climate
of the southern hemisphere there is necessary a long-con-
tinued series of meteorological studies within the limits of
perpetual ice.

In geology nearly everything remains to be done. Here
are indications of some very interesting problems. Among
them are the numerous open questions of the great ice age.
In the period immediately preceding the ice age the polar
regions were not, as they are now, submerged under a con-
tinental sea of ice, but had a somewhat profuse growth of
plants, extending even to the base of the mountain glaciers.
The fossil remains which have been found in the north and
in the south prove that at this time there existed, among
these growths, plants which are now found only in sub-
tropical regions. This period was a noteworthy epoch in
the history of our planet. It was the time when man first
appeared, and it was the time when the earth was dressed
in her best mantles. The continents then had a greater

465

APPENDIX No. VI

extension, the life a curious diversity, and the forests were
much more luxuriant than they are to-day. The antarctic
is likely to throw new light upon this interesting period.
The fossil finds may establish the previous existence of a Hfe
of which we now have no indication. In the many depart-
ments of geology we may expect startling discoveries.

To zoology the south offers less flowery prospects than to
the other sciences. The study of the organic life is important
for the understanding of the earlier life of our planet, but
some of this has been gathered. The work which remains to
be done is the detail of anatomy and physiology and the study
of microscopical forms of life. It is not probable that there
remain large animals of which we have found no traces.

Probably the most important results of immediate prac-
tical use to both science and commerce, will be the gain to
the newly born science, oceanography. The ever-increasing
usefulness of the ocean for the needs of modern commerce
or warfare, of cable service, and as a nursery for food, makes
it necessary that we know as much as possible about it.
We must know not only the surface, but the bottom and
intermediate waters. We must know not only the warm
seas, but the cold as well. There is a constant interchange
between the water of the tropics and that of the poles, just
as there is an interchange of the winds. The cold, ice-laden
waters have a tendency to flow into the warmer regions.
The overheated torrid waters flow poleward. This is the
theory, and in part it is supported by observation ; but what
is the mechanism?

It is evident that the missing keystones to the rising
arches of science are many, and the material for some of
these will certainly be found in the neglected blank around
the under-surface of our globe. The reasonable certainty
of these results is likely to arouse a south polar enthusiasm
within a few years, and in anticipation of this I wish to

466

ANTARCTIC POSSIBILITIES

offer a preliminary word of warning. Up to the present,
antarctic history has to record no great loss of life, no
awful calamities, like the arctic tragedies. If due precau-
tion is taken, none should be reported. The arctic and
the antarctic are alike only in degrees of cold and in the
quantities of ice. Even in these they differ somewhat, and
in every other respect there is little resemblance. From this
it follows that an antarctic explorer should be differently
equipped from the man who travels in the far north. The
hopeless isolation and impossibility of retreat make a fixed
outline, a permanent station, and strong vessels imperative.

Should an expedition risk their fortunes, as did the crew
of the Belgicay in a single vessel, and in the unknown drift
lose their ship, which is always possible, the disaster would
mean certain death for nearly everybody. It is true that the
Belgica experienced no great damage by pressure, but that
we escaped with our vessel is a matter due quite as much
to accident as to any wisely prompted construction of the
ship. If a field of ice two miles in diameter should press
upon any vessel in the wrong situation, it would certainly
crush her. This is always to be expected in antarctic nav-
igation, and it makes a companion ship desirable. The
south, also, is a hard school for explorers. Young men
who wish to engage in this work should take their school-
ing in the more congenial arctic regions.

From what we saw of the antarctic lands south of Cape
Horn, it is clear that the previously conceived impossibility
of landing on south polar lands is a misconception. The
Belgica made twenty debarkments, and it was discovered
that it was possible to land on nearly every island and neck
of land offering a projecting northerly exposure. From
the experiences of the Belgica it would seem that a perma-
nent base of operations might be established far south, either
in Weddell or in Ross Sea. These are the only regions

467

APPENDIX No. VI

offering a promising route to the south pole. The possi-
bilities of reaching it will depend upon the character of the
inland ice. If it is a smooth, even surface, without moun-
tain ridges or extensive crevasses, such as the interior of
Greenland, and if this land ice extends to the pole, then
it is within the power of man, with present means, to tread
on the spot; but if it is otherwise, then there is only a
small prospect of reaching the southern axis.

In the future exploration of the south polar regions there
is the prospect of universal association which has long been
the golden dream of science. Indeed, just at present such
international alliances are the topics of the hour. The final
filaments of the fabric which will bind together the three
greatest nations of the earth are being spun. It is not a
triple alliance in an ordinary sense ; it is one of the products
of the evolution of nations. It is a natural selection of the
three peoples best fitted for each other. England, Germany,
and the United States are, at present, held together by a sort
of matrimonial bond, and this bond must be strengthened.
Could there be a more fitting seal to this family union than
a triple alliance to explore the last great unknown area of the
globe ? England and Germany are organising expeditions.
Will Americans, who have carried the Stars and Stripes to
the farthest reaches of the earth, stand aloof and look on ?
If we are to have a well-equipped expedition, ready to work
with England and Germany, some merchant king must
come to our rescue. The present government indications
are not favourable to such a venture, but with the liberal
hand of a Bennett, a Harmsworth, or a Jesup, we could
work hand in hand with the subjects of the Queen and
the Kaiser. The combined armies of peace could, in
this way, march into the white silence, the unbroken, icy
slumber of centuries about the south pole, and there col-
lect the needful scientific spoils.

468

INDEX

Adelaide Island, impression as to, 164

Agassiz, Professor, 54

Argentine Republic, offer of, 97

Air charged with drift snow, 258

Alaculoofs, 98, 99

Alarming physical condition, 327, 328

Alexander Islands, 166, 167, 186, 198

Alexanderland, charted Alexander I.
Land, 164

Alexanderland, inlet north of, 169

Alcohol, 90

Alcohol, deleterious effect of, 334

Ambition, 392

American discovery, remarkable fact
in, 23

American topics, 327

Amusement, uncomfortable, 313, 314

Animal hfe, 128, 132-134, 140, 141, 183,
186, 198, 201, 210, 236, 239, 242, 243,
248, 255, 256, 258, 260, 269, 270, 273,
274, 277, 287, 293, 294, 313, 327, 334-
337. 350, 356. 359. 360, 368, 369. 383.
384. 392

Amundsen, Roald, mate, appearance
of, 42, 127, 136, 141, 147, 158, 244;
presence of mind of, 246; patching
boots, 259 ; investigates a light, 286,
287, 300, 335, 349, 378; resolve of,
382, 383

Ancient explorers, contrast to, 240

Antarctic, mainlands of the, 128-131

Antarctic midnight past, 323

Antarctic, first camping experience in
the, 143

Antarctic pack, striking peculiarity of,
174. 175

Antarctic tent, 349
differ
131

Antipodes, different surroundings in.

An vers Island, 148
Appearances of land deceptive, 272
April ist, 244; 2d, 245; 3d, tempera-
ture, 245 ; 4th, latitude, longitude, and
temperature; sth, 246; temperature,
247; 6th, 247; 8th, 248; 9th, 249;
loth, 253; nth, 255; i2th, tempera-
ture, 257, 269; latitude and longi-
tude, 270 ; 14th, temperature, 258 ;
15th, 258; i6th, 258; 20th, tempera-

ture, 259; 21 st, temperature, 260;
latitude, 261 ; 22d, temperature and
position, 261; 23d, 25th, 261 ; temper-
ature, 262, 263 ; latitude and longi-
tude, 264; 26th, temperature and
sounding, 267; 28th, temperature,
268; 30th, 269; latitude and longi-
tude, 270

Arc Aurora, 242, 253, 254

Arctic, redeeming features in the, 295

Artificial light, 316, 318, 367

Arctowski, Henryk, geologist, 42 ; on
Auguste Island, 132, 133, 136, 139,
141, 158, 175, 181 ; interviewed by
sea-leopard, 211 ; in the crow's-nest,
216; arranging a new system, 241,
248, 280 ; working in the laboratory,
299, 300; saying of, 334, 335, 336;
on deck, 337, 34.7 ; record of, 391

Astrup Eivind, 147

Atmosphere, clearness of, 145

Auguste Island, 138; landing at, 131-

133
August second, 358
Aurora, patches of, 236
Auroras, 212, 214, 225, 226, 258, 296,

297, 324, 335, 337, 343
Auroras, antarctic, average strength of,

262
Auroral display, 238

" Baking treatment," 322, 331, 336, 351

Balaenoptera Sibbaldi, 369

Banquet, Rio Belgian, 9, 10

Barrier, 356

Barros, Trudente de Moreas, Presi-
dent, 9, 13; attempt to assassinate,
28

Bay-ice, 186

Bay of Rio, parting view of, 15

Beagle channel, eastward through,
119

Beauty contest, 250 ; official record of,
251, 252 ; disputes arising out of, 254

Bellingshausen, 164, 266

Belgian Consulate, visitor from, 28

471

INDEX

Belgian national feasts, 336
Belgians, modesty of, 240

Belgica, expedition ship, 4-6; on board
the, 13; leaves Rio, 16; sleep on the,
17-19; young bachelors of, 36; pur-
chase of, 41, 42 ; public exhibition
of, 44 ; flag of, 46, 48 ; crowded decks
of, 46; appearance of, 50, 51; con-
struction, 51-53; equipment, 53, 55;
laboratory, 55 ; library, 56 ; quarters,
56, 57; life on, 58; leaves Monte-
video, 59, 62, 63; through \hQ pam-
pero, 64 ; garb for the south pole, 65 ;
Chaplain's duties on, 69, 70, 72, 76,
17^ 97. 98; strikes a reef, 119-121,
137; anchoring to an iceberg, 140;
cruise to the_ south, 143, 154, 164,
170; ploughs between heavy masses
of ice, 178, 179, 183, 187 ; refuses to
mind the helm, 191, 192 ; runs before
the storm, 194-196, 205 ; fear for, 220,
234, 240, 246, 249 ; housing of, 256, 257 ;
serious drift of, 264, 274 ; setding of,
268; in icefloe, 275, 278-280; normal
air of, 290, 293, 296, 297 ; in ice-walls,
298, 304, 306, 312; alive with weird
noises, 314, 318, 320, 333, 343; only
speck of human life, 352 ; position of,
359. 361 ; prepared for sea, 369, 371,
375 ; injurious effect on, 376 ; in huge
drift, 380, 381, 384, 385; liberating
the, 393-399. 405

Belgica Strait, 135 ; position and land-
marks of, 146-149; navigation of,
147. 154. 192

Belgmm, Royal Society of, 406

Bird, a new, 377

Bird's-eye view, pictures of, 217

Biscoe, Captain, 129, 147

Birds, resting places for, 141

Bismarck Inlet, 169

Bismarck Strait, 154

Blackness, effect of, 281-283

Blake, the, exploring ship, 43

Blessing, Dr., 321

Blow-holes, 328

Bon voyage, wishes for, 12, 14, 16

Borgen Bay, debarkments in, 146

Bransfield Strait, 128, 147

Brazilian Coast, 16, 18, 19

Brialmont Bay. See Weddell Sea

Bridges, Lucas, Mr., 120

Bridges, Thomas, Mr., 97

British explorers, custom of, 240

Brooklyn Island, 144, 148

Brussels, municipality of, 406

Brussels, Royal Geographical Society
of, 40, 406

Buls Bay, 141

Bunks, 65

Butter, substitute for, 61

Calculation, careful, 281
Calm, unexpected, 224

Camping equipments, impracticability

of, 274
Camp, site for a, 353
Canal, entering a, 144
Canal-making, 396-399
Canned foods, disgust with, 302, 303
Canvas suits ineffective, 325
Cape Anna, debarkment at, 140, 141,

14s

Cape Castillo, 22

Cape Eivind Astrup, 146

Cape Errera, 147

Cape Horn, south of, 121-123

Cape Lancaster, 147

Cape Murray, off", 143

Cape Polonio, in harbour of, 21 ; ashore
at, 25-27

Cape Reclus, rounded, 144

Cape Reynard, 147

Cape von Sterneck, altitude of, 135

Castillo Island, off', 20-22

Castine, cruiser, 32

Cheerlessness, 319

Chenal de la Plata, 144

Christensen, Mr., 42

Christmas in midsummer, 385, 386

Chronometers regelated, 324

Cincinnati, cruiser, 13

Circumpolar ocean, characteristic ice
of, 170

Cleopatra, the, wreck of, 69

Clouds, luminous, 270 ; stratus and al-
tro stratus, 193

Coaster, Brazilian, 18, 19

Coast, following the, 138

Coast-pilot, French, budget of, 72

Colchicoli, 107

Cockburn Channel, in, 94

Coldest period of the year, 362, 363

Cold metal, contact with, 262, 263

Cold not a serious cause of suffering,
257

Colony, Belgian, 59

Colours sparingly distributed, 184

Cornet, 382

Coming of the night, preparing for the,
208

Comparisons, 172, 173

Complaints, 206, 207, 231, 330

Conclusion, one, 374, 375

Constellations, new, 17, 18

Contrast, weird, 196

Cook, Captain, 223, 266

Cook, Frederick A., Dr., joins ant-
arctic expedition, 3-5, 7, 19, 21 ; vol-
unteers services to expedition, 47, 48 ;
on the Belgica, 50; visits sheep farm,
72-76 ; efforts to return to the Belgica,
76, 'j^ ; aids Wiencke, 127; attempts to
land, 132, 133, 158; responds to call,
141, 179; rescues Gerlache, 189; plans
of, 192 ; sleeping on a floe, 212-215 .*
views ice-pack from crow's-nest, 216-
218, 239, 243, 248; gives aid, 249,
272; impressions, 287; literary work,
300; omits breakfast, 304, 305; sees

472

INDEX

Danco's illness, 309 ; birthday of, 313,
314 ; experience of, 321 ; method of
treatment, 322 ; diagnosis of Le-
cointe's case, 331 ; treats Lecointe,
333, 378 ; resolve of, 382 ; plans ship's
release, 393
Crab-eating seals, 229, 242, 243
Crow's-nest, 53; view of pack from,
216-218

Dallman, German sealer, 129, 155

Danco, Emile, magnetician, 42, 43, 56,
136, 141, 142, 143, 149, 239; unable to
journey farther, 240; building a hut,
241, 259, 263 ; contrivance of, 273 ;
observatory of, 280; illness of, 287,
292 ; steadily faihng, 296 ; keeping up,
300 ; sinking rapidly, 303 ; faihng, 309 ;
death of, 310 ; burial of, 311, 312, 331

Dancoland, 137. i43. I44. 149- ^74

Darkness, soul-despairing, 295

Darkness, veil of, 276

Darwin, 96

Dawn, along, 334; shades of 335

Day of departure, guesses at, 378

Day, the darkest, 323

Days and nights, change in length ot,
221

Days of misery, 160; rapidly getting
shorter, 184, 248 ; the darkest, 323; of
promise, 342, 343; of feasting, 343

Debarkment, ready for, 29 ; fourteenth,

145

December second, latitude and longi-
tude, 378 ; temperature, 379 ; six-
teenth, temperature, 381

Deception Island, 126, 192

Deep-sea creatures, 268, 269

De Gamboa, Pedro Sarmiento, surveys
Magellan Strait, 83

De Gerlache, Adrien, Commandant, 4,
S, 22; projects exploring expedition,
39; secures the Belgica, 41, 42 ; visits
Norway, 41, 43; sinks financial sup-
port, 44; room of, 56, 57; attempts to
land on Auguste Island, 132, 133, 141,
142, 158, 183; inclines to winter in the
pack, 191, 239, 244, 248, 287 ; work on
ship's log, 300 ; order of, 327, 335 ;
opinion of, 349, 372

Departing day, last signs of, 286

Deplorable condition, 336

Depth, increase in, 276

Despondency, 312

Destination, deceptive nearness of, 352,

353
Destiny, doubtful, 199-201
Destruction, threatened, 280
Detroit de la Belgica, 147
Diet, 351

Disc snowshoes, 353
Discoveries, names affixed to, 131 ; on

the threshold of, 154
Diurnal range, greatest, 381

Dobrowolski, Ass. Meteorologist, 182 ;
assists Lecointe, 263, 336

Doyle, A. Conan, 308

Drake, Francis, Sir, 24; through Ma-
gellan Strait, 83

Dredges, trawls and, 54

Drift, 209, 210, 262-266, 269, 271, 276,
297. 315. 337. 338 ; longitudinal, 367,
378

Drift-snow, 227

Duke de leche, 61

Easter Sunday 254, 255

Edges of the fields, difficulty in deter-
mining, 363

El Cerro, Mount of, 29

Electric glow, 247

Electricity, 273

Elizabeth, Queen, 24

Ehzabeth Island, debarkment at, 77:
sheep-farming on, 77, 78; discovery
by Drake, 78.

Embalmed meats, 208, 232

Energy decreasing, 300

Escapes, narrow, 150

Eskimo model, 336, 337

Evaporation, 351

Exact latitude, uncertainty of, 342

Excursion to iceberg, 286-288

Expedition, entire success of, 406

Extended outing, longing for, 345

Exercise, 334

Expedition, Belgian Antarctic, in Rio, 4,
6,7; farewell to, 12; project of, 40-45 ;
feast for, 44; leaves Antwerp, 45; at
Ostend, 46; accepts Dr. Cook's ser-
vices, 47; leaves Ostend, 48, 49; pre-
pared for scientific study, 53 ; dis-
comforts of, 93, 96

Expedition, Danish East Greenland, 43

Expedition, Vega, 45

Favourite temperature, 297

Feast, subscription, 44

February 7th, 8th, 144; 9th, 146; 12th,
150-152; 13th, 152; 14th, 156-159;
15th, 159; i6th, 162; longitude, 164;
17th, rate of speed, 167, 168; 18th,
169; 19th, longitude, 172; sounding,
175; 20th, temperature, 177; 21st,
t8o; temperature and position, 183,
184; 22d, 184; temperature, 187; 23d,
188-192; latitude and longitude, 189;
24th, 192; 25th, temperature and po-
sition, 193; 27th, latitude and longi-
tude, 193, 194; 28th, 194

Fire, excitement of a, 21, 246

First duty, 208

Fishing through a sounding-hole, 284

Fish, pelagic, 193

Fiskabolla, 233 ; hatred of, 244

Fissures, large, 268

473

INDEX

Fletcher, Rev. Mr. , notes of, 24, 25

Floes, mysterious turning of, 210 ; ten-
dency of, 239; disheartening change
of, 278-280 ; grown to encouraging
dimensions, 305; protecting, 306;
charged with bergs, 375 ; lessening
slowly, 381

Flores Island, heading for, 28

Food, dissatisfaction with, 231-233,

^ 397, 398, 40s

Force expended, 297

Fuegian hfe, studies of, 192

Fuegians, the unknown, 98

Fuel, necessary to economise, 256

Fur sealers, American, 129

Game, difficulty of bringing in, 243
Gaston Islands, 138
Geographical problems proven, 265
Giant petrels, 222, 223
Glaciers, 124
Gold-mining, 86, 89, 90
Government, Chilean, 100
Grahamland, 148, 151, 152, 155, 192;

questions as to coast of, 163
Grand Island, 148
Gray days, 204

Greenland, regions about, 295
Gregory Bay, landing in, 69-72

Hail storm, debarking in, 30
Halos, 363

Harry Island, landing on, 136, 137
Health, 301, 302, 307, 334, 335, 362
Heart action, 291, 292
Heated discussions, 327
Heavens, brightness of the, 247
High temperature, danger of, 296
Highway, 147, 197
Hoarfrost, fur of, 351
Home-going, 400, 401
Hope Harbour, in, 92
Horizon, cheerful glow of, 336
Horses, Patagonian, 72, 73
" Hotel," captain's, 280
Hotel Oriental, night's rest in, 31
Housebuilding, 248, 249
Hovgaard, Captain, 45
Howard, Mr. Thomas W., U. S. Con-
sul to Uruguay, 37
Hughes Inlet, in, 133, 134
Humidity, suffering caused by, 257
Hummocks, 273, 287

Ice, wall of, 128, 130, 135-139 ; varieties
of, 153 ; new world of, 154, 155 ; start
out over the, 179; rambling through,
202 ; signs of pressure on the, 225 ;
crevassed, 239; commotion in the,
253 ; spreading of the, 255 ; new, 328 ;
purple, 335; experience of greenish

yellow, 353; now most continuous,
363 ; studying the changes of, 386-
388 ; thickness of, 388
Icebergs, the first, 122, 129 ; grazing on,
168, 169 ; seventy-eight, 175 ; differ-
ent forms ascribed to, 180-182, 195-
198 ; disturbing element of, 229, 230 ;
huge tabular, 239; changing posi-
tions of, 305 ; winter effect upon, 330,

384
Ice-blink, 161, X95, 198
Ice crystals, 245, 260, 287
Ice-fields, 287
Ice-flowers, 237, 238
Ice-pack, colours of the, 225
Ice pans, size of, 197
Ice-plain, snowless, 380
Ice-ramming, two days or, 198
Ice-surface, condition of, 350, 351
Ice-haze, opaque circle of, 371
Igloo, 357, 358

Imprisoned in sight of open sea, 400
Incident, startling, 285, 286
Indian huts, sites of, 95
Individual floes, movement among, 274,

275
Insomnia, 374
Islands, 94, 95

Jackson apparatus, 354

January ist, 386; 5th, 390; 9th, 391;
sounding, 392 ; 12th, 393

Johansen, 336

Journey due north, 239, 240

June ist, 303, 304; 2d, temperature,
304; 3d, 305 ; temperature, 308 ; 4th,
309 ; 5th, 310; 7th, 311 ; temperature,
312 ; loth, 312 ; temperature, latitude
and longitude, 314; loth, tempera-
ture, 329; I2th, temperature, 214;
19th, temperature, 318 ; 22d, temper-
ature, 323; 24th, temperature, lati-
tude and longitude, 324; 26th, 325;
29th, 326

July 4th, Independence Day, 327 ; 8th,
temperature, 328; 12th, 330; 14th,
temperature, 333; isth, 334; 17th,
334 ; 2ist, temperature, 335 ; latitude
and longitude, 337; 22d, 339; 23d,
342; temperature, 343; 24th, 343;
temperature, 344; 25th, 344; 31st,
temperature, 350, 354'

Jupiter, 324

Kartenaar, the, cruiser, 46
Keeping watch, 360, 361
Killing a seal, 222
Knudsen, 125, 336
Koren, Y., 182, 242, 243
Kydbolla, 232, 233

Labours appreciated, 406

Lamp chimneys, substitutes for, 318

474

INDEX

Lamplight necessary, 269

Lamp specialist, 318

Land life, forms of, 18

Larder, addition to, 330

Larsen Islands, debarkment on, 138, 139

Latitude and longitude, 189, 198

Latitude, 194 ; farthest south, 297

Laurys, Consul, 8

Lawrence, John, Mr., 97

Leads, large, 235; large open, 236;
converted into lakes, 237 ; breadth of,
239; green colours of, 262; general
direction of. 353, 368, 379

Lecointe, George, captain, 4; describes
final departure, 48, 49, 56, 57; victim
of Mai de Mer, 66 ; visits sheep farm,
72-76 ; efforts to return to the Belgica,
76, TJ ; volunteers to rescue Wiencke,
127, 128, 136; reports discovery of
islands, 143; sees first south polar
star, 162, 164, 181 ; obtains an obser-
vation, 189, 215, 221 ; pays a forfeit,
244; puts up box-shaped house, 248;
first observation in new house, 249;
mending instruments, 259 ; tries ob-
servations, 261; sighting the stars,
262, 263, 276; sees inexplicable light,
285 ; deduces position, 297 ; completes
details, 300 ; certificate presented by,
313 ; experiment of, 314 ; in the " bak-
ing treatment," 321 ; good humour of,
330; bad symptoms of, 331 ; recovery
of, 333 ; elation of, 337 ; appearance
of, 341, 349, 378; observations, 391,

395 „ , .
Legation, Belgian, 3
Leopold, King, 41 ; visits the Belgica,

47 ; birthday of, 249, 250, 386, 406
Leptonychotes WeddelU, 383
Le Maire, navigator, 83
Lichens, moss and, 141
Liege Island, 137, 145, 148
Life, only cheerful, 183; on the pack,

202 ; value of, 372
Livingston Island, 123, 124
Light daily increasing, 330
Loboden Carcinophaga, 368, 383
Londonderry Is and, on, 95, 96
Long night, commencement of, 278;

fifth day of, 288
Low Island, 128

Machine, Monacho, 55

Magalhaes, Fernao de, 67-69

Magelestris, 186

Magellan, 82, 98

Magellan Strait, fortification of, 83

Magdalene Sound, through, 93

Mail, reading the, 405

Mainland, continuation of, 162

Mai de mer, 65, 66

March ist, latitude and longitude, 264;

4th, 201; sounding, 202; 13th, 206;

iStlf, 211; i6th, 214; temperature,

218; 17th, temperature, 221; i8th,
221; 19th, 223; 2oth, temperature,
latitude and longitude, 227; 21st, 230;
22d, temperature, 234 ; 23d, tempera-
ture, 234; 25th, 236; 26th, temper-
ature, 237; 27th, 238; 28th, 241, 401;
29th, 241 ; 31st, temperature, 243

Maury, Lieutenant, 54

May I, 274; i6th, latitude and longi-
tude, 281 ; 17th, 283 ; temperature,
284; i8th, 286; health and spirits,
289-292; 22d, temperature, 292; 27th,
temperature, 294; 29th, 296; temper-
ature, 297; 31st, latitude, 367; lati-
tude and longitude, 297; tempera-
ture, 298

Meal, a needed, 354 ; time in preparing
a, 356

Medicament of Uttle service, 331, 332

Megaptera Boops, 369

Melaerts, J., 336

Men, humorous and sorrowful sight of,
173 ; kept busy, 305

Menendez, Alexander, Chilean sheep-
farmer, 72, 73-75, 107

Mending, 259

Meteorological work, 300

Michotte, the cook, importance of, 182 ;
strength of, 331

Midnight, darkest days of, 318-321

Midnight thaw, 318

Mirage of the moon, 299

Mirages seen for the first time, 184

Mission, success of, 390, 391

Mist, opaque, 361

Monotony, effect of, 301

Mount Alio, 130, 138

Mount Brugman, 137

Mount Buena Vista, form of, 22

Mount Pierre, 130

Mount Sarmiento, glaciers of, 94

Mount Wilham, 147

Montevideo, cable message to, 405 ; in
the harbour of, 28 ; city of, 29, 31-33 ;
University of, 33 ; time spent in, 35 ;
promenades of, 36; charming women
of, 36, 37 ; general impressions of, 38

Monte- Video, San Felipe de, 31

Month of August, disappointment in,
362

Months, happiest, 270, 271

Moon, anomalous faces of the, 206;
curious attraction of the, 247; first
glimpse of, 269, 270

Monotony, 326

Mother Earth, substitute for, 306

Murray, John, "Antarctica" of, 265

Mysterious land signs of, 185, 186

Nansen, Fridtjof, Dr., 43 ; wires Belgian
expedition, 45 ; health of crew of, 321 ;
pattern of, 347; tent plans of, 348
Nansen Island, 144, 148
" Nansen," the mascot, 325, 326

475

INDEX

Narratives, part suppressed of, 290

Nautical observations, conditions per-
mitting, 172

Navigation, extreme difficulty of, 185

Navigation, season for, 188

Neumayer Channel, 148

Neumayer, Dr., 45

New^s, happiest, 338

Newspapers, 404

Newly discovered land, formal taking
possession of, 240

New Year's Day, 386-389

Nights, character of, 176, 177

Night of special interest, 151, 152

Noises, 132, 187, 197, 198, 297

Noonatak, ascent of a, 141-143

Noonataks, 138

Nordenskiold, Professor, 39

Notable sights, 146

Northerly winds, characteristic of, 261

November 4th, 18; 7th, 19; 8th, 20;
loth, 27; 9th, 373; i6th, storm on,
61-64; 25th, latitude and longitude,
373 ; 26th, 274, 376; temperature, 375 ;
27th, temperature, 377

Observations, 263

Occupations, 269, 382

Oceanography, 54

October 15th, 367; 29th, 30

Officers and men, work of, 397, 398

Official holidays, 336

Official weather forecasts, 350

Ogmorhynus Leptonyx, 383

Ommatophoca Rossi, 392

Onas, notes on the, 97 ; the giant, 99 ;
homes of, 99, 100; trouble with, 100,
loi ; population, 102, 103 ; physical
development, 103, 104 ; mental equip-
ment, 104 ; language, 105 ; food, 105,
106; delegation to sheep farm, io6-
108 ; weapons, 108, 109 ; chase, 109,
no; clothing, no; house, in; family,
112; Ona girl, 112-114; marriage re-
lations, 114-116; unwritten laws, 116,
117; morals, 117, 118

Open leads, no, 336

Open sea, heading for the, 400

Open spaces of water, special study in
finding, 363, 364

Opinion, difference of, 206, 207

Ossifraga gigantea, 186, 383

Osterrieth, Madame, 44

Osterrieth Mountains, 146

Outhouses, 273, 280

Outlook, melancholy, 294

Pack, expansion of, 228, 229 ; appear-
ance of, in drift snow, 235 ; danger of
venturing over the, 268 ; movement in
the, 374, 375

Pack-ice, southward through the, 163,
164 ; in the, 183 ; travelling over, 386,
last latitude of, 400

" Pack Loafer's World," 232

Pagodroma nivea, 381

Palmer archipelago, 148

Palmer, Nathaniel, Captain, 129, 148

Pampero, 61-64

Panorama, view of new, 163

Pans separated, 359, 360; diminution
of, 379

Paraselenas, 247, 258, 363

Parhelias, 245, 247, 258, 260, 363, 371

Patagonia, along the coast of, 64-66;
sheep farming in, 73-75

Paths, 273

Patria, the, 41

Peary, Arctic Expedition, 331

Peary, Lieutenant, 147, 316

Peary, Mrs,, 7

Peculiar phenomena, 389

Pedersen, Captain, 41

Penguins, 78, 79; city of, 143, 186, 187;
royal, 193, 198, 201, 202, 210; weird
response of, 224, 229 ; meat use of,
234 ; group of, 235 ; tracks, direction
of, 239 ; meat, 333, 334 ; hunting, new
system of, 382

Peter Island, 202, 265

Petrels, 193, 198,201, 218, 229

Phosphorescent snow, 286

Phosphorescence, tests of, 367, 368

Photographic, day, a, 145

Photographs, feeble light for, 262, 293,

373

Photograph, midnight, 144

Physical appearance, 398

Physical loss, 291

Physiognomies, curious, 404

Polar anaemia, 302, 321, 322, 331

Polar farm, 279

Polar night, attractions of, 366

Polar regions, reasons for fascination
of, 218-220

Polar river, great, 356

Polar summer, passing into, 370

Polar work, Brazilian versions of, 7

Port Famine, 84

Predecessors, historical record of, 129,
130

Premonitions, 190

Presidents, methods for changing, 28,
29

Pressure, great, 298

Prismatic effects, 260

Programmes, long series of new, 192,
372

Punta Arenas, growth of, 80; aston-
ishing character, 81, 82; history of,
82-86; street scenes, 86-88; location,
88 ; result of discoveries, 88-90 ; archi-
tecture, 90; immigrants, 90, 91 ; leav-
ing, 92 ; in port at, 401-405

Questions, 315

476

INDEX

Racovitza, Emile, zoologist, in advance
of expedition, 8, 42; arrangements
made by, 81, 132, 133, 136; discovery
of, 143 ; finds sea algae, 175 ; plans
of, 192; studies, 241, 242; kills seals,
243, 244; patches pantaloons, 259;
fishes, 267, 268 ; in the laboratory,
299; plans a book, 300; humor of,
337 ; plays whist, 344 ; sees new bird,
377 ! g^ts specimens, 391 ; remark
of, 395, 40S

Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 83

Recreation, 239

Recuperation, backwardness in, 365,
366

Regions, disheartening series of, 351

Renewed interest, 342

Resting place for the night, 150

Results, 390, 391

Retribution, H. M. S., 32

Reynard, H, I., Mr., originator of first
Magellanic sheep farming, 77, 78

Rhodes, 91

Ridges, 272, 273

Rio de Janeiro, city of, 10-12

Rio de la Plata, importance of the, 22,
23 ; in the, 59, 60

Rio, from Madeira to, 17

Rio Grande do Sul, province of, 20

Rising, difficulty of, 303, 304

Ross seals, 392

Routine, regular, 301

Royal Geographical Society opens sub-
scription list, 41

Sail Rock, 125, 126

Samples of sea life, 299

SanareUi, I., Dr., Itahan bacteriologist,

33-35
Sandy Point, first sight of, 79
SchoUaert, Mr., Minister of the Interior,

44
Schouten, navigator, 83
Scene, a despairing, 196; fairy-like,

352
Scientific staff, short excursions of, 227 ;

return home of, 405
Sea algae, 175, 217, 286
Sea-ice, 229, 230
Sea lanes, 217
Sea-leopard, 210, 211
Seals, 186, 198, 201, 202, 210, 328, 329;

examine tent, 360; killed, 277; means

of obtaining, 382
Sealers, Norwegian, 40
Sealing, 27
" Seal, new," 180
Seal shooting, 293
Securing game, efforts in, 364
Sensation, a strange, 199
September 8th, temperature, 363
Settlement, penal, 84, 85

Sheep farming, 73-76, 86, 89, 100, 102

Ship arranged for the winter, 271, 272

Short-lived hilarity, cause of, 372, 373

Sierra Du Fief, 147

Sight, an exciting, 204-206

Signs, constant, 203; deceptive, 186;
of nearness to open sea, 275, 276

Silence, 343

Situation, a curious, 199

Ski, on, 235, 239, 248, 274, 306, 319, 320,
329, 353, 384

Ski-traveUing, excellent, 239

Skis and sledges, difficulty of using,
242

Skis, Norwegian, 228

Sledge journeys, 349

Sledges, lesson learned regarding, 244

Sledging party, return of, 359, 362

Sledge-shoeing, 351

Sledging-party, 349

Sledge traveUing, 350-353. 355. 3S6,
359-362

Sleep, character of, 201

Sleeping-bacf. 212, 214

Smith Island, 123

Snowfall, total, 379

Snow, filled with, 371, 372

Snowhouse, building the second, 356,
357 J sojourn in, 358

Snow made adhesive, 242

Snow-shoes, 222 ; travel on, 228

Snow showers, 376

Social enthusiasm worn out, 385, 386

Society, Rio Geographical, 10, 12

Sohd ground, longing for, 386

Solvay, Mr., promoter of science, 40

Sophie Rocks, opposite, 144

Sounding, 202 ; deep-sea, 189

Soundings, 121, 122

South America, milk and butter in, 60,
61 ; most noted man in, 33

South American cities, growth of, 25

Southern cross, 315

South polar exploration, season for, 43

South polar lands shielded, 203

South Shetland Islands, 121-125, 128,
129

Special feast, 313

Star, first south polar, 162

Steaming slowly westward, 152

Staten Island, final adieu at, 121

Steuben rach, Mr., 100

Storm, a melancholy, 126-128; demons,
62-64; effect of, 220-224; off Pata-
gonia, 61-64; on the edge of the
pack, 194-197

Storms, temperature after, 227

Stoves, 316-318

Strait of Magellan, in the, 69-71

Suits, different styles of, 347

Summer nightless days, 373, 374

Sun, a peep at the, 224 ; unreliable as a
fixed point, 261 ; sight of the return-
ing, 339-342 ; normal face of the, 344,
345 ; highest altitude of, 387
Sun effect, 283, 284

477

INDEX

Sunset phenomena, 187, 188, 190 ; strik-
ingly beautiful, 19, 20
Sunday jaunt, 293
Sunday, observance of, 296
Sunburst, slight suggestion of, 277, 278
Sunshine, rarity of, 376
Surroundings, new charms of, 201
Surprise, ornithological, 171
Survey, 145
System, American Sigsbee, 54

Van Mirlo, desperate effort of, 361

Van Wyck Island, 148

Van Wyck, Mayor, 148

View, general aspect of, 272, 273

Vapour, peculiar, 287

Ventilation, best means of, 256

Vessel, desperate attempt to reach,

361, 362
View, superb, 136, 137
Volunteers called for, 141
Visit of penguins and seals, 210

Tabular iceberg, deceptive nearness of,

352; distance and appearance of, 355,

356 ; reached, 383-385
Task, first large, 121
Temperature, 137, 209, 210, 218, 224,

333 ; maximum and minimum, 363,

372, 373 ; normal, 377, 383
Temperatures at various depths, 189
Tent pitched, 353, 354
Tents, 348
Terre de Danco, 149
Thaw coming, 222
Tierra del Fuego, 186, 390
Tollefsen, 179; permanently deranged,

385
Top line, 287
Tonite, 53; explosive power of, 394,

395
Tent pitched, 360, 361
Totro, the, gunboat, 92
Tracks, 335

Transformation, rapid, 208, 209
Treatment, system of, 332
Trenches, cutting, 393, 394
Triangulation, sights made for, 138
Trophies, 385

Tropical night, approach of, 16
Twilight, bright blue, 344; midday,

288, 299
Two days gale, 370-372
Two Hummock Islands, 136

Undercurrent, suggestion of an, 375
Uruguay, sandy beds of, 27, 28 ; popu-
lation, 31 ; imports, 32 ; fruit and
vegetables of, 60
Ushuaia, small town of, 97

Van den Steen, Count, Minister of Bel-
gian Legation, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16

Walk, awkward, 402, 403

Wandel, Commander, of Copenhagen,
43

Warm weather, constant complaints of,
277

Watches, 355

Water-sky, 171, 185, 187, 217, 305

Water supply, 139, 140

Wauwermans Islands, 147

Weather unendurable, 308

Weddell sea-leopards, 356

Weddell Sea, search for opening into,
135

Welcoming the day, 342

Westerly, a chance to push, 193

Whaleboat Sound, in, 94, 95

Whist, game of, 304

White House, 8

White rainbow, or fog-eater, 262

White Squadron, 32

Wiencke, loss of, 126-128

Wiencke Island, 147

Wild life, stirs of, 165

Wilhelmina Bay, 143

Wilhelmina, Queen, 46, 386

Wilke's " appearance of land," 266

" Williwaws," 93

Wind, fury of the, 20, 21 ; weather de-
pending on the, 258, 310 ; service of,
388

Winter campaign of work, 241

Wintering in the pack, opposition to,
191, 192

Work, first and most important, 271

Women, first glimpse of, 403

Yacht Club, Antwerp, 46
Yahgans, 99
Yankee Harbour, 192
Yellow fever, germ of, 33-3S

478

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Full text of "Through the first Antarctic night, 1898-1899 : a narrative of the voyage of the "Belgica" among newly discovered lands and over an unknown sea about the South pole"

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