Qass 
 Book_ 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 
 
THE MAP OF ORONTIUS, SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE 
 
 From Nordenslcjold's "Facsimile Atlas" 
 
THE SEVENTH 
 CONTINENT 
 
 A HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY AND 
 EXPLORATIONS OF ANTARCTICA 
 
 HELEN S. WRIGHT 
 
 AUTHOR OF "the GREAT WHITE NORTH," ETC. 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 ART1«V6RITATI 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 RICHARD G. BADGER 
 
 THE GORHAM PRESS 
 
COPTRIGHT, 1918, BY RiCHABD G. BadGBR 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 \4^ 
 
 ®Gi.A49990a 
 
 Made in the United States of America 
 
 The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. 
 
 JUL 29 I5i8 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. South Polar Pioneers 9 
 
 II. Captain Cook's First Voyage to the Southern 
 
 Sea 32 
 
 III. Later Voyages of Captain Cook .... 50 
 
 IV. Early American Enterprise in Antarctic 
 
 Discovery 70 
 
 V. South Polar Animals 92 
 
 VI. The French Expedition Under Captain D'Ur- 
 
 VILLE 112 
 
 VII. The American Expedition Under Captain 
 
 Wilkes 130 
 
 VIII. The English Expedition Under Captain Ross 154 
 
 IX. The Voyage of the Challenger .... 175 
 
 X. An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 195 
 
 XI. The Belgian Scientific Expedition .... 218 
 
 XII. Captain Scott's Explorations 240 
 
 XIII. The German Expedition 263 
 
 XIV. Lieutenant Shackleton's Voyage . . . . 288 
 XV. Shackleton's Southern Journey .... 309 
 
 XVI. Heroes of the Antarctic . . . . . . 328 
 
 XVII. Explorers from Many Lands 343 
 
 XVIII. The Australasian Expedition Under Sir 
 
 Douglas Mawson 359 
 
 XIX. Shackleton's Latest Antarctic Expedition 372 
 
 Bibliography 379 
 
 Index 383 
 
 3 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 / 
 
 PACING PAGE 
 
 The Map of Orontius, Southern Hemisphere . . Frontispiece 
 
 Magellan Passing his Straits . 16 
 
 Sir Francis Drake 22 
 
 The Continuous Southern Ocean 30 '/ 
 
 Captain James Cook 40 v^ 
 
 Gold Medal Presented to Capt. Cook by the Royal 
 Society 60 v^ 
 
 The "Endeavor" Approaching Otaheite 66 - 
 
 Sea Leopard 78 
 
 Brig "Jane" and Cutter "Beaufort" Passing through a 
 Chain of Ice Islands 88 
 
 A Bull Sea Elephant 96 
 
 A Sea Lion Hunt 102 
 
 Admiral Dumont d'Urville 112' 
 
 The "Astrolabe" and "Zelee" in the Ice 120 
 
 "Peacock" in Contact with Icebergs 130 
 
 "Vincennes" in Disappointment Bay 136 
 
 Captain Charles Wilkes 146 
 
 View of the Antarctic Continent 152 
 
 Catching the Great Penguins 162 
 
 The Great Southern Barrier 178 
 
 An Iceberg 188 
 
 Antarctic Petrel 200 
 
 Wild Life Near the South Pole . 208 
 
 6 
 
6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 Aurora Australis 220 / 
 
 Capt. R. F. Scott, R.N., C.V.0 240y 
 
 The "Discovery" and Ice Barrier ....... 252' 
 
 British Antarctic Expedition 260' 
 
 Dr. N. Otto G. Nordenskjold \ 268 / 
 
 A Crevasse 304 
 
 Sir Ernest Shackleton 314 
 
 The "Aurora" 354 
 
 The "Aurora" at Anchor 364 
 
 Wild's Party at the Foot of Denman Glacier .... 376 
 
THE SEVENTH CONTINENT 
 
 THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HOMER 
 B.C. 1000 
 
THE MAP OF MACBOBIUS 
 
THE 
 SEVENTH CONTINENT 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 SOUTH POLAR PIONEERS 
 
 ROMANCE and Adventure go hand in hand, close 
 upon the heels of Tragedy. For centuries the 
 Vikings and the Britons have unfurled their 
 sails on the high seas and proudly raised their standards 
 in the most remote corners of the earth. 
 
 Amundsen returning triumphant from the field of 
 battle has received the plaudits due the conqueror, 
 while Scott, the heroic Britisher, who likewise stormed 
 the Barrier, scaled the icy ramparts and reached the 
 goal, lies with his companions where the fight was won, 
 wrapt in the death mantle of the eternal snows. 
 
 Thus have culminated the great ambitions of two 
 lives. Looking back in vista of the years, there have 
 been others who have struggled no less valiantly or 
 died with the same heroic courage and the Southern 
 Cross has had its votaries, whose love of romance and 
 adventure have led them into untold perils. 
 
 The extraordinary impetus to Arctic and Antarctic 
 exploration during the last ten years has resulted in 
 the discovery within a very brief period of one another, 
 
 9 
 
10 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the two Polar extremities of the earth. A feat which 
 fifty years ago had been considered well nigh impos- 
 sible. The Arctic has been for centuries replete with 
 romance, its history has been a constant repetition of 
 attempts, first to discover a shorter route to the Far 
 East, and latterly to reach the Pole itself. A famil- 
 iarity with conditions existing in the vast area above 
 the Arctic circle has long been common knowledge to 
 the world. 
 
 Up to within a comparatively short period little or 
 nothing has been accurately known of the South Polar 
 regions, the mystery of the Antarctic was shrouded by 
 an extraordinary obscurity. It had been approached 
 at rare and widely separated intervals by adventurous 
 mariners, some of whom blown out of their course by 
 the high winds, had drifted into its icy waters by 
 accident, others had approached its boundaries by de- 
 sign, but these first explorers did not venture to the 
 South until after the Arctic region had been for many 
 years the resort of ambitious explorers. 
 
 The Greek geographers believed in the existence of 
 a Southern Hemisphere, similar in climatic conditions 
 to the known world of the Northern Hemisphere, but 
 during the middle ages, the belief in the sphericity 
 of the earth did not reconcile itself with the Biblical 
 teachings and their theory was discredited. 
 
 It was Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal 
 who encouraged adventurous seamen to penetrate the 
 torrid zone and circumnavigate the great continent of 
 Afric^ in the hope of reaching the vast wealth of India. 
 
 One Bartholomew Diaz by doubling the Cape of Good 
 Hope in 1487, proved that an ocean separated Africa 
 from land beyond the Antarctic circle and reported the 
 
South Polar Pioneers 11 
 
 intense cold that had attended him in the passage of 
 these southern limits. 
 
 The Court of Spain was not unmindful of the im- 
 portance of following up the discoveries of Columbus, 
 or slow to take advantage of her prestige with the Pope 
 of Rome, the source whence all new rights to sover- 
 eignty were derived, which secured the sanction of the 
 too famous Alexander VI in a bull of donation assigned 
 to Spain in her controversy with Portugal, fixing the 
 limits of partition by a meridian drawn 100 leagues 
 west of the Azores and Cape de Verde Islands, giving 
 to Spain the dominion of all lands newly discovered, 
 or to be discovered, as far as 180 degrees west of this 
 line, and to Portugal that which lay eastward of the 
 meridian assumed. 
 
 England and France disclaimed the right of the holy 
 father to extend so generous a gift, and the French 
 king is quoted as demanding to see the will of Father 
 Adam before assuring himself that such donations were 
 exclusively for favored princes. 
 
 Spain and Portugal found no fault with the pope's 
 gift, nor did they question his right to divide the un- 
 known world between them, therefore in the succeeding 
 years, as occasion offered, they profited by their alleged 
 rights in the new world to rob and plunder the heathen 
 Indian to the limit of their powers, though differences 
 as to the limits of partition in the area of spoliation 
 frequently arose. 
 
 The rapid advance in the North American discoveries 
 followed closely upon the discovery by Columbus. 
 Vague conjectures were formulated as to the possibili- 
 ties of land and seas which might lie to the south, for 
 little that was accurate or definite was known. 
 
12 The Seventh Cantment 
 
 One of the most renowned adventurers of the eaxly 
 day was Vincent Yanez Pinzon, one of three remark- 
 able brothers, who had sailed with Columbus on his 
 first great voyage. 
 
 In December, 1499, Vincent Yanez sailed from Palos, 
 in Andalusia, with a fleet of four caravels, accompanied 
 by two nephews, the sons of his deceased brother, Mar- 
 tin Alozo, and a number of seamen and pilots who had 
 sailed with Columbus in his last expedition to the coast 
 of Paria. At a distance of about three hundred leagues 
 from the Cape de Verde Islands, just after passing the 
 equinoctial line, they were overtaken by fearful storms 
 and drifted far to the south before the tempest. When 
 the hurricane abated and the heavens brightened, they 
 found, much to their dismay, the Polar Star was no 
 longer to be seen. Deprived of their only guide, the 
 mariners were adrift in the great ocean of the Southern 
 Hemisphere. 
 
 At this date the beautiful constellation of the South- 
 ern Cross was not recognized as the guide to hardy 
 mariners in these new seas. Pinzon, nevertheless, un- 
 daunted by the strange surroundings of his precarious 
 situation, resolutely sailed to the southwest, and on Jan- 
 uary 20, 1500, beheld a prominent point of land on the 
 new continent, now known as Cape St. Augustine, a 
 part of the empire of Brazil. Pinzon landed and took 
 formal possession in the name of Spain. He continued 
 his voyage along the coast to the mouth of the Amazon, 
 then proceeded northward and after many perils and 
 adventures, found himself in the Gulf of Paria and 
 with a cargo of wood proceeded once more by the 
 guidance of the friendly North Star to Spain. 
 
 Other hardy mariners steered their uncertain course 
 
South Polar Pioneers 13 
 
 to the southward, notably Americus Vespucius, a Flor- 
 entine, in 1501, in the service of the King of Portugal, 
 who explored the Southern Hemisphere for 600 leagues 
 to the South and from Cape St. Augustine, 150 leagues 
 to the west, without having fallen in with the Rio de la 
 Plata, which, when later discovered by De Solis, was 
 believed to be a strait leading to the Western Ocean. 
 
 Magellan's extraordinary voyage in 1520, which re- 
 sulted in the discovery of the strait that bears his name 
 and showed that America and Asia were separated from 
 the Antarctic continent which was then believed to ex- 
 tend from Terra del Fuego southward, outrivals in 
 adventure the voyages of Columbus. Like him, Magel- 
 lan's enthusiasm for discovery had experienced all the 
 setbacks of the dreamer of dreams, but though a Portu- 
 guese by birth, his gallant services had rendered him 
 a man of world renown and his voluntary allegiance 
 to Spain awakened that nation to an interest in his 
 plans, which were to demonstrate that the shortest route 
 to the Spice Islands lay far to the south, rather than 
 through the impenetrable ice of a northwest passage — 
 thus to prove that these islands lay within Spain's legal 
 boundaries. 
 
 After months of vexatious delays and disappoint- 
 ments, Magellan organized a fleet of five vessels — the 
 ''Santo Antonio," 120 tons; ''Trinidad," 110 tons; 
 " Concepcion, " 90 tons; "Virtona," 85 tons; "San- 
 tiago," 75 tons. How rigged or masted is not known, 
 but the poop and forecastle of each was provided with 
 high ohra^s Muertas — in other words, with castles, which 
 was not uncommon at that period. These ships were 
 also decked, but though better than the caravels pro- 
 vided for Columbus, a contemporary writer, one Alva- 
 
14 The Seventh Continent 
 
 rez by name, then residing in Seville, says, ''They are 
 very old and patched and I would be sorry to sail even 
 for the Canaries in them, for their ribs are as soft as 
 butter!" 
 
 In the streets and quays of Seville the public crier 
 called for volunteers to man this fleet after it had been 
 patched up and put in readiness, and he found it so 
 difficult to raise a complement of men, that officers were 
 sent to neighboring ports, including Cadiz and Malaga, 
 and put forth their best inducements with only meagre 
 results. Nevertheless the stragglers finally materialized 
 in sufficient numbers and included a great variety of 
 different nations and characteristics. There were num- 
 bered no less than thirty-seven Portuguese who will- 
 ingly sailed under the banner of Spain; there were 
 Basques, Genoese, Sicilians, French, Germans, Flem- 
 ings, Greeks, Neapolitans, Corfiotes, Negroes, and Ma- 
 lays and one Englishman, a gunner by the name of 
 Andrew of Bristol. 
 
 The ships had been well provided with armament 
 for that day, though small arms were not greatly used, 
 the artillery included sixty-two culverines, ten fal- 
 conets and ten large bombards. A thousand lances, 
 some fifty arquebuses, two hundred cross bows, and 
 ten dozen javelins, ninety-five dozen darts, with 360 
 dozen arrows, and "sundry swords which the Captain 
 took. ' ' The list includes one hundred corselets, shoulder 
 pieces, casques, and gauntlets, together with an equal 
 number of cuirasses. As much as 5,600 pounds of 
 powder was also stored. The navigators were supplied 
 with such ''instruments" as the times produced, but 
 these were of the simplest nature — "six pairs of com- 
 passes, twenty-one wooden quadrants, seven astrotabes, 
 
South Polar Pioneers 15 
 
 thirty-five compass-needles and eighteen hour-glasses — 
 a few parchment charts prepared by Nimo Gracia. A 
 large number of articles for barter were also taken, 
 including stuffs and velvets, knives, crystals, ''which 
 are diamonds of all colours," some 20,000 bells, which 
 were evidently much desired for barter, brass bracelets 
 and "looking-glasses for women great and fayre." 
 
 With this motley crew and homogeneous cargo 
 Magellan weighed anchor Tuesday the 20th of Septem- 
 ber, 1519, and in a fair breeze the fleet pursued its 
 course into unknown seas from which the survivors 
 won immortal fame as the first circumnavigators of the 
 globe. Small wonder that during the months of priva- 
 tions and adventure in unknown and uncharted waters, 
 there was discontent and mutiny. The inexact knowl- 
 edge of the groping route followed by the fleet dis- 
 heartened the men long before privations further 
 exhausted them. 
 
 Whatever previous knowledge /Magellan may have 
 had of the existence of some Antarctic break in the 
 great barrier to a western passage, it was not definite 
 enough for his officers and men to place any faith upon 
 it. The months of weary travel along inhospitable 
 shores were discouraging to all save the intrepid leader. 
 
 The great desire of his life was crowned when the 
 entrance to tlie Straits was reached on October 21, 
 1520, and the order was given for the fleet to enter. 
 
 **0n their starboard hand they passed a cape, which, 
 since it was St. Ursula's day, they called the Cape of 
 the Eleven Thousand Virgins." The pilot, Alvo, took 
 the latitude, and found it to be 52° S. 
 
 The characteristic storms of these regions greeted 
 their entrance and in the night the vessels became 
 
16 The Seventh Continent 
 
 widely separated. Magellan gave up as lost the ships 
 ** Antonio'' and * * Concepcion, " but some hours later 
 in the lull after the hurricane, they were seen approach- 
 ing, crowding all sail and gay with pennants. Dis- 
 charging their large bombards as they approached, the 
 sailors crowded the decks and shouted for joy. 
 
 ^'Upon which," says Pigafetta, an eye witness, "we 
 united our shouts to theirs and thanking God and the 
 Blessed Virgin, resumed our journey." 
 
 Magellan penetrated the First Narrows for a distance 
 of three or four miles, then signalled the fleet to anchor, 
 and sent a boat ashore to explore the barren country. 
 
 Passing the Second Narrows, the fleet entered Broad 
 Eeach, and anchored October 28th, off an island at its 
 head. 
 
 On November 28th they emerged from the Straits 
 and two days later Magellan put the momentous prob- 
 lem to his officers demanding their opinion upon the 
 advisability of continuing the voyage. It seems all but 
 one were in favor of pushing on, but this hardly ex- 
 plains the desertion of the *'St. Antonio," with her 
 officers and crew, which basely returned to Seville, 
 reaching there May 6, 1521. This was a bitter blow 
 to Magellan, coming on the eve of his success. Never- 
 theless, he was determined to push on. There remained 
 three months' provisions and the pity of abandoning 
 his research seemed evident. Little or no conception of 
 the vastness of the Pacific disturbed his sanguine hopes 
 and it seemed most probable the Spice Islands were 
 almost within their reach. 
 
 Rounding Cape Forward Magellan anchored in the 
 river to which he gave the name of the River of Sar- 
 dines from the abundance of fish to be found there. 
 
I 
 
 MAGELLAN PASSING HIS STRAIT 
 
South Polar Pioneers 17 
 
 The passage of the strait, a distance of about 320 
 miles, occupied thirty-eight days. Faring northward 
 to escape the cold and tempest, they sailed on calmer 
 and more friendly seas. 
 
 ''Well was it named the Pacific," Pigafetta writes, 
 "for during this time (three months and twenty days) 
 we met no storm." 
 
 Skirting the west coast of Patagonia they reached 
 on December 1st latitude 48° S. at a distance of some 
 fifty or sixty miles from the coast. Day after day 
 passed with only the horizon of an endless waste of 
 waters. On January 24th, 1521, they sighted a tiny 
 island which they found to be uninhabited, and which 
 they named St. Paul's Island. Varying their course 
 from N. W. to W. N. W. they sighted a second island, 
 where, writes Pigafetta, ''We found only birds and 
 trees, but we saw there many fish called Tiburoni. 
 Since we found there neither people, nor consolation, 
 nor sustenance of any kind, the name of Desaven- 
 turadas — the Unfortunate Islands — was given this and 
 St. Paul's Island." 
 
 The condition of the men, from lack of food and 
 water, was now most pitiable. "Such a dearth of bread 
 and water was there that they ate by ounces, and held 
 their noses as they drank the water for the stench 
 of it." 
 
 "We ate biscuit," says another sufferer, "but in 
 truth it was biscuit no longer, but a powder full of 
 worms, for the worms had devoured its whole sub- 
 stance, and in addition it was stinking with the urine 
 of rats. So great was the want of food that we were 
 forced to eat the hides with which the main yard was 
 covered to prevent the chafing against the rigging. 
 
18 The Seventh Continent 
 
 These hides, exposed to the sun and rain and wind, 
 had become so hard, that we were obliged first to soften 
 them by putting them overboard for four or five days, 
 after which we put them on the embers and ate them 
 thus. We had also to make use of sawdust for food, 
 and rats became such a delicacy that we paid half a 
 ducat apiece for them." 
 
 To add to their sufferings scurvy broke out in a most 
 aggravated form and many died. 
 
 Another month passed wearily by and these poor 
 forlorn wretches looked in vain for land. Thus for 
 ninety-eight days they sailed these inhospitable seas, 
 when on March 6th the group of islands now called 
 the Mariannes or the Ladrones were sighted by the rem- 
 nant of the diminished fleet. 
 
 Guam was approached, but hardly had they dropped 
 anchor before the natives boarded the vessel and robbed 
 the enfeebled crew of everything they could lay their 
 hands on. The next day Magellan landed a force of 
 sixty men and burnt the native villages, regained his 
 stolen goods and what was most necessary, obtained 
 supplies with which to pursue his journey. 
 
 Later in March they reached the southern point of 
 the Samar Island of the Philippines, then touched at 
 Suluan, and anchored at Malhon where they first en- 
 countered the natives of the Philippine Islands. 
 
 Trading with the natives they secured provisions, an 
 abundance of fruit, cocoanuts, oranges and bananas, 
 etc., by which the seamen were rapidly restored to 
 health. 
 
 Weighing anchor Monday, March 25th, the fleet 
 struck across the eastern shores of Leyte or Seilani, 
 then to Mazata. After bartering with the natives, meet- 
 
South Polar Pioneers 19 
 
 ing the local potentate, exchanging ceremonious hos- 
 pitalities, Magellan again weighed anchor on April 4th 
 and pursued a northwest course and on Sunday, 7th 
 of April the fleet anchored at Sebu £ind later a treaty- 
 was entered into by the King and the foreign invaders. 
 
 It was only a few days after this that Magellan 
 carried away by his triumph in at last arriving at the 
 shores of plenty, and by an impassioned desire to con- 
 vert to the Catholic faith the natives whom he found 
 without creed or religion, landed a force for the pur- 
 pose of converting those people who seemed at first 
 very willing to embrace the Christian faith. Though 
 the king and 800 of his followers, with due ceremonial 
 adopted the new religion, there were other and lesser 
 chiefs who refused to accept Magellan's professions and 
 eventually this led to a miserable skirmish with the 
 natives, in which Magellan's death paid the forfeit of 
 his ambitions. 
 
 "He died," writes Pigafetta to Villiers de I'Isle 
 Adam, Grand Master of Rhodes, to whom he dedicated 
 his book giving this account: ''But I trust that your 
 Illustrious Highness will not permit his memory to be 
 lost, the more so since I see born again in you the good 
 qualities of so great a captain, one of his leading vir- 
 tues being his constancy in the worst misfortune. At 
 sea he endured hunger better than we. Greatly learned 
 in nautical charts, he knew more of the true art of 
 navigation than any other person, in sure proof whereof 
 is the wisdom and intrepidity with which — no example 
 having been afforded him — ^he attempted, and almost 
 completed, the circumnavigation of the globe. ' ' 
 
 "By birth, education and life, Magellan was a gen- 
 tleman," writes Guillemard the historian, *'nay, more, 
 
20 The Seventh Continent 
 
 an aristocrat, and aristocrate cm hottt des ongle. Of 
 noble family, reared at court, and a Queen's page, he 
 passed into the Indian service under the first Viceroy, 
 with the flower of Spain for his comrades. With such 
 a chief and fellow-officers, and at such a period, the 
 best qualities of his nature could not but become devel- 
 oped. Later, he served under Albuquerque. The fact 
 that he was in India with the two ablest Viceroys, and 
 that his long service was at the most exciting part of 
 that century 's history had doubtless not a little influence 
 upon his chgiracter. Magellan was a born leader of 
 men from sheer force of character and strength of will. 
 But there was more than mere energy in him. That 
 he was a man of considerable intelligence there is no 
 doubt from the evidence of other writers besides Piga- 
 fetta, and entirely apart from the question of whether 
 he was or was not previously aware of the existence 
 of the straits of which he went in search. But the most 
 charming trait in his character is the carelessness of 
 self which reveals itself so often in the history of his 
 life, the readiness to sacrifice himself on all occasions 
 for others. With his own hands he tended his sick crew 
 in the Philippines, after having shared on equal terms 
 with them the privations of their voyage across the 
 Pacific. With mutineers and traitors, in fact with all 
 who rebelled against authority, even if only mere 
 shirkers or grumblers, he was na doubt a hard master; 
 but to those who served him faithfully and did their 
 duty he ever remained a stanch friend. Moreover, he 
 bears a name of untarnished honour. There is no single 
 story against him, nothing to hide or to slur over, no 
 single act of cruelty even in that age of cruelties." 
 On the 6th of September, 1522, after a voyage of three 
 
South Polar Pioneers 21 
 
 years' duration, in which 14,160 leagues of sea had 
 been traversed, the survivors of Magellan's fleet, in 
 the one remaining ship, the '* Victoria," sailed into 
 St. Luca and the following day anchored at Seville. 
 Pigafetta concludes his narrative of this extraordinary 
 journey almost poetically: 
 
 *' These were mariners who surely merited an eternal 
 memory more justly than the argonauts of old. The 
 ship, too, undoubtedly deserved far better to be placed 
 among the stars than the ship 'Argo,' which from 
 Greece discovered the great sea; for this our wonderful 
 ship, taking her departure from the Straits of Gib- 
 raltar, and sailing southward through the great ocean 
 towards the Antarctic Pole, and then turning west, not 
 by sailing back, but proceeding constantly forward, so 
 compassing the globe, until she marvelously regained 
 her native country Spain." 
 
 All the sea and land discovered by Magellan were 
 claimed by Spain as its sole possession — an assumption 
 at which the other nations grumbled but long left un- 
 disputed. 
 
 That famous English Buccaneer, Sir Francis Drake, 
 noted for his qualities of firmness, talent to command, 
 perseverance, and bravery, who from sheer audacity of 
 enterprise sailed in many waters and recklessly plun- 
 dered on high seas and foreign shores, winning for 
 himself the term of the ''Master Thief of the Unknown 
 World," rose to be in high favor with Queen Elizabeth, 
 who eventually made him Admiral of England, stands 
 forth as one of the boldest Mariners of all time. 
 Through his repeated voyages into the little known 
 waters of the Southern Hemisphere, he accumulated a 
 vast amount of geographical knowledge and his most 
 
22 The Seventh Continent 
 
 important voyage, the circumnavigation of the globe 
 in 1578, proved to the world that the Tierra del Fuego 
 Archipelago was of small extent and that any continent 
 which lay to the South must be within a region of per- 
 petual winter. 
 
 At the time Drake's ambitious project was set be- 
 fore the Queen, the New World had become the grand 
 lottery of the Old, and Spain, a hated rival in wealth, 
 trade and explorations, was only nominally at peace 
 with England. It is certain that Drake's plan of a 
 voyage through Magellan's straits, held all the charac- 
 teristics of boldness and daring dear to Elizabeth's 
 heart, and his proposal to venture and trade in ports 
 claimed by Spain as her right by prior discovery, was 
 sufficient argument to convince Elizabeth that from 
 such an undertaking, if successful, would accrue great 
 advantages to the glory of England. 
 
 The plan accordingly received her decided, though 
 secret, sanction, and it is even affirmed that Drake 
 held a royal commission. However that may be, the 
 subtle Elizabeth at the parting interview with Drake 
 is said to have presented him with a sword, and deliv- 
 ered this emphatic speech: 
 
 '*We do account that he who striketh at thee, Drake, 
 striketh at us." 
 
 The squadron was ostensibly fitted out for a trading 
 voyage to Alexandria, but few were deceived by this 
 pretense, least of all the watchful Spaniards. The fleet 
 consisted of five vessels of light burthen, the largest, 
 the '* Pelican," was only one hundred tons. The others 
 were the bark ''Elizabeth," 80 tons; the fly-boat, 
 ''Swan," 50 tons; the pinnace, "Christopher," 15 tons; 
 the bark ' ' Marigold, ' ' 30 tons, and a second pinnace, the 
 
r,^ 
 
 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 
 
 From the Original Miniature by Hilliard 
 
South Polar Pioneers 23 
 
 "Benedict," 12 tons, which accompanied the ''Eliza- 
 beth." The elaborate preparations in outfitting these 
 ships, and the unusually large supply of ammunition 
 and stores gave rise to the general conclusion that this 
 fleet was contemplating an extended voyage. Drake's 
 exploits were too well known for the general belief in 
 a short voyage for the purpose of trade, and such 
 statements were given little weight. 
 
 The passage of Magellan's Straits even to a man less 
 obnoxious to the Spanish nation, was an undertaking 
 that could only be rationally entertained by a bold 
 commanding genius, relying implicitly on his own re- 
 sources. The extraordinary dangers and difficulties in- 
 cident to the navigation of these Straits had made the 
 Spaniards abandon it, and it was the common gossip of 
 Mariners that the passage had closed up. 
 
 Superstition clung about the fatal passage and it was 
 asserted that all further attempts in the South Sea 
 would prove disastrous to the Mariner. Citing as ex- 
 amples the tragic end of every celebrated discoverer 
 there, feeling was general that Providence had a con- 
 troversy with those who were so daring as to pass the 
 insuperable barriers placed between the known and the 
 unknown world. 
 
 Magellan had met his death at the hand of barbarous 
 heathens in this new region, which Europeans had no 
 sanction to approach. Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the 
 European who first saw the South Sea, was put to 
 death by his countrymen ; and De Solis had been cruelly 
 murdered by natives of Rio de la Plata, when pro- 
 ceeding to the Strait. Most of the commanders had 
 successively perished of diseases produced by the hard- 
 ships and anxiety attending the voyage. The Mariner 
 
24 The Seventh Coniinent 
 
 De Lope, who from the topmast of a ship of Magellan 's 
 fleet first saw the strait, had a fate still more dreadful 
 in the eyes of the good Catholics of' Castile, as he 
 had turned renegade and Mohammedan. 
 
 Drake had heard of these real and imaginary dangers 
 that would likely heset the trackless path of his adven- 
 turous enterprise, hut this served only to strengthen his 
 purpose. Through a long and varied experience Drake 
 knew the full value of shows and pageants and added 
 to the cargo usually exported for trade elegancies sel- 
 dom thought of by early navigators. He carried his 
 own rich and elaborate furniture and an equally elegant 
 equipage, '^silver cooking utensils and the plates of his 
 table were of rich and curious workmanship/' He 
 also carried a band of excellent musicians and in fact 
 studied every detail of his equipment with an eye to 
 impress the natives in the lands he proposed to visit 
 or discover, with the magnificence and high state of 
 refinement and of the arts of his own country. 
 
 They set sail November 15, 1577, but encountering 
 a violent gale were obliged to put back to Pl3rmouth 
 for repairs, which occupied the impatient commander 
 until the 13th of December, when they finally weighed 
 anchor and proceeded on their voyage. 
 
 Early in April they sighted the coast of Brazil. 
 
 In 471/2° South latitude seals were so plentiful that 
 putting into port the party killed upwards of 200 in 
 an hour. With brief stops for the purpose of filling 
 the water butts, killing seals and salting birds for 
 future provision, with occasional parleys with the na- 
 tives, Drake bore steadily for the Straits. On the 
 20th of May the squadron reached the Port St. Julian 
 of Magellan in 40° 30' South, where, says an eye wit- 
 
South Polar Pioneers 25 
 
 ness, *'We found the gibbet still standing on the main 
 where Magellan did execute justice upon some of his 
 rebellious and discontented company." 
 
 "When the ships were safely moored Drake and a 
 party landed and came up with a few natives — of the 
 Patagonian tribes described by Magellan. Although 
 friendly overtures were made and at first it seemed 
 as if they would meet on a peaceful footing, a skirmish 
 resulted in one fatality among the English and another 
 man was desperately wounded. Drake's presence of 
 mind in seizing the dead gunner's piece and taking 
 aim at the man who had killed Oliver and shooting 
 him saved the situation. The wounded man's cries dis- 
 persed the other natives who were approaching the 
 scene in great numbers, and doubtless saved a whole- 
 sale massacre of the English. 
 
 Drake, like Magellan, suffered the trials incident to 
 rebellious and mutinous crews. While the fleet lay at 
 Port St. Julian one Thomas Doughty, * ' a man of talent 
 and too probably of ill-regulated ambition," who had 
 served as an officer, and was said to have enjoyed to 
 a high degree the affection and confidence of Drake, 
 was accused of conspiracy and mutiny and of a plan 
 to massacre Drake and the principal officers, and as one 
 of those present tersely writes, ''Mr. Thomas Doughty 
 was brought to his answer, — accused, convicted and be- 
 headed." The merits of his case are obscure, the re- 
 sults demonstrate the prompt solution of problems that 
 confronted the old adventurers. 
 
 The ships had now been reduced to three and Drake 
 had scattered the surplus seamen upon these with a 
 view to having a compact and more manageable fleet. 
 The ships being ''trimmed", supplied with wood and 
 
26 The Seventh Continent 
 
 water, and such other necessaries as could be obtained, 
 sailed from the "port accursed" on August 17th. It 
 is recorded that while they lay at Port St. Julian the 
 weather, in July and August, was as cold as at mid- 
 winter in England. 
 
 On the 20th they rounded Cape de las Virgines, 
 entered the Strait and on the 24th anchored 30 leagues 
 within it. On the north side natives were seen making 
 great fires, but on the south side no human being could 
 be observed. The length was computed to be about 
 110 leagues. The tide setting in from both sides was 
 seen to rise some fifteen feet and met at about the 
 middle or nearer the western entrance. 
 
 On the 24th the ships came to anchor near three 
 small islands on which were innumerable ''birds (pen- 
 guins) having no wings, but short pinions which serve 
 their turn in swimming. ' ' The seamen killed some 3,000 
 of these birds which were as ' ' fat as an English Goose. ' ' 
 
 ''The land on both sides was very huge and moun- 
 tainous; the lower mountains whereof, although they 
 be very monstrous to look upon for their height, yet 
 there are others which in height exceed them in a 
 strange manner, reaching themselves above their fol- 
 lowers so high, that between them did appear three 
 regions of clouds. These mountains are covered with 
 snow at both the southerly and easterly parts of the 
 strait. There are islands among which the sea hath 
 his indraught into the straits even as it hath at the 
 main entrance. The strait is extremely cold, with frost 
 and snow continually. The trees seem to stoop with 
 the burden of the weather, and yet are green contin- 
 ually, and many good and sweet herbs do very plenti- 
 fully increase and grow under them." 
 
South Polar Pioneers 27 
 
 At the western entrance, the numerous narrow chan- 
 nels caused Drake to anchor his ships and cautiously 
 investigate their outlet and to explore these various 
 openings to the South Sea. The western entrance was 
 reached early in September and on the 6th of the 
 same month Drake sailed his British ships into the 
 South Sea. He now bore to the Northwest, but where 
 Magellan had encountered calm and pleasant seas Drake 
 met with violent and steady gales, which drove the 
 ships far out of their course to 57° South latitude and 
 some 200 leagues west of Magellan's Strait. 
 
 Upon entering the South Sea, Drake had rechristened 
 his ship the ** Golden Hind," and now in the violence 
 of the storms the ''Marigold" became separated from 
 her sister ships, the "Elizabeth" and the "Golden 
 Hind," and carried off to sea, was never heard of 
 again. On October 7th the two remaining ships found 
 shelter near the western entrance of Magellan's Strait, 
 later called the Bay of Parting Friends, where they 
 intended to anchor until the weather should abate, but 
 the violence of the gales still pursued them and in 
 the night the cable of the "Golden Hind" parted and 
 she was carried out to sea. Captain Winter of the 
 "Elizabeth," heartily sick of the trials and privations 
 the journey had cost him, made little effort to follow 
 his commander, but at daybreak once more entered the 
 Straits and pursued a course for England. The "Eliz- 
 abeth" with her captain and crew had a long, toil- 
 some journey on the homeward voyage ; it was the 11th 
 of November when she cleared the straits after her 
 desertion and June the following year before Captain 
 Winter found himself in England, "with the credit 
 of having made the passage of the straits eastward, 
 
28 The Seventh Contment 
 
 and the shame of having deserted his commander, 
 while tlie company, with nobler spirit, showed unshaken 
 fidelity and unabated ardor/' 
 
 The **Hind'' driven at the mercy of the winds was 
 carried back to 55° South, and Drake judged it wise 
 to find shelter among the islands and broken land of 
 Terra del Fuego, where they could get seals and fresh 
 water and fortify against further adventure. Their 
 interval of rest was brief and the gales once more bat- 
 tered them with such violence that they were again 
 driven out to sea, and suffered a still greater disaster 
 in the loss of the shallop, in which were eight seamen 
 with almost no provisions. These unfortunate men 
 regained the straits, salted penguins for future use 
 and in their frail bark contrived to reach Port St. 
 Julian, later Rio de la Plata, where six wandering in 
 the woods in search of food were attacked and wounded 
 by the Indians, four were made prisoners, two es- 
 caped, and joined their two comrades who had been 
 left in charge of the boat. The Indians relentlessly 
 pursued them and the whole four were wounded be- 
 fore they could make their escape in the shallop. They 
 rowed to a small island three leagues distant, where 
 two of their comrades died of their wounds. Another 
 calamity befell them, their boat was dashed to pieces 
 on the rocks. The twQ forlorn survivors remained on 
 this desolate island for a period of two months subsist- 
 ing on eels, small crabs, and a fruit resembling an 
 orange, but there being no fresh water to be found on 
 the island, their agonies from thirst became unendur- 
 able, and discovering a plank some ten feet long which 
 had drifted from Rio de la Plata, they improvised a 
 raft by adding sticks and storing on the frail structure 
 
South Polar Pioneers 29 
 
 what provisions they could, they committed their souls 
 to God, and '^clinging and paddling this ark, they in 
 three days and two nights made the mainland, which 
 had long tantalized their sight." In relating the issue 
 of this adventure, the words of Peter Carder, the 
 survivor, are adopted: 
 
 ''At our first coming on land we found a little river 
 of sweet and pleasant water, where William Pitcher, 
 my only comfort and companion, although I dissuaded 
 him to the contrary, overdrank himself, being perished 
 before with extreme thirst, and, to my unspeakable 
 grief and discomfort, died half an hour after in my 
 presence, whom I buried as well as I could in the 
 sand. ' ' 
 
 After a nine years' absence among the savages and 
 as a prisoner of the Portuguese of Bahia de Todos los 
 Santos, Peter Carder eventually got back to England 
 and had ''the honour of relating his adventures be- 
 fore Queen Elizabeth who presented him with twenty- 
 two angels, and recommended him to her Lord High 
 Admiral Howard." 
 
 To return to the ' ' Golden Hind ' ' : Driven by the force 
 of terrific gales in uncharted seas, the crucial moment 
 of Drake's voyage was at hand, for driven continu- 
 ously southward among the islands he at last reached 
 the southern extremity of the American continent and 
 this was the most important stage in the navigation of 
 Drake as a voyage of discovery, for the high winds 
 drove his ship around it and at the end of the great 
 storm he found himself in 56° South latitude, and 
 "here no land was seen, but the Atlantic and the 
 South Sea meeting in a large free scope." 
 
 They had entered the Pacific the 6th of September 
 
30 The Seventh Continent 
 
 and not until the 28th of October did the violence of 
 the continual hurricanes abate. The * ' Golden Hind ' ' now 
 came to anchor in twenty fathoms of water in a harbor 
 and within a gun shot of an island, the southern point 
 of which has long been known as Cape Horn. Thus 
 Drake and his company, through a chance of fate, 
 visited ''the southernmost point of land in the world 
 known or likely to be known, and further than any 
 man had ever before ventured." 
 
 In compliment to his royal mistress, Drake gave to 
 all islands discovered by him the name of the Eliza- 
 bethides, and he changed the Spanish name of Terra 
 Incognita to Terra bene nunc Cognita and on October 
 30th, with a fair wind from the south he held a course 
 northwest, but changed it to an easterly course, that 
 he might examine the coast, and November 25th found 
 him anchored at the Island of Mocha off the coast of 
 Chili. 
 
 "We will not follow his westward journey through its 
 vicissitudes and triumphs, his discovery of the coast 
 of Oregon and California and his travels in the far 
 East, suffice that early in November, 1580, Captain 
 Drake, after a voyage of three years and ten months, 
 came to anchor whence he had set out in the harbour 
 of Plymouth, bringing with him the wealth of India, 
 gold, silver, precious stones, rare silks and spices. His 
 return from his wonderful adventures was hailed 
 throughout England as an event of national importance. 
 
 Nevertheless, men were chary and avoided too prompt 
 a recognition of Drake's achievements, being aware of 
 the serious complications that must result with Spain. 
 His success, however, could not long be doubted and 
 gave an incalculable impetus to the rapidly increasing 
 
~^~<lFl<£i.v"i^%fiS&*s,. /J 
 
 .-*^.- ^~ \J^ '"' ^^ 
 
 THE CONTINUOUS SOUTHERN OCEAN 
 
 From NordensJcjoId's "Facsimile Atlas" 
 
Sotcth Polar Pioneers 31 
 
 maritime spirit of England. No Englishman ever re- 
 ceived greater praise for daring deeds, his exploits and 
 adventures were the topic of the day and though his 
 detractors were not wanting, his reputation was exalted 
 by the honour of knighthood conferred upon him by 
 Elizabeth, who is reported to have graciously said to 
 him ''that his actions did him more honour than the 
 title which she conferred.'' 
 
 Spanish complaints were soon forthcoming at the 
 intrusion of Drake for sailing upon the South Sea, 
 but Elizabeth scornfully dismissed them denying "that, 
 by the Bishop of Rome's donation or any other right, 
 the Spaniards were entitled to debar the subjects of 
 other princes from these new countries; the gift of 
 what is another's constituting no valid right; that 
 touching here and there, and naming a river or cape, 
 could not give a proprietary title, nor hinder other 
 nations from trading or colonizing in those parts where 
 the Spaniards had not planted settlements." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 CAPTAIN cook's FIRST VOYAGE TO THE SOUTHERN SEA 
 
 MAPS and charts of the New World in the six- 
 teenth and early seventeenth centuries are crude 
 and interesting exhibitions of the cartographer's 
 fancy, drawn from the reported facts of returned ad- 
 venturers, or 'dependent for their accuracy upon the 
 traditions of the past. Hearsay connected a vast and 
 unexplored land to the south of the Malay archipelago 
 and these early maps show the coast of Terra del 
 Fuego attached to the coast of New Guinea, and the 
 outline of a vast continent, the Third World, stretch- 
 ing far into the tropics, while the great South Atlantic 
 and Pacific oceans were practically uncharted. 
 
 It was the quest of this great Third World that 
 was the leading motive of explorers in the 16th and 
 early 17th centuries, and no doubt the recrudescence of 
 charts showing a great southern continent south of New 
 Guinea pointed to the fact that early mariners — prob- 
 ably adventurous Portuguese — ^had seen the coast of 
 Australia as early as 1512. 
 
 About fifty years later a Spanish pilot, Juan 
 Fernandez, who often made the passage from Peru to 
 the new settlements in Chili, in an effort to find favor- 
 able winds from the south so helpful in the tedious 
 and difficult voyage, while creeping along the coast, 
 stood out to sea, and in progress of his voyage, dis- 
 
 3? 
 
Captain Cook's First Voyage to the Southern Sea 33 
 
 covered the island, 115 leagues from the American 
 coast, in 33° 41' South latitude, which bears his name 
 — a name familiar to the world to-day as Robinson 
 Crusoe's Island. This fortunate discovery of land 
 offered what the seamen in strange seas are ever on 
 the alert to find — wood, water and food and a safe 
 anchorage. 
 
 Cocos Island, The Turtle Islands, later celebrated 
 as a rendezvous for English Buccaneers, had by now 
 been discovered. An interesting chapter in Spanish 
 navigation was the voyage to the South Sea of Mendana 
 in 1567, in which he saw land, 60° 45' South latitude, 
 distant 1450 leagues from the port of departure at 
 Callao, and this proved to be a group of islands to 
 which he gave the name of the Solomon Isles, in the 
 hope that this appellation would attract attention and 
 convey the impression of great wealth and precious 
 commodities to be found there. It is reported that 
 his ruse attracted wide credence and that in that age 
 of superstitious ignorance, these islands were believed 
 by the uneducated to be those from which Solomon had 
 obtained gold and sandal-wood, and the rare materials 
 employed in erecting the Temple. 
 
 Upon Mendana 's return to Lima with the romantic 
 accounts of the wealth and fertility of the newly dis- 
 covered islands, a project was put on foot for their im- 
 mediate settlement, but in the more rapid extension 
 of continental invasion, the idea died a natural death 
 and Mendana 's discovery nearly faded from recollection, 
 until the Solomon Islands were rediscovered in 1769, 
 nearly two centuries later, by M. Surville. 
 
 Later, in 1599, one Gherritz, a Dutchman, on board 
 the **Blijde Boodschap," became separated from the 
 
34 The Seventh Continent 
 
 fleet of Admiral Jaques Mahn, when coming out of the 
 Strait of Magellan and was carried by tempestuous 
 weather far to the south and reached 64° South latitude, 
 where land with high mountains was plainly seen, much 
 resembling the snow capped mountains of Norway and 
 stretching in the direction of Solomon's Islands. So 
 firm was the belief in his discovery that Gherritz Land 
 finds a place on the maps until 1806, which was later 
 changed to Gherritz Archipelago, the name being ap- 
 plied to the southern portion of West Antarctica. The 
 reliability of Gherritz 's discovery is discredited. How- 
 ever, it is generally accepted that the islands of West 
 Antarctica were sighted before the year 1622. 
 
 In 1605 Pedro Fernandez de Queros set out in search 
 of the mysterious ''Tierra Austral" and Luis Vaez 
 de Torres second in command sighted the following 
 year an extended coast south of New Guinea. A 
 Dutchman followed in the same track a year later and 
 reported sighting the same land. 
 
 Theodoric Kertoge, sailing in the ^ ' Eendracht, ' ' re- 
 ported in 1616 seeing another part of this land. The 
 venturesome voyage of Abel Tasman completed the 
 discovery of the island continent of Australia. 
 
 Many still believed the illusion that the great south 
 world stretched unbroken from Terra del Puego in spite 
 of the fact that Le Maire and Schoulen the year previ- 
 ous had rediscovered the Southern limits and named 
 them Cape Horn. 
 
 Others sailed around the southern cape and brought 
 home their romantic accounts of what they had ex- 
 perienced, notably Captain Bartholomew Sharp, a 
 hardy Buccaneer who rounded the cape in January, 
 1681 and writes emphatically: 
 
Captain Cook's First Voyage to the Southern Sea 35 
 
 **To conclude therefore the whole, I shall only tell 
 you, that after I had sailed near 60 Deg. S. Lat., and 
 as far if no farther, than any before me, I arrived on 
 the 30th of January at Nevis, from whence in some 
 time I got passage for England/' 
 
 In **A Collection of Original Voyages," we have 
 Captain Cowley's account of how his men spent their 
 leisure while sailing in these remote seas. Passing out- 
 side Staaten Land in January, 1684, 
 
 ''Then haling away S. W. we came abreeist with Cape 
 Horn the 14 Day of February, where we chusing of 
 Valentines, and discoursing of the Intrigues of Women, 
 there arose a prodigious storm, which did continue till 
 the last day of the month, driving us with the Lat. of 
 60 Deg. and 30 min. South, which is further than any 
 ship hath sailed before South, so that we concluded 
 the discoursing of woman at sea was very unlucky and 
 causeth the storm. 
 
 ''Towards the beginning of the month of March, the 
 wind coming up at South, we were soon carried into 
 warm weather again; for the weather in that lat. of 
 60 Deg. was so extreme cold that we could bear drink- 
 ing 3 quarts of Brandy in 24 hours each man, and 
 be not at all the worse for it, provided it were burnt." 
 
 Though the blame for the tempestuous weather so 
 frequently encountered in the Southern sea was put 
 upon the evil of discussing women in the one case, in 
 another instance it was blamed upon the malignant in- 
 fluence of a "disconsolate black albatrose" which, ac- 
 cording to one Captain Shelrocke in his account of his 
 journey round the Horn in 1719, "accompanied us for 
 several days, hovering about us as if he had lost him- 
 self, till Hatley (my second captain) observing in one 
 
36 The Seventh Continent 
 
 of his melancholy fits, that this bird was always hover- 
 ing near us . . . at length shot the Albatrosse not 
 doubting (perhaps) that we should have a fair wind 
 after it." 
 
 *'Belgia Australis," or the Falklands, were discovered 
 by Admiral Jacob Roggeveen during his voyage round 
 the world in 1721-1722. It is reported by a member of 
 the expedition that he reached 62° 30' South latitude. 
 
 Though explorations of the Southern Sea continued, 
 it may be safely assumed that those navigators who fell 
 in with southern ice, up to 1750 did so by accident, 
 having been blown out of their course by contrary 
 winds, and that such discoveries as were made before 
 that date, were the result of these random journeys. 
 An exception noted to this rule was the voyage made 
 by Halley in 1700, in H. M. S. ''Paramour," which had 
 for its set purpose the desire for scientific magnetic 
 observations in the South Atlantic. In 52° South lati- 
 tude he met with ice and records the conditions of his 
 farth,est South. 
 
 To the French nation must be given the credit for 
 the first definite attempt at Antarctic explorations, and 
 to that nation belongs without stint the honor of dis- 
 interested enterprise. The explorations of Spain and 
 Portugal had been for the lust of gold. England had 
 fostered marine enterprise for the avowed purpose of 
 extending her trade. The renewed search for the North 
 West passage had directed her adventurers to the 
 profitable fur-bearing lands of North America. 
 
 There weis little in the barren wastes of Patagonia 
 to attract her mariners, and with the exception of Sir 
 Francis Drake, few had deliberately set sail under the 
 Southern Cross. The inhospitable shores of South 
 
Captain Cook^s First Voyage to the Southern Sea 37 
 
 America had nothing to attract them, the storms and 
 tempests that greeted the venturesome mariner who 
 rounded the Horn were already proverbial, and while 
 the north lands abounded in animal and vegetable 
 life the barrenness and bleakness of the southern 
 wastes were too inhospitable to attract the traveller. 
 Therefore, the trend of exploration had been north- 
 ward and while rapid advances were made into these 
 rich and valuable new lands, the extremity of the 
 southern continent continued in comparative obscurity. 
 
 France, however, awakened to a keen interest in 
 South Sea explorations and enthusiasm for discovery, 
 which led to scientific exploration by a young French 
 naval officer. Monsieur des Lozier Bouvet during the 
 years 1738-1739, who made a determined effort to dis- 
 cover the legendary southern lands, supposed to have 
 been seen by one Sier de Gonneville, in the year 1503, 
 and described as lying south of the Cape of Good 
 Hope. 
 
 The frigate ^TAigle" commanded by Bouvet and 
 the frigate ''La Marie'' commanded by Monsieur Hays 
 sailed from Lorient about the 29th of July, 1738. They 
 reached 49° South latitude December 15th and for 
 the first time saw the ice. On the first of January, 
 1739 the *'Aigle" sighted high lands covered with 
 snow, which Bouvet names ''Cap de la Circoncision ' ' 
 in memory of the day. They charted its position as 
 54° South latitude and 26° to 27° of longitude east of 
 Teneriffe. They were, however, uncertain whether it 
 was an island or a headland projecting from a larger 
 area of land. For twelve days the ships tried in vain 
 to make a landing, but the ice surrounding the coast 
 made such an attempt unsuccessful. Heavy weather 
 
38 The Seventh Continent 
 
 and persistent fogs made a longer stay of little 
 profit and on the 11th of January they sailed back 
 to between 51° and 52° South latitude, and then 
 followed this parallel eastward. Bouvet describes 
 having seen near the land he discovered birds, whales 
 and "sea wolves." 
 
 The sight of land to the south of Cape Horn was 
 reported by Guyot, who sailed in the Spanish ship 
 ''Leon," which left Lima for Cadi? February 8, 1756. 
 The location of this was set down as near 55° 10' South 
 latitude and 52° 10' West longitude. The chronicler 
 writes, ''We steered to the eastward, to observe 
 whether the said land stretched further in that part. 
 About 8 o'clock (July 1st) we saw its most easterly 
 point by compass to the north 5° and twelve leagues 
 off. At midday, continuing on the same course, we 
 were in 55° 23' latitude estimated, and 51° longitude." 
 Authorities generally agree that the land sighted by 
 the Leon was South Georgia. 
 
 Captain du Fresne and Chevalier De Clesmeur 
 claimed to have discovered the land now known as the 
 Marion Islands and Crozet Islands in January 1772. 
 
 The French flutes "La Fortune" and "Le Gros 
 Ventre" under the command of Captain Yves T. de 
 Kerguelen Tremarec sighted a small island in 50° 5' 
 south latitude 60° west longitude (Paris) on February 
 12th, 1772, and the next day sighted a much larger 
 island in 49° 40' south latitude and 61° 10' west longi- 
 tude (Paris) which he called New France and be- 
 lieved to be the central mass of the southern continent. 
 
 Tremarec 's discoveries were discredited upon his re- 
 turn to France so that he again set sail the following 
 year in "le Roland" and accompanied by "I'Oiseau" 
 
Captain Cook's First Voyage to the Southern Sea 39 
 
 and ''la Dauphine" revisited the scene of his dis- 
 coveries and stayed in the vicinity some time. The 
 largest island was named Kerguelen Island and on this 
 a party landed and took formal possession January 6th, 
 1775, in the name of the King of France. Hawkes- 
 worth sums up the result of this expedition: 
 
 ''The discovery of an island of about two hundred 
 leagues in circuit, with which he (Kerguelen) has en- 
 riched geography, and which the poisoned breath of 
 envy will never be able to wipe off from the ball of 
 the earth.'' 
 
 Up to this period navigation had remained for gen- 
 erations uncertain and imperfect, system and discipline 
 and necessary precautions to insure the health of sea- 
 men upon long voyages were practically unknown. All 
 distant undertakings were attended with great peril, 
 frequently accompanied by privation, hardship and im- 
 mense loss of life. But the hardy and resolute spirit 
 of the adventurer was ever ready to embark upon a 
 similar enterprise which had proved disastrous, if not 
 fatal, to another. Possible fame and wealth acted as 
 a stimulus to ambition and obliterated the memory of 
 previous disasters. 
 
 That there still remained a vast undiscovered ant- 
 arctic continent was the obsession of the age and the 
 leading geographers of the period were impatient to 
 try out their preconceived theories. 
 
 In England the Eoyal Society, a strong and leading 
 factor in marine enterprise, gave heed to the stirring 
 exhortation of Alexander Dalrymple, a man ' of bril- 
 liant and erratic temperament, who, as a leading 
 hydrographer and an enthusiast on South Sea dis- 
 covery set forth his ideas of the existence of an un- 
 
40 The Seventh Continent 
 
 known Southern continent with such convincing argu- 
 ment that an expedition was organized and the com- 
 mand given to Captain James Cook. This enterprise 
 known as the Transit of Venus expedition to Tahite, 
 afforded Dalrymple an opportunity of confirming the 
 accuracy of the statements of his favorite explorer, 
 Quiros. Resulting dissensions between Dalrymple and 
 Cook influenced the Admiralty to try out Cook's geo- 
 graphical accuracy and he was sent out again with ex- 
 plicit instructions to once and for all solve the problem 
 of the much-disputed Southern Continent. 
 
 With the voyages of Cook comes a new era in South 
 Polar exploration. What had been for the most part 
 indefinite and unsatisfactory in the past became con- 
 crete and systematized in the future. What had been 
 at first casual examination, and frequently abandon- 
 ment of enterprise, or the accidental rediscovery of for- 
 gotten lands, now came to be carefully planned and 
 thoroughly scientific research. Cook's voyages and 
 Antarctic achievements would be remarkable in any 
 age, but when we consider the meager equipment of 
 that day, the slight knowledge of health laws under 
 the unfavorable conditions of Antarctic travel, the 
 ravages to be faced from scurvy, the slow progress and 
 weariness of proceeding in these inhospitable waters in 
 wooden ships under the uncertainties of wind and sail 
 — one is astonished at the record which redounds to 
 his credit. 
 
 He surpassed by a distance of 600 miles the farthest 
 South of any of his predecessors. He crossed the Ant- 
 arctic Circle at four widely separated points, circum- 
 navigated the Southern Ocean, proving the non-exist- 
 ence of land to the very borders of the circle, but in 
 
I 
 
Captain Cook^s First Voyage to the Southern Sea 41 
 
 his most stupendous discovery he proved that there ex- 
 isted ice conditions to the far South of a character and 
 importance never before dreamed of by the most 
 imaginative adventurer. 
 
 Of his antecedents and character the following brief 
 account may prove interesting. James Cook was bom 
 at Marton, England, and was one of nine children. His 
 parents were poor and his father was a day laborer to 
 a neighboring farmer. His education began under the 
 direction of one Dame Walker, a schoolmistress, who 
 taught him to read and write, but upon the removal 
 of his family to Great Ayton, he assisted his father on 
 the farm, while in his leisure hours sought instruction 
 from the local schoolmaster, but his father's slender 
 means made it necessary for young Cook to go to work. 
 
 At thirteen, the boy was apprenticed to a shop- 
 keeper, in the fishing town of Snaith, about ten miles 
 from Whitby. This employment proved particularly 
 distasteful to the boy and his longings for the sea so 
 impressed his employer that he was given his discharge, 
 and soon after bound himself for seven years to Messrs. 
 John and Henry Walker, owners of the ' * Freelove ' ' and 
 other vessels, which were employed in the coal trade. 
 In the rough life of a common sailor he first learned 
 the rudiments of practical navigation. 
 
 In the year 1755 hostilities broke out between Eng- 
 land and France. Young Cook, as mate of the ''Free- 
 love," which was anchored in the Thames, was in fear 
 of being pressed into service, and even went so far as 
 to try to conceal himself, but changing his mind he 
 went to Wapping and enlisted in the Royal Navy, 
 and was assigned to the man of war ''Eagle," a ship 
 of sixty guns under the command of Captain Hamer. 
 
42 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Sir Hugh Palliser, who succeeded to the command in 
 October, 1755, marked out Cook as an able, active and 
 diligent seaman. A master's warrant was soon forth- 
 coming and Cook was transferred to the sloop 
 ' ' Grampus. ' ' 
 
 From this period marks Cook's rapid rise. He sailed 
 in the ^'Mercury" to North America where she joined 
 the fleet under Sir Charles Saunders, which in con- 
 junction with the land forces under General Wolfe was 
 engaged in the famous siege of Quebec. During that 
 siege, a difficult and dangerous service was performed 
 by young Cook in taking soundings at night in the 
 channel of the Saint Lawrence between the Island of 
 Orleans and the north shore, directly under the French 
 fortifications. He was discovered by the enemy who 
 sent out Indians in canoes to surround and cut off 
 his retreat, and after a perilous experience he finally 
 rejoined the fleet. For this and similar exhibitions of 
 cool-headed bravery Cook won the high regard of his 
 superior officers and laid the foundation for the extraor- 
 dinary career that soon followed. 
 
 The spirit of discovery, which has been described as 
 being so vigorous during the latter part of the fifteenth 
 and through the whole of the sixteenth century, began 
 at the commencement of the seventeenth century to 
 decline. The few isolated instances of great navigation 
 kept alive the interest but especially with Great Britain, 
 national unrest and the depredations of war had put 
 purely scientific explorations in the background. 
 
 With the restoration of peace in 1763, a revival of 
 interest promoted the journeys of Wallis, and Carteret 
 and Byron greatly contributed toward increasing the 
 knowledge of the islands of Polynesia. Before they 
 
Captain Cook's First Voyage to the Southern Sea 43 
 
 returned to Great Britain another and a greater under- 
 taking of scientific interest already referred to had 
 been resolved upon. Astronomers had forecast that 
 the transit of Venus would take place in 1769, and it 
 was judged that the best place for observing this 
 phenomenon would be some part of the South Sea, 
 either at Marquesas, or at one of the Islands discovered 
 by Tasman and called the Friendly Islands. With its 
 usual zeal for promoting all branches of scientific 
 research, the Royal Society in a memorial to his 
 Majesty dated February 15th, 1768, represented in 
 forceful argument the importance of an expedition for 
 the purpose of taking valuable careful astronomical 
 observations. 
 
 Though the principal object of this voyage was to ob- 
 serve the transit of Venus, Cook had instruction, when 
 this was accomplished, to proceed in making further 
 discoveries in the South Seas. 
 
 Provisioned for eighteen months and with a comple- 
 ment of eighty-four men Cook set sail in ''Endeavor" 
 from Deptford, July 30th, 1768. They anchored at Rio 
 de Janeiro November 13th, and January 14th, 1769, 
 entered the Strait of le Maire, but were driven out again 
 by the violence of the tide which was against them 
 and took refuge in a little cove which Captain Cook 
 called St. Vincent's Bay. After reconnoitering in the 
 vicinity for some days the "Endeavor" doubled the 
 Horn, and Cook surveyed the Bay of Good Success 
 and traced the coast. On the fourth of April Lagoon 
 Island was sighted and on the tenth the ''Endeavor" 
 came in sight of the Osnaburgh Island, first visited by 
 Quiros in 1606. Other Islands of the Society Group 
 were visited and on the 13th of April the "Endeavor" 
 
44 The Seventh Continent 
 
 anchored within half a mile of the Island of Otaheite, 
 where natives came off in canoes and brought bread 
 fruit, cocoanuts, apples and some hogs, which they 
 bartered for beads and other trinkets. 
 
 To establish friendly relations with the natives, Cap- 
 tain Cook drew up certain rules to be observed by his 
 men the substance of which was, ' * That in order to pre- 
 vent quarrels and confusion, every one of the ship's 
 crew should endeavor to treat the inhabitants of Ota- 
 heite with humanity, and by all fair means to cultivate 
 a friendship with them. That no officer, seaman, or 
 other person belonging to the ship, excepting such only 
 as were appointed to barter with the natives, should 
 trade or offer to trade, for any kind of provision, fruit, 
 or other produce of the island, without having express 
 leave so to do. That no person should embezzle, trade 
 or offer to trade with any part of the ship's stores; 
 and that no sort of iron or anything made of iron, or 
 any sort of cloth, or other useful articles in the ship, 
 should be given in exchange for anything but pro- 
 visions. ' ' 
 
 A landing was made and an improvised observatory 
 and fort were erected. Friendly relations with the 
 natives secured a superabundance of food, but the 
 thieving propensities of the islanders were a constant 
 aggravation to the Englishmen. 
 
 By June 1st preparations for viewing the transit 
 of Venus were made, and two parties sent out to make 
 observations from different spots, so that in case of 
 failing at Otaheite they might succeed elsewhere. One 
 party in the long boat after rowing a good part of the 
 night established their station at Eimayo. Others were 
 sent to find a spot that might answer the purpose, at 
 
Captain Cook^s First Voyage to the Southern Sea 45 
 
 a convenient distance from the principal station. 
 
 On Saturday, June 3rd, the day of the transit, the 
 sun rose without a cloud — in consequence, both parties 
 sent out to make observations met with good success. 
 
 On the 13th of July, 1769, the ''Endeavor" having 
 successfully accomplished the main object of this 
 voyage, proceeded on her way. Cook was now master 
 of his future movements and his progress into the by- 
 paths of navigation. The ''Endeavor" sailed onward 
 without incident until the beginning of October, when 
 a change of colour of the sea, the weeds on its surface 
 and the appearance of birds which flew around the 
 ship gave indications of the approach to land. On the 
 6th an extensive coast was sighted and as the voyagers 
 approached, ranges of hills were seen rising above one 
 another, a lofty chain surmounting them all. Cook 
 was of the opinion that he had at last discovered 
 Terra Australis Incognita so long sought, but the 
 land proved to be New Zealand. Cruising in the 
 vicinity southward for six days. Cook reached a head- 
 land which he named Cape Turnagain and on the 30th 
 of October the ship doubled a lofty promontory to which 
 was given the name of East Cape. 
 
 After terminating the examination of the northwest- 
 ern coast of New Zealand, he encountered such severe 
 gales that in the period of five weeks he had only ad- 
 vanced westward fifty leagues. 
 
 The circumnavigation of New Zealand was of first 
 importance in the results of this voyage. Since Tas- 
 man's discovery it had been generally accepted that 
 this country extended without break into the Terra 
 Australis or continent supposed to extend to the south 
 pole. To his satisfaction Cook had disproved this 
 
46 The Seventh Continent 
 
 theory and owing to the lateness of the season he now 
 directed his course to the eastern coast of Australia 
 or as it was then charter, New Holland, respecting which 
 little was known, with the purpose of examining that 
 coast and returning to England by way of the East 
 Indies. 
 
 After sailing for nineteen days due west this little 
 known coast loomed on the horizon stretching far to 
 the northeast to west. He sailed to the northward and 
 on April 28, in latitude 34 degrees S. he anchored in 
 an inlet where he remained eight days. The coast was 
 green and well wooded, and natives were seen, with 
 whom efforts were made to establish friendly relations 
 with only indifferent results. From the variety of 
 plants secured by the Botanist of the expedition this 
 inlet was named Botany Bay, since famous in rhyme 
 and song. 
 
 Captain Cook weighed anchor on the 6th of May 
 and proceeded on a voyage of discovery along these 
 unexplored coasts for a distance of 1300 miles. About 
 one month later the ''Endeavor" was off a point in 
 latitude 16 degrees South, and longitude 146 deg. 39' 
 E., which from an unfortunate occurrence Cook named 
 Tribulation Bay. 
 
 During a boisterous night the ship struck upon some 
 coral reefs with such force that it seemed as if she would 
 go to pieces. Boats were lowered and the crew found 
 that the "Endeavor" had been lifted by the violence 
 of the surf over the reef and into a kind of basin. The 
 crew tried in vain to get her off and she pounded so 
 violently against the rocks that the men could hardly 
 keep their footing. 
 
 "The moon shone brightly, and they could see that 
 
Captain Cook's First Voyage to the Southern Sea 47 
 
 the planks which formed the sheathing of the ship 
 were floating off, and the false keel following. The 
 water then rushed in with such force, that, though 
 all the pumps were manned, the leak could scarcely 
 be kept under; the guns on deck, ballast, casks, and 
 other articles, were thrown overboard, and the crew 
 were thus employed in lightening the ship till day- 
 break; while so impressed were the men with their 
 danger, that not an oath was uttered, the wicked habit 
 of swearing being subdued by the dread of incurring 
 guilt when death seemed to be so near." 
 
 At daybreak land was discovered about eight leagues 
 distant so that in case the ship foundered there was 
 hope of escape. Fortunately the ship held together, 
 but it was not until she had been lightened to nearly 
 fifty tons that there appeared any chance of floating 
 her. In spite of constant working at the pumps the 
 water continued to pour in the great leak in her hull, 
 and it was feared that even though she might be 
 floated off the reef by the midnight tide, she would 
 founder immediately in deep water. To the surprise 
 of all, she righted herself by the slow rise of water, 
 and by ten o'clock heaved into deep water. The leak- 
 age did not increase, although there was three feet nine 
 inches of water in the hold, and the men at the pumps 
 gained so considerably that by the following morning 
 the ship was out of danger and by evening safely 
 anchored about seven leagues from the shore. 
 
 Not until five days later, however, June 17, was a 
 safe harbor found where the damage could be repaired. 
 The *' Endeavor" was then hauled over for repairs. 
 
 ''One of the holes," says Cook, ''which was big 
 enough to have sunk us, if we had had eight pumps 
 
48 The Seventh Continent 
 
 instead of four, and had been able to keep them in- 
 cessantly going, was in a great measure, plugged up by 
 the fragment of the rock, which, after having made the 
 wound, was left sticking in it, so that the water which 
 at first gained upon our pumps, was what came in at 
 the interstices between the stone and the edges of the 
 hole that received it." 
 
 While the ship was undergoing repairs the naturalist 
 and botanist of the expedition made excursions into 
 the inland and reported that almost every plant and 
 animal was new to them. A shooting party saw for 
 the first time the quadruped called by the natives the 
 Kangaroo, and hitherto unknown to European natural- 
 ists. Cook himself described this peculiar animal as 
 resembling a greyhound of light mouse colour, with a 
 long tail, and which he should have mistaken for a wild 
 dog, had not its extraordinary manner of leaping in- 
 stead of running, convinced him of the contrary. A 
 young Kangaroo, however, was found to be most ex- 
 cellent eating. A sailor also saw a large black bat 
 which he described to be the size of **a one gallon Keg 
 or very like it." 
 
 The explorers left this harbor August 5th, and steered 
 a northeast course, through shoals and coral reefs until 
 a week later they reached a headland to which they gave 
 the name of Cape Flattery. Struggling into deep water, 
 they thought their troubles were over after having been 
 entangled in the reefs for a period of three months, 
 but in this they were mistaken, as the wind abated and 
 the tides drove them once more on to the dangerous 
 reefs. The destruction of the ''Endeavor" in the tre- 
 mendous surf that beat against the coast seemed in- 
 evitable, when a narrow opening was seen at no great 
 
Captain Cook^s First Voyage to the Southern Sea 49 
 
 distance, through which Captain Cook safely steered 
 his ship. Upon this narrow passage was bestowed the 
 name of Providential Channel. 
 
 Cook finding himself a second time in the reef, con- 
 cluded to take advantage of his misfortune by follow- 
 ing the coast and to settle the moot question *' whether 
 New Holland and New Guinea were separate islands." 
 The latter he found to be the case, and to the channel 
 which divides them he gave the name of his sturdy 
 ship, Endeavor Strait. Landing upon a small island 
 he took possession of it in the name of the British 
 crown. The eastern coast of New Holland, from lati- 
 tude 38° to latitude 10%° South, he gave the name of 
 New South Wales. 
 
 Coasting along New South Wales for two days the 
 ship held due north. Having established the fact that 
 New Guinea was distinct from New Holland, he next 
 proceeded westward toward the Sunda Islands. 
 
 October found the ** Endeavor" off the coast of Java. 
 The navigators having refitted at Batavia proceeded by 
 way of the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Town, anchor- 
 ing off St. Helena, and later reached Deal June 12, 1771, 
 having been absent from England two years and eleven 
 months. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE LATER VOYAGES OF CAPTAIN COOK 
 
 CAPTAIN Cook received his appointment to com- 
 mand the second voyage into the Southern Sea 
 November 28, 1771. The '^ Resolution " and ''Ad- 
 venture,'* the latter under Captain Furneaux, were 
 the ships chosen for this voyage, upon the results of 
 which England lay great store. This expedition was 
 planned on the most extensive scale ever before at- 
 tempted in the history of navigation. His instructions 
 not only included the circumnavigation of the globe, 
 but the circumnavigation in high southern latitudes, 
 ''making such traverses from time to time, into every 
 corner of the Pacific Ocean not before examined, as 
 might finally and effectually resolve the much agitated 
 question about the existence of a southern continent 
 in any part of the southern hemisphere, to which access 
 could be had by the efforts of the boldest and most 
 skillful navigation." 
 
 It was not until the 13th of July the following year 
 that the elaborate preparations for this extended voy- 
 age were at last completed and Captain Cook weighed 
 anchor and sailed from Plymouth. He touched at 
 Madeira and at St. Jago, one of the Cape Verde Islands, 
 and passed the tropics in the rainy season through 
 rough and variable seas, the rain poured down "not 
 in drops but in streams" and the result of such con- 
 
 50 
 
The Later Voyages of Captai/n Cook 51 
 
 ditions upon the ship's crew may easily be imagined. 
 To insure their comfort and health Cook ordered fires 
 to be built between decks, and took care that the ship 
 should be aired and dried, and damp places below 
 decks should be smoked. These sanitary methods to- 
 gether with the strict enforcement of the rule that 
 clothes and bedding should be aired and dried whenever 
 the opportunity offered, resulted in preventing sickness 
 among the men during this trying and torrid period. 
 
 On the 8th of September Captain Cook crossed the 
 line in longitude 8° West, and pursued his course with- 
 out incident until the 11th of October ''when at 6 h. 
 24 min. by Mr. Kendall's watch the moon rose about 
 four digits eclipsed; soon after which the gentlemen 
 prepared to observe the end of the eclipse." 
 
 While approaching the Cape of Good Hope, on the 
 night of the 29th ''the whole sea within the compass 
 of their sight became illuminated. The captain had 
 been formally convinced that such appearances in the 
 ocean were occasioned by insects. To determine the 
 question, our commander ordered some buckets of water 
 to be drawn up from alongside the ship, which were 
 found full of an innumerable quantity of small globular 
 insects, about the size of a common pin's head, and 
 quite transparent. Though no life was perceived in 
 them, there could be no doubt of their being living 
 animals, when in their own proper element, and we be- 
 came well satisfied that they were the cause of the 
 sea's illumination." 
 
 The "Resolution" and "Adventure" came to anchor 
 in Table Bay and upon landing Captain Cook and Cap- 
 tain Furneaux with others were informed by Baron 
 Plattenburg, who was then governor of the Cape of 
 
52 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Good Hope, that two French ships from Mauritius had 
 discovered land about eight months before in latitude 
 48° along which they had sailed for a distance of forty 
 miles. Captain Cook was also informed that two other 
 ships under the command of M. Marion, were then on 
 their way to the Pacific Ocean for the purpose of mak- 
 ing discoveries. 
 
 Impatient to be on his way, Cook made all haste to 
 provision his ship and sailed on November 22nd direct- 
 ing his course for Cape Circumcision, so named by 
 its discoverer Bouvet. Cold weather was not long in 
 coming, followed by high winds and gales, *' attended 
 with hail and rain, which blew at times with such vio- 
 lence that the ships could carry no sails, and were 
 driven far to the eastward of their intended course, 
 and no hopes were left to the Captain of reaching Cape 
 Circumcision." 
 
 The rapid transition from the tropics to bleak cold 
 had rapidly killed the livestock, consisting of sheep, 
 hogs and geese, and this loss was a particularly unfor- 
 tunate one as it reduced the future allowance of fresh 
 meat. 
 
 On December 10th, 1772, the voyagers for the first 
 time encountered islands of ice, "much concealed from 
 them by the haziness of the weather, accompanied with 
 snow and sleet." The captain on account of these "ice 
 islands" was obliged to proceed with the utmost cau- 
 tion. Six were passed, "flat at the top," with perpen- 
 dicular sides of great height, against which the sea 
 dashed with great violence, some were nearly two miles 
 in circumference and nearly sixty feet high; "never- 
 theless, such were the force and height of the waves, 
 that the sea broke quite over them." "Hence was ex- 
 
The Later Voyages of Captam Cook 53 
 
 hibited a view that for a few moments was pleasing to 
 the eye, but the pleasure was soon swallowed up in the 
 horror which seized upon the mind from the prospect 
 of danger.'* 
 
 Four days later the ships were stopped by an im- 
 mense field of low ice, to which no limits could be seen, 
 ** either to the east, west, or south." Some of the 
 people aboard claimed to see land over the ice, and at 
 first Captain Cook was of a mind to agree with them. 
 The weather was particularly hazy and the cold began 
 to tell upon the strength of the seamen. Fearing that 
 they would become fast in the ice. Cook directed his 
 course so as to skirt the dangerous situation, never- 
 theless they were carried along for a considerable dis- 
 tance amid the ice islands, through fog and haze, al- 
 ways in imminent danger of destruction, but the 
 intrepid commander preferred this to the possibility 
 of becoming permanently embayed in the great field. 
 
 Cook determined that if possible he would run thirty 
 or forty leagues to the east and afterward endeavor 
 to get to the southward. By the 29th he was satisfied 
 that the ice fields he had encountered did not join any 
 land as had at first been supposed. At this juncture 
 his seamen began to show the dread symptoms of 
 scurvy. On the last day of the year a terrific gale 
 nearly drove them to their destruction upon the ice, 
 but to the joy of all on Friday, the 1st of January, 1773, 
 the gale abated and on the following afternoon, "our 
 people had the felicity of the sight of the moon, the 
 face of which had not been seen by them but once since 
 they had departed from the Cape of Good Hope.'* 
 Hence a judgment may be formed of the sort of weather 
 they had been exposed to from the time of their leaving 
 
54 The Seventh Continent 
 
 that place. 
 
 Cook was now nearly in the same lon^tude assigned 
 to Cape Circumcision, reported by Bouvet as being in 
 54° 15' S., 6° 11' E., but which is really in 54° 
 26' S., 3° 24' E. Through this error in calculation 
 he failed to find this land and continued to the east- 
 ward until, on March 17th, he reached 59° 7' South lati- 
 tude, 146° 53' East longitude, when he changed his 
 course and bore to the north. 
 
 Captain Cook's purpose now was to temporarily aban- 
 don high southern latitudes and shape his course for 
 New Zealand. The ''Adventure" had become separated 
 from the ''Resolution" and in a high gale some days 
 before, and anxiety on her account made him anxious 
 to search for her at some point of rendezvous. He had 
 had thoughts of visiting the east coast of Van Dieman's 
 Land in order to satisfy himself whether or not it 
 joined the coast of New South Wales. But contrary 
 winds making this plan not feasible he steered directly 
 for New Zealand and arrived in Dusky Bay April 17th. 
 He had now been one hundred and seventeen days at 
 sea, during which time he had sailed three thousand 
 six hundred and sixty leagues without having once come 
 within sight of land. 
 
 Compared with the elimination of time and distance 
 of modem methods of navigation this is an extraor- 
 dinary exhibition of perseverance, determination and 
 endurance. 
 
 *' After so long a voyage in high southern latitudes," 
 writes a chronicler of this remarkable journey, "it 
 might reasonably have been expected that many of 
 Captain Cook's people would be ill of the scurvy. This, 
 however, was not the case. So salutary were the effects 
 
The Later Voyages of Captain Cook 55 
 
 of the sweetwort and several articles of provision, and 
 especially of the frequent airing and sweetening of 
 the ship, that there was only one man on board who 
 could be Said to be much afflicted with the disease." 
 
 By the latter part of March the ''Eesolution" swung 
 at anchor in Dusky Bay. Communication with the 
 natives was established and the men employed their 
 time in seal hunting, which supplied them with fresh 
 meat so desirable after a long voyage, and furs for 
 clothing. Upon leaving Dusky Bay the ' * Eesolution " 
 steered for Queen Charlotte's Sound, where Cook ex- 
 pected to find the ''Adventure.'' 
 
 During the passage a peculiar phenomenon was wit- 
 nessed when one day the ''wind at once flattened to a 
 calm, the sky became suddenly obscured by dark dense 
 clouds, and there was every prognostication of a 
 tempest." Soon after, six water-spouts were seen, four 
 of which rose and spent themselves between the ship 
 £ind the land; the fifth was at a considerable distance 
 on the other side of the vessel, and the sixth, the pro- 
 gressive motion of which was not in a straight but in 
 a crooked line, passed within fifty yards of the stern 
 of the "Resolution," without producing any evil effect. 
 "As the captain had been informed that the firing of 
 a gun would dissipate water-spouts, he was sorry that 
 he had not tried the experiment. But though he was 
 near enough, and had a gun ready for the purpose, his 
 mind was so deeply engaged in viewing these extraor- 
 dinary meteors, that he forgot to give the necessary 
 directions." 
 
 The following day Cook had the satisfaction of re- 
 joining the "Adventure" after an absence of fourteen 
 weeks. Captain Furneaux after the separation of the 
 
56 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ships, finding it impossible to locate the ''Endeavor/' 
 took the opportunity of examining the coast of Van 
 Diemen's Land and reported to Captain Cook that no 
 straits existed between this land and New Holland 
 (Australia) but a very deep bay. 
 
 Cook now determined to pursue his researches to 
 the east. By the first of August he was in latitude 
 25° 1' and longitude 134° 6' West, the situation as- 
 signed by Carteret for Pitcairn's Island discovered by 
 him in 1767. Cook looked in vain for the island, but 
 probably passed it some fifteen leagues to the west. 
 
 By the time the ships had reached an anchorage in 
 Matavia Bay the sick list of the two ships numbered 
 over twenty. Upon landing Cook and his party secured 
 such fresh provisions as could be obtained from the 
 natives, visited the spot where the observations of the 
 transit of Venus had been taken in 1769 and communi- 
 cated with many of his old friends among the natives. 
 
 By December 1773, he had prepared himself for his 
 second advance into high southern latitudes. The first 
 ice island was encountered on the 12th of December, 
 considerably farther south than the first ice met with 
 after leaving the Cape of Good Hope. At 67° 5' South 
 they found themselves surrounded by the ice islands, 
 and navigated with extreme difficulty through quanti- 
 ties of loose pieces. They spent Christmas day in the 
 same precarious surroundings that they had experienced 
 one year before^ — but weather conditions proved more 
 favorable and the ship's company experienced con- 
 tinual daylight instead of the thick foggy weather of 
 the previous year. 
 
 At 71° 10' South latitude and 106° 54' West longi- 
 tude he encountered such an impenetrable ice field, 
 
The Later Voyages of Captain Cooh 57 
 
 where no less than ninety-seven ice hills were in sight 
 at one time, that his progress was completely blocked. 
 Some English writers claim that Cook discovered the 
 Antarctic continent at this date, January 30th, 1774, 
 but Cook himself gives no assurances that he saw land, 
 although indications of land in the vicinity might have 
 induced this surmise, by the fact that penguins were 
 heard, though not seen. Cook writes that he saw ' ' Few 
 other birds, or any other thing that could induce us 
 to think any land was near. And yet," he writes, **I 
 think there must be some land to the south behind the 
 ice." 
 
 Having advanced as far as he could that season. 
 Captain Cook now turned his attention to the search 
 for Australis Incognita reported to have been discovered 
 by Juan Fernandez. 
 
 We find this intrepid explorer once more making an 
 effort to reach the far south in January 1775, this 
 time from Staten Island, with a view * ' in the first place, 
 of discovering that extensive coast, laid down by Mr. 
 Dalrymple in his chart, in which is the Gulf of St. 
 Sebastian. ' ' In order to have all other parts before him, 
 the captain designed to make the western point of that 
 gulf. As he had some doubt of the existence of such 
 a coast, this appeared to him the best route for de- 
 termining the matter, and for exploring the southern 
 part of this ocean. When he came to the situation 
 assigned to the different points of the Gulf of St. 
 Sebastian, neither land nor any unequivocal signs of 
 land were discovered. On the contrary, it was evi- 
 dent, that there could not be any extensive tract of 
 country in the direction which had been supposed. On 
 the 14th of January, in 53° 56' South latitude, and 39° 
 
58 The Seventh Continent 
 
 24' West longitude land was seen, which in all probabil- 
 ity was that seen by Amerigo Vespucci, and later by La 
 Roche. Cook anchored at this island and taking posses- 
 sion of it in the name of his King, renamed it the Isle 
 of Georgia. From thence he proceeded eastward again, 
 and on the last day of January he discovered Sandwich 
 Land in 59° South latitude, 20° West longitude and on 
 the same day sighted another coast to which he gave 
 the name of Southern Thule. 
 
 Thus Captain Cook had proved that the extensive 
 coast laid down by Dalrymple's chart of the ocean be- 
 tween Africa and America and the Gulf of St. Sebas- 
 tian did not exist. 
 
 It was Cook's firm opinion that there was a tract of 
 land near the pole, which was the source of most of the 
 ice spread over the Southern Ocean. ''He also thought, 
 it probable, that this land must extend farthest to the 
 north, where it is opposite to the Southern Atlantic and 
 Indian Oceans," writes a contemporary. ''Ice had al- 
 ways been found by him farther to the north in these 
 oceans, than anywhere else, and this he judged could 
 not be the case, if there were not land of considerable 
 extent to the south. However, the greatest southern 
 continent, if it actually exists, must lie within the polar 
 circle, where the sea is so encumbered with ice, that 
 the land is rendered inaccessible. So great is the risk 
 which is run, in examining a coast in these unknown 
 and icy seas, that our commander, with a modest and 
 well-grounded boldness, could assert, that no man would 
 ever venture farther than he had done, and the lands 
 which may lie to the south will never be explored. 
 Thick fogs, snow storms, intense cold, and everything 
 beside, that can render navigation dangerous, must be 
 
The Later Voyages of Captam Cook 59 
 
 encountered, all which difficulties are greatly heightened 
 by the inexpressibly horrid aspect of the country. It 
 is a country doomed by nature never once to feel the 
 warmth of the sun's rays, but to lie buried in everlast- 
 ing snow and ice. Whatever ports there may be on 
 the coast, they are almost entirely covered with frozen 
 snow of a vast thickness. If, however, any one of them 
 should be so far open as to invite a ship into it, she 
 would run the risk of being fixed there forever, or of 
 coming out in an ice island. To this may be added 
 that the islands and floats on the coast, the great falls 
 from the ice cliffs in the port, or a heavy snow storm, 
 attended with a sharp frost might be equally fatal. 
 
 ''Nothing could exceed the inclination of Captain 
 Cook, if it had been practicable, to penetrate farther 
 to the south," continues the narrator, "but the diffi- 
 culties like these were not to be surmounted. If he had 
 risked aU that had been done during the voyage, for 
 the sake of discovering and exploring a coast, which, 
 when discovered and explored would have answered no 
 end whatever or have been of the least use either to 
 navigation or geography, or indeed of any other science, 
 he would justly have been charged with inexcusable 
 temerity. ' ' 
 
 In the light of modern discoveries this argument is 
 particularly illuminating. To Captain Cook must be 
 accorded the merit of the first circumnavigation of the 
 South Polar regions which closes forever the chapter 
 in Antarctic history, which through a legendary belief 
 accorded a great Terra Australis Incognita to the north 
 of 60° South latitude. 
 
 Captain Cook after passing Southern Thule sighted 
 on February 1st Cape Montagu, and the Candlemas 
 
60 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Isles. After another vain search for Bouvet Island he 
 returned to the Cape and sailed for England. 
 
 **In a certain sense," comments Balch, in his mono- 
 graph ''Antarctica" (Page 72), on the results of 
 Cook 's second voyage, ' * the outcome was negative, in 
 that Antarctica was not discovered, a fact which would 
 seem to rank the voyage of Cook as of much less im- 
 portance than the voyage of Wilkes. With that single 
 exception, however, perhaps no one achieved such great 
 geographical results in south polar regions as Cook, and 
 it is possibly not going too far to assign him the second 
 place among Antarctic explorers." 
 
 Upon Cook's return the success of his voyage, and 
 the renown which accrued to him through his intelligent 
 administration of sanitary laws for the preservation of 
 the health of his crew was rewarded by the Admiralty 
 in a promotion to the position of post captain, to be 
 followed shortly after by a still more substantial mark 
 of approbation of the English government in his ap- 
 pointment as Captain in Greenwich Hospital. 
 
 In February he was unanimously elected to the Royal 
 Society. In a paper read before the Society, Captain 
 Cook described the method taken to preserve the health 
 of the crew of her Majesty's ship ''Resolution," during 
 the long voyage round the world. A second paper read 
 at a later date related the observation of the tides in 
 the South Seas. Captain Cook received the still greater 
 honor of being elected to become a common member 
 of the Royal Society and received the gold medal for 
 the experimental paper of the year. 
 
 In the light of modern methods for the preservation 
 of health in high latitudes this first exhibition of 
 thoughtful appreciation for the bodily wants of seamen, 
 
The Later Voyages of Captain Cook 61 
 
 which had greatly impressed the members of that 
 Scientific body, is of especial interest. 
 
 In his remarks, Sir John Pringle, President of the 
 Royal Society, comments on the extraordinary results 
 produced by these precautions: 
 
 ** Captain Cook," he said, **with a company of a 
 hundred and eighteen men performed a voyage of three 
 years and eighteen days, throughout all the climates, 
 from fifty-two degrees north to seventy-one degrees 
 south, with the loss of only one man by sickness. I 
 would not inquire," he proceeds, "of the most con- 
 versant in the study of bills of mortality, whether, in 
 the most healthful climate, and in the best condition 
 of life, they have ever found so small a number of 
 deaths, within that space of time? How great and 
 agreeable then must our surprise be, after pursuing the 
 histories of long navigations in former days, when so 
 many perished by marine diseases, to find the air of 
 the sea acquitted of all malignity; and, in fine, that 
 a voyage round the world may be undertaken with less 
 danger, perhaps, to health, than a common tour in 
 Europe." 
 
 In quaint and terse language Captain Cook enumer- 
 ates the several courses to which ** under the care of 
 Providence," he attributes the uncommon good state 
 of health of his crew. 
 
 *'We were furnished with a quantity of malt," he 
 writes, "of which was made sweet wort. To such of the 
 men as showed the least sjanptoms of the scurvy, and 
 also to such as were thought to be threatened with that 
 disorder, this was given, from one to two or three pints 
 a day, each man; or in such proportion as the surgeon 
 found necessary, which sometimes amounted to three 
 
62 The Seventh Continent 
 
 quarts. This is, without doubt, one of the best anti- 
 scurbutic sea medicines yet discovered, and if used in 
 time, will, with proper attention to other things, I am 
 persuaded, prevent the scurvy from making any great 
 progress for a considerable while. But I am not alto- 
 gether of opinion that it will cure at sea. 
 
 * * Sour-krout, of which we had a large quantity, is 
 not only a wholesome vegetable food, but, in my judg- 
 ment, highly anti-scurbutic ; and it spoils not by keep- 
 ing. A pound of this was served to each man, when 
 at sea, twice a week, or oftener as was thought neces- 
 sary. 
 
 "Portable broth was another great article of which 
 we had a large supply. An ounce of this to each man, 
 or such other proportion as circumstances pointed out, 
 was boiled in their peas, three days in a week ; and when 
 we were in places where vegetables are to be got, it was 
 boiled with them, and wheat or oatmeal every morning 
 for breakfast, and also with pease and vegetables for 
 dinner. It enabled us to make several nourishing and 
 wholesome messes, and was the means of making the 
 people eat a greater quantity of vegetables, than they 
 would otherwise have done." 
 
 Captain Cook refers to the importance of "Kob of 
 Lemon and Orange'' and sugar as an anti-scurbutic. 
 He refers to the importances of keeping *' their per- 
 sons, hammocks, bedding, clothes, etc., constantly clean 
 and dry.'' He disapproved of giving to the men "the 
 fat which boiled out of the salt beef and pork," which 
 compound seems to have been previously considered a 
 wholesome, if unpalatable, diet, and he prophetically 
 remarks : 
 
 "Whatever may be the public judgment about other 
 
The Later Voyages of Captam Cook 63 
 
 matters, it is with real satisfaction and without claim- 
 ing any merit, but that of attention to my duty, that 
 I can conclude this account with an observation, which 
 facts enable me to make, that our having discovered 
 the possibility of preserving health among a numerous 
 ship's company, for a length of time, in such varieties 
 of climate, and amidst such continued hardships and 
 fatigues, will make this voyage remarkable, in the opin- 
 ion of every benevolent person, when the disputes about 
 the southern continent shall have ceased to engage the 
 attention, and to divide the judgment of philosophers. ' ' 
 
 The object of his third and last voyage to the Pacific 
 undertaken in 1776 was to find a more direct route to 
 Japan and China than by the tedious circuit of the 
 Cape of Good Hope. He was ordered to proceed into 
 the Pacific Ocean, through the chain of the new islands 
 which had been visited by him in the southern tropic 
 and after crossing the equator into the northern parts 
 of that ocean, **he was to hold such a course as might 
 probably fix many points in geography, and produce 
 intermediate discoveries, in his progress northward^ to 
 the principal scene of his operations.'' 
 
 The ''Resolution" and ''Discovery" were overhauled 
 and refitted and with the latter in command of Captain 
 Clark, they sailed for the Cape of Good Hope July 
 12, 1776. Touching at Teneriffe, Captain Cook pro- 
 ceeded without incident to the Cape, which he reached 
 October 18th. Cook's intention was to proceed to New 
 Zealand "to take in wood and water and provide hay 
 for the cattle." 
 
 By January 12th he stood in 48° 40' South latitude 
 and 110° 26' east longitude. By the 24th "we dis- 
 covered Van Diemens Land, bearing north % West." 
 
64 The Seventh Continent 
 
 On the 20th Cook had anchored in Adventure Bay. 
 '^ Captains Cook and Clerke then went, in separate 
 boats, in search of convenient spots for wooding, water- 
 ing and making hay." 
 
 **In the evening we drew the seines, and caught a 
 great quantity of fish, with which this bay abounds, 
 and we should have procured more, if the net had not 
 broken. ' ' 
 
 *'We had observed columns of smoke in different 
 parts from time to time of our approaching the coast; 
 but we saw none of the natives till the afternoon of the 
 28th, when eight men and a boy surprised us with a 
 visit. . . . They were entirely naked," continues the 
 narrative, ^'with large punctures or ridges, some in 
 curved and others in straight lines, on different parts of 
 their bodies. Their faces were painted with red oint- 
 ment, and most of them smeared their hair and beards 
 with the same composition. When we offered them 
 presents they received them without any apparent satis- 
 faction. They either returned, or threw away, some 
 bread that was given them, without even tasting it; 
 they likewise refused some elephant fish; but when we 
 gave them some birds, they kept them. Two pigs hav- 
 ing been brought in shore to be left in the woods, they 
 seized them by the ears, and seemed inclined to carry 
 them off with an intention, as we supposed, of killing 
 them. Captain Cook wishing to know the use of the 
 stick which one of the savages held in his hand, made 
 signs to them to shew him; upon which one of them 
 took aim at a piece of wood placed as a mark, about 
 the distance of twenty yards ; but after several essays, 
 he was still wide of the mark. Omai, to shew the great 
 superiority of our weapons, immediately fired his 
 
The Later Voyages of Captain Cook 65 
 
 musquet at it, which unexpected noise so alarmed them,l 
 that they ran into the woods with uncommon speed, 
 and one of them was so terrified, that he let fall two 
 knives and an axe which he had received from us. They 
 then went to the place where the crew of the Dis- 
 covery were watering; but the officer of their party 
 firing a musquet in the air, they fled with great pre- 
 cipitation. ' ' 
 
 The stay at Van Diemens Land, in the most southern 
 point then known of Australia or New Holland as it 
 was then called was occupied in a more intimate study 
 of the natives and fauna of the then little known coun- 
 try. 
 
 Tasman had discovered it in 1642, but little was 
 known concerning it until Captain Furneaux touched 
 there in 1773. His report was not extensive and Cap- 
 tain Cook's study of its natural history was the most 
 extensive since its discovery. 
 
 They left Van Diemens Land the last of January and 
 descried the more familiar coast of New Zealand on 
 February 7th. 
 
 "Curiosities, fish and women, were the articles of 
 commerce supplied by the New Zealanders. The two 
 first always came to a good market, but the latter did 
 not happen, at this time, to be an acceptable com- 
 modity. ' ' 
 
 A great addition of knowledge was obtained during 
 this voyage, with respect to the productions of New 
 Zealand, the manners and customs of its inhabitants. 
 
 After leaving New Zealand the ships did not see land 
 until the latter part of March when the island of 
 Mangeea was sighted. 
 
 From this time on the ships cruised among the vari- 
 
66 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ous neighboring islands, accumulating a vast amount 
 of information which had not been possible to acquire 
 on previous voyages. The islands visited included 
 Harvey Island, discovered by Captain Cook on his 
 voyage around the world in 1773, and the Friendly 
 Islands. In April he touched at the Island of Komango, 
 and later arrived at Annamooka. ' ' The station he took 
 was the very same which he had occupied when he 
 visited the country three years before ; and it was prob- 
 ably almost in the same place where Tasman, the first 
 discoverer of this and some neighboring islands, 
 anchored in 1643." 
 
 Captain Cook remained in the vicinity of the 
 Friendly Islands for nearly three months during which 
 time there existed the utmost cordiality between the 
 English and the natives. 
 
 He visited Otaheita and upon his arrival in Natavia 
 Bay, the natives who had known him on the previous 
 occasions'^ of his visits greeted him with the utmost 
 friendship. The last of the Society Islands to be visited 
 by Cook was Bolabola, the 8th of December, 1777. 
 
 Seventeen months had now elapsed since his depar- 
 ture from England, chiefly spent in acquiring knowledge 
 and information concerning the strange inhabitants of 
 those remote islands which lay within the gleam of the 
 Southern Cross. 
 
 Cook's third journey in these southern latitudes may 
 be considered as purely supplementary to his previous 
 voyages. This was not an Antarctic expedition, but one 
 destined particularly to high northern latitudes, yet it 
 records a vast amount of toil and enthusiasm for re- 
 search, and there is a certain pathos in the reflection 
 that the gallant Cook, whose southern voyages had in- 
 
1 
 
The Later Voyages of Captain Cook 67 
 
 stigated a new era in Antarctic discoveries, was viewing 
 the islands he had discovered for the last time. He 
 seems to have lingered in the Southern Pacific from 
 love of the scenes of his former triumph, yet, writes 
 his biographer, ''he was sensible that, with respect to 
 the principal object of his instructions, it was now 
 only the commencement of his voyage, and that there- 
 fore, his attention was to be called anew to every cir- 
 cumstance which might contribute towards the safety 
 of his people, and the ultimate success of the expedi- 
 tion." 
 
 When this had been accomplished we find him Janu- 
 ary 2nd, 1778 steering northward. He pursued a steady 
 though leisurely course toward accomplishing the great 
 purpose of his voyage, discovering and pausing at new 
 land marks in the mighty southern ocean. 
 
 Cook was going steadily but surely to his death, and 
 though he knew it not, there seems to be a suspicion 
 of regret that his course should be steered beyond the 
 limits of the Southern Cross. Cook was the greatest 
 navigator of his age — one might safely say of all ages. 
 
 Slowly the ships sailed onward, past the equator and 
 by the month of March sighted the long-looked for 
 coast of New Albion while in 44° 33' North latitude, and 
 235° 20' East longitude. Steadily northward we find 
 the two ships sailing on, with the fixed purpose to make, 
 if possible, the passage of the Ice Sea. From Behring 
 Strait to Baffin's Bay, ''every day the ice increased so 
 as to preclude all hopes of attaining, at least during the 
 present voyage, the grand object of the voyage. Yet 
 this intrepid mariner was only turned back at Icy 
 Cape, where he found the forces of the ice too great 
 for even his powers to conquer them. 
 
68 The Seventh Continent 
 
 **It reflects/' writes one commentator, *'the highest 
 honour on the British name, that our great navigator 
 extended his discoveries much farther in one expedi- 
 tion, and at so great a distance from the point of his 
 departure, than the Russians accomplished in a long 
 series of years, and in parts belonging or contiguous to 
 their own empire." 
 
 On the 2nd of October, 1778, Cook reached the island 
 of Oonalaska on the return voyage ; he pursued his usual 
 method of carefully cruising along the coast and mark- 
 ing the new or little known coast line. 
 
 Cook directed his course toward the Sandwich Islands 
 whence he intended to go to Kamchatka, which he 
 proposed to reach by the middle of May of the ensuing 
 summer. By November he sighted an island in latitude 
 20° 55' North to which he gave the name of Mowee. It 
 proved to be one of the Sandwich group. Another 
 island sighted two days later was called by the natives 
 Ouyhee and Cook spent nearly seven weeks in sailing 
 round and examining its coast. The natives came off 
 in canoes and traded with the crew. It is recorded that 
 on the 16th of January 1779, canoes arrived in such 
 numbers from all parts, that there were not fewer than 
 a thousand about the two ships, most of them crowded 
 with people, and laden with hogs and other produc- 
 tions of the island. 
 
 While in Karakakova Bay the natives had seemed per- 
 fectly amicable — but showed a propensity for inquisitive- 
 ness and thieving which while particularly annoying was 
 patiently borne by the English. The native chiefs, how- 
 ever, became distrustful, and after the forced return 
 of the ships through an accident sustained by heavy 
 gales upon their leaving port the natives put them under 
 
 1 
 
The Later Voyages of Captain Cooh 69 
 
 a taboo with great solemnity. 
 
 While the English ships were undergoing repairs the 
 feeling of dislike toward the foreign visitors seemed to 
 increase among the natives and certain disagreeable en- 
 counters ashore resulted in the complete severance of 
 pleasant relations. The outcome was an unforeseen 
 attack upon the gallant Captain who was brutally mur- 
 dered by the natives in cold blood. 
 
 Thus ended the life of a most extraordinary man. 
 Like Magellan, he met his melancholy end at the hands 
 of savages he had befriended, and like him the sud- 
 denness and unexpectedness of their treachery gave 
 him no chance of escaping with his life. 
 
 Of his character there are many laudatory tributes, 
 and England has ever held his name in reverence for 
 the glory he brought to her flag by his discoveries. In 
 the homage due his memory a contemporary of his 
 writes in an eulogium: 
 
 ** Traveller! contemplate, admire, revere, and emu- 
 late this great master in his profession; whose skill 
 and labours have enlarged natural philosophy, have 
 extended nautical science and have disclosed the long 
 3oncealed and admirable arrangements of the Almighty 
 in the formation of this globe, and, at the same time, 
 the arrogance of mortals, in presuming to account, by 
 their speculations, for the laws by which He was pleased 
 to create it. It is now discovered, beyond all doubt, 
 that the same great Being who created the universe 
 by His fiat, by the same ordained our earth to keep a 
 just poise, without a corresponding southern continent, 
 md it does so. 'He stretcheth out the North over 
 
 3MPTY PLACES, AND HANGETH THE EARTH UPON NOTH- 
 
 :ng.' (Job XXVI. 7.)'^ 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 EARLY AMERICAN ENTERPRISE IN ANTARCTIC DISCOVERY 
 
 THE illusion that the legendary *' Terra Aus- 
 tralis" existed north of 60° South had at last 
 been permanently dispelled. The succeeding voy- 
 ages made within the next few years did much to con- 
 firm geographical location of islands already reported 
 in far southern latitudes and added through discovery 
 others of more or less importance to the map. 
 
 The Aurora Islands discovered in 1762 by the ship 
 ''Aurora," were visited by the Spanish corvette 
 "Atrexoida" in 1794 for the purpose of survey which 
 reported three in number, the most southern being in 
 53° 15' South latitude. Other vessels, the ''Dolores" 
 and "Princess," had sighted these islands in the years 
 1779 and 1790 respectively. 
 
 The first mention of American enterprise in Ant- 
 arctic discovery is recorded in 1800 when Captain 
 Swain, a Nantucket whaler, on his way from the Sand- 
 wich Islands to Cape Horn ran far out of his course 
 to the south and discovered an island in latitude 59° 
 South and longitude 90° West "covered with snow and 
 abounding with sea dogs." 
 
 Another famous Nantucket sea captain, Richard 
 Macy, a few years later reported seeing an island in 
 59° South and 91° West, probably Swain Island. 
 
 Two English whaling ships, the "Snow Swan" and 
 
 70 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 71 
 
 ''Otter," reported sighting Bouvet Island in 1808 and 
 charted its location in 54° 15' South latitude, 4° 15' 
 East longitude. 
 
 ''The earliest phase of American Antarctic explora- 
 tion was due to the ambitious energies of the Connecti- 
 cut Whalers," writes General Greely, "whose commer- 
 cial and professional instincts impelled them to seek an 
 extension of profitable sealing grounds. As is well 
 known, the daring pioneer voyages of American fisher- 
 men successfully exploited in the 19th century even the 
 most remote seas, and thus brought into our national 
 coffers whaling products to the value of 332 millions of 
 dollars from 1804 to 1876." 
 
 Just before the breaking out of the war of 1812, an 
 American expedition was organized for the purpose of 
 discovery, in a voyage round the world, with Edmund 
 Fanning as commander. The main object of this voyage 
 was exploration in the southern hemisphere, and the 
 two ships, "Volunteer" and "Hope" were outfitted 
 with this object. They were on the point of sailing 
 when war was declared and the voyage was conse- 
 quently abandoned. 
 
 Seven years later Edmund Fanning induced Cap- 
 tain James P. Sheffield, and Supercargo William A. 
 Fanning in the brig "Hersilia" to try a high southern 
 latitude in search of good sealing grounds in 
 the locality of Gherritz's discovery. Edmund Fan- 
 ning had been in the spring of the year at South 
 Georgia at the breaking up of the winter ice, and in 
 passing to the eastward, brought up against the south- 
 western coast of South Georgia, giving decisive evi- 
 dence that extensive land did exist in that direction 
 for "as numerous ice islands had formed at South 
 
72 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Georgia, and drifted away to the eastward in these 
 gales, it was certain that ice islands first spoken of, 
 must have had land to form at or they could never 
 have been in existence." 
 
 "On the return of the brig," continues Edmund Fan- 
 ning, ''they reported having touched at the Falklands, 
 thence proceeded in search of the Aurora Islands; 
 these were found to be three in number, each in the 
 form of a sugar-loaf, but having no landing places, 
 even for amphibious animals, on them. A number of 
 birds about, with some shaggs, and white pigeons in 
 the clefts, were all the living creatures discovered on 
 them. The brig sailed around and between these islands 
 without discovering any danger, except a reef which 
 put off southwest, a short mile from the southernmost 
 island. The centre island they place in latitude 52° 
 58' South, longitude 51° West. 
 
 "Leaving the Auroras, the brig's course was shaped 
 westward for Staaten Land; from this, after taking on 
 board wood and water, they steered to the south, on 
 arriving in about the latitude of 63° South, at 1 p. m. 
 they bore away east, under a good breeze from the south- 
 ward, attended with clear weather; hove to when night 
 closed in, during which many seals came swimming 
 about the vessel ; these gave them strong hopes of being 
 in the vicinity of land." 
 
 The following day they descried to their great joy 
 "a high and round mountain island" covered with 
 snow, although it was February, the last summer month 
 of this region. From its singular form they named 
 this Mount Pisgah Island. 
 
 "After passing Mount Pisgah Island, they arrived at 
 the group last seen, and called them Fanning 's Islands; 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 73 
 
 after sailing into a passage between the first two, they 
 came to a harbor at the starboard island which was 
 then named Eagged Island; and there anchored, 
 calling it Hersilia Cove. From elevated positions 
 they had discovered more land to the eastward, but 
 as the season was drawing to a close, and they 
 were anxious to hasten home and report the discov- 
 ery of such vast numbers of seals to their friends 
 in time for the next season, they had no leisure to 
 visit or make a survey of it. After procuring several 
 thousand skins of the choicest and richest furs, as the 
 weather or climate would not admit of their drying 
 them at this place, they were therefore not prepared 
 with a sufficiency of salt for a full cargo, but calcu- 
 lated to dry a part of the skins where they should take 
 them ; thus with as many as they had salt to save, they 
 left Ragged Island, leaving, according to their estima- 
 tion, 50,000 fur seals. The ** Hersilia '* returned safely; 
 to Stonington, and realized to her owners a very hand- 
 some profit upon the sale of the vessel and her cargo/' 
 ''These islands had been seen," comments Fanning, 
 ''it appears, by a Captain Smith, in the English brig 
 'William' some fifteen months prior to the arrival of 
 the 'Hersilia' at them, while bound from Buenos Ayres 
 to Valparaiso, and by him named the South Shetlands. 
 But as Captain Gherritz after his discovery of this 
 land in 1599, proceeded into the Pacific, and was there 
 captured by the Spaniards and sent into Valparaiso, 
 it is therefore likely that Captain Smith, who was 
 then engaged in the freighting trade to Valparaiso, 
 got a hint of the Dutch Captain's discovery from some 
 Spanish source and then went to look for it and gave 
 it an English name. . . . We Yankees might with more 
 
74 The Seventh Continent 
 
 propriety, inasmuch as they had become obsolete, have 
 considered our rediscovery of the Crozetts, after the 
 long and tedious search had for them, as a discovery, 
 and named them South Martha's Vineyard, or some- 
 thing else. The 'Hersilia,' the first American vessel 
 it is believed that visited them, did not presume to 
 call the group or chain by any other name than that 
 given by their first discoverer, viz., Gherritz's New 
 Iceland. ' ' 
 
 Greely writes: 
 
 "The discovery of the South Shetlands promptly at- 
 tracted a fleet of New England whalers, which estab- 
 lished its base of operations at Deception Island, where 
 seals were so plentiful that 50,598 sealskins were taken 
 in one season, 1820-1821. The smallest vessel of the 
 fleet was the sloop 'Hero,' 44.5 tons, commanded by 
 a youth of 21 years, Captain Nathanial Brown Palmer. 
 While at the lookout maintained on the volcanic crater 
 near Yankee Harbor, one of the sealing captains, Ben- 
 jamin Pendleton, on a clear day discovered snow-capped 
 peaks outlined against the southern horizon. 
 
 *' Realizing that the wholesale destruction of seals 
 must soon exhaust the local supply, Captain Palmer in 
 an interval of fine weather, sailed southward, in Jan- 
 uary, 1821, to search for new fishing grounds. Reach- 
 ing the new and hitherto unknown land, only some 70 
 miles distant, Palmer skirted its northwestern coasts, 
 which he found to be a mountainous, snow-covered 
 region, entered several bays, and saw sea leopards, 
 though finding no seals. His furthest point in that 
 voyage was about 68° S. latitude, 59° W. longitude." 
 
 ** Palmer described the land that he had discovered 
 to be an extensive mountainous country," writes Fan- 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 75 
 
 ning, **more sterile and dismal, if possible, and more 
 heavily loaded with ice and snow, than the South Shet- 
 lands; there were sea leopards on its shores, but no 
 fur seals. The main part of its coast was ice bound, 
 although it was in midsummer of this hemisphere, and 
 a landing was consequently difficult. '^ 
 
 *'0n the * Hero's' return passage to Yankee Harbor," 
 continues Fanning, ''she got becalmed in a thick fog 
 between the South Shetlands and the newly discovered 
 continent, but nearest the former. When this began to 
 clear away. Captain Palmer was surprised to find his 
 little barque between a frigate and a sloop of war, and 
 instantly ran up the United States flag; the frigate and 
 sloop of war then set the Russian colors. Soon after 
 this a boat was seen pulling from the commodore's ship 
 for the 'Hero,' and when alongside, the lieutenant pre- 
 sented an invitation from his commodore for Captain 
 P. to go on board; this of course was accepted. These 
 ships he then found to be the two discovery ships sent 
 out by the Emperor Alexander of Russia, on a voyage 
 round the world. To the commodore's interrogatory if 
 he had any knowledge of those islands then in sight, and 
 what they were. Captain P. replied, he was well ac- 
 quainted with them, and that they were the South 
 Shetlands, at the same time making a tender of his 
 services to pilot the ships into a good harbor at Decep- 
 tion Island, the nearest by, where water and refresh- 
 ment such as the island afforded could be obtained; 
 he also informing the Russian officer that his vessel 
 belonged to a fleet of five sail, out of Stonington, under 
 command of Captain B. Pendleton, and then at anchor 
 in Yankee Harbor, who would most cheerfully render 
 any assistance in his power." 
 
76 The Seventh Continent 
 
 This meeting with Bellingshausen is particularly in- 
 teresting as it verifies the American claim for prior 
 discovery, a disputed point with many authorities. 
 
 Fanning continues: 
 
 *'The commodore thanked him kindly, 'But previous 
 to our being enveloped in the fog', said he, 'we had 
 sight of those islands, and concluded we had made a 
 discovery, but behold, when the fog lifts, to my great 
 surprise, here is an American vessel apparently in as 
 fine order as if it were but yesterday she had left the 
 United States; not only this, but her master is ready 
 to pilot my vessels into port; we must surrender the 
 palm to you Americans,' continued he, very flatter- 
 ingly. His astonishment was yet more increased," con- 
 tinues the narrative, ''when Captain informed him of 
 the existence of an immense extent of land to the south, 
 whose mountains might be seen from the masthead 
 when the fog should clear away entirely, 
 
 "Captain Palmer, while on board the frigate was en- 
 tertained in the most friendly manner and the com- 
 modore was so forcibly struck with the circumstances 
 of the case, that he named the coast then to the south 
 Palmer's Land." 
 
 "The following season, in 1821 and 1822," continues 
 Fanning, "Captain Pendleton was again at Yankee 
 Harbor, with the Stonington fleet; he then once more 
 despatched Captain Palmer in the sloop 'James Mon- 
 roe,' an excellent vessel of upwards of 80 tons, well 
 calculated for such duties, and by her great strength 
 well able to venture in the midst of and wrestle with 
 the ice. Captain Palmer reported on his return, that 
 after proceeding to the southward, he met ice fast and 
 firmly attached to the shore of Palmer's Land; he 
 
Early American Enterprise vn Antarctic Discovery 77 
 
 then traced the coast to the eastward, keeping as near 
 the shore as the ice would suffer ; at times he was able 
 to come along shore, at other points he could not ap- 
 proach within from one to several miles, owing to the 
 firm ices, although it was in December and January, 
 the middle summer months in this hemisphere. In this 
 way he coasted along this continent upwards of fifteen 
 degrees, viz., from 64 and odd, down below the 49th 
 of west longitude. The coast, as he proceeded to the 
 eastward, became more clear of ice, so that he was able 
 to trace the shore better; in 61° 41' South latitude, a 
 strait was discovered which he named Washington 
 Strait; this he entered and about a league within came 
 to a fine bay which he named Monroe Bay; at the head 
 of this was a good harbor; here they anchored, calling 
 it Palmer's Harbor. The Captain landed on the beach 
 among a number of those amphibious animals, the 
 spotted, glossy looking sea leopard, and that rich golden 
 colored noble bird, the king penguin; making their way 
 through these, the Captain and party traversed the 
 coast and country for some distance around, without 
 discovering the least appearance of vegetation except- 
 ing the winter moss. The sea leopards were the only 
 animals found; there were, however, vast numbers of 
 birds, several different species of the penguin. Port 
 Egmont hens, white pigeons, a variety of gulls, and 
 many kinds of oceanic birds; the valleys and gullies 
 were mainly filled with those never dissolved icebergs, 
 their square and perpendicular fronds several hundred 
 feet in height glistening most splendidly in a variety 
 of colors as the sun shone upon them. The mountains 
 of the coast, as well as those to all appearance in the 
 interior, were generally covered with snow, except when 
 
78 The Seventh Continent 
 
 their black peaks were seen here and there peeping out.'* 
 Subsequent voyages made by Palmer to high southern 
 latitudes have not been recorded, but Dr. Webster of 
 the '^ Chanticleer " describes meeting him near New 
 Year's Harbor in 1829-30. 
 
 *' Early on the following morning, Sunday, 25th Oc- 
 tober, Captain Foster left us in quest of a harbour for 
 the reception of the 'Chanticleer', while the pendulum 
 experiments were going forward. After examining New 
 Year's Harbour, which he did not approve of, in his 
 way along the coast he discovered an American schooner 
 at anchor in one of the creeks ; the name of the schooner 
 was the 'Penguin' of Stonington (sic.) : and the recep- 
 tion he met from Captain Palmer, who commanded her, 
 was most kind. Captain Palmer immediately offered to 
 conduct the 'Chanticleer' into the creek, which he had 
 named North Port Hatchett. When he made his appear- 
 ance on board the brig with Captain Foster, we took 
 him for another Eobinson Crusoe in the shape of some 
 shipwrecked mariner. He was a kind and good-hearted 
 man, and thinking that they would be a treat to us, 
 had brought with him a basket of albatross's eggs, which 
 were to us a most acceptable present. How completely 
 does this incident, trifling as it may appear, 
 prove the justness of Captain Hall's observations in his 
 useful little work entitled 'Fragments of Voyages', that 
 it is the time and manner of making a present that gives 
 all its value." 
 
 J. N. Reynolds, a member of the United States Ex- 
 ploring Expedition, made comment before Congress in 
 the year 1836, that justice be given to Palmer for his 
 discoveries. Mr. Reynolds had accompanied Palmer in 
 the latter 's voyage during the years 1829-30 when the 
 
SEA LEOPARD 
 
 Drawn from Nature by I. Weddell 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 79 
 
 "Seraph" and ''Annawan" made a cruise northwest 
 of Palmer's Land. Keynolds accompanied by two other 
 scientists had sailed with Palmer; he says: 
 
 "It was in company with this same Captain Palmer, 
 during my later voyage to the South Seas, that I vis- 
 ited the whole of this extensive group of islands lying 
 north of the coast of Palmer's Land, the extent of 
 which neither we nor any subsequent navigators have 
 as yet ascertained; though a British vessel touched at 
 a single spot in 1831, taking from it the American 
 and giving it an English name" (i. e., Graham Land). 
 
 Though Palmer never realized that he had discovered 
 land of continental proportions, he was never accorded 
 sufficient acknowledgment for the importance of his dis- 
 covery. English authorities have practically ignored 
 him, Edwin Balch, the American authority, acclaims 
 him as "certainly the first explorer of the land lying 
 south of Bransfield Strait, and extending for some 250 
 kilometers (over 15 miles) between 57° 50' and 62° 20' 
 West longitude ; that is, of the northern coasts of West 
 Antarctica from Leige Island to Joinville Island, both 
 inclusive." He also accords him the discovery of the 
 northern end of Gerlache Strait, and Orleans Channel, 
 and he adds: 
 
 "This coast or these islands were christened Palmer 
 Land, and they were so first charted in England, France, 
 and America." 
 
 This continued on the charts until 1831, when the 
 "Enderby brothers of Great Britain," writes Greely, 
 "one of whom was an influential Fellow of the Royal 
 Geographical Society, fitted out an expedition under 
 command of John Biscoe, a retired master of the Royal 
 Navy, who visited the coasts of Palmer Land, whence 
 
80 The Seventh Continent 
 
 resulted its replacement by Graham Land, renamed after 
 the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir James R. G. Gra- 
 ham/' 
 
 ''Has not the time arrived," concludes Greely, ''when 
 the glorious phase of American maritime history should 
 receive full national recognition ? Every textbook teach- 
 ing polar geography should contain the statement that 
 the American captain, N. B. Palmer, first discovered 
 parts of the continent of Antarctica, and on every 
 official south-polar map should be replaced Palmer 
 Land." 
 
 Fanning describes a voyage of the American schooner 
 "Pacific", Captain James Brown, who sailed on a seal- 
 ing voyage to the South Seas, from Portsmouth, Octo- 
 ber 1st, 1829. 
 
 "November 14th," he writes, "she reached the Cape 
 de Verde, and there took in salt and fresh provisions, 
 and sailed for South Georgia, which she made on the 
 29th December, 1829. Left Georgia March 5th, with 
 256 skins, and 1800 gallons sea elephant oil on board. 
 December 8th, 1830, latitude 56° 18' South, longitude 
 28° 35' West, they discovered an island neither laid 
 down on any chart, nor described by Cook or Bowditch. 
 In clear weather, the land may be seen thirty miles off ; 
 the island is two miles in circumference, resembling 
 at a distance a high round lump ; Captain Brown named 
 this Potter's Island. 
 
 "Four days after, viz., on the 12th, a second island 
 was discovered, having a mountain 800 feet high in 
 the centre, from which, in several places, smoke was 
 constantly issuing; it was covered with ice and snow; 
 on the lower level part of the island was a deep stratum 
 of lava disgorged from the volcano; this was of a 
 
^ar?2/ American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 81 
 
 light brown color, and somewhat resembling brick when 
 burnt to excess, extremely porous and fragile, and so 
 light as to float on the water ; on the ocean in the vicin- 
 ity of this island large masses of this were seen float- 
 ing about; The seamen went on shore, and travelled 
 over several portions of the island, examining the places 
 whence issued the smoke; at these a slight degree of 
 heat was perceptible; upon digging down in the earth 
 several feet below the surface, the ground was found 
 to be extremely dry. On this isolated spot are two 
 stony beaches, and convenient landings. Five different 
 species of the penguins were found here, as also wellys, 
 spotted eaglets, sea hens, gulls, etc., in great abundance. 
 This they named Prince's Island." 
 
 Other islands are described as having been laid down 
 on the chart for the first time by *'Mr. Prince, Cap- 
 tain Brown's mate, an experienced seaman, who trav- 
 ersed these waters in an English vessel twelve years 
 ago." 
 
 The largest icebergs seen by the ''Pacific" were ''three 
 to four miles in length, two in breadth ajid from two 
 to three hundred feet high and flat on top." 
 
 "On the newly discovered islands," continues Fan- 
 ning, "there was neither wood, timber, nor vegetables 
 of any kind. On Bird's Island, the crew of the 'Pa- 
 cific' killed a sea tiger, measuring eighteen feet; the 
 skull and hide of one of these animals was brought 
 home by them; the animal was seven feet in length, 
 and girted three and a half when killed. The head is 
 shaped like that of the common seal, except that it is 
 more elongated, the sockets of the eyes, too, being deeper 
 and broader. The skin is covered with a thick, fine, 
 and short hair, on the back of a gray color, spotted 
 
82 The Seventh Continent 
 
 with black and white on the abdomen; the flippers are 
 short and strong; the animal moves with surprising 
 velocity in the water, and in that element all its mo- 
 tions are indicative of great strength; their chief food 
 consists of penguins. 
 
 **To catch these beautiful birds, when they are dis- 
 covered at a distance, the tiger gets upon the windward 
 side, and lies upon his back; in this position he floats 
 upon the billows, with his head a little elevated, but 
 all the while keeping his dark vigilant eye steadily 
 fixed upon the ill fated object of his pursuit; as soon 
 as he is sufficiently near to secure his prey, he turns 
 suddenly upon his belly, cleaves the billows with aston- 
 ishing swiftness, and the next moment is seen plunging 
 in the water with a penguin, weighing at times from 
 forty to sixty pounds, in his capacious jaws. 
 
 *'The tiger possesses undaunted courage and shrewd- 
 ness; they frequently chased the crew of the 'Pacific' 
 while cruising in their boats. On one occasion, when 
 two of the men were at a considerable distance, both 
 from the shore and schooner, they were discovered by 
 one of these animals, some twenty feet in length, and 
 six in circumference, which instantly pursued the boat 
 with all speed, and when within ten or twelve feet, 
 leaped for it, exposing to view at the same time in the 
 greatest rage, his sharp teeth. Failing in this attempt, 
 he next essayed to upset the boat ; one of the party 
 then lodged a ball in his body; this only served to in- 
 crease the animal's rage, and in another attempt to 
 spring into the boat, he would have succeeded but for 
 a severe blow he received from a lance. Even after 
 this, his courage and perseverance were unabated, and 
 it seemed as if he had resolved that neither the power 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 83 
 
 nor the weapons of man should prevail against him. 
 When, however, the second and third balls were lodged 
 in him, his efforts ceased, and he was overcome. 
 
 "On another occasion, some of the crew were in the 
 boat three miles from the schooner, when a large tiger 
 was observed following in their wake; he betrayed no 
 disposition to annoy them, but kept at a distance from 
 the boat all the time; the seamen, unacquainted with 
 his cunning, were induced to pursue him, but soon 
 found their ignorance of the animal's character had 
 betrayed them into very imminent danger, which they 
 were now likely to pay very dearly for; the tiger 
 waited their approach, and then commenced the battle, 
 when the seamen instantly retreated for the vessel, and 
 with the utmost difficulty succeeded in keeping him from 
 upsetting them. 
 
 *'Some of the sailors tasted the milk of the sea tiger, 
 which they had killed, and found it excellent. By many 
 persons it is supposed that the sea tiger and walrus 
 are the same; but they differ in several particulars, 
 such as the number, size, shape, and relative position 
 of the teeth, as well as in the form of the head, which 
 of the walrus bears a strong resemblance to that of the 
 human species.'' 
 
 The first half of the 19th century the South Sea 
 fur trade continued particularly lucrative, and the 
 Stonington sealers had repeatedly ventured to the bor- 
 ders of the Antarctic Continent. Pendleton and Mor- 
 rell were the most noted veterans in those exciting voy- 
 ages. Captain Pendleton describes securing on one of 
 these voyages *' 8,000 fur" and ''2,000 hair seals," and 
 later took on board about 14,000 more in a single 
 voyage. 
 
84 The Seventh Continent 
 
 A curious accident befell the mariners while at New 
 Island, one of the western Falklands, where the ship 
 was moored while waiting for the completion of her 
 cargo. 
 
 *'At this time a party of men under command of 
 the first officer, Mr. B. Pendleton, were out on a seal- 
 ing excursion, and had at evening pitched their en- 
 campment at a low island some twenty miles from the 
 ship ; the surface of this island was covered with coarse 
 grass growing in the tussuc bogs which are of various 
 sizes, and spread near each other; the top of this grass 
 is some feet above man's height, and the ground 
 between the bogs covered with a thick layer of the 
 dead grass, the growth of previous years, and so com- 
 bustible withal, as when once on fire there is no pos- 
 sibility of extinguishing it. On such excursions as this, 
 the crew after hauling up and securing their boats fall 
 to work to make a sleeping hut (or nest, as they call 
 it) ; for this purpose two large bogs are chosen at a 
 good distance apart, and the inner borders of the grass 
 then cut down fairly so as it were to form the walls; 
 after this, the tops of the grass on the inner margin 
 of each bog are strongly tied together to form the roof; 
 over this is placed a thatch of grass of sufficient thick- 
 ness to keep out the rain, be it ever so violent; each 
 end of the hut is then walled up tightly with portions 
 of the bog, leaving at one end but a small , opening 
 by which to enter the premises; this again, when the 
 crew are in, is closed by means of a dried skin secured 
 to its place with wooden pins, the interior having a 
 layer of the dried grass to answer for beds, so that 
 when in, the men sleep warm and comfortable and at 
 times are rather loath to come out. These huts are 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 85 
 
 placed as near each other as possible, or as the bogs 
 will allow; while they are building, the cook makes 
 his fire upon the beach, and prepares a supper of meat, 
 with a cup of tea for each, all turning in after par- 
 taking of the same except himself, who remains by 
 the fire to extinguish it, and prepare breakfast in the 
 morning. This our cook, a good natured, careful body, 
 had always done; it appeared, however, that after ex- 
 tinguishing his fire, he was in the habit, unknown to 
 the officers, of enjoying a comfortable smoke of his pipe 
 after retiring with his mess to their hut. He had so 
 done on this occasion, and after supposing his pipe was 
 out, had laid it at his head as usual, but had not got 
 sound asleep before it was discovered that the grass was 
 on fire, no doubt originating from a spark out of the 
 pipe; unable to smother this, he awoke his shipmates 
 to his assistance; their efforts failing, the officers were 
 then called, who instantly alarmed the whole encamp- 
 ment; from one of the rear huts a young man (B. S. 
 Cutler) was one of the last to awake, by which time 
 the flames had nearly reached them, and as he came 
 out of the hut, not yet fairly awake, he became bewil- 
 dered, and seeing the fire spreading around in front, 
 retreated towards the interior of the island, but recov- 
 ering his recollection he mounted to the top of one of 
 the tussuc bogs to take a survey, whence observing him- 
 self nearly surrounded by the flames, he concluded his 
 shortest and safest way was to retrace his steps, and 
 if possible, pass through the sheet of fire to the boats; 
 this he proceeded to effect, but having over his other 
 garments a frock highly charged with oil from the fat of 
 blubber of the seal skins which he had worked in, he 
 had not more than entered the flames before it took 
 
86 The Seventh Continent 
 
 fire, so that by the time he had crossed the burning 
 grass, all his clothes were burnt to a cinder, and his 
 body and limbs completely roasted, so much so that 
 after he had been plunged in the water and taken out, 
 the skin cracked and came off with flesh attached to 
 the remaining portions of the dress; having, however, 
 taken care to hold one of his hands over his mouth and 
 nose while in the flames, he had imbibed but little if 
 any of it. 
 
 * ' Mr. Pendleton having heard that oil and fresh skins 
 of animals were a good application in giving relief 
 from burns, directed several of the penguins then near 
 by to be killed, and their skins to be taken off with 
 about half an inch in thickness of the fat and flesh 
 attached ; binding them in this state around the roasted 
 body of the young man, an immediate relief from pain 
 resulted from it, then preparing a litter, the young 
 man was forthwith taken to the ship, where finding 
 he had experienced so much benefit from the first appli- 
 cation,'' writes Fanning, the narrator, *'I directed fresh 
 skins to be brought from the shore, and in this way 
 for ten days we replaced the dry and fresh skins twice 
 in every twenty-four hours, the body the while being 
 kept gently open, and the patient living on a light diet 
 of gruel, soup, etc. No other application was made 
 use of, and the rapidity of his recovery was truly 
 astonishing, for a new skin like as of an infant grew 
 over his person, and in one month's time he could move 
 alone, about the deck, and shortly after attend to his 
 duty again. Those skins (and would not those of any 
 fat animal have the same healing effect?) were soft to 
 his wounds, and kept him always free from pain, except 
 at the time of removing and replacing them." 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 87 
 
 Morrell, in the sealing schooner *'Wasp," reached the 
 Falklands in October, 1822, made a fruitless search for 
 the Auroras, and after touching at Bouvet Island, 
 where he secured many seals, he extended his efforts 
 to Kerguelen Island and later south and east and crossed 
 the Antarctic circle February 1st in 64° 52' South lati- 
 tude, 118° 27' East longitude. 
 
 Twenty-three days later he was in the neighborhood 
 of Sandwich Land, where he anchored for a brief stay. 
 Proceeding south he reached March 14th, 70° 14' South 
 latitude, 40° 3' West longitude, his farthest south. He 
 now turned northwest, as he dared not remain longer, 
 being short of water and fuel. In the afternoon of 
 March 15th, 1823, *'we were close in with the eastern 
 coast of the body of land to which Captain Johnson 
 had given the name of New South Greenland." He 
 skirted this coast for some distance, giving it as his 
 opinion that ''if there be no more land to the south 
 than that with which we are generally acquainted, the 
 Antarctic seas must be much less obstructed by ice than 
 is generally supposed; and that a clear sea is open for 
 voyages of discovery even to the South Pole." 
 
 Panning claims that the so-called New South Green- 
 land was the land visited by Palmer and Pendleton, 
 that which is now called West Antarctica. There seems 
 to be a question as to Morrell as an authority, but in 
 Sir R. V. Hamilton's defense of Morrell's statements 
 he says: ''Whatever else Mr. Morrell might not have 
 discovered, he was the first discoverer of guano in the 
 islands of Ichaboe and Lobos. The speed of 120 miles 
 a day, with which he made the voyage, was nothing 
 uncommon as the sea was not encumbered with ice. Mr. 
 Morrell was a sealer, not an educated man, and there- 
 
88 The Seventh Continent 
 
 fore due allowance must be made for his errors. ' ' 
 
 The Shetland Islands reported by Smith and whose 
 change of name Fanning resented with so much spirit 
 were visited January, 1820, by Mr. Edward Branfield 
 in the brig ''Williams", who anchored in an extensive 
 bay and as far as recorded was the first to land. He 
 speaks of finding some stunted grasses and describes 
 the coast line as "high, bold, and rugged." It is sup- 
 posed he sighted Joinville Land, and the strait between 
 South Shetland and Palmer Land is called after him. 
 
 James Weddell was a master in the Royal Navy, in 
 the employ of an Edinburgh firm to command an expe- 
 dition, for the purpose of obtaining seal-skins in the 
 southern seas. 
 
 Weddell commanded the brig "Jane" and Mathew 
 Brisbane the cutter "Beaufort." These vessels left 
 England on the 17th September, 1822, and after touch- 
 ing at one of the Cape Verde Islands, cast anchor the 
 following December in a port called St. Helena on 
 the eastern coast of Patagonia. Toward the last of 
 December, Weddell put to sea again and on January 
 12th came in sight of an archipelago in 60° 41' South 
 latitude, 45° West longitude to which he gave the name 
 of Southern Orkneys. Weddell describes this group of 
 islands as particularly barren, sharp pointed rocks bare 
 of vegetation rising on all sides, "round which surge 
 the restless waves, and against which dash enormous 
 floating icebergs, with a noise like thunder." 
 
 Captain Weddell now made for the south, and after 
 crossing the Antarctic Circle, he was surprised by a 
 moderation in the temperature. He noted innumerable 
 flocks of birds, and large schools of whales and every 
 indication pointed to a large area of land not far dis- 
 
BRIG JANE AND CUTTER BEAUFORT PASSING THROUGH A CHAIN OF ICE 
 
 ISLANDS 
 
 From a sketch hy Capt. Weddell 
 
Early American Eriterprise in Antarctic Discovery 89 
 
 tant, but though he pursued this course steadily south 
 until February 20th, when he stood in 74° 15' South 
 latitude and 34° 16' 45" East longitude, no land was 
 discovered. 
 
 **I would willingly have explored," says Weddell, 
 ' * the southwest quarter, but taking into consideration 
 the lateness of the season, and that we had to pass home- 
 ward through 1,000 miles of sea strewed with ice islands, 
 with long nights, and probably attended with fogs, I 
 could not determine otherwise than to take advantage 
 of this favorable wind for returning." 
 
 Weddell now retraced his course, to 58° South lati- 
 tude, then steered in an easterly direction to within 
 100 miles of the Sandwich Islands. In the month of 
 February he once more doubled the southern cape, and 
 skirted a sheet of ice fifty miles wide, but no land was 
 seen. 
 
 Weddell had penetrated 240 miles nearer the South 
 Pole than any of the adventurers who had preceded him, 
 including Cook. Besides valuable observations which 
 he had accumulated, Weddell noticed that the vibrations 
 of the compass were as slow in these southern latitudes 
 as Parry had noted them in the Arctic regions. 
 
 Fogs and storms were incessant and the two vessels 
 became separated, but met again in New Georgia after 
 a perilous voyage of over 1,200 miles. Weddell visited 
 New Shetland, but as the harbours were blocked with 
 ice, he was obliged to go to Tierra del Fuego, where he 
 made a stay of two months, during which time he col- 
 lected valuable information of a scientific nature and 
 accurate data concerning the character of the inhab- 
 itants. 
 
 Weddell relates an amusing incident apropos of the 
 
90 The Seventh Continent 
 
 thieving and imitative propensities of the natives; he 
 writes : 
 
 * ' A sailor had given a Fuegan a tin-pot full of coffee, 
 which he drank, and was using all his art to steal the 
 pot. The sailor, however, recollecting after a while that 
 the pot had not been returned, applied for it, but what- 
 ever words he made use of were always repeated in 
 imitation by the Fuegan. At length he became enraged 
 at hearing his requests reiterated, and, placing himself 
 in a threatening attitude, in an angry tone, he said: 
 ' You copper-coloured rascal, where is my tin-pot ? ' The 
 Fuegan, assuming the same attitude, with his eyes fixed 
 on the sailor, called out, 'You copper-coloured rascal, 
 where is my tin-pot?' The imitation was so perfect 
 that every one laughed, except the sailor, who proceeded 
 to search him, and under his arm he found the article 
 missing. ' ' 
 
 After an absence of two years, Weddell returned to 
 England. 
 
 The chief result of the exploring expedition com- 
 manded by Captain George Powell, with the ''Eliza" 
 and "Dove" in 1821 and 1822, was an important chart 
 which credits Palmer with the discovery of Palmer 
 Archipelago and gives the name of the ' ' Powell Group ' ' 
 to those islands now known as the South Orkney 
 Islands. 
 
 Palmer 's romantic meeting with the Russian exploring 
 expedition in the remote southern waters calls attention 
 to its intrepid leader. Captain Fabian Gottlieb von Bel- 
 lingshausen, who according to Greely "far surpassed 
 Cook in the extent of Antarctic work, although not 
 equalling his latitude by 17 miles. Bellingshausen not 
 only circumnavigated the globe to the south of the 60th 
 
Early American Enterprise in Antarctic Discovery 91 
 
 parallel, but also traversed 70 degrees of longitude 
 within the circle, which he entered at six widely sepa- 
 rated points. 
 
 ''His intrepidity and perseverance under adverse 
 conditions of ice and weather resulted in important con- 
 tributions to our knowledge of southern seas, and re- 
 stricted materially the possible limits of continental 
 land. He also has the honor of first discovering land 
 within the Antarctic Circle — Peter I. Island in 90° W., 
 and Alexander I. Land in 73° W. 
 
 ''The discovery of these two islands," writes Mr. 
 Montemont, a member of the expedition, "is moreover 
 remarkable in that of all these lands they are the most 
 southerly which have yet been discovered in this at- 
 mosphere." 
 
 Herr Lowe adds: 
 
 "The sudden change in the color of the water led 
 Captain Bellingshausen to believe that this (Alexander) 
 land must be of considerable size." 
 
 "Both islands are surrounded on all sides by ice." 
 comments Simonow. "If therefore the coast of Alex- 
 ander Land is not the point of a dry land, then must 
 I confirm the words of Cook and also say that we saw 
 no trace of the supposed polar land, unless there was 
 one beyond the limits of our vision, where, however, 
 the eternal and impenetrable ice has placed a bar to 
 navigation. ' ' 
 
 It was after the discovery of the Alexander Land that 
 Bellingshausen set sail for the Shetlands and encoun- 
 tered the "Hero" commanded by Palmer. Some fifty 
 other American and English ships were also met within 
 these latitudes, and passing South Georgia Bellingshau- 
 sen returned to Russia. 
 
CHAPTER y 
 
 SOUTH POLAR ANIMALS 
 
 THE great severity of climate in South Polar re- 
 gions, the lack of vegetation, the desolation of 
 unpeopled lands upon which no quadrupeds are 
 to be found, — ^lands that are mere barren wastes of 
 snow and ice, so different from the more hospitable 
 coasts and valleys of the Arctic, where at equal dis- 
 tances from the equator are found lands green with vege- 
 tation, abounding with animal life and the habitat of the 
 hardy Esquimaux, — is accounted for by the predomi- 
 nance of sea in the South Polar regions. The vast 
 continental masses in the north are warmed by the sum- 
 mer sun rays and become centers of radiating heat; 
 while the Antarctic lands are isolated in the midst of 
 frigid waters and constantly chilled by cold sea winds 
 ''which act at every season as refrigerators of the at- 
 mosphere. ' ' 
 
 ''In the north,'' writes Hartwig, "the cold currents 
 of the Polar Ocean, with their drift-ice and bergs, have 
 but the two wide gates of the Greenland Sea and Davis 
 Strait through which they can emerge to the south, 
 so that their influence is confined within comparatively 
 narrow limits, while the gelid streams of the Antarctic 
 seas branch out freely on all sides, and convey their 
 floating ice-masses far and wide within the temperate 
 seas. It is only to the west of Newfoundland that 
 
 92 
 
South Polar Animals 93 
 
 single icebergs have ever been known to descend as 
 low as 39° of latitude; but in the southern hemisphere 
 they have been met with in the vicinity of Cape of 
 Good Hope (35° S. lat.) near Tristan d'Acunha, oppo- 
 site to the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, and within a 
 hundred leagues of Tasmania. In the north, finally, 
 we find the gulf stream conveying warmth even to the 
 shores of Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemblya; while in 
 the opposite regions of the globe, no traces of warm 
 currents have been observed beyond 55° of latitude. 
 
 ''Thus the predominance of vast tracts of flat land 
 in the boreal hemisphere, and of an immense expanse 
 of ocean in the Antarctic regions, sufficiently accounts 
 for the aestival warmth of the former, and the compara- 
 tively low summer temperature of the latter. 
 
 ''In 1829," he comments, "the 'Chanticleer', Cap- 
 tain Foster, was sent to New Shetland for the purpose 
 of making magnetic and other physical observations, 
 and remained for several months at Deception Island, 
 which was selected as a station from its affording the 
 best harbour in South Shetland. 
 
 ' ' Though these islands are situated at about the same 
 distance from the Pole as the Faroe Islands, which 
 boast of numerous flocks of sheep, and where the sea 
 never freezes, yet, when the 'Chanticleer' approached 
 Deception Island, on January 5 (a month corresponding 
 to our July), so many icebergs were scattered about, 
 that Foster counted at one time no fewer than eighty- 
 one. A gale having arisen, accompanied by a thick 
 fog, great care was needed to avoid running foul of 
 these floating cliffs. After entering the harbour — a 
 work of no slight difficulty, from the violence of the 
 wind — the fogs were so frequent that, for the first ten 
 
94 The Seventh Continent 
 
 days, neither sun nor stars were seen ; and it was withal 
 so raw and cold, that Lieutenant Kendall, to whom we 
 owe a short narrative of the expedition, did not recollect 
 having suffered more at any time in the Arctic regions, 
 even at the lowest range of the thermometer. In this 
 desolate land, frozen water becomes an integral portion 
 of the soil; for this volcanic island is composed chiefly 
 of alternate layers of ashes and ice, as if the snow of 
 each winter, during a series of years, had been pre- 
 vented from melting in the following summer, by the 
 ejection of cinders and ashes from some part where 
 volcanic action still goes on. Early in March (the 
 September of the north) the freezing over of the cove 
 in which the ship was secured, gave warning that it 
 was high time for her to quit this desolate port. "With 
 much difficulty and severe labour, from the fury of the 
 gales, they managed to get away; and we may fully 
 credit Lieutenant Kendall's assertion, that it was a 
 day of rejoicing to all on board when the shores of 
 Deception faded from their view." 
 
 The absence of quadrupeds south of 60° has already 
 been noted, but mention should be made of innumerable 
 sea-birds which, though they belong to the same fami- 
 lies as those of the north are a *' distinct genera or 
 species, for with rare exceptions no bird is found to 
 inhabit both Arctic and Antarctic regions." These 
 include the giant petrel, ' Vhich extends its flight from 
 Patagonia to the ice-banks of the south, where the Ant- 
 arctic and snowy petrels first appear, cold loving birds 
 which never leave those dreary waters, and are often 
 seen in vast flocks floating upon the drift-ice." 
 
 The giant petrel is larger than a goose — ^with a strong 
 beak about 4% inches long. It is described as a dirty 
 
South Polar Ammals 95 
 
 black in color, white below, and white spots on the neck 
 and back. Its food consists of fish or the carcasses of 
 seals, and cetaceans. 
 
 The albatross, considered by superstitious sailors as 
 a bird of ill omen, rivals the condor in majesty of 
 flight and strength of wind. It is found in greatest 
 numbers south of 60° South latitude and it probably 
 knows no other limits than those of the Polar ice. "It is 
 found," says Hartwig, **in every meridian of this enor- 
 mous zone, but the regions of storms — the Cape of Good 
 Hope, and Cape Horn, are its favorite resorts. ' ' 
 
 The presence of innumerable penguins has already 
 been noted; their principal food consists of various 
 species of crustaceous animals; they have the habit of 
 swallowing quantities of pebbles, probably to promote 
 digestion, and it is recorded that no less than ten 
 pounds of these were found in the stomach of a single 
 bird. 
 
 In contrast to the barrenness of the land of all ani- 
 mals, the sea abounds with a great variety of marine 
 life and the amphibious sea-elephant is one of the most 
 curious. In the old days they were very numerous and 
 at the proper season, came up out of the sea, and on 
 reaching the beach says Fanning, **lay in rows along 
 the same, such being what are technically termed rook- 
 eries, though some contain many more than others. 
 The full aged males alone have the proboscis, and some 
 of these are truly enormous animals, varying from 
 twelve to twenty-four feet in length, with a proportion- 
 ate height and breadth. The females, at this season, 
 come on shore to shed their coat (as do also the males) 
 and bring forth their young; they have generally one, 
 sometimes two, never more at a birth, and rarely, if ever, 
 
96 The Seventh Continent 
 
 even at full age, do they attain over half the size and 
 dimensions of the males. 
 
 ''On land, the elephant is a very logy animal and 
 except among themselves, or in their own defense, never 
 make battle. They are taken for their oil, and tongues, 
 which are considered a delicious dish, and more luscious 
 than beef tongue. When first coming to their favorite 
 shore, the animal is exceedingly plump, and very fat, 
 the full grown generally yielding about three barrels of 
 oil ; but in a few weeks it falls away, becomes lank and 
 poor, and by the time to go off comes about, would 
 not give above the half of that quantity." 
 
 The method used by the old Stonington sailors to 
 capture these huge creatures was in the case of the 
 young ones by hitting it a sharp blow with a club, and 
 for the old ones, a lance was used, yet in order to 
 overcome the largest bulls "it is necessary to have a 
 musket loaded with a brace of balls," says Fanning; 
 ''with this, advancing in front of the animal, to within 
 a few paces, they will rise on the fore legs or flippers, 
 and at the same time open the mouth widely to send 
 forth one of their loud roars ; this is the moment to dis- 
 charge the balls through the roof of the upper jaw into 
 the brains, whereupon the creature falls forward either 
 killed, or so much stunned as to give the sealer suf- 
 ficient time to complete its destruction with the lance. 
 They are frequently discovered sleeping, in which case 
 the muzzle of the piece is held close to the head, and 
 discharged into the brain. The loudest noise will not 
 awaken these animals when sleeping, as it is not un- 
 usual, though it may appear singular, for the hunter 
 to go on and shoot one without awaking those along- 
 side of it, and in this way proceed through the whole 
 
Smith Polar Aiiimals 97 
 
 rookery, shooting and lancing as many as are wanted. 
 The quantity of blood in these animals is really aston- 
 ishing, exceeding, in the opinion of the author, double 
 the quantity found in a bullock of the same weight; 
 when killed, the whole thickness of the blubber or fat, 
 with its skin, is cut into strips of from five to ten inches 
 in width, according to the animal's size; and thus cut 
 from head to tail, torn from the carcass and separated 
 from the lean flesh, are then washed clear of the blood 
 and taken to a mincing table, where the skin is taken 
 off, while the blubber, after being cut into pieces about 
 two inches or less in size, is thrown into a kettle and 
 tried out, the oil thus produced being put into casks, 
 the scraps always furnishing plenty of fuel for the try 
 kettle; a new cask after being filled with the boiling 
 oil, is then started and coopered, necessarily, from not 
 being fully shrunk, requiring to be filled again with 
 the boiling oil, and even a third time, if it has not done 
 shrinking after the second filling, which can readily be 
 discovered, this course being particularly attended to," 
 it may finally be coopered and stowed away in the 
 ship's hold, to be filled up by the hose, and will re- 
 main tight for the voyage, in all climes, nor require 
 wetting for any length of time, or lose a gill of oil by 
 shrinkage. ' ' 
 
 The sea-leopard differs in several respects from the 
 sea elephant; although it is nearly as large, it is more 
 smoothly and neatly built, the fore paws or flippers 
 are shorter, and on shore are described as more clumsy 
 than the sea elephant. The hair is short, sleek and 
 spotted, hence they derive their name. "When on the 
 land if they are frightened or disturbed in any way, 
 they tumble and roll down toward the water with sur- 
 
98 The Seventh Continent 
 
 prising rapidity. In the sea they can move about very 
 nimbly and "in point of swift swimming are equal 
 to the herring hog, cutting their way through smoothly 
 and rapidly ; there they are more at home than on land, 
 and are more courageous and daring." 
 
 *'Like the elephant, they are covered with a thick 
 slab of fat; the skin, however, is thinner, and not so 
 tough. They too observe the seasons for coming up 
 and going off in the same manner, but are not with 
 the elephant an inhabitant of all climes, as it is the 
 author's opinion that the sea leopard never has been 
 seen under the fiftieth degree of latitude, or even down 
 near to it." 
 
 Fanning says they are but seldom found at Staten 
 Island, the Falkland Islands, New Zealand, Desolation 
 Island or South Georgia, and *' there very scatteringly, 
 or only singly or in pairs. At New South Shetlands 
 they are more numerous, not so much so even there, as 
 to herd in rookeries; but on Palmer's Land, and the 
 south part of Sandwich Land, they are found herded 
 together in rookeries of many hundreds, and furnish oil, 
 as the elephant, in proportion to their size." 
 
 Fanning describes two species of sea lions or hair 
 seals — one much larger than the other. The former is 
 of a brownish color — the most numerous and ferocious 
 — ^the other is handsomer and a neater formed animal — 
 with short and sleek hair of a russet or light sorrel 
 color. "The first mentioned grade," he says, "vary 
 from nine to fifteen feet in length, very large around 
 the neck, but tapering off gradually till quite slender 
 at their hind flippers, with head resembling the land 
 lion, good sized white teeth, and a very long bristling 
 mane. 
 
South Polar Animals 99 
 
 *'0n approaching near to them when the clap 
 matches (females), have their young, which is one at 
 a time, and for which purpose they come up on shore, 
 they immediately advance to their defense, shaking 
 their mane, roaring and growling and showing their 
 fine teeth, and presenting to a person unacquainted 
 with them, a terrible and powerful appearance. They 
 are taken in the same way as the large bull elephant, 
 with the musket and lance, the club answering for the 
 clap matches, and yearlings, unless where from being 
 frequently disturbed they have become shy; in which 
 case it is necessary to shoot them also. 
 
 ''They, too, herd together in rookeries and between 
 these and the water, from which they are by this means 
 cut off; the hunters advance in Indian file, and when 
 surrounded, turn them up, and drive them to some 
 convenient spot, where huddled together, they are killed 
 by hundreds at a time with the club. The favorite 
 landings for this animal are the smooth bays with 
 pebbles or sandy beaches, but at times they are content 
 with the flat rock. They subsist on birds and fish — 
 and marine productions.'' 
 
 Valuable as were the products secured from the sea 
 animals just described, the Yankee sealers put their best 
 energies into securing the coveted pelts of the fur seals, 
 which they gathered by the thousands in the course of 
 a single voyage. 
 
 "Of these there are three different grades," writes 
 Fanning, ''full aged males, called wigs; the females, 
 clap matches, those not quite so old, bulls; all the half- 
 grown of both, yearlings ; the young of near a year old, 
 called gray or silvered pups, and before their coats are 
 changed to this color, called black pups. This animal 
 
100 The Seventh Continent 
 
 is much more sprightly and active on shore than the 
 elephant, leopard, or hair seal; their chief delight is in 
 the heavy surf or a rough or rocky shore ; still they can 
 manage to get themselves quite elevated in the world 
 at times." 
 
 The elevation of their rookeries is sometimes between 
 two and three hundred feet, and in one instance de- 
 scribed, the ascent was made over a succession of shelv- 
 ing rocks and black and white cliffs. 
 
 ''The taking of the animals at this place was com- 
 menced at the dawn of day; after overcoming the dif- 
 ficulty in climbing up, the seamen were obliged to be 
 very cautious of their footing, the extreme slipperiness 
 rendering them liable every moment to slide off, or else 
 the set on of some bristling old wig while defending 
 his charge, would surely send them therefrom, down 
 the precipice to instant death. The wigs have long 
 coarse hair, with stiff thin dull colored fur, and fre- 
 quent mostly the latitudes on the coasts of Africa and 
 Peru; the second kind are of the middling size, their 
 hair is not so long as the wigs, the fur though is much 
 thicker, and of a fine cast, but reddish hue; they are 
 met with at the Falkland Islands, the islands about 
 Cape Horn, New Holland, New Zealand, the coasts of 
 Patagonia and Chili." 
 
 The smaller species are a neater animal, not so savage, 
 nor having so sharp pointed a nose as the others ; the hair 
 is sleeker and shorter, and the fur, of a rich bright color, 
 is long, thick and glossy. They are met with at New 
 South Shetlands, west coast of Terra del Fuego, South 
 Georgia, Prince Edward's and Crozett's Islands. 
 
 ''AH these three different species, strange as it may 
 be thought," comments Fanning, "have been taken at 
 
South Polar Animals 101 
 
 the Gallipagos Islands, situated on the equator. Over 
 his several mates, as they lay closely huddled around 
 him, the wig keeps a sharp lookout; severe battles fre- 
 quently take place between the males whenever they 
 approach on another's company; on the other hand, 
 when the females venture to move to another place, or 
 take to the water against the will of the wigs, they 
 are immediately pursued, and by being bitten and 
 shaken, driven back to the starting point; the females 
 have been seen to get some rods off from the shore 
 before their absence was discovered, which was no 
 sooner done than plunging through the surf to all ap- 
 pearance in a great rage, the male has headed them off, 
 biting and driving them back again to where the re- 
 mainder of his seraglio were quietly looking on without 
 daring to stir. 
 
 ''The clap matches seldom have more than one young 
 at a time, although sometimes two; it is at this season 
 particularly, that the wigs are very savage, never hesi- 
 tating to fly at and attack with great spirit, any per- 
 son who ventures to approach them. They live upon 
 fish, and marine productions; stones also have been 
 found in their maws, as well as in those of the other 
 described animals. They migrate, and with the season 
 return to the shore and herd in rookeries on the rocks, 
 and in the gullies, returning to the water again when 
 the season is over; at this time the animal is very lean, 
 so much so that the skin is become very loose about it; 
 nothing more after this is seen of them until the following 
 season, when they are to be observed coming up again 
 to the shore, exceedingly plump and well filled; where 
 they retire to, to get so fat is something I never could 
 understand; it is also true that they have been met at 
 
102 The Seventh Continent 
 
 sea shortly before going on shore in large shoals swim- 
 ming through the water towards their haunts much like 
 a shoal of herring-hogs or porpoises. In calm weather 
 and a smooth sea, they have been seen floating along, 
 hundreds together, and asleep, with but the nose and 
 two of the in flippers sticking up out of the water, 
 which at a distance appears like the trunk of a tree 
 with its roots afloat; when caught thus asleep, they 
 can easily be taken by the harpoon or spear, by ap- 
 proaching them silently. 
 
 ''These fur seals are the animals the celebrated Cap- 
 tain Cook and other ancient voyagers call sea bears, 
 sea wolves, etc. While waiting at the resorting places 
 of these animals, they have been seen far off on the 
 sea as the eye could reach, coming directly and quickly 
 towards the land, springing out of the water and then 
 plunging in again, in a regular undulating movement, 
 and after passing through the surf, land on the rocks, 
 where being arrived, a few moments are passed in look- 
 ing about for a suitable spot, the body then moving 
 off to their places in the rookery, a mode of procedure 
 very similar to that of the hair seals. The wigs gen- j 
 erally come up in smaller flocks a few days before the 
 clap matches, and as these last arrive, select their 
 mates from among them and drive them off to their loca- 
 tion directly. 
 
 ''The skins are taken in the same way as those of 
 the sea lions are. If these seals are to be skinned for 
 the China market, the fat, and portions of the meat 
 should be taken off with the skin, the whole then washed 
 and spread on the rocks to drean, afterwards taken 
 to the beamer, where the fat and blubber is cleanly 
 beamed off, the flipper holes sewed up with twine, and 
 
 I 
 
A SEA-LIOX HUNT 
 From an Old Print 
 
South Polar Animals 103 
 
 the skins stretched out by means of ten wooden pins 
 (which to be of a suitable size, should be half an inch 
 in diameter at the head and twelve or fifteen inches 
 in length) on the turf to dry, and when perfectly 
 dried are in order for that market. But for the Euro- 
 pean, London, or American markets, the skin should 
 be flinched off, taking half to one inch thickness of 
 the fat with it, then washed perfectly clean from the 
 blood and dirt, and while wet plentifully salted, and 
 booked or kenched away. The young fur seals, after 
 they are six weeks old, and until yearlings are used 
 as, and considered to be, good fresh meat for roasting, 
 frying, broiling, or stewing; in fact, persons have pre- 
 ferred them to lamb. The flippers, when well dressed 
 and cooked, are not inferior to the callipee of the best 
 green turtle.*' 
 
 This descrip^tion of marine animal life as it was 
 observed and hunted in the early years of the nine- 
 teenth century has all the local atmosphere of the time 
 and the surroundings. The romance in the lives of 
 these enterprising Yankee sealers was of a blunt and 
 rugged character. They were men of strong nerve and 
 sinew, and not too fine sensibilities to suffer from the 
 hardships to be encountered in their perilous undertak- 
 ings. They fought a bloody and lively fight with the 
 denizens of the Southern waters and ruthlessly slaugh- 
 tered their prey by thousands. After a season in the 
 desolate Antarctic wastes, their schooners, teeming with 
 the maliferous odors of their spoils, ploughed the high 
 seas to the markets of the world with a prodigious 
 wealth in oil and peltries. 
 
 Mr. J. M. Reynolds in a report before the 23rd Con- 
 gress, in January, 1835, calls attention to the daring 
 
104 The Seventh Continent 
 
 and success of the American sealer in high Southern 
 latitudes. He says in part: 
 
 ''I regret that I am not at liberty to communicate in 
 writing all the interesting facts which I have been en- 
 abled to collect from those engaged in the seal trade, 
 or as they call it, 'The skinning business.' The occu- 
 pation of these men leads them into seas and parts of 
 the globe far beyond the common pathway of the 
 whaler. Their voyages and adventures, too, are of the 
 most daring kind. In small vessels they venture into 
 high southern latitudes, and have actually taken seal, 
 with profit, in some instances, within the Antarctic 
 circle. In the history of the seal trade, secrecy in what 
 they know, has been deemed a part, and a very impor- 
 tant part too, of their capital. There is nothing more 
 common at this time, than that islands are frequented 
 for animal fur, and their positions known to no one 
 on board but the captain; and when an island is dis- 
 covered, the observations are made and noted down by 
 the captain in his private journal." 
 
 There is a dark side to the picture of these venture- 
 some sealers, who passed beyond 70° South latitude in 
 their eager search for wealth; many returned with 
 heavy cargoes, but there are others whose vessels were 
 supposedly crushed in the ice, and who were never heard 
 of again. 
 
 Fanning speaks of one ''meritorious mariner," Cap- 
 tain Robert Johnson, who in the year 1822, in the 
 schooner "Henry" from the port of New York, sailed 
 in a vain search for the Aurora Islands, ran across 
 new land to which he gave the name of New South 
 Greenland, but who made another voyage a few years 
 later from which he never returned. "He was last 
 
Smith Polar A^iimals 105 
 
 seen at the South Cape of New Zealand, in the follow- 
 ing year, having lost three men, who were drowned at 
 Chatham Islands." 
 
 The ** Henry" after leaving New Zealand bore to the 
 South and East, in search of new islands between 60° 
 and 65° south latitude, and the chronicler observes: 
 "It is very probable that he made discovery of some 
 new island near the parallel of 60 on which the 'Henry' 
 was shipwrecked." 
 
 More fortunate was Captain James Brown, another 
 American sealer, who made a southern voyage in 1829- 
 1831. He sighted and named four islands to which 
 he gave the name of Potter's Island, situated in 56° 18' 
 South latitude, 28° 35' West longitude, Prince's Island 
 in 55° 55' South latitude, 27° 53' West longitude, Wil- 
 ley's Island he charted in 56° 25' South latitude, 27° 
 43' West, and the last he named Christmas Island in 
 honor of the day, and located in 57° 49' South latitude. 
 
 While the American sealers were occupied in discov- 
 ery of new lands where the ''skinning business" might 
 be pursued with success and profit, the English sealers 
 were no less active in the search for fishing grounds in 
 the cold waters of the Antarctic Ocean. 
 
 Credit is given by the English Admiralty to an Eng- 
 lish sealer named Kemp who in the year 1833 discovered 
 land just east of Enderby Land, and laid down on the 
 Admiralty charts as "Kemp Land." 
 
 The "Eliza Scott," commanded by John Balleny, 
 accompanied by the "Sabrina," sailed from Chalky 
 Bay, New Zealand, January 7th, 1839, and while pur- 
 suing his southern course ran into the ice about 69° 
 South latitude and 172° 11' East longitude, where he 
 was forced to turn north once more; in 66° 22' south 
 
106 The Seventh Continent 
 
 latitude, 163° 49' East longitude, he discovered the 
 group of islands, now known as the Balleny Islands. 
 Pursuing a northwesterly course, Balleny encountered 
 a great deal of ice and by March 3rd he notes: 
 
 ** Found the ice closing and becoming more compact; 
 stood through the drift ice to the southward. At 8 h. 
 found ourselves surrounded by icebergs of immense 
 size; to the S. W. the ice was quite fast, with every 
 appearance of land at the back of it, but the weather 
 coming on thick, we were obliged to steer to the north- 
 ward along the edge of the pack." 
 
 It is generally conceded that though Balleny had 
 little idea of it at the time, this ' ' every appearance of 
 land" which he describes was the coast of East Ant- 
 arctica. 
 
 While Congress was debating the advisability of an 
 exploring expedition into these southern latitudes, the 
 English were already sending out expeditions of a 
 purely scientific nature. Notable among these was that 
 already referred to in command of Captain Henry Fos- 
 ter, R. N., of the ''Chanticleer," who between the years 
 1828-1829 was occupied in making pendulum observa- 
 tions at the South Shetlands. The scientists were also 
 occupied in studying the flora and fauna of this region. 
 
 *'0f far greater interest," writes Verne, ''was the 
 survey made in 1830 by the whaler John Biscoe. The 
 brig 'Tula,' 140 tons, and the cutter 'Lively,' left Lon- 
 don under his orders on the 14th July, 1830. These 
 two vessels, the property of Messrs. Enderby, were 
 fitted up for whale fishing, and were in every respect 
 well qualified for the long and arduous task before 
 them, which, according to Biscoe 's instructions, was to 
 combine discovery in the Antarctic seas with whaling. 
 
South Polar Animals 107 
 
 After touching at the Falklands, the ships staii:ed on 
 the 27th November on a vain search for the Aurora 
 Islands, after which they made for the Sandwich group, 
 doubling its most southerly cape on the 1st January, 
 1831. In 59° S. lat. masses of ice were encountered, 
 compelling the explorers to give up the southwestern 
 route, in which direction they had noted signs of the 
 existence of land. It was therefore necessary to bear 
 east, skirting along the ice as far as W. long. 9° 34'. 
 It was only on the 16th January that Biscoe was able 
 to cross the 60th parallel of S. lat. In 1775 Cook 
 had here come to a space of open sea 250 miles in 
 extent, yet now an insurmountable barrier of ice 
 checked Biscoe 's advance. 
 
 ** Continuing his southwesterly course as far as 68° 
 51' and 10° E. long., the explorer was struck by the 
 discoloration of the water, the presence of several eaglet 
 and cape-pigeons, and the fact that the wind now blew 
 from the south-southwest, all sure tokens of a large con- 
 tinent being near. Ice, however, again barred his prog- 
 ress southwards, and he had to go on in an easterly 
 direction approaching nearer and nearer the Antarctic 
 Circle. 
 
 *'At length, on the 27th February, in S. Lat. 65° 57' 
 and E. long. 47° 20' land was distinctly seen. 
 
 "This land was of considerable extent," continues 
 Verne, "mountainous and covered with snow. Biscoe 
 named it Enderby, and made the most strenuous efforts 
 to reach it, but it was so completely surrounded with 
 ice that he could not succeed. Whilst these attempts 
 were being made a gale of wind separated the two 
 vessels and drove them in a south-westerly direction, 
 the land remaining in sight, and stretching away from 
 
108 The Seventh Continent 
 
 east to west for an extent of more than 200 miles. 
 
 "Bad weather, and the deplorable state of health 
 of the crew, compelled Biscoe to make for Van Die- 
 men's Land, where he was not rejoined by the 'Lively' 
 until some months later. 
 
 ''The explorers had several opportunities of observ- 
 ing the aurora australis, to quote from Biscoe 's narra- 
 tive, or rather the account of his trip drawn up from 
 his log book, and published in the journal of the Royal 
 Geographical Society. 
 
 " 'Extraordinarily vivid coruscations of aurora aus- 
 tralis (were seen) at times rolling,' says Captain Biscoe, 
 'as it were, over our heads in the form of beautiful 
 columns, then as suddenly changing like the fringe of 
 a curtain, and again shooting across the hemisphere 
 like a serpent; frequently appearing not many yards 
 above our heads, and decidedly within our atmosphere.' 
 
 "Leaving Van Diemen's Land on the 11th January, 
 1832, Biscoe and his two vessels resumed their voyage 
 in a southeasterly direction. The constant presence of 
 floating seaweed and the number of birds of a kind 
 which never venture far from land, with the gathering 
 of low and heavy clouds made Biscoe think he was 
 on the eve of some discovery, but storms prevented the 
 completion of his explorations. At last, on the 12th 
 of February, albatrosses, penguins, and whales were 
 seen in large quantities; and on the 15th land was seen 
 in the south a long distance off. 
 
 ' ' The next day this land was ascertained to be a large 
 island 167° 1' south latitude, 71° 48' west longitude, 
 to which the name of Adelaide was given, in honor 
 of the Queen of England. On this island were a num- 
 ber of mountains of conical form with the base very 
 
South Polar Animals 109 
 
 large. In the ensuing days it was ascertained that 
 this was no solitary island, but one of a chain of islets 
 forming so to speak the outworks of a lofty continent. 
 This continent, stretching away for 250 miles in an 
 E.N.E. and W.S.W. direction, was called Graham, 
 whilst the name of Biscoe was given to the islets in 
 honor of their discoverer. There was no trace either 
 of plants or animals in this country. 
 
 ''To make quite sure of the nature of his discovery, 
 Biscoe landed on the 21st February, on Graham's Land, 
 and determined the position of a lofty mountain, to 
 which he gave the name of William, in S. lat. 64° 45' 
 and W. long. 66° 11', reckoning from the Paris merid- 
 ian. To quote from the journal of the Royal Geograph- 
 ical Society: 
 
 '* 'The place was in a deep bay, in which the water 
 was so still that could any seals have been found the 
 vessels could have been easily loaded, as they might 
 have been laid alongside the rocks for the purpose. 
 
 " 'The depth of the water was also considerable, no 
 bottom being found with twenty fathoms of line almost 
 close to the beach, and the sun was so warm that the 
 snow was melted oif all the rocks along the water-line, 
 which made it more extraordinary that they should 
 be so utterly deserted.' " 
 
 From Graham's Land, Biscoe made for the South 
 Shetlands, with which it seemed possible the former 
 might be connected, and after touching at the Falk- 
 land Islands, where he lost sight of the "Lively," he 
 returned to England. 
 
 As a reward for all he had done, and as an encour- 
 agement for the future, Biscoe received medals both 
 from the English and French Geographical Societies. 
 
110 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Lieutenant Eea, E. N., was sent out by the Enderbys 
 in 1832-1833 to supplement Biscoe's researches, but did 
 not succeed in going beyond the South Shetlands, where 
 he lost one of his ships and barely escaped with the 
 other. 
 
 The same year, 1833, Lieutenant Binstead of the 
 Royal Navy, with Mr. Foxton as navigating officer, with 
 the two ships, ''Hopewell" and ''Eose," sailed south 
 from the Falkland Islands in about 10° and 20° West 
 longitude. As they neared 70° South they saw high 
 land covered with snow, but in an effort to reach it 
 they became ''blocked in" the ice, where the "Eose" 
 was crushed and sank. Her crew took refuge in 
 the "Hopewell," which returned to the Falkland 
 Islands. 
 
 As has been already stated, it was at this time that 
 the British Admiralty charts renamed Palmer's Land 
 by Graham Land and assumed the credit for its dis- 
 covery. 
 
 It would appear that about 1837 the general opinion 
 was in favor of the existence of an archipelago of 
 islands round the South Pole and not a continent. 
 Authorities referred constantly to the "South Polar 
 Islands, ' ' to the ' ' Antarctic Archipelago, " or to Islands 
 of the South Polar Sea. At this time what is known 
 as Enderby Land and Graham Land were supposed to 
 be the coasts of large islands. This natural belief con- 
 tinued until Wilkes and Eoss' discoveries some years 
 later. 
 
 "Very animated were the discussions which now took 
 place," concludes Yerne, "as to the existence of a 
 southern continent, and the possibility of penetrating 
 beyond the barrier of ice shutting in the adjacent 
 
Smith Polar Animals 111 
 
 islands. Three powers simultaneously resolved to send 
 out an expedition. France entrusted the command of 
 hers to Dumont d 'Urville ; England chose James Ross ; 
 and the United States, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes.'* 
 
CHAPTER YI 
 
 WHILE the American expedition was getting 
 under way, Captain Dumont d'Urville pro- 
 posed to the French minister of marine a new 
 scheme for a voyage round the world. Captain d'Ur- 
 ville had rendered excellent service in 1819-21 in a 
 hydrographic expedition, in 1822 and 1825 in the 
 '^Coquille," under Captain Duperrey, and lastly in 
 1826-29 on the ''Astrolabe," and was well equipped 
 for the voyage on which he proposed to enter. 
 
 D'Urville 's offer was accepted by the minister and 
 two corvettes, the ''Astrolabe" and "Zelee," were 
 placed at his disposal. Among the personnel of the 
 expedition were men of experience and scientific train- 
 ing, including Jacquinot, commander of the "Zelee," 
 Coupvent Desbois, Du Bouzet, Tardy de Montravel, and 
 Perigot, all names of distinction in French naval his- 
 tory. 
 
 "The instructions given by Vice- Admiral Rosamel 
 to d'Urville," writes Verne, "differed from those of 
 his predecessors chiefly in his being ordered to pene- 
 trate as near as the ice would permit to the South 
 Pole. He was also ordered to complete the great work 
 he had begun in 1827 on the Viti Islands, to survey 
 the Solomon Archipelago, to visit the Swan River of 
 Australia, New Zealand, the iChatham Islands, that 
 
 112 
 
ADMIRAL DUMONT D URVILLE 
 
The French Expeditimi Under Captadn D'Urville 113 
 
 part of the Carolina group surveyed by Lutke, Min- 
 danao, Borneo and Batavia, whence he was to return 
 to France via the Cape of Good Hope." 
 
 ** After numerous delays, resulting from the fitting 
 up of two vessels which were to take the Prince de 
 Joinville to Brazil, the 'Astrolabe' and 'Zelee' at 
 last left Toulon on the 7th of September, 1837. The 
 last day of the same month they cast anchor off Santa 
 Cruz de Teneriffe which D'Urville chose as a halting 
 place in preference to one of the Cape Verde Islands, 
 in the hope of laying in a stock of wine and also of 
 being able to take some magnetic observations which 
 he had been blamed for neglecting in 1826, although 
 it was well known that he was not then in a fit state 
 to attend to such things. 
 
 **0n the 12th October, the two vessels put to sea 
 again, intending to reach the Polar regions as soon 
 as possible. For a long time D'Urville had wished 
 to explore the Strait of Magellan, not with a view to 
 further hydrographical surveys, for the careful explora- 
 tions of Captain King, begun in 1826, had been fin- 
 ished in 1834 by Fitzroy, leaving little to be done in 
 that direction, but to gather the rich and still unap- 
 propriated harvest of facts relating to natural history. 
 How intensely interesting it was, too, to note how real 
 had been the dangers encountered by early navigators, 
 such as the sudden veering of the wind, etc. What a 
 good thing it would be to obtain further and more 
 detailed information about the famous Patagonians, the 
 subject of so many fables and controversies. Yet an- 
 other motive led D'Urville to anchor off Port Fanuiel, 
 rather than off Staten Island. His perusal of the ac- 
 counts of the work of explorers who had penetrate^ 
 
114 The Seventh Continent 
 
 into the Southern Seas convinced him that the end of 
 January and the whole of February were the best 
 times for visiting these regions, for then only are the 
 effects of the annual thaw over, and with them the risk 
 of over-fatigue to the crews. 
 
 **This resolution once taken, D'Urville communicated 
 it to Captain Jacquinot, and set sail for the strait. On 
 the 12th December, Cape Virgin was sighted, and Du- 
 moulin, seconded by the young officers, began a grand 
 series of hydrographical surveys. In the intricate 
 navigation of the strait, D'Urville, we are told, showed 
 equal courage and calmness, skill and presence of mind, 
 completely winning over to his side many of the sailors, 
 who, when they had seen him going along at Toulon 
 when suffering with gout, had exclaimed, 'Oh, that old 
 fellow won't take us far!' Now when his constant 
 vigilance had brought the vessel safely out of the strait, 
 
 the cry was, 'The man is mad! He's made us 
 
 scrape against rocks, reefs, and land, as if he had never 
 taken a voyage before! And we used to think him as 
 useless as a rotten keel!' " 
 
 "As I was about to re-embark," (from Port Famine), 
 writes D'Urville, *'a little barrel was brought to me 
 which had been found hung on a tree on the beach, 
 near a post on which was written Post Office. Having 
 ascertained that this barrel contained papers, I took 
 it on board and examined them. They consisted of 
 notes of captains who had passed through the Straits 
 of Magellan, stating the time of their visits, the inci- 
 dents of their passage, with advice to those who should 
 come after them, and letters for Europe or the United 
 States. It seemed that an American captain, Cunning- 
 ham by name, had been the originator of this open- 
 
The French Expedition Under Captain D'Urviilc 115 
 
 air post-office. lie had merely, in April 1833, Ining a 
 bottle on a tree, and his fellow-countryman, Waterhouse, 
 had supplemented it by the post with its inscription. 
 Lastly, Captain Carrick of the schooner Mary Ann, 
 from Liverpool, passed through the strait in March, 
 1837, on his way to San Bias, California, going through 
 it again a second time on his way back on the 29th 
 November, 1837, that is to say, sixteen days before our 
 own visit, and he it was who had substituted the barrel 
 for the bottle, adding an invitation to all who should 
 succeed him to use it as the receptacle of letters for 
 different destinations. 
 
 **I mean to improve this ingenious and useful con- 
 trivance for forming an actual post-office en the high- 
 est point of the peninsula with an inscription in letters 
 of a size so gigantic as to compel the attention of 
 navigators who would not otherwise have touched at 
 Port Famine. Curiosity will then probably lead them 
 to send a canoe to examine the box, which will be 
 fastened to the post. It seems likely that we shall 
 ourselves reap the first fruits of this arrangement, and 
 our families will be agreeably surprised to receive news 
 from us from this wild and lonely district, just before 
 our plunge into the ice of the Polar regions." 
 
 *'0n the 28th December, 1837, anchor was weighed 
 without a single Patagonian having been seen, although 
 the officers and crew had been so eager to make ac- 
 quaintance with the natives. 
 
 *'The difficulties attending navigation compelled the 
 two corvettes to cast anchor a little further on, off 
 Port Calant. This compulsory halt was not wasted, 
 for a large number of new plants were collected, and 
 the port with the neighboring bays were surveyed. The 
 
116 The Seventh Continent 
 
 commander, however, finding the season already so far 
 advanced, gave up his idea of going out at the westerly 
 end of the strait, and went back the way he came, 
 hoping thus to get an interview with the Patagonians 
 before going to the Polar regions. 
 
 *^The vessels now made for Terra del Fuego, where 
 Dumoulin resumed his surveys. 
 
 ''Magdelena Island, Gente Grande Bay, Elizabeth 
 Island and Oazy Harbour, where the camp of a large 
 party of Patagonians was made out with the telescope, 
 and Peckett Harbour, where the * Astrolabe' struck in 
 three fathoms, were successfully passed. 
 
 ''Peckett Harbour was alive with Patagonians and 
 the officers and men were alike eager to land. A crowd 
 of natives on horseback were waiting for them at the 
 place of disembarkation. 
 
 ''A white man was living amongst these Patagonians, 
 a miserable, decrepit looking fellow, who said he came 
 from the United States, but he spoke English very im- 
 perfectly, and the explorers took him to be a German- 
 Swiss. Niederhauser, so he called himself, had gone to 
 seek his fortune in the United States, and that fortune 
 being long on the road, he had given ear to the wonder- 
 ful proposals of a certain whaleman, who wanted to 
 complete his crew. By this whaleman he was left with 
 seven others and some provisions on a desert island 
 off Terra del Fuego to hunt seals and dress their skins. 
 Four months later the schooner returned laden with 
 skins, left the seal-hunters fresh provisions, went off 
 again, and never came back! Whether it had been 
 shipwrecked, or whether the captain had abandoned his 
 sailors, it was. impossible to ascertain. When the poor 
 fellows found themselves deserted and their provisions 
 
The French Expedition Under Captain D'Vrville 117 
 
 exhausted, they embarked in their canoe and rowed up 
 the Straits of Magellan, soon meeting with some Pata- 
 gonians, with whom Niederhauser remained; whilst his 
 companions went on. Well received by the natives, he 
 lived their life with them, faring well when food was 
 plentiful, drawing in his belt and living on roots when 
 food was scarce. 
 
 ''Weary, however, of this miserable existence, Nieder- 
 hauser entreated D'Urville to take him on board, urg- 
 ing that another month of the life he was leading would 
 kill him. The Captain consented, and received him as 
 a passenger. 
 
 ''During his three months' residence amongst them, 
 Niederhauser had learnt something of the language of 
 the Patagonians, and with his aid D'Urville drew up 
 a comparative vocabulary of a great many words in 
 Patagonian, French and German. 
 
 "At midday on the 20th of January, the vessels were 
 in S. lat. 62° 3' and W. long. 49° 56', not far from the 
 place where Powell encountered compact ice-fields, and 
 an immense ice-island was soon sighted, some 6,000 feet 
 in extent and 300 in height, with perpendicular sides 
 greatly resembling land under certain conditions of the 
 light. Numerous whales and penguins were now seen 
 swimming about the vessels, whilst white petrels con- 
 tinually flew across them. On the 21st observations 
 gave S. lat. 62° 53', and D'Urville was expecting soon 
 to reach the 65th parallel, when at 3.00 a. m. he was 
 told that further progress was arrested by an ice-berg, 
 across which it did not seem possible to cut a passage. 
 The vessels were at once put about and slowly steered 
 in an easterly direction, the wind having fallen." 
 
 '*We were thus enabled," says D'Urville, "to gaze at 
 
118 The Seventh Continent 
 
 our leisure upon the wonderful spectacle spread out 
 before our eyes. Severe and grand beyond expression, 
 it not only excited the imagination, but filled the heart 
 with involuntary terror, nowhere else is man's power- 
 lessness more forcibly brought before him. ... A new 
 world displays itself to him, but it is a motionless, 
 gloomy and silent world, where everything threatens the 
 annihilation of human faculties. Should he have the 
 misfortune to be left here alone, no help, no consola- 
 tion, no spark of hope, would soothe his last moments." 
 
 On the 24th the two corvettes crossed a series of 
 floating islets and entered a plain where ice was melt- 
 ing. The passage, however, became narrower and nar- 
 rower, and they were obliged to veer round to save them- 
 selves from being locked in. 
 
 D'Urville now decided to steer north, his objective 
 point being the New South Orknies and for a period 
 of three days coasted in their vicinity without being 
 able to land. He again turned south and came in with 
 the ice in 62° South latitude, 39° 28' East longitude. 
 Penetrating a narrow lane of open water, he arrived at 
 a small basin some two miles in extent hemmed in by 
 walls of ice. 
 
 * ' It was decided to make fast to the ice, ' ' says Verne, 
 ''and when the order to cast anchor was given a young 
 middy on board the 'Zelee' cried naively, 'Is there a 
 post here? I shouldn't have thought there were people 
 living on the ice'." 
 
 "Great indeed was now the joyful enthusiasm on 
 both vessels. Some of the young officers of the 'Zelee' 
 had come to empty a bowl of punch with their com- 
 rades of the ' Astrolabe, ' and the commander could hear 
 their shouts of delight from his bed. He himself did 
 
The French Expedition Under Captain D'Urvillc llii 
 
 not, however, look upon the situation in quit/e the 
 same favorable light. He felt that he had clone a very 
 imprudent thing. Shut into a cul-de-sac, he could only 
 go out as ho had come, and that he could not do until 
 he had. the wind riglit aft. At eleven o'clock D'Urville 
 was awoke by a violent shock, accompanied by a noise 
 of breaking, as if the vessel had struck on some rocks. 
 lie got up, and saw that the * Astrolabe,' having drifted, 
 had struck violently against the ice, where she re- 
 mained exposed to collision with the ma^sses of ice 
 which the current was sweeping along more rapidly 
 than it did the vessel herself. 
 
 "When day dawned the adventurers found them- 
 selves surrounded by ice, but in the north a blackish 
 line seemed to betray the existence of an open sea. 
 This direction was at once taken, but a thick fog im- 
 mediately and completely enveloped both ships, when 
 it cleared off they found themselves face to face with 
 a compact ice barrier, beyond which stretched away as 
 far as the eye could reach an open sea. 
 
 *'D'Urville now resolved to cut himself a passage, 
 and began operations by dashing the 'Astrolabe' with 
 all possible speed against the obstacle. The vessel pene- 
 trated two or three lengths into the ice, and then re- 
 mained motionless. The crew climbed out of her on 
 to the ice armed with pick axes, pincers, mattocks, and 
 saws, and merrily endeavored to cut a passage. The 
 fragment of ice was already nearly crossed when the 
 wind changed, and the motion of the waves in the offing 
 began to be felt, causing the officers to agree in urging 
 a retreat into the shelter of the ice-walls, for there was 
 some danger if the wind freshened of the vessel being 
 embayed against the ice and beaten by the waves and 
 
120 The Seventh Continent 
 
 floating debris. 
 
 ''The corvettes had traversed twelve or fifteen miles 
 for nothing, when an officer, perched in the shrouds, 
 sighted a passage in the E. N. E. That direction was 
 at once taken, but again it was found impossible to 
 cut a passage, and when night came the crew had to 
 make the ship fast to a huge block of ice. The loud 
 cracking noises which had awoke the commander the 
 night before now began with such violence that it really 
 seemed impossible for the vessel to live till daylight. 
 
 *' After an interview with the captain of the 'Zelee/ 
 however, D'Urville made for the north, but the day 
 passed without any change being effected in the posi- 
 tion of the vessels, and the next day during a storm 
 of sleet the swell of the sea became so powerful as com- 
 pletely to raise the ice plain in which they were im- 
 prisoned. More careful watch than ever had now to be 
 kept, to guard against the pieces of ice flung long 
 distances by this motion, and the rudder had to be 
 protected from them by a kind of wooden hut. 
 
 ''With the exception of a few cases of ophthalmia, 
 resulting from the continual glare of the snow, the 
 health of the crews was satisfactory, and this was no 
 little satisfaction to the leaders of the expedition, com- 
 pelled as they were to be continually on the qui vive. 
 Not until the 9th February were the vessels favoured by 
 a strong breeze, able to get off, and once more enter 
 a really open sea. The ice had been coasted for a dis- 
 tance of 225 leagues. The vessels had actual^ sustained 
 no further damage than the loss of a few spars and 
 a considerable portion of the copper sheathing, involv- 
 ing no further leakage than there had been before. 
 
 *'The next day the sun came out, and observations 
 
THE astrolabe" AND "zELEe" IN THE 
 
The French Expedition TJnder Captain D'UrviUe 121 
 
 could be taken, giving the latitude as 62° 9' South, and 
 longitude 39° 22' West. 
 
 ''Snow continued to fall, the cold was intense, and 
 the wind very violent for the three succeeding days. 
 This continuance of bad weather, together with the in- 
 creasing length of the nights, warned D'Urville of the 
 necessity of giving up all idea of going further. When, 
 therefore, he found himself in S. lat. 62° and W. long. 
 33° 11', in other words, in that part of the ocean where 
 Weddell had been able to sail freely in 1823, and the 
 Qew explorer had met with nothing but impassable ice, 
 he steered for New South Orkney. A whole month 
 passed amongst the ice and fogs of the Antarctic Ocean 
 had told upon the health of the crews, and nothing 
 could be gained for science by a continuance of the 
 cruise. 
 
 *'0n the 20th the Archipelago was again sighted, and 
 D'Urville was once more driven out of his course in a 
 northerly direction by the ice, but he was able to put 
 off with two boats, the crews of which collected on Wed- 
 dell Island a large number of geological specimens, 
 lichens, etc., and some twenty penguins and chionis. 
 
 ''On the 25th February, Clarence Island was seen, 
 forming the eastern extremity of the New South Shet- 
 land Archipelago, a very steep and rugged district cov- 
 ered with snow except on the beach, and thence the 
 explorers steered towards Elephant Island, resembling 
 Clarence Island in. every respect, except that it is 
 strewn with peaks rising up black against the plains 
 of snow and ice. The islets of Narrow, Biggs, O 'Brien, 
 and Aspland, were successively identified, but covered 
 as they are with snow, they are perfectly inaccessible 
 to man. The little volcano of Bridgeman was also seen, 
 
122 The Seventh Continent 
 
 and the naturalists tried in vain to land upon it from 
 two boats. 
 
 ''The general colour of the soil," says the narrative, 
 '*is red, like that of burnt bricks with particles of grey, 
 suggestive of the presence of pumice-stone, or of cal- 
 cined cinders. Here and there on the beach are seen 
 great blackish-looking blocks, which are probably lava. 
 This islet has, however, only one true crater, although 
 thick columns of smoke are emitted from it, nearly all 
 of them issuing from the base on the western side, whilst 
 in the north are two other fumerolles, thirty or forty 
 feet along the water. There are none on the eastern 
 or northern side, or at the top, which is smooth and 
 round. The bulk appears recently to have undergone 
 some considerable modification, as indeed it must have 
 done, or it could not now resemble so little the de- 
 scription given by Powell in December, 1822." 
 
 D'Urville soon resumed his southerly route, and on 
 the 27th February, sighted a considerable belt of land 
 in the southeast on which he was prevented from land- 
 ing by the fog and the continuous fall of very fine 
 snow. He was now in the latitude of Hope Island — 
 i. e., in S. lat. 62° 57'. He approached it very closely, 
 and sighted before reaching it a low-lying land, to 
 which he gave the name of Joinville. Then further on 
 in the south-west he came to an extensive district which 
 he named Louis Philippe, and between the two in a 
 kind of channel, encumbered with ice, an island he 
 called Rosamel. 
 
 ''Now," says D'Urville, ''the horizon was so light 
 that we could trace all the irregularities of Louis 
 Philippe's Land. We could see it stretching away from 
 Mount Bransfield in the north (72° E. long.) to the 
 
The French Expedition Under Captain D'Urville 123 
 
 S. S. W., where it faded away on the horizon. From 
 Mount Bransfield in the south it is lofty, and of fairly 
 uniform surface, resembling a vast, unbroken ice-field. 
 In the south, however, it rises in the form of a fine 
 peak (Mount Jacquinot) which is equal, perhaps, in- 
 deed superior, to Bransfield, but beyond this peak it 
 stretches away in the form of a mountain chain, end- 
 ing in the southwest in a peak loftier than any of the 
 others. For the rest, the effect of the snow and ice, 
 together with the absence of any objects with which 
 they can be compared, aid in exaggerating the height 
 of all irregularities and, as a matter of fact, the results 
 of the measurements taken by M. Dumoulin showed all 
 these mountains, which then appeared to us gigantic 
 and equal to the Alps and Pyrenees at least, to be after 
 all of very medium size. Mount Bransfield, for in- 
 stance, was not more than about 2,068 feet high, and 
 Mount d'Urville, the loftiest of them all, about 3,047 
 feet. Except for the islets grouped about the main- 
 land, and a few peaks rising above the snow, the whole 
 country is one long series of compact blocks of ice, and 
 it is impossible to do more than trace the outlines of 
 this ice-crust, those of the land itself being quite in- 
 distinguishable. ' ' 
 
 **0n the 1st of March soundings gave only eighty 
 fathoms with a bottom of rock and gravel. On the 2nd 
 of March, off Louis Philippe's Land an island was 
 sighted which was named Astrolabe, and the day after 
 a large bay, or rather strait, to which the name of 
 Orleans Channel was given, was surveyed between Louis 
 Philippe's Land and a lofty, rocky belt, which D'Ur- 
 ville took for the beginning of Trinity Land, hitherto 
 inaccurately laid down. 
 
124 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ''From the 26th of February to the 5th of March 
 D'UrYille remained in sight of the coast, skirting along 
 it a little distance off, hut unable entirely to regulate 
 his course on account of the incessant fogs and rain. 
 Everything bore witness to the setting in of a very 
 decided thaw; the temperature rising at midday to five 
 degrees above zero, whilst the ice was everywhere melt- 
 ing and running off in little streams of water, or falling 
 with a formidable crush into the sea in the form of 
 blocks, the wind meanwhile blowing strongly from the 
 west. 
 
 ''AH this decided D'Urville against the further prose- 
 cution of his voyage. The sea was heavy, the rain and 
 fog incessant. It was therefore necessary to leave this 
 dangerous coast, and make for the north, where on the 
 following day he surveyed the most westerly islands of 
 the New Shetland group. 
 
 "D'Urville next steered for Conception, and very 
 arduous was the voyage there, for, in spite of every 
 precaution the crews of both corvettes, especially that 
 of the 'Zelee,' were attacked with scurvy. It was now 
 that D'Urville measured the heights of some of the 
 waves, with a view to the disproving of the charge 
 of exaggeration which had been brought against him 
 when he had estimated those he had seen break over 
 Needle Bank at a height of between eighty and a 
 hundred feet. 
 
 "With the help of some of his officers, that there 
 might be no doubt as to his accuracy, D'Urville meas- 
 ured some waves of which the vertical height was thirty- 
 five feet, and which measured not less than 1961/2 from 
 the crest to the lowest point, making a total length of 
 393 feet for a single wave. These measurements were 
 
The French Expeditian Under Captain D'Urville 125 
 
 an answer to the ironical assertion of Aragfo, who, 
 settling the matter in his own study, would not allow 
 that a wave could exceed from five to six feet in height. 
 One need not hesitate a single moment to accept as 
 against tJie eminent but impulsive physicist, the 
 measurements of the navigators who had made observa- 
 tions upon the spot. 
 
 *'0n the 7th of April, 1838, the expedition cast 
 anchor in Talachuano Bay, where the rest so sorely 
 needed by the forty scrofulous patients of the 'Zelee' 
 was obtained. Thence D'Urville made for Valparaiso, 
 after which, having entirely crossed Oceana, he cast 
 anchor on the 1st January, 1839, off Guam, arrived at 
 Batina in October, and went thence to Hobart Town, 
 whence, on the 1st January, 1840, he started on a new 
 trip into the Antarctic regions. 
 
 *'At this time D'Urville knew nothing either of 
 Balleny's voyage or the discovery of Sabrina's Land. 
 He merely intended to go round the southern extremity 
 of Tasmania with a view to ascertaining beneath which 
 parallel he would meet with ice. He was under the 
 impression that the space between 12° and 160° E. 
 long, had not yet been explored, so that there was still 
 a discovery to be made. 
 
 **At first navigation was beset with the greatest diffi- 
 culties. The swell was very strong, the currents bore 
 in an easterly direction, the sanitary condition of the 
 crews was far from satisfactory, and 58° S. lat. had 
 not yet been reached when the pressure of the ice was 
 ascertained. 
 
 ''The cold soon became very intense, the wind veered 
 round to the W. N. W., and the sea became calm, a 
 sure indication of the neighborhood of land or of ice. 
 
126 The Seventh Continent 
 
 The former was the more generally received hypothesis, 
 for the ice-islands passed were too large to have been 
 formed in the open ocean. On the 18th January, S. 
 lat. 64° was reached, and great perpendicular blocks 
 of ice were met with, the height of which varied from 
 ninety to 100 feet, whilst the breadth exceeded 3,000. 
 The next day, January 19th, 1840, a new land was 
 sighted, to which the name of Adelie was given. The 
 sun was now burning hot, and the ice all seemed to be 
 melting, immense streams running down from the sum- 
 mits of the rocks into the sea. The appearance of the 
 land was mountainous, covered as it was with snow. It ran 
 from west to east, and seemed to slope gradually down 
 to the sea. On the 21st the wind allowed the vessels 
 to approach the beach, and deep ravines were soon 
 made out, evidently the result of the action of melting 
 snow. 
 
 ''As the ships advanced, navigation became more 
 and more perilous, for the ice-islands were so numerous 
 that there was hardly a large enough channel between 
 them for any manoeuvring.'' 
 
 ''Their straight walls," says D'Urville, "rose far 
 above our miasts, glowering down upon our vessels, 
 which appeared of absurdly small dimensions, as com- 
 pared with their huge masses. The spectacle spread 
 out before us was alike grand and terrible. One might 
 have fancied oneself in the narrow streets of a city 
 of giants." 
 
 The corvettes soon entered a huge basin, formed by 
 the coast and ice-islands which had just been passed. 
 The land stretched away in the southeast and northwest 
 as far as the eye could reach. It was between three 
 and four thousand feet high, but nowhere presented 
 
The French Expedition Under Captain D'Urville 127 
 
 any very salient features. In the centre of the vast 
 snow plain rose a few rocks. The two captains at once 
 sent off boats with orders to bring back specimens 
 which should testify to the discovery made. AVe quote 
 from the account of Du Bouzet, one of the officers told 
 off on this important survey. 
 
 **It was nearly nine o'clock when to our great de- 
 light we landed on the western side of the most west- 
 erly and loftiest islet. The * Astrolabe ' boat had arrived 
 one moment before ours, and its crew were already 
 clambering up the steep sides of the rock, flinging down 
 the penguins as they went, the birds showing no small 
 surprise at being thus summarily dispossessed of the 
 island, of which they had been hitherto the only in- 
 habitants. I at once sent one of our sailors to unfurl 
 a tricolour flag on these territories, which no human 
 creature had seen or trod before ourselves. According 
 to the old custom — to which the English have clung 
 tenaciously — we took possession of them in the name of 
 France, together with the neighboring coast, which we 
 were prevented from visiting by the ice. The only 
 representatives of the animal kingdom were the 
 penguins, for in spite of all our researches we did not 
 find a single shell. The rocks were quite bare, without 
 so much as the slightest sign of a lichen. We had to 
 fall back on the mineral kingdom. We each took a 
 hammer and began chipping at the rock, but, it being 
 of granite, was so extremely hard that we could only 
 obtain very small bits. Fortunately in climbing to 
 the summit of the island the sailors found some big 
 pieces of rock broken off by the frost, and these they 
 embarked in their boats. Looking closely at them, I 
 noticed an exact resemblance between these rocks and 
 
128 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the little bits of gneiss which we had found in the 
 stomach of a penguin we had killed the day before. 
 The little islet on which we landed is part of a group 
 of eight or ten similar in character and form; they are 
 between five hundred and six hundred yards from the 
 nearest coast. We also noticed on the beach several 
 peaks and a cape quite free from snow. These islets, 
 close as they are to each other, seem to form a con- 
 tinuous chain parallel with the coast, and stretching 
 away from east to west." 
 
 ''On the 22nd and 23rd the survey of this coast 
 was continued, but on the second day an iceberg 
 soldered to the coast compelled the vessels to turn back 
 towards the north, whilst at the same time a sudden 
 and violent snow-storm overtook and separated them. 
 The 'Zelee'' especially sustained considerable damage, 
 but was able to rejoin her consort the next day. 
 
 ** Throughout it all, however, sight of the land had 
 not, so to speak, been lost, but on the 29th the wind 
 blew so strongly and persistently from the east, that 
 D'Urville had to abandon the survey of Adelie Land. 
 It was on this same day he sighted the vessels of Lieu- 
 tenant Wilkes. 
 
 * ' On the 30th January a huge wall of ice was sighted 
 as to the nature of which opinions were divided. Some 
 said it was a compact and isolated mass, others — and 
 this was D'Urville 's opinion— thought these lofty 
 mountains had a base of earth or of rocks, or that they 
 might even be the bulwarks of a huge extent of land, 
 which they called Claire. It was situated in 128° W. 
 long. 
 
 *'0n the 17th February the two corvettes once more 
 cast anchor pff Hobart's Town, and on the 25th set 
 
The French Expedition Under Captain D'Urville 129 
 
 sail again for New Zealand, where they completed the 
 hydrographical surveys of Urainie. They then made 
 for New Guinea, ascertained that it was not separated 
 by a strait from the Louisrade Archipelago, surveyed 
 Torres Strait with the greatest care, in spite of dangers 
 from currents, coral reefs, etc. ; arrived at Timor on 
 the 20th and returned to Toulon on the 8th of Novem- 
 ber, after touching at Bourbon and St. Helena." 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE AMERICAN EXPEDITION UNDER CAPTAIN WILKES 
 
 IN May, 1836, Congress authorized a naval explor- 
 ing expedition, consisting of the "Vincennes/' 
 *' Peacock," "Relief," and the two schooners, *'Sea 
 Gull, ' ' and * ' Flying Fish, ' ' under the command of Cap- 
 tain Charles Wilkes. Its object was to explore and sur- 
 vey the Southern Ocean; in view of the important 
 interest of American commerce in the whale fisheries, 
 to determine the existence of all doubtful islands and 
 shoals; to discover and accurately fix the position of 
 those which lie in or near the track pursued by our 
 merchant vessels in that quarter, and that might 
 hitherto have escaped the observation of scientific 
 navigations. 
 
 The squadron under Captain Charles Wilkes was 
 unique insomuch as it was the first extended cruise 
 of scientific exploration under the auspices of the 
 United States Navy. That a tour of the world lasting 
 four years, in which our ships visited the most remote 
 corners of the earth, made a world's record in the 
 Antarctic and carried the flag to islands and countries 
 so remote that the native had never before seen a 
 white man, is sufficiently remarkable, but that in less 
 than sixty years that flag should wave in possession of 
 these same remote islands makes this early voyage of 
 investigation singularly interesting. 
 
 130 
 
^ 
 
 ■s^'-iar 
 
 -' ..> -^ <>'■ 
 
 1 
 
 PEACOCK IX CONTACT WITH ICEBERG 
 
The American Expediti&n Under Captain Wilkes 131 
 
 Although the primary object of the expedition was 
 to promote g^eneral interest in commerce and naviga- 
 tion, yet every oj)portnnity was taken to extend the 
 bounds of science, and promote the acquisition of 
 knowledge. For the successful attainment of this, sev- 
 eral scientific gentlemen accompanied the expeditions 
 for the departments of philology, zoology, geology, 
 mineralogy and botany with suitable artists and a horti- 
 culturist. 
 
 The squadron sailed from Hampton Roads the 19th 
 of August 1838. After touching at Madeira they pro- 
 ceeded to Cape de Verdes where an examination was 
 made of certain localities of doubtful shoals. Rio de 
 Janeiro was reached the 24th of November and here 
 extended explorations were inaugurated. By permis- 
 sion of the Brazilian Government an observatory was 
 located on the Island of Enxados and here a series of 
 pendulum observations and circummeridian altitudes 
 taken for latitude, also those for magnetism, meteorology 
 and the tides. On the 6th of January the squadron left 
 Rio and stood to the southward for Rio Negro, which 
 was reached the 27th. Here other valuable observations 
 were secured and on February 2nd the ships sailed for 
 Cape Horn, passing over the localities of those shoals 
 supposed to exist in their track and through the Straits 
 of St. Maire. Rounding the Cape they made Orange 
 Harbor where immediate steps were taken to despatch 
 the "Peacock" and ''Flying Fish" towards the ne 
 plus ultra of Captain Cook. 
 
 The "Relief" was ordered with the scientists to pass 
 into the Straits of IMagellan, by the Break-nock pas- 
 sage, for the purpose of enabling them to follow more 
 fully their investigations. Captain Wilkes took the 
 
132 The Seventh Continent 
 
 *' Porpoise" and ''Sea Gull" to fulfill his instructions 
 for exploring the Antarctic Sea, between Powell's 
 Group and Palmer's Land. Several small rocky islets 
 were sighted to the S. S. E., of Palmer's Land and 
 named. The South Shetlands were sighted and points 
 verified as well as could be with the prevailing weather. 
 The men suffered greatly from continued cold and 
 dampness to which they were exposed. 
 
 The "Peacock" and ''Flying Fish" encountered ad- 
 verse gales and boisterous weather by which their 
 progress was greatly impeded. They fell in with a firm 
 barrier of ice within sixty miles of Cook 's furthest. The 
 safety of both vessels was greatly imperiled and their 
 escape due to the skill of their commanders. 
 
 Meanwhile the "Relief," which had been ordered 
 to pass through the Straits of Magellan and return to 
 Orange Harbor by the Straits of Le Maire, thus af- 
 fording the scientists aboard ample opportunity to 
 pursue their separate investigations, met with disaster 
 at the Island of Noir in the loss of all her anchors, and 
 forced to abandon her cruise, she made for Callao 
 where after a brief stop at Valparaiso the remainder of 
 the squadron joined her with the exception of the "Sea 
 Gull ' ' which parted from the ' ' Flying Fish " in a storm 
 off Cape Horn, April 29, 1839, and was never heard 
 from again. An examination of the Pomonton Group 
 or low Archipelago, verified the assertion of Duperry 
 and Beachy that no island existed between Clermont 
 de Tonnere and Serle Island. Connected surveys were 
 made of the harbor of Matavia, Papoa, Tanoa, and 
 Papieti. A rendezvous was effected the 10th of Novem- 
 ber in the Harbor of Apia and the squadron then sailed 
 for Sydney. 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain Wilkes 138 
 
 ** Believing that the gentlemen in cliarge of the scien- 
 tific department," writes Captain Wilkes, ''could be 
 more advantageously employed in investigations in New 
 Holland and New Zealand, I ordered them to pass the 
 next three months in these two countries, obtaining 
 information and making collections of their several de- 
 partments, and to pass over such portions of the coun- 
 try as they should find the most interesting. This was 
 done and it gives me great pleasure to bear testimony 
 to the valuable information obtained of these interest- 
 ing countries." 
 
 After rejoining the ships at the Bay of Islands, the 
 squadron set sail December 26th, 1839, and a second 
 plunge into the Antarctic was made. 
 
 ''From my first year's experience among the ice," 
 writes Captain Wilkes, "I had determined to leave each 
 vessel, on our arrival at the icy barrier, to act by her- 
 self nntil the appointed rendezvous was reached. . . . 
 On the second of January we lost sight of the 'Flying 
 Fish,' and on the third of the 'Peacock.' The 'Vin- 
 cennes' and 'Porpoise' made the icy barrier on the 
 11th January, in latitude 64° 11' S., longitude 164° 53' 
 E., and separated in a fog the following day. The 'Pea- 
 cock' made the ice on the 15th, and the 'Flying Fish' 
 on the 21st of January." 
 
 From the first of January, dense fogs and heavy 
 snow squalls alternated with open and favorable 
 weather. Icebergs were encountered in latitude 61° 08' 
 South, and longitude 162° 32' E. From this time on 
 every one was on the qui vive to be the first to see 
 land which was confidently felt to be at no great dis- 
 tance. Indications of their approach to a continental 
 mass were evidenced in discolorations of the water. 
 
134 The Seventh Continent 
 
 dark earth-colored veins and dusty icebergs, and an 
 abundance of marine life, including sea elephants in 
 numbers. 
 
 On January 16th the three vessels saw in the distance 
 a dark outline so different from the ice-islands that they 
 were confident it was land. The ships now coasted in 
 a westerly course along the ice barrier, now and then 
 catching a glimpse of the distant and unapproachable 
 terra firma. In spite of cold and fatigue and being worn 
 out with excitement, the officers and men persisted in 
 a determined effort to force the barrier until on the 
 24th and 25th of January the "Peacock" suffered such 
 damage, having lost her rudder in the ice, and with 
 bulwarks partially torn off, she was forced to return 
 to Sydney, in a shattered and sinking condition. 
 
 Meanwhile the "Yincennes" and ''Porpoise" kept 
 on to the west, and on January 30th the former dis- 
 covered Piner's Bay, in latitude 66° 45' S., and longi- 
 tude 140° 02' 30" E. The name of Antarctic Continent 
 was now first given to the newly found land. 
 
 ''On the 14th of February, the greatest extent of 
 coast in sight at any one time, computed to be about 
 seventy-five miles in length, and its highest land attain- 
 ing an elevation of three thousand feet, was discovered 
 in latitude 65° 59' 40" S. and longitude 106° 18' 42". 
 
 On the same day the progress of the "Porpoise" was 
 checked by an immense wall of ice trending far to the 
 north, and she then commenced her return, arriving at 
 the Bay of Islands on the 26th of March. 
 
 The "Vincennes" was stopped by the same barrier 
 on the 17th instant, whereupon her head was turned 
 toward Van Diemens Land. Unfavorable winds cut 
 her off from Hobart Town, and she proceeded to Sydney, 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain ^Vilkes 135 
 
 where she joined the "Peacock" on the Uth of March. 
 
 "During this cruise, a line of coast, plainly visible, 
 except at occasional intervals, was discovered, between 
 the 104th and 159th meridians, eastern longitude, and 
 the parallels of 64° and 67°. The furthest point south 
 which the vessels were able to reach was Disappointment 
 Bay, in latitude 67° 04' 30" South and 147° 30' E. A 
 very near approach was made to the magnetic pole, 
 which, according to the observations obtained, was sup- 
 posed to be in about latitude 70° S. and longitude 14° 
 E." 
 
 "Other discoveries by different navigators prior or 
 subsequent to the exploration of the American squad- 
 ron, have verified what they saw, and contributed addi- 
 tional information; yet the merit of having made the 
 first discovery of a large body of land, supposed, though 
 not absolutely proven, to be an extensive continent, is 
 clearly their due. Captain Biscoe, the discoverer of 
 Enderby Land, believed that he saw detached portions 
 of the same land in 1831, when in the brig 'Tula.' In 
 July, 1838, Captain Balleny was sent out from London, 
 with two small vessels, owned by the Messrs. Enderby 
 and other merchants, under special instructions to push 
 as far south as possible, in search of land. He also 
 thought he saw appearances of land in the direction of 
 the American discoveries. But the examinations of 
 Biscoe and Balleny were merely cursory, and there is 
 no reliable evidence that they were not deceived by 
 ice-banks or fog-banks, except the naked fact that a 
 continent was subsequently discovered in this quarter 
 by the exploring squadron under the command of Cap- 
 tain Wilkes." 
 
 Another claimant to the original discovery appeared 
 
136 The Seventh Continent 
 
 in the Frencli Admiral Dumont d'Urville, but it will 
 be noted that land was first discovered by the Ameri- 
 can squadron, as has been stated, on the 16th of Janu- 
 ary some distance further to the east than the Terre 
 Adelie of d'Urville; although Captain Wilkes and his 
 officers were not fully convinced on the subject till the 
 19th instant, the very day of the French discovery. 
 This fact, and that of the Americans necessarily fol- 
 lowing in the track of d'Urville, after they reached, in 
 their progress to the westward, the meridian where he 
 was on the 19th instant, though they went far beyond 
 him, are the only really plausible arguments on which 
 the French base their claim to the prior discovery. 
 (See note. Page 281, ''Jenkins Narrative of Voyage U. 
 S. Exploring Expedition.") 
 
 "By extending an unexpected favor," writes Greely, 
 (Page 307 National Geographic Magazine, March, 1912.) 
 "Wilkes gained an enemy. Contrary to his stringent 
 official instructions, he sent to Captain J. C. Ross, R. N., 
 then engaged in Antarctic research, a chart and letter 
 showing own experiences and discoveries. This officer 
 of the Royal Navy not only reflected severely on Wilkes, 
 but omitted all of his discoveries from the admiralty 
 chart, on which appeared those of every British 
 sealer. ' ' 
 
 Captain Wilkes in his own defense writes: 
 
 "The credit of these discoveries has been claimed 
 on the part of one foreign nation, and their extent, their 
 actual existence, called into question by another; both 
 having rival expeditions abroad, one at the same time, 
 the other the year succeeding. 
 
 "Each of these nations, with what intent I shall not 
 stop to inquire, has seemed disposed to rob us of the 
 
I 
 
 /\ 
 
 VINCEXNES IX DISAPPOINTMENT BAY 
 From a Sketch by C. Wilkes, U.S.N. 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain Wilkes 137 
 
 honor by underrating the importance of tlieir own 
 researches, and would restrict the Antai'ctic hind to 
 the small parts they respectively saw. However willing 
 I might be in a private capacity to avoid contesting 
 tlieir statements, and let truth make its own way, I 
 feel it due to the honor of our Hag to make a proper 
 assertion of the priority of the claim of the American 
 Expedition, and of the greater extent of its discoveries 
 and researches.'* 
 
 "I would ask in advance," he continues, "who was 
 there prior to 1840, either in this country or in Europe, 
 that had the least idea that any large body of land 
 existed to the south of New Holland? and who is there 
 now that doubts the fact, whether he admits it to be a 
 vast continent, or contends that it is only a collec- 
 tion of islands?" 
 
 "Examine all the maps and charts published up to 
 that time, and upon them will any traces of such land 
 be found? They will not, and for the very best of 
 reasons — none was knowai or even suspected to exist. 
 We ourselves anticipated no such discovery, the indica- 
 tions of it were received with doubt and hesitation; I 
 myself did not venture to record in my private journal 
 the certainty of land, until three days after those 
 best acquainted with its appearance in these high lati- 
 tudes were assured of the fact; and finally, to remove 
 all possibility of doubt, and to prove conclusively that 
 there was no deception in the case, views of the same 
 land were taken from the vessels in three different posi- 
 tions, with the bearings of its peaks and promontories, 
 by whose intersection their position is nearly as well 
 established as the peaks of any of the islands we sur- 
 veyed from the sea. 
 
138 The Seventh Continent 
 
 *'A11 doubt in relatioii to the reality of our dis- 
 covery gradually wore away, and towards the close of 
 the cruise of the 'Vincennes' along the icy barrier, the 
 mountains of the Antarctic Continent became familiar 
 and of daily appearance, insomuch that the log-book, 
 which is guardedly silent as to the time and date of 
 its being first observed, now speaks throughout of 'the 
 land^'' 
 
 While in sight of this newly discovered continent, 
 Captain Wilkes gives a number of exciting incidents 
 which were all in the day's work. 
 
 ''The sight of the ice bergs around us, all of large 
 dimensions, was beautiful," he writes. "The greatest 
 number in sight at one time was noted, and found to 
 be more than a hundred, varying from a quarter of 
 a mile to three miles in length. We took the most open 
 route, and by eleven o'clock had run upwards of forty 
 miles through them. We had the land now in plain 
 view, but the weather soon began to thicken and the 
 breeze to freshen. At noon it was so thick that every- 
 thing was hidden, and no observation was obtained. 
 The ship was hove-to, but shortly after again put 
 under way, making several tacks to keep my position, 
 which I felt was becoming a critical one, in case a 
 gale should ensue. I therefore looked carefully over 
 my chart, and was surprised at the vast number of 
 icebergs that appeared on it. At 2 p. m. the barometer 
 began to fall, and the weather to change for the worse. 
 At 5 p. M. a gale was evidently coming on, so we took 
 three reefs in the topsails. It appeared now that cer- 
 tain wreck would ensue, should we remain where we 
 were; and after much consideration, I made up my 
 mind to retrace my way, and seek the open space forty 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain Wilkes 139 
 
 miles distance, takiiij^ for a landmark, a remarkable 
 berg that had been last entered on the chart, and which 
 wonld be a gnide to my course out. I therefore stood 
 for its position. The weather was so thick, that it was 
 necessary to run close to it, to be quite sure of recogniz- 
 ing it, for on this seemed to depend our safety. About 
 the estimated time we would take to pass over the 
 distajice, an ice berg was made (we w^ere within one 
 thousand feet of it) wdiich, at first view, I felt confi- 
 dent was the one sought, but w-as not altogether satis- 
 fied afterw'ards. I therefore again consulted my chart, 
 and became more doubtful of it. Just at that moment 
 I was called on deck by an officer, who informed me 
 that there were ice bergs a short distance ahead ! Such 
 proved to be the case, our path was beset with them, 
 and it was evident we could not regain our route. To 
 return was w^orse, so having but little choice left, I de- 
 termined to keep on. 
 
 ** At 8 p. M. it began to blow very hard, with a violent 
 snow-storm, circumscribing our view, and rendering it 
 impossible to see more than two ship's lengths ahead. 
 The cold was severe, and every spray that touched the 
 ship w^as immediately converted into ice. At 9 p. m. the 
 barometer still falling and the gale increasing, we re- 
 duced sail to close-reefed foresail and trysails, under 
 which we passed numerous icebergs, some to windw^ard, 
 and some to leeward of us. At 10 h. 30 m. we found 
 ourselves thickly beset w^ith them, and had many 
 narrow escapes, the excitement became intense; it re- 
 quired a constant change of helm to avoid those close 
 aboard; and we w^ere compelled to press the ship with 
 canvas in order to escape them, by keeping her to wind- 
 ward. We thus passed close along their weather sides, 
 
140 The Seventh Continent 
 
 and distinctly heard the roar of the surf dashing 
 against them. We had, from time to time, glimpses 
 of the obscure outline, appearing as though immediately 
 above us. After many escapes, I found the ships so 
 covered with ice, and the watch so powerless in manag- 
 ing her, that a little after midnight, on the 29th (Janu- 
 ary, 1840) I had all hands called. Scarcely had they 
 been reported on deck, when it was made known to me 
 that the gunner, Mr. "Williamson, had fallen, broken his 
 ribs, and otherwise injured himself, on the icy deck. 
 
 "The gale at this moment was awful. We found we 
 were passing large masses of drift-ice, and ice-islands 
 became more numerous. At a little after one o'clock 
 it was terrific, and the sea was now so heavy that I 
 was obliged to reduce sail still further, the fore and 
 main-top-sails were clewed up, the former was furled, 
 but the latter, being a new sail, much difficulty was 
 found in securing it. 
 
 "A seaman, by the name of Brooks, in endeavoring 
 to execute the order to furl, got on the lee yardarm, 
 and the sail having blown over the yard, prevented his 
 return. Not being aware of his position until it was 
 reported to me from the forecastle, he remained there 
 some time. On my seeing him he appeared stiff, and 
 clinging to the yard and lift. Spilling lines were at 
 once rove, and an officer with several men sent aloft 
 to rescue him, which they succeeded in doing by passing 
 a bowline around his body and dragging him into the 
 top. He was almost frozen to death. Several of the 
 best men were completely exhausted with cold, fatigue, 
 and excitement, and were sent below. This added to 
 our anxieties, and but little hope remained to me of 
 escaping. I felt that neither prudence nor foresight 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain Wilkes 141 
 
 could avail in protecting the ship and crew. All that 
 could be done, was to be prepared for any emergency, 
 by keeping every one at his station. 
 
 **We were swiftly dashing on," continues Captain 
 Wilkes, ''for I felt it necessary to keep the ship under 
 rapid way through the water, to enable her to steer and 
 work quickly. Suddenly many voices cried out, 'Ice 
 ahead!' then 'On the weather bow!' and again 'On the 
 lee bow and abeam ! ' All hope of escape seemed in a 
 moment to vanish, return we could not, as large ice- 
 islands had just been passed to leeward; so we dashed 
 on, expecting every moment to crash. The ship, in an 
 instant, from having her lee guns under water, rose 
 upright, and so close \vere we passing to leeward of 
 one of these huge islands, that our try-sails were almost 
 thrown aback by the eddy wind. The helm was put 
 up to pay the ship off, but the proximity of those under 
 our lee bade me keep my course. All was now still 
 except the distant roar of the wild storm, that was 
 raging behind us, before, and above us; the sea was in 
 great agitation, and both officers and men were in the 
 highest degree excited. The ship continued her way, 
 and as w^e proceeded, a glimmering of hope arose, for 
 we accidentally had hit upon a clear passage, which 
 in fine weather w^e should not dare to have ventured 
 through. The suspense endured while making our way 
 between them was intense, but of short duration, and 
 my spirits rose as I heard the whistling of the gale 
 grow louder and louder before us, as we emerged from 
 the passage. We had escaped an awful death and were 
 again tempest tost." 
 
 On February 14th Wilkes wTites: 
 
 **At daylight we again made sail for the land, beat- 
 
142 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ing in for it until 11 a. m., when we found any further 
 progress quite impossible. I then judged that it was 
 seven or eight miles distant. The day was remarkably 
 clear, and the land very distinct. By measurement, 
 we made the extent of coast of the Antarctic Continent, 
 which was then in sight, seventy-five miles, and by ap- 
 proximate measurement three thousand feet high. It 
 was entirely covered with snow. Longitude at noon, 
 106° 18' 42" E., latitude 65° 59' 40" South, variation 
 75° 05' Westerly. On running in, we had passed several 
 ice bergs greatly discolored with earth, and finding we 
 could not approach the shore any nearer, I determined 
 to land on the largest ice-island that seemed accessible, 
 to make dip, intensity, and variation observations. On 
 coming up with it, about one and a half miles from 
 where the barrier had stopped us. I hove the ship to, 
 lowered the boats, and fortunately effected a landing. 
 We found embedded in it, in places, boulders, stones, 
 gravel, sand, and mud or clay. The largest specimens 
 were of red sandstone and basalt. No signs of stratifica- 
 tion were to be seen in it, but it was in places formed 
 of icy conglomerate (if I may use the expression) com- 
 posed of large pieces of rocks, as it were frozen together, 
 and the ice was extremely hard and flint-like. The 
 largest boulder embedded in it was about five or six 
 feet in diameter, but being situated under the shelf 
 of the ice berg, we were not able to get at it. Many 
 specimens were obtained and it was amusing to see 
 the eagerness and desire of all hands to possess them- 
 selves of a piece of the Antarctic Continent. 
 
 "In the centre of this ice berg was found a pond of 
 most delicious water over which was a scum of ice, about 
 ten inches thick. We obtained from it about five hun- 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain ^Vilkes 143 
 
 dred gallons. We remained upon this ice berj]: several 
 hours, and the men amused themselves to their hearts' 
 content in sliding. The pond was three feet deep, ex- 
 tending over an area of an acre, and contained suffi- 
 cient water for half a dozen ships." 
 
 Wilkes writes on February 17th: ** About 10 a.m. 
 we discovered the barrier extending in a line ahead, and 
 running north and south as far as the eye could reach. 
 Appearances of land were also seen to the southwest, 
 and its trending seemed to be to the northward. We 
 were thus cut off from any further progress to the west- 
 ward, and obliged to retrace our steps." 
 
 On the 19th he records that the barrier trended more 
 to the northeast and ' ' we not unf requently entered bays 
 so deep as to find ourselves, on reaching the extremity, 
 cut off by the barrier, and compelled to within a few 
 miles of the place where we had entered." 
 
 **The wind again hauled to the westward, which dis- 
 appointed me, as I was in hopes of getting to the posi- 
 tion where Cook saw the ice in 1773, being now nearly 
 in the same latitude. It was less than one hundred 
 miles to the westward of us; and little doubt can exist 
 that its situation has not materially changed in sixty- 
 seven years." 
 
 "The observations of the squadron during this 
 season's Antarctic cruise," continues Wilkes, ''together 
 with those of the preceding year, would seem to confirm 
 the opinion that very little change takes place in the 
 line of ice. It may be inferred that the line of per- 
 petual congelation exists in a lower latitude in some 
 parts of the southern hemisphere than in others. The 
 icy barrier retreats several degrees to the south of the 
 Antarctic Circle to the west of Cape Horn, while to 
 
144 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the eastward it in places advances to the northward 
 of that line, which is no doubt owing to the situation 
 of the land. From the great quantities of ice to be 
 found drifting in all parts of the ocean in high southern 
 latitudes, I am induced to believe that the formation 
 of the ice-islands is much more rapid than is generally 
 supposed. The manner of the formation claimed much 
 of my attention while among them, and I think it may 
 be explained satisfactorily and without difficulty. In 
 the first place I conceive that ice requires a nucleus, 
 whereon the fogs, snow, and rain, may congeal and 
 accumulate; this the land affords. Accident then sep- 
 arates part of this mass of ice from the land, when it 
 drifts off, and is broken into many pieces, and this may 
 again join that which is in process of formation. 
 
 ''From the accumulation of snow, such a mass speed- 
 ily assumes a flat or table-topped shape, and continues 
 to increase. As these layers accumulate the field-ice 
 begins to sink, each storm (there of frequent occur- 
 rence) tending to give it more weight. The part which 
 is now attached to the land remains aground, whilst 
 that which is more remote being in deep water is free 
 to sink. The accumulated weight on its outer edge, pro- 
 duces fissures or fractures at the point where it takes 
 the ground, which the frosts increase. Thus separated, 
 the surface again becomes horizontal, and continues 
 to receive new layers from snow, rain and even fogs, 
 being still retained to the parent mass by the force of 
 attraction. The fogs have no small influence in con- 
 tributing to the accumulation ; some idea may be formed 
 of the increase from this cause, from the fact that 
 during a few hours the ice accumulated to the thickness 
 of a quarter of an inch or on our rigging and spars, 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain Wilkes 145 
 
 though neither rain nor snow fell. 
 
 *'The temperature of even the summer months beinp: 
 rarely above the freezing point, masses of a thousand 
 feet in thickness might require but a few years to form. 
 Ice bergs were seen in all stages of formation, from 
 five to two hundred feet above the surface, and eacli 
 exposed its stratification in horizontal layers from six 
 inches to four feet in thickness. Wlien the ice bergs 
 are fully fonned, they have a tabular and stratified ap- 
 pearance, and are perfectly wall-sided, varying from 
 one hundred and eighty to two hundred and ten feet 
 in height. 
 
 ''In some places we sailed for more than fifty miles 
 together, along a straight and perpendicular wall, from 
 one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet in height, 
 with the land behind it. The ice bergs found along 
 the coast afloat were from a quarter of a mile to five 
 miles in length ; their separation from the land may be 
 effected by severe frost rending them asunder; after 
 which the violent and frequent storms may be con- 
 sidered a sufficient cause to overcome the attraction 
 which holds them to the parent mass. In their next 
 stage they exhibit the process of decay, being found 
 fifty or sixty miles from the land, and for the most part 
 with their surfaces inclined at a considerable angle to 
 the horizon.*' 
 
 ** During their drift to the northward," continues 
 Captain Wilkes, "on reaching lower latitudes, and as 
 their distance from the land increases, they are found 
 in all stages of decay; some forming obelisks, others 
 towers and Gothic arches; and all more or less perfor- 
 ated ; some exhibit lofty columns, with a natural bridge 
 resting on them of a lightness and beauty inconceiv- 
 
146 The Seventh Continent 
 
 able in any other material. While in this state, they 
 rarely exhibit any signs of stratification and some ap- 
 pear to be formed of a soft porous ice ; others are quite 
 blue; others again show a green tint, and are of hard 
 flinty ice." 
 
 The cruise of Captain Wilkes, remarkable and suc- 
 cessful from every standpoint, received scant apprecia- 
 tion from the people of the United States. Mr. Edwin 
 Balch, already quoted as an authority on south polar 
 explorations, says: 
 
 ''No finer achievement has been accomplished in the 
 annals of the Arctic or of the Antarctic. With un- 
 suitable, improperly equipped ships, amid ice bergs, 
 gales, snow storms, and fogs, Wilkes followed an un- 
 known coast-line, for a distance exceeding in length 
 the Ural Mountain range. It is the long distance which 
 Wilkes traversed which makes the results of his cruise 
 so important; for he did not merely sight the coast in 
 one or two places, but he hugged it for such a distance 
 as to make sure the land was continental in dimen- 
 sions." And he concludes: ''It is only the exact truth 
 to assert that the honor of recognizing the existence of 
 the continent of Antarctica belongs to Charles Wilkes 
 and to the United States Exploring Expedition." 
 
 The weather became stormy and the season was so 
 far advanced that Captain Wilkes deemed it inadvisable 
 to proceed farther westward, he therefore bore up for 
 New Zealand but concluded afterwards to put into 
 Sydney, where he found the "Peacock" undergoing 
 repairs. 
 
 Upon leaving New Zealand the objective point was 
 the Fiji Islands. Surveys were made of the islands 
 and reefs of this vicinity, "consisting of one hundred 
 
The American Expeditmn Under Captain Wilkes 147 
 
 and fifty-four islands and fifty detached reefs, and 
 numerous harbors surveyed and sounded out." A dis- 
 tressing event closed the labors here, the massacre of 
 two young: officers. Lieutenant J. A. Underwood and 
 Midshipman Wilkes Henry, while endeavoring to barter 
 with the natives for necessary supplies. 
 
 Lieutenant George Colvoccorresses, U. S. N., gives an 
 account of the disaster: 
 
 ** Lieutenants Alden and Underw^ood came to anchor 
 on the reef at Malololie, w^hich is connected with the 
 large island IMalolo by a coral isthmus, bare at low 
 water. Here Mr. Underwood landed alone, and soon 
 encountered a boy with an armful of clubs, who, when 
 asked whether any provisions could be purchased in 
 the neighborhood, answered 'Plenty, plenty.' Mr. 
 Underwood directed him to lead the way to the place he 
 referred to. On the beach they fell in with a party 
 of men who were quite as much confused at the sight 
 of Mr. Underwood as the boy had been before. At this 
 Juncture, Lieutenant Alden recalled Mr. Underwood 
 by signals, and this, perhaps, prevented an attack on 
 him that afternoon. The next moniing (July 24th) the 
 * Peacock's' cutter joined the other boats. The scarcity 
 of provisions, and the distance of the schooner, whose 
 own necessities were also pressing, now made it abso- 
 lutely necessary to obtain supplies ashore. The natives 
 pretended to have an abundance of food at the village 
 of Malolo-levn, but could not be induced to transport 
 it across the isthmus, which w^as impassable for boats, 
 except at high water. While trying to think of some 
 way of removing this difficulty, a man, who called him- 
 self the orator of the town, arrived, and delivered an 
 invitation from his chief to go to Malolo-levn, and take 
 
148 The Seventh Continent 
 
 off a present that had been prepared for them on the 
 beach. This story of Fiji manufacture was little 
 credited, but as there was reason to believe that pro- 
 visions might be purchased from some of the natives, 
 and the case was urgent, Mr. Underwood, whose boat 
 drew the least water, volunteered to make the attempt. 
 Accordingly, in a few minutes he shoved off, but after 
 pulling a short distance, observing that he had no one 
 with him who could talk with the natives, he returned 
 and asked for a New Zealander, named John Sack. 
 Having taken this man, he again shoved off and pulled 
 for the beach. Mr. Alden followed as soon as the tide 
 permitted, and Mr. Emmons, after taking a round of 
 angles. Lieutenant Alden lost no time, after anchor- 
 ing off the town, in getting a chief in his boat as a 
 hostage for Mr. Underwood's safety. This native early 
 attempted to escape in a canoe, but Mr. Alden forced 
 him back into the boat, and threatened to shoot him if 
 he did so again. In the meantime, Mr. Underwood con- 
 tinued to barter with the natives, and sent off a mes- 
 sage to Mr. Alden for muskets and powder, which could 
 not be supplied. Mr. Henry now requested permission 
 to land, and during his absence Mr. Emmons arrived. 
 A second message soon afterwards came from Mr. Un- 
 derwood, requiring another hatchet to effect his^ 
 purchase. Lieutenant Alden sent the hatchet, with 
 directions to Mr. Underwood, that as the natives did 
 not appear willing to trade, he should lose no time in 
 coming off in his boat. At this moment the hostage 
 jumped overboard, and made for the shore in a diagonal 
 line to avoid being shot at. Mr. Alden immediately 
 leveled his gun at him, and ordered him to stop; he 
 slackened his pace for a moment, and then continued to 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain Wilkes 149 
 
 retreat, upon which a ball was fired over his head, but 
 none at his body, lest it might provoke an attack on 
 Lieutenant Underwood. The escape of the hostage was 
 evidently the preconcerted signal for an attack on the 
 shore party. The chief immediately gave orders to 
 make fight, by the cry of 'Turanga, Turanga.' Mr. 
 Underwood was at this moment knocked down and 
 wounded in the shoulder with a spear, but he recovered 
 from the stunning effects of the blow and killed the 
 native who threw the spear. At the same time two 
 other natives seized the musket of a sailor, named Clark, 
 and tried to wrest it from him. One of these he stabbed 
 in the breast with his sheath-knife, the other i\Ir. Under- 
 wood struck on the head with the butt end of his pistol, 
 upon which both relinquished their hold. Lieutenant 
 Underwood now^ ordered the crew to lose no time in 
 regaining the boat, while he and Mr. Henry covered 
 their retreat. In this effort he killed a native with one 
 of his pistols, and was in the act of drawing the second 
 from his belt, when a blow which he received on the 
 head, brought him to the ground almost senseless. Re- 
 covering himself, he renewed the contest, and killed 
 another native, but at length received a cut across the 
 forehead with a pole-axe, which terminated his valuable 
 life. 
 
 "In the meantime, Mr. Henry had shot one of the 
 natives with his pistol-knife, and cut another down 
 with the same "sveapon, but seeing Lieutenant Under- 
 wood dead, was hastening to the boat, when a missile 
 struck him on the back of the head and brought him 
 to the ground. Clark, after shooting the man who 
 killed Mr. Underwood, succeeded in regaining the boat, 
 but was severely wounded. 
 
150 The Seventh Continent 
 
 **0n seeing the attack, Lieutenants Alden and Em- 
 mons steered for the shore with the boats under their 
 charge. When the boats reached the beach, the 
 savages retreated precipitately in the mangrove 
 bushes, carrying with them their dead and wounded. 
 Mr. Alden was among the first who landed and 
 going up to Mr. Underwood he raised his head, and 
 asked him if he had anything to send through him to 
 his poor wife ; but, alas ! he was too far gone to speak. 
 His skull was literally smashed to pieces. Some hopes 
 were at first entertained that Mr. Henry was yet alive, 
 but when a vein was opened no blood was found to 
 flow. Both bodies had been stripped by the natives, 
 and were laying on the sand whence they were conveyed 
 to the boats. Mr. Emmons took possession of a canoe 
 that the natives had abandoned, and no enemy being 
 now in sight, the boats, with colors half-masted and 
 union down, sailed across the isthmus and escaped by 
 a passage, where they might have been attacked at 
 great advantage. 
 
 **The schooner by this time got under way without 
 suspicion of any disaster. The sensation that was ex- 
 cited when the boats arrived along-side and exposed 
 to view the mangled bodies, can be more easily imagined 
 than described. Captain Wilkes in particular, wept 
 over them like a child. . . . There being no doubt from 
 the reports of all parties present, that this outrage was 
 entirely unprovoked. Captain Wilkes determined to in- 1 
 flict the punishment it merited, and this, not because 
 he wished to gratify any feelings of revenge, but for 
 the sake of saving lives of other whites who might visit 
 the Group after the expedition left. 
 
 *'The first cutters of the 'Vincennes' and 'Peacock,' 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain ^Vilkes 151 
 
 now in charge of Mr. Eld, were despatched to keep 
 guard round the island, and prevent the escape of any 
 of the inhabitants, while the schooner got underway, 
 and proceeded to a small island to inter the dead. . . . 
 It was a lonely arid suitable spot . . . the grave was 
 dug deep in the pure white sand. . . . After the graves 
 had been closed, three volleys were fired over them. 
 Every precaution was then taken to obliterate all marks 
 that might indicate to the odious cannibals, the resting 
 place of the sacred dead. . . . The islet where they re- 
 pose, is called Henry's island, and the cluster to which 
 it belongs bears the name of Underwood's Group." 
 
 Captain Wilkes gave the natives the severe chastise- 
 ment they deserved, which resulted in their begging for 
 mercy, and supplying the squadron with the water and 
 supplies for which they stood so much in need. 
 
 The Hawaiian Islands were next visited, when sim- 
 ilar surveys to those already described were success- 
 fully secured. Following upon these surveys came the 
 interesting and valuable explorations of the Columbian 
 River, the rendezvous of the squadron being Discovery 
 Harbor of Vancouver. ''After a short stay," writes 
 Captain Wilkes, "we proceeded up Admiralty Inlet, 
 and Puget's Sound to Nisqually. Here the 'Vincennes' 
 was moored, and boat expeditions were fitted out to 
 survey these inland sounds; the 'Porpoise' proceeding 
 with two of the 'Vincennes' ' boats to survey the 
 northern portions of these inland waters, . . . two over- 
 land parties were organized, one to pass the mountain 
 range to the north of Mount Rainier, thence to strike 
 the Columbia, near the Piscouse River to Ohanagan, and 
 as high as Colville, on the Columbia River, a settlement 
 of the Hudson Bay Company; crossing south to the 
 
152 The Seventh Continent 
 
 missionary settlement of Chiunkanie, near the Spokane 
 Eiver, thence south to Lapwai ... to Walla Walla on 
 the Columbia, returning by way of the Yakima River, 
 and over the mountain pass to Nisqually. ... A large 
 party was despatched from Vancouver to California 
 passing through the Willamette Valley, and striking 
 the head waters of the Sacramento at its source, and 
 down its valley to San Francisco, where it joined the 
 squadron the latter part of October. ' ' 
 
 Sailing from Shatport the squadron again touched 
 at the Sandwich Islands and then pursued its course 
 to the East Indies, homeward bound. *'I had been the 
 whole cruise extremely desirous of visiting Japan, '* 
 writes Captain Wilkes, ''but in consequence of the de- 
 tention of the 'Peacock,' and her subsequent loss, I was 
 obliged, on account of the lateness of the season, and 
 to keep my engagements with the crews, to give up the 
 intention of proceeding there." At Manila all the 
 information was obtained that they possessed relative 
 to the Sooloo Sea. "More discoveries or corrections 
 have been made in this locality than any other portion 
 of the Sooloo Sea, south of the Island of Mindoro. . . . 
 This entrance was examined and surveyed and the route 
 found to be safe and practicable, with ordinary care. 
 . . . Anchored in Soong Roads, where we had com- 
 munication with the Sultan of Sooloo, and received 
 from him a stipulation in writing to protect the lives 
 and property of our countrymen in case of shipwreck, 
 and the terms on which he would receive our vessels 
 and their cargoes. . . . From Sooloo we passed to the 
 western entrance of this sea. The Strait of Balabac 
 was examined and a chart made of its entrance, which 
 will much facilitate our navigation to China and the 
 

 Oti^. 
 
 -J 
 
 VIEW OF THE ANTARCTIC COXTIXEXT 
 From a Sketch by C. Wilkes, U. S. S. 
 
The American Expedition Under Captain Wilkes 153 
 
 Philippine Islands, durinp: tlio contrary monsoon, in- 
 stead of passing through the Palawan passage. . . . 
 From the Strait of Balabac I proceeded to Singapore, 
 . . . thence through the Straits of Banca and Sunda, 
 where I parted company with the brigs, directing them 
 to proceed to St. Helena, and thence to Rio de Janeiro, 
 and from thence to the United States. The "Vincennes" 
 stopped at the Cape of Good Hope and at St. Helena 
 . . . arriving at New York on the 9th of June, 1842, 
 after an absence of three years and ten months." 
 
 While summing up the very valuable scientific results 
 of this successful expedition. Captain Wilkes calls at- 
 tention to the economic value of the exploring squadron 
 and the importance of the material gathered for the 
 benefit of American protection and trade. He refers 
 to the information relative to American commerce and 
 navigation, the statistics of all countries visited, em- 
 bracing the number of inhabitants, their products, 
 manufactures, exports and imports, including the regu- 
 lation of ports, rates of exchange, value of money, and 
 duties on American vessels and products. The explora- 
 tions of the squadron proved of great value to the 
 whalers and their interests ''not only in diminishing 
 the dangers which beset their path, by furnishing charts 
 and sailing directions, but in opening new grounds for 
 their fisheries, and affording the necessary information 
 where they can obtain refreshments and supply their 
 wants, by making regulations at the different groups 
 with the natives to afford them ample protection for 
 their lives and property. . . . Many distressed seamen 
 have been brought home whom we found on the dif- 
 ferent islands." 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE ENGLISH EXPEDITION UNDER CAPTAIN ROSS 
 
 CAPTAIN JAMES CLARK ROSS, who com- 
 manded the famous English expedition into the 
 Antarctic regions in the years 1839-1843, was 
 one of the most experienced of British naval officers in 
 Polar research. James Ross was horn in 1800 and was 
 the nephew of the famous John Ross, the explorer of 
 Baffin's Bay; at the age of twelve young James had 
 gone to sea; in the year 1818 he had accompanied his 
 uncle on his first Arctic expedition. He had been a 
 member of four subsequent expeditions to the same lati- 
 tudes under the command of Parry. During the years 
 1829 to 1833 he had been his uncle's constant com- 
 panion. His accuracy in taking scientific observations 
 had resulted in his discovery of the north magnetic pole 
 — and he was well qualified through long experience for 
 foot and sledge excursions across the ice. 
 
 Second in command of this expedition was Captain 
 Francis Rowdon Crozier, another experienced navigator. 
 Crozier was also a veteran in Polar work, having been 
 with Parry in 1824, and with Ross in Baffin's Bay in 
 the year 1835. Crozier was the future companion of 
 Franklin and died with him in the ill starred expedition 
 in search of the north-west passage. 
 
 With Captain Wilkes and Dumont d'Urville, Ant- 
 arctic exploration was incidental to the scientific work 
 
 154 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Boss 155 
 
 of a journey round the world, whereas the instructions 
 given to Captain James Ross by the British Admiralty 
 specified as the chief object of the three years' voyage, 
 discovery and exploration of the regions within the 
 Antarctic Circle. Only as repairs and damages were 
 needed to his ships or to recruit the health of his crew 
 was he expected to leave these desolate regions. 
 
 The ''Erebus" and ''Terror" w^re vessels chosen for 
 their strength to withstand the ice, they were fitted with 
 the most modern equipment and manned by a well 
 seasoned crew, familiar with Polar navigation. On Sep- 
 tember 29th, 1839, the "Erebus" and "Terror" left 
 England and touched at Madeira, Cape Verde Islands, 
 St. Helena and the Cape of Good Hope. 
 
 Ross reached Kerguelen's Island early in April where 
 he set up his instruments and numerous observations 
 were taken. The 29th of April had been fixed for 
 simultaneous magnetic observations in different parts 
 of the w^orld, and by an interesting coincidence magnetic 
 storms which had been recently registered in Europe 
 and Canada were observed in these latitudes. 
 
 Dr. R. McCormick, R, N., Chief Medical Officer, 
 Naturalist and Geologist of the expedition, describes 
 the singular barrenness of this Island, where the vege- 
 tation consists chiefly of mosses, lichens, grasses and 
 the famous cabbage peculiar to the island, — an excellent 
 antiscorbutic which attains a growth of a foot or 
 two elevation above the soil, — but where, nevertheless, 
 whole forests in the form of fossilized wood, lie en- 
 tombed beneath vast lava streams. In one instance, a 
 trunk of a tree seven feet in circumference was found 
 buried beneath the debris of this "truly volcanic land." 
 
 "Here, as the 'Southern Cross' appears to us in the 
 
156 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Zenith/' he writes, ''the four stars of which it is com- 
 posed have a position nearly parallel with the horizon, 
 the smallest star being uppermost, and to the right the 
 largest, a star of the first magnitude, beneath it, the two 
 others of the second magnitude forming the left side 
 of the 'Cross.' This constellation, indeed, itself consti- 
 tutes the 'Pole Star' of the southern heavens there 
 being no single star correspondent with the 'Pole Star' 
 of our own hemisphere. Below the cross the two fine 
 stars of the ' Centaur, ' stars of the first magnitude, shine 
 with the greatest brilliancy, looking like pointers to 
 the 'Southern Cross.' The brightest of them, Alpha 
 Centauri, is remarkable, not only as being the nearest 
 of the fixed stars to us, and yet so distant that it takes 
 above three years for a ray of its light to reach us, but 
 it is also one of the double stars, consisting of two 
 suns revolving round each other in an orbit so elongated 
 as to occupy above seven-eight years in the period of 
 its revolution. These suns are of an orange-yellow 
 colour. 
 
 "In the course of the precession of the equinoxes — 
 said to occupy an interval of some 26,000 years in the 
 completion of the circuit of the heavens, the star 'Vega^ 
 in the constellation 'Lyra' will in some 12,000 years 
 have become the 'Pole Star' of the northern hemi- 
 sphere; when 'Canopus' in the southern hemisphere, will 
 take the place of the 'Cross' in the Antarctic heavens 
 as the 'Pole Star.' 
 
 "The four stars of the 'Southern Cross' are them- 
 selves said to be moving in contrary directions, and 
 with .unequal velocities, so that this constellation, if 
 such be the case, will not always retain its present 
 form. The 'Coal Sack,' a pear-shaped, black void in 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Ross 157 
 
 space, situated near the 'Cross' has only one small star 
 visible to the naked eye, yet the great white * Cloud of 
 IMagellan' (Unbecular major) under the telescope un- 
 folds to view a rich group of coloured stars, of ex- 
 treme beauty, clustered round the star 'Kappa,' a deep 
 red, central one, amid others of varied shades of blue 
 and green, studding the depths of space with brilliant 
 gems of every hue. 
 
 "Should these far distant suns have planets revolv- 
 ing round them like our own sun, what varied and 
 beautiful coloured days must result from these primary 
 colours, some days perhaps red, others blue or green, or 
 a neutral tint from a combination of these. How won- 
 derful is that abyss of space, through which it is 
 thought our own sun is revolving round some other 
 vast and central unseen orb, at a velocity of four miles 
 a second, in the direction of the constellation * Hercules, ' 
 towards a point in the heavens, in which the 'Pleiades' 
 becomes the centre of the movement of revolution of 
 the solar system." 
 
 At Hobart Town, Ross heard from John Franklin 
 who was there as Governor, of the discoveries of Du- 
 mont d'Urville. Captain Wilkes claims that before Ross 
 left England he knew of the Wilkes discoveries. With 
 this information Ross worked East to longitude 170°, as 
 had Bellamy, hoping to find open water in that direc- 
 tion. Passing the Auckland and Campbell Islands he 
 ploughed a laborious passage through numerous ice 
 islands until January 1st, 1841, when he crossed the 
 Antarctic Circle; the thermometer stood at 31°, there 
 was a fall of snow and a w^esterly wind, several ice 
 bergs were in sight, and numerous whales were spout- 
 ing. On this day "a box-cloth jacket and trousers, a 
 
158 The Seventh Continent 
 
 pair of water-boots, two pairs of hose, two comforters, 
 a red frock, and a Welsh wig" were served out to the 
 officers of the ship's company. 
 
 On January 5th Boss boldly entered the pack. ''It 
 required strict attention to the helm," writes McCor- 
 mick, "in working through the narrow lanes and open- 
 ings, to avoid coming in collision with the larger masses, 
 some of which had cracks in them, tinted with the finest 
 azure blue. Looking towards the horizon, the pack in 
 the distance presented a uniform white surface from 
 the dark lanes of water between being concealed. The 
 birds about us were chiefly the white petrel, that har- 
 binger of ice, never met with beyond the vicinity of 
 the pack, a gigantic and stormy petrel, and a pair of 
 penguins; the latter, sitting on a piece of ice on the 
 port-bow, plunged into the sea as the ship passed." 
 
 By the 9th the ships had penetrated 134 miles 
 through the pack. As Koss advanced further south- 
 ward, the constant fogs and snow storms became more 
 and more dense — but encouraged by the reflection in 
 the sky of open sea beyond, he kept steadily on, and on 
 this day entered a large space of open water. 
 
 On Monday, January 11th, 1841, land was sighted 
 about 100 miles distant, the ships then stood in latitude 
 71° 14' 45" South, longitude 171° 15'. *'It was best 
 seen on the port-bow," says McCormick, ''where I 
 could just trace a lofty mountain, having a steep 
 escarpment, longitudinally streaked white with snow. 
 . . . But the whole of the upper part of this vast moun- 
 tain range was an entire glaciation beneath a white 
 mantle of snow, relieved only at intervals by the dark 
 apex of some hummock or projecting mountain peak, 
 peering through the snow-clad mantel. The weather 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Uoss 159 
 
 was all that could be desired for giving effect to such 
 a magnificent panorama, as gradually unfolded itself 
 like a dissolving view to our astonished eyes. The sky 
 was a clear azure blue, with the most brilliant sun- 
 shine, the thermometer at 31°, with a fresh breeze from 
 the westward. The refraction in the atmosphere caused 
 the land to appear visible at a much greater distance, 
 for we were all day standing in towards it. The 
 northern side, which w^e were approaching, presented 
 a very remarkable appearance; a cluster of white, 
 angular-shaped hummocks or small peaks in the back- 
 ground, resembling a vast mass of crystallization, hav- 
 ing a steep wall or escarpment of black rock like lava 
 in the foreground next to the sea, near which several 
 large ice bergs lay aground, and evidently had been 
 separated from the barrier, for where the land trended 
 to the southeast, a whole line of them were in process 
 of formation, and off which a small island with several 
 rocks are grouped, from which a narrow stream of ice 
 extends out to seaw^ard. " 
 
 The following day Ross and other officers landed on 
 an islet lying off the mainland and formally took pos- 
 session of the land, christening the ground on which they 
 hoisted the British colours ** Possession Island." 
 
 ''Abernethy, Captain Ross's old follower, and our 
 gunner and ice-master, steered the boat as coxswain," 
 writes McCormick. ''It was a long pull along shore, 
 tossed about by the swell amongst the ice, in a fruit- 
 less attempt to reach a projecting head-land against a 
 strong current setting us into the bight amid a great 
 ice-ripple, so that we were obliged to bear up and run 
 through an opening in the ice to leeward, a perfect 
 race, so rapid that had the water been shallow enough 
 
160 The Seventh Continent 
 
 to ground the boat, she would have been upset in- 
 stantly. The margin or ice-foot on which we at last 
 effected a landing took us upon a nearly level surface, 
 a guano-bed in fact, formed by a colony of penguins for 
 ages past. It had attained such a depth as to give an 
 elastic sensation under the feet, resembling a dried up 
 peat bog. It would afford valuable cargoes of guano for 
 whole fleets of ships for years to come, could they only 
 penetrate the vast packs of ice we have just forced our 
 way through at such risk, and which constitute an im- 
 passable barrier to ships as they are ordinarily con- 
 structed. 
 
 ''The penguins indeed, with their young all covered 
 with down, formed such a rookery here, that the whole 
 place and sea around seemed alive with them. In 
 such countless myriads were they congregated, not only 
 over the incubation area below, but up the sides of the 
 black lava rocks in tier above tier to the very summit, 
 which attained the height of 300 feet, flanking the 
 guano bed on the right, that it was like a thistle bed 
 to pass through, so thickly formed were their ranks, 
 and without kicking them to right and left there was 
 no getting through their dense legions. The old birds 
 stoutly defended their young, attacking the intruder 
 on their domain in front and rear with open mouth, 
 sending forth at the same time such harsh notes of 
 defiance, in which the whole colony united in concert, 
 that we could scarcely hear each other speak so as to 
 be understood. These sturdy, bold birds, standing erect 
 on their tails, with the horny feathers of both head 
 and neck ruffled in anger, their flipper-like wings ex- 
 tended from their sides, looked altogether the most 
 ludicrous and grotesque objects imaginable. 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Ross 161 
 
 *'In many places the young birds were p^ronped to- 
 gether in knots of a dozen or two, encircled by the 
 old birds forming a barrier around them. 
 
 "Not a single specimen of an cg;g was to be found, 
 the season of incubation having already passed. On 
 taking the water they slid down the icy margin of the 
 ice-foot on their tails and the soles of their feet, dashing 
 into the sea with only their heads appearing above the 
 surface, some leaping out like bonito in pursuit of fly- 
 ing fish ; and I observed one bird make a most extraor- 
 dinary leap upwards from the sea to the top of a per- 
 pendicular piece of ice, certainly not less than a fathom 
 in height above the water, alighting on its feet like a 
 cat. The perfume arising from this colony was cer- 
 tainly not of an Arabian sweetness, for even before the 
 boat reached the shore the scent wafted off upon the 
 waters was all but stifling. The population of this 
 colony might be estimated by millions.'* 
 
 "After the flag was unfurled, hoisted, and the 
 Queen's health drunk in a glass of sherry by each of 
 the party," continues McCormick, "three cheers were 
 given on taking possession of the land no less a do- 
 main than a continent, in all probability exceeding in 
 magnitude the continents of either the Old or the New 
 World, in the name of Her Majesty. Its productions 
 are indeed only ice and guano. We shoved off from this 
 lone islet in the boat at 11.15 a. m., with the Terror's 
 boat in company, containing her captain and some of 
 her officers, who had landed after us." 
 
 Captain Ross, having ascertained that the eastern 
 side of this immense coast sloped towards the south, 
 whilst the northern line stretched to the northwest, de- 
 termined to skirt the eastern beach, and to force if 
 
162 The Seventh Continent 
 
 possible a passage in a southerly direction, beyond the 
 magnetic pole which he placed near 76° South latitude. 
 As he considered his new discovery to be a very large 
 island he purposed returning by the west, thus circum- 
 navigating the land he had discovered. 
 
 To the principal peaks of the mountain chain which 
 Boss described as extending along the coast, he gave 
 the names of Herschell, Whewell, Wheatstone, Murchi- 
 son, and Melbourne. Eoss reached his most southerly 
 latitude on January 23rd. On this day, a Saturday, 
 McCormick records: 
 
 *' Thick weather, with snow, blowing fresh, and a 
 short head-sea. Our latitude at noon, by dead reckon- 
 ing, made us to the southward of "Weddell's farthest 
 south, and consequently nearer to the §outh Pole than 
 any other ship has hitherto attained; Weddell's farthest 
 being in latitude 74° 15', ours 74° 23' D. E., in the 
 longitude 175° 35' E. 
 
 *' Captain Eoss, on the occasion, spent the evening in 
 the gun room with us, and our toast was 'Better luck 
 stiir.^' 
 
 Southerly gales, violent snow storms and annoying 
 fogs greatly hampered the advance of the ships, never- 
 theless they managed to pursue their course, and on 
 January 27th, they landed on a small volcanic island 
 in latitude 76° 8' South latitude, 168° 12' East longi- 
 tude, to which they gave the name of Franklin Island. 
 The following day was witnessed one of the most inter- 
 esting spectacles of the voyage. McCormick writes: 
 
 **We were startled by the most unexpected discovery 
 in this vast region of glaciation, of a stupendous vol- 
 canic mountain in a high state of activity. At ten 
 A. M. upon going on deck, my attention was arrested 
 
CATCniXG THE GREAT PEXGUIX 
 From Capl. Ross' Xarrative 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain lioss 163 
 
 by what appeared at the moment to be a fine snow drift, 
 driving from the summit of a lofty crater-shaped peak, 
 rising from the centre of an island (apparently on the 
 starboard bow). As we made a nearer approach, how- 
 ever, this apparent snow drift resolveil itself into a 
 dense column of black smoke, intermingled with flashes 
 of red flame emerging from a magnificent volcanic vent, 
 so near the South Pole, and in the very centre of a 
 mighty mountain range encased in eternal ice and snow. 
 The peak itself, which rises to an altitude of 12,400 
 feet above the level of the sea, is situated in the lati- 
 tude of 77° 31' South and in longitude 167° V E., and 
 was named after our ship, 'Mount Erebus/ Adja- 
 cent to it and only separated by a saddle of ice-clad 
 land on its east, arose a sister mountain to the height 
 of 10,900 feet, but now extinct, though having the same 
 general outline, also doubtless belched forth at no very 
 distant period its volumes of smoke and flame. It 
 received the name of Mount Terror, after that of our 
 consort. Its sides were partially covered with snow, 
 presenting the appearance of having been melted in 
 many of the depressions on its sides, and again frozen 
 into pools, glittering like molten metal in the sun's 
 rays, and extending down the sides of the mountain, 
 in a broken serpentine stream to the great wall of ice, 
 which extends from its base, forming a point or cape. 
 This sea-wall, having a perpendicular face and tabular 
 summit, averages 150 feet in altitude, with caverns 
 hollowed out by the constant action of the waves, pro- 
 ducing a remarkable effect of light and shade along its 
 whole margin which extends in a southeasterly and 
 northwesterly direction, and along which our course lay 
 to the southward, between it and the pack." 
 
164 The Seventh Continent 
 
 This magnificent spectacle of an active volcano sur- 
 rounded by the glacial death of the Antarctic, but sur- 
 passing in wonder Mounts Etna and Teneriffe, made 
 a vivid impression upon the minds of officers and men. 
 
 The vessels skirted the northern coast of Victoria, 
 until they reached the huge masses of ice towering 
 505 feet above their masts to which they gave the 
 name of the Great Southern Barrier, but which has 
 become popularly known as Ross's Barrier. They ran 
 along this seeming endless and impenetrable wall for 
 a distance of 160 miles. On February 9th, McCormick 
 writes : 
 
 ''The wondrous scene nature has unfolded here, even 
 beyond what might have been anticipated in this land 
 of wonderment, has had the effect of riveting me to 
 the deck for the last twenty-four hours, a volunteer 
 and most willing sharer in the duties of every officer 
 of the watches during that period. Being myself most 
 anxious to trace this mighty wall of ice continuously 
 without a break so as to see all I could of it, I never 
 turned in at all, but kept the deck throughout the 
 night never to be effaced from memory's tablet to the 
 latest hour of existence; and well was I rewarded for 
 the temporary sacrifice of a night's rest and sleep by 
 the grand and sublime panorama which was unfolded 
 to and arrested my gaze like some striking, shifting 
 scene on the stage, as the 'noon-day' night of this 
 high latitude moved on, and scene succeeded scene in 
 nature's unrivalled display of her great Creator's 
 works. 
 
 "The night, so called, although in fact day here, was 
 indeed most favourable, being remarkably fine, the azure 
 blue of the sky above was mottled over with curdled 
 
 I 
 
The English Expedit'wn Under Captain h'oss 165 
 
 white, light cumuli, a mackerel sky in short. To 
 windward the moon's pale, silvery disc every now and 
 then emerged from beneath the clouds on the port beam, 
 whilst the brighter rays from the glorious sun clearly 
 indicating its position behind a bank of cirro-stratus 
 on the starboard beam to leeward. We were sailing 
 along a channel bounded on the starboard by the bar- 
 rier, and on the port side by the heavy pack, passing 
 through a quantity of young ice in streams varying 
 in breadth, their outlines marked by a deeper shade of 
 colour than the surrounding water. Each piece of ice 
 assumed what we called the pancake ice, in fonn and 
 size, having the margin slightly elevated and turned 
 up, the pieces thickly packed together, some streams 
 consisting of larger and more irregular shaped masses, 
 oblong, oval, and of irregular, hexagonal figures, from 
 a foot to three or four feet in diameter, lined as if 
 from several smaller ones having become cemented to- 
 gether. ' * 
 
 On the 18th he writes: 
 
 "This day we made the nearest approach to the 
 Magnetic Pole, in the early part, running along the 
 pack edge, through the young ice, and towards the close 
 of the day in an open sea, clear of ice, and very fine 
 weather, with moderate breezes. . . . When I left the 
 deck at midnight ]\Iount Erebus presented a beautiful 
 appearance astern, rearing its lofty peak above the sur- 
 face of the waters in solitary grandeur; the surround- 
 ing land having become submerged beneath the hori- 
 zon by the great distance, being not less than 120 miles 
 off, the peak so completely isolated as to present all 
 the appearances of an island. The sky was so clear 
 that the volume of smoke from its crater was most 
 
166 The Seventh Continent 
 
 distinctly visible, curling upwards in the blue ether." 
 
 It was fortunate for the Ross expedition that strong, 
 favorable winds insured the safe return of the vessels 
 from amongst the formidable ice masses through which 
 they were obliged to navigate before reaching open 
 water on their jl^eturn to Tasmania. Hobart Town 
 where we find this entry in McCormick^s log May 1st: 
 
 ' ' At six p. M. dined at Government House with Sir 
 John Franklin." 
 
 It was at Hobart Town that the first news of Ross's 
 great success was sent home to expectant friends in 
 England, and it was here that the staunch ''Erebus" 
 and ''Terror" were the scene of gaiety and revelry. 
 
 These ships hold a peculiar and romantic claim in 
 Polar history, and the problem of their ultimate de- 
 struction and the fate of the brave officers and crew who 
 sailed to the great north aboard tliem never to return 
 is one of the melancholy tragedies of the Polar world. 
 There at Hobart Town, however, on the first of June, 
 1841, the scene aboard was one of complete rejoicing, 
 for that night was celebrated the victory of the safely 
 returned ships and the preparations for the great ball 
 were in full swing. There is real pleasure in sharing 
 the gaiety of this occasion. 
 
 "We have been favoured by a fine evening for our 
 ball," writes McCormick. "The approach to the ships 
 was through a canvas-covered way, forming an arcade, 
 lined with flags intermingled with branches of the 
 'wattle' in its full yellow bloom, and other plants, 
 the whole supported on a bridge of boats, and of suf- 
 ficient breadth for two persons to walk abreast along 
 it. A lamp-post was placed on each side of the en- 
 trance, so ornamented with native plants, as to re- 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Boss 1G7 
 
 semble the mouth of a grotto, between which and the 
 road through the paddock Sir John Franklin had got 
 constructed a branch road, to enable the carriages to 
 pass down the hill to the very entrance of this tunnel- 
 like approach to the ball-room, which was formed by 
 the upper deck of the 'Erebus,' the innermost ship, 
 whilst the 'Terror,' outside of us, secured head and 
 stern, with a bridge connecting the gangway, was al- 
 lotted for the supper table. 
 
 *'Our ball room was covered in by a canvas awning 
 lined throughout with flags, and decorated with the 
 various native plants, branches of the beautiful orange- 
 yellow wattle, ferns, etc. The band of the 51st Regi- 
 ment occupied an orchestra, covered with dark cloth 
 rising to some feet above the deck and ornamented 
 with shrubs and flowers, in front of which was sus- 
 pended a portrait of our Queen, encircled in a gar- 
 land of flowers. Just abaft the main-mast rose a sec- 
 ond orchestra, for the Hobart Town quadrille band in 
 the midst of a labyrinth of foliage. 
 
 "Captain Ross's cabin and gun-room of the 'Ere- 
 bus' was assigned as dressing rooms for the ladies, and 
 were supplied with mirrors and most of the etceteras 
 of a lady's toilet, down to hair pins, eau-de-Cologne 
 and other perfumes. The descent to the lower deck 
 was by the main hatchway, the steps covered with 
 flowers of the wattle, and rosettes made of bunting by 
 the sailors. The ring-bolts had been removed from the 
 decks, and everything that could possibly leave more 
 space. 
 
 ''The governor, Sir John Franklin, and his suite 
 arrived soon after eight p. m., and by nine o'clock the 
 deck presented a veiy gay and animated scene; up- 
 
168 The Seventh Continent 
 
 wards of 300 guests must have been present during the 
 evening. Supper was served at eleven. As usual on 
 such occasions many toasts were drunk, and speeches 
 perpetrated, accompanied by loud cheering and empty- 
 ing of wine glasses. 
 
 "The 'Erebus' and 'Terror' Ball will doubtless long 
 be remembered by the Tasmanians as a memorable 
 event in the history of their very beautiful island and 
 most assuredly the boundless hospitality which every 
 member of the expedition received at their hands will 
 be as long remembered on their part as a no less in- 
 teresting epoch in their own wandering lives." 
 
 Not only was this a memorable occasion when the 
 old ice- and weather-beaten decks responded to the 
 * ' elastic step of so much female loveliness and beauty, ' ' 
 but present at this great occasion of cheer and rejoic- 
 ing were at least three of the most renowned men in 
 the annals of Polar history. Captains Eoss and Crosier 
 and Sir John Franklin, men who had already won their 
 laurels from their singular temperaments of daring and 
 courage, but in the case of the last two, the tragedy 
 of their ultimate fate precipitated such a rush to the 
 Arctic shores as had never been known in the history 
 of the world, and for more than fifty years men searched 
 the northern shores, tracing inch by inch unknown and 
 barren coasts for evidence of these brave men and their 
 no less heroic comrades. 
 
 After the festivities just recorded the vessels were 
 refitted and repaired, the instruments regulated and 
 all preparations completed in anticipation of the second 
 trip. Captain Ross's program included a stop for the 
 purpose of taking magnetic observations at Sydney and 
 Island's Bay, New Zealand, and Chatham, after which 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Boss 169 
 
 tlie ships made again for the ice. Early on the morn- 
 ing of December 18th, the vessels once more entered 
 the pack. Unfortunately they had come too early, for 
 the ice was 300 miles further north than the year pre- 
 vious, but Captain Ross determined to try and break 
 through the barrier. The ice was generally loose and 
 the ships cautiously worked through lanes of water all 
 day. The first white petrel appeared, one giant petrel 
 flying for hours about the ship. Several whales were 
 seen spouting in the distance, a finner passed close to 
 the ship and another dived down under her bottom 
 from the bows. Sailing amongst the heavy pack a 
 number of seals were passed. Christmas Eve found 
 the ''Erebus" in latitude 65° 58', longitude 155° 54', 
 with the thermometer 31°, in the midshipmen's berth, 
 where Captain Ross and all the gun room officers as- 
 sembled, and were regaled with punch, cake and snap- 
 dragons. 
 
 On January 1st, 1842, they again crossed the Ant- 
 arctic Circle 1,400 miles to the eastward of the longi- 
 tude attained the preceding year. The ships made 
 little advance from this time as they were constantly 
 beset in the pack, sometimes boring through, and at 
 times beating about in pools of water. The officers 
 and men were able to exchange frequent visits between 
 the two ships. Flocks of tern and white petrel hovered 
 about and hardly a day passed without the excitement 
 of catching a seal. 
 
 On the 19th, the ships which had been made fast 
 with hawsers to a heavy table-topped piece of ice, 
 thumped heavily throughout the night against the mar- 
 gin of the piece of ice, until every timber of their frame- 
 work shook and quivered. A heavy swell put such 
 
170 The Seventh Continent 
 
 a strain on the hawsers that one fastening of the 
 "Erehus" was parted and hy 2.30 a.m. that ship was 
 adrift in the face of a heavy gale. Fog-signals and 
 the firing of guns and muskets were constantly re- 
 sorted to hetween the two ships that they might keep 
 company in the dense fog that concealed everything. 
 
 ** Thursday, January 20th," writes McCormick, ''was 
 a day not soon to be forgotten, while memory has the 
 power of recalling vivid impressions of the past. We 
 were destined to witness one of the most extraordinary 
 scenes perhaps that ever occurred in the annals of nav- 
 igation. We encountered a heavy gale of wind, little 
 short of a West India hurricane in its force, whilst 
 beset in this vast and close pack of ice. It was a heav- 
 ing sea, with a long swell, unprecedented in the Arctic 
 seas. Each mountain- wave was crested, not by spray 
 and foam, but bore on its summit huge masses of solid 
 ice, hard as adamant, intermingled with brash and 
 debris, resulting from the tremendous collision of ice 
 with ice, in the combined tumult of waters, both fluid 
 and solid, and notwithstanding the enormous pressure 
 of the ice borne on. this surface, some of these waves 
 ran so high as frequently to render the 'Terror's' main- 
 topsail yard barely visible above them, when she fell 
 into the trough between two of them, scarcely half a 
 mile ahead of us. Both ships had been rolling heavily 
 all through the preceding night, coming so violently 
 in collision with the ice as to shake their whole frame- 
 work in such a way as to render it doubtful whether 
 their timbers, strongly put together as they were, could 
 much longer resist the fearful strain on them. The 
 swell appeared to come from W.N.W., and the ship's 
 drift S. by E. The 'Terror' was under her main top- 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Ross 171 
 
 sail on the cap. We were limited to the main try- 
 sail, and fore staysail, baekin^^ and filling as requisite 
 to clear the heavier pieces of ice, or by lowering the 
 fore staysail and squaring the main-yard, to drop astern 
 of them. Then again forging ahead by dropping the 
 foresail, etc., the main topsail hanging loose upon the 
 cap. We passed perilously close to some enormous hard 
 masses, having white, table-topped summits ten to 
 twelve feet above the surface of the sea, having a hori- 
 zontal line, in their perpendicular sides, reflecting a 
 beautiful cobalt-blue colour, and vertically streaked 
 with an appendage of white pendant icicles, apparently 
 resting on older ice as a basis, having a pale yellowish- 
 brown colour at the water's edge, divided by short pil- 
 lars. Beneath the surface of the water, large tongues 
 of ice, having a convex upper surface, and smooth, blue 
 appearance, hard as the granite rock itself, stretched 
 out far beyond, on which the roaring surf broke. Were 
 a ship's bottom — her weakest part — to strike on this, 
 no human power could possibly preserve her from in- 
 stant destruction in a sea like this, with such a hurri- 
 cane raging around. We, indeed, passed in very close 
 proximity to one mass, of a rounded, hard, washed, 
 blue appearance, pitching, as it were, bows under, like 
 a ship going down, in the turmoil of waters raging 
 round. 
 
 ''Fortunately for us, there were none of the large 
 bergs in our line of drift, and only two far to lee- 
 ward. Two poor seals were quietly sleeping on a piece 
 of ice ahead, apparently, if not unconscious, indifferent 
 to the turbulent scene of the elements around them. 
 A solitary black and brown, and a white petrel or two, 
 were now and then seen hovering overhead in the height 
 
172 The Seventh Continent 
 
 of the gale. The sky itself presented one uniform, 
 lurid, leaden colour; the wind was from the N.N.W., 
 and the barometer falling all day; snow in large flakes 
 fell at intervals, and in the afternoon the weather be- 
 came thicker with fog. At 12.30 we drifted into a lane 
 of open water. During the last dog-watch the wind 
 shifted round to the westward, and the gale and swell 
 both became much abated. 
 
 ''We had our rudder injured, and on exchanging sig- 
 nals with the 'Terror,' learnt that hers was in much 
 worse condition than our own; made the signal to ren- 
 dezvous at the Falkland Islands, in the event of part- 
 ing company. The 'Terror,' as she rose on a sea, 
 showed her copper sheathing, very bright and polished 
 from the scrubbing it had sustained in her late collision 
 with the ice. 
 
 ' ' At seven p. m. we passed a very beautiful young 
 seal of the dark kind, reposing on a piece of ice not 
 ten yards from the port side of the ship. He was four 
 or five feet in length, blackish brown above, hair short 
 and thick, crisp-looking underneath, grey, mottled with 
 black, both on flanks and flippers. The poor animal 
 seemed much astonished at his close proximity to the 
 ship, looking round him with a bewildered expression, 
 which was soon converted into fear and dread by the 
 laughing and noise on deck, and he at once set about 
 crawling off the ice, propelling himself along on his 
 chest, without making any use of his flippers, progress- 
 ing by curving in of his spine, thus shortening in his 
 body as a caterpillar \yould do, the hinder or tail flipper 
 being vertically closed, and passively stretched out on 
 the ice. On rolling off the ice into the sludge, he then 
 made use of his fore flippers in endeavoring to get 
 
The English Expedition Under Captain Ross 173 
 
 upon another piece of ice, but being unsuccessful, he 
 rolled over on his back and disappeared." 
 
 On Thursday the 27th, McCormick makes entry: 
 ''The weather for the last week since the jj^ale has been 
 gloomy, overcast, and threatening, much heavy ice 
 about, with lanes of open water, and snow at intervals. 
 We have had the carpenters of both ships at work, in 
 making an entire new rudder for the 'Terror,' and 
 repairing our own and other damages from the gale in 
 the pack." 
 
 The critical detention of the ships in the ice pack 
 continued for forty-six days ; on the 22nd Captain Ross 
 reached the great barrier of stationary ice. For some 
 hours a very bright ice-blink along the horizon from 
 east to south had apprised them that their old friend 
 was not far distant. 
 
 "It presented a more undulating summit outline than 
 last year, having intervals forming bights between. One 
 remarkable abutment, or promontory, at the entrance 
 to a bay or inlet, bore a striking resemblance to the one 
 where we made the nearest approach to it last season." 
 
 Ross found the barrier beyond "Erebus" considerably 
 lower than it had been the previous year. At one 
 spot where it had been adjudged to be no less than 
 200 feet in height on the second visit it was hardly 
 170 feet high and was no less than 150 miles further 
 east than on the previous expedition. 
 
 This second visit to the Great Barrier extended over 
 136 days of most exciting experience, but beyond gain- 
 ing a few geographical facts, it had not reaped a very 
 satisfactory result. Extricating themselves from the ice 
 with all the attending difficulties, the vessels were di- 
 rected to Cape Horn and skirted the coast as far as 
 
174 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Rio de Janeiro, where they put in much needed stores. 
 After refitting they made for the Falkland Islands, and 
 prepared to enter the ice for the third time December 
 17, 1842. 
 
 On this occasion the first ice encountered was near 
 Clarence Island and on Christmas Day in 62° 30' South 
 latitude and 52° West longitude. Captain Ross found 
 further progress greatly impeded. Nevertheless he 
 laboriously worked south and along the eastern coast 
 of West Antarctica, where he charted a large bay as 
 ''Erebus and Terror Gulf." Two high mountains he 
 gave the names of Mounts Huddington and Parry and 
 a small island east of Mount Huddington he called 
 Cockburn Island. 
 
 The month of January, 1843, wix-i spent in cruising 
 about in the pack east of West Antarctica. McCormick 
 writes on February 4th: 
 
 ''Weather overcast, with snow. About noon a heavy 
 squall from the northeast indicated that we were in 
 the vicinity of open water. Made sail and bored the 
 ship through the streams of ice, getting clear of the 
 pack in the afternoon after some heavy thumping from 
 the ice. Between five and six p. m. we were once more 
 in the open sea, with a heavy swell setting from the 
 northeast, after a detention of thirty-eight days, beset 
 between the pack, the chain of bergs and the land, en- 
 countering baffling winds sometimes in our teeth." 
 
 Ross endeavored to follow Weddell's course, but by 
 March 5th he was again stopped by the ice pack, hav- 
 ing reached 71° 30' South latitude, 14° 51' West longi- 
 tude. He now directed his course north after one of 
 the most successful voyages under the Southern Cross 
 ever recorded in history. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE VOYAGE OF THE CHALLENGER 
 
 THE three goverimient expeditions just described, 
 that of France, the United States and England, 
 had established a new epoch in Antarctic his- 
 tory. The scientific world was now convinced that a 
 new and hitherto unknown continent existed within the 
 Antarctic Circle. 
 
 The Great Southern Ice Barrier which had been con- 
 sidered impregnable by Wilkes and Dumont d'Urville 
 had been successfully penetrated by Captain Ross. His 
 dangerous navigation of the Polar Pack is all the more 
 remarkable when one considers the old type sailing 
 ships, in which the voyage was successfully accom- 
 plished. 
 
 With the introduction of modern steamships, navi- 
 gation in the ice pack has been proved a matter of no 
 great difficulty but with the equipment at his command 
 Ross accomplished a very wonderful feat. The prin- 
 cipal object of his voyage had been magnetic survey 
 and thoaigh recent explorers of the Antarctic have 
 grreatly added to this branch of scientific knowledge, 
 an immense work yet remains to be done. 
 
 Since these early journeys of d'Urville, Wilkes and 
 Ross, it is known that great changes in the magnetic 
 elements have taken place south of the 40th parallel. 
 Without fresh observations," says Sir Clements 
 175 
 
 ( ( 
 
176 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Markham, * 'there are no means of ascertaining their 
 extent. Hence, increasing difficulties are experienced 
 in constructing variation charts to meet the require- 
 ments of iron-huilt ships. The secular change of mag- 
 netic declination in the southern ocean is large," he 
 continues, ''but the amount is unknown; and it is only 
 by organized observation that it can be ascertained. So 
 that the interests, not only of science, but of the prac- 
 tical navigation of iron and steel ships, point to the 
 increasing necessity of expeditions to Antarctic waters 
 to obtain the required data. The urgent need of a 
 magnetic survey is a sufficient reason for despatching 
 an expedition to the Antarctic seas; but it is very far 
 from being the only one. We have very little knowl- 
 edge concerning the tides and surface currents of the 
 Antarctic Ocean, and its meteorology. Its depths have 
 yet to be sounded; and the dredgings will yield most 
 valuable stores of new information to the naturalist." 
 But the determination of the nature and extent of 
 the Antarctic continent offers the greatest attractions 
 to the geographer. Cook concluded, from the number 
 and size of the ice-islands floating north, that this con- 
 tinent was of vast extent. Ross discovered the source 
 of these bergs in the ice-cap which terminates in the 
 barrier — three hundred miles in length — along which 
 he sailed. It is pushed out over the low lands into the 
 sea, forming a solid wall probably fifteen hundred feet 
 in thickness, of which two hundred feet are above 
 water. When the glacier has advanced into depths of 
 three or four hundred fathoms immense masses are 
 broken off and flow northward as the great table-topped 
 Antarctic icebergs, sometimes miles in length. A very 
 extensive land mass is necessary to bear such glaciers 
 
The Voyage of the Chailenger 111 
 
 on its surface. Ross discovered five hundred miles of 
 its coast line running north and south, with lofty moun- 
 tains in the interior. All the country seen by him was 
 of volcanic foi*mation. The headlands and indications 
 of land on the Antarctic Circle, collectively known as 
 Wilkes Land, may be a northern face of this great 
 "Terra Australis." 
 
 For a long period of years following the Ross expe- 
 dition, knowledge of the Antarctic regions remained 
 very limited. Navigators had recorded the nature of 
 the ice and the drift of the pack which varied con- 
 siderably during different seasons. But beyond spo- 
 radic efforts of whalers and sealers to advance into high 
 altitudes, South Polar exploration was practically sus- 
 pended for half a century. 
 
 This apathy was due to a number of causes, perhaps 
 the most potent was the physical obstacles to naviga- 
 tion. The gigantic wall of ice of Ross's Barrier over 
 which sweep "violent winds of cyclonic strength, the 
 enormous icebergs which threaten immediate destruc- 
 tion to voyagers in the pack and the angry wastes of 
 waters, which separates a ship by hundreds of miles 
 from the nearest port of shelter, cause this quarter 
 of the globe to be greatly feared by navigators." 
 
 A few minor discoveries succeeded the great voyage 
 of Ross. The Dougherty Island was discovered in 1841, 
 in about 59° 25' South latitude and 120° 20' "West 
 longitude, by one Captain Dougherty, but there is the 
 question if this is the same island reported by Cap- 
 tains Swain and Macy at an earlier date. 
 
 The following year a famous American sailing mas- 
 ter, Captain William H. Smiley, penetrated to West 
 Antarctica ^nd at Pendulum Cove, Deception Island, 
 
178 The Seventh Continent 
 
 recovered a self-registering thermometer left there by 
 Captain Foster in 1829. 
 
 Smiley records that the whole side of Deception 
 Island appeared to be on fire, and that he counted no 
 less than thirteen volcanoes in action. He also makes 
 mention of Palmer's Land as consisting of a number 
 of islands — between which he entered and found the 
 passages ''deep, narrow and dangerous." 
 
 Lieutenant T. L. Moore, R. N., in Her Majesty's 
 ''hired bark the 'Pagoda','' made a voyage in the year 
 1845. Sailing from Simon's Bay on January 9th, he 
 encountered the ice sixteen days later in 53° 3' South 
 latitude, 7° 30' East longitude. He endeavored to sight 
 Bouvet Island, and sailed across where it was laid down 
 on the charts, but failed to see it. He records seeing 
 an extraordinary mass of ice-capped rock which he 
 estimated to be about sixteen hundred tons in weight, 
 which seems stationary, though he was uncertain if it 
 were only an isolated rock in the midst of the ocean 
 or an immense rock imbedded on an immense iceberg. 
 
 Lieutenant Moore's highest latitude was attained 
 February 11th in 67° 50' South, 39° 41' East longitude, 
 supposed to be about 70 miles from Enderby Land, 
 with the pack extending as far as he could see, but 
 he could discern no land. Moore now continued in an 
 easterly direction until on March 20th, when the heavy 
 ice, snow and fogs drove them northward. 
 
 In the year 1853, Captain J. J. Heard, an American, 
 discovered the Heard Island group. "I made the west 
 end of the island," he says, ^'74° 15' E. long., east end 
 74° 40', latitude 53° 10'. Near the centre of the island 
 a high peak, 5,000 feet high. Large number of birds." 
 
 The captains of four other English vessels subse- 
 
The V ay age of the Challenger 179 
 
 queiitly discovered islands in this vicinity, namely, Cap- 
 tain McDonald, of the **Samarang," January 3, 1854; 
 Captain Ilutton, December 1, 1S54; Captain Roes of 
 the "Lincluden Castle," December 4, 1854, and Captain 
 Attwaye, in the '* Herald of the Morning," December 
 3rd and 4th, 1854. Beginning: with the following year 
 these islands known as the Heard and McDonald Islands 
 were a rendezvous for small fleets of ships, which 
 cruised about in search of sea leopards and sea ele- 
 phants, which resorted to the islands in great numbers. 
 English and American sealers who have played such 
 a conspicuous part in penetrating the mysteries of the 
 South Seas found rivals in the other seafaring nations 
 and the introduction of steam ships lessened the dis- 
 tance and encouraged the mercantile ambitions. 
 
 The German steamship ''Groenland," in command of 
 Captain Dallmann, while on a seal-hunting expedition 
 from November, 1873, to March, 1874, came up with 
 land in 64° 45' South latitude, where Dallmann landed. 
 This proved to be one of the western islands of West 
 Antarctica. Two days later (January 10, 1874) he en- 
 tered a deep bay; again he landed on what is supposed 
 to be an island in about 64° 55' South latitude. The 
 bay which he entered terminated in a strait — Bismarck 
 Strait — and the land which he sighted he describes as 
 high and mountainous, tlie coast a massive wall of high 
 upright ice, from which immense bergs now and again 
 broke off. 
 
 Dallmann did not venture much farther south but 
 sailing north made the Shetland Islands and the Powell 
 group. He makes comment of the unreliability of all 
 maps and charts relative to this locality. 
 
 We now come to the most profitable scientific expe- 
 
180 The Seventh Continent 
 
 dition under the Southern Cross since the journey of 
 Captain Ross. This important expedition was sent out 
 by England for the purpose of deep-sea soundings and 
 dredgings. The "Challenger/' under Captain George 
 S. Nares, R. N., while engaged on her scientific and 
 interesting voyage round the world crossed the Ant- 
 arctic Circle, and though it was no part of her program 
 to penetrate into the unknown area, more especially 
 as she was not a vessel constructed to navigate ice- 
 bound seas, she nevertheless materially added to the 
 knowledge of high southern latitudes. 
 
 The ** Challenger '^ was a spar-decked corvette of 
 2,000 tons displacement and 400 horse-power; this ves- 
 sel W£is fitted out for a three or four years' cruise, 
 during which time soundings, dredging, thermometric 
 observations and chemical examination of sea-water 
 were carried on continuously, with a view to a more 
 perfect knowledge of the physical and biological con- 
 ditions of the great ocean basins, of the direction and 
 velocity of the great drifts and currents, of the faunae 
 of the deep water, and of the zoology and botany of 
 those portions of the globe which were comparatively 
 unknown. 
 
 With the exception of two 64-pounders, all the guns 
 on the main deck were removed, so as to obtain all 
 possible accommodations. In addition to cabins for the 
 Captain, Commander, and Director of the Scientific 
 Staff, there were spacious compartments for surveying 
 operations and analyzing purposes, a laboratory for the 
 chemist and a studio for the photographer. In fact 
 this was the most thoroughly equipped expedition ever 
 sent out from England up to that time. 
 
 The Hydrographic Department at the Admiralty had 
 
The Vmjage of the Challenger 181 
 
 issued a code of instructions regulating the daily rou- 
 tine to be carried out whenever the weather and other 
 circumstances permitted. These instructions directed 
 the ** Challenger," after visiting Lisbon, Gibraltar, and 
 Madeira, to proceed across the Atlantic through the 
 trade-wind region, to the Virgin Islands; thence to 
 Bermuda, onward to the coast of North America, and 
 eastward again to the Azores, and thence to the Cana- 
 ries, Cape de Verde and to the equatorial regions, west- 
 ward to St. Paul's Rocks, Fernando de Noronha, and 
 to the coast of Brazil. After leaving Bahia, it was 
 desirable that the island of Trinidad and Tristan 
 d'Acunha should be visited on the passage across the 
 South Atlantic to the Cape of Good Hope, which it was 
 expected would be reached at the close of 1873. 
 
 Prom the Cape it was proposed to examine the small 
 groups of islands of IMarion and Crozet, and to visit 
 Kerguelen Land, from which the expedition was di- 
 rected to proceed as far south as safety would permit 
 in the neighborhood of the Antarctic ice barrier, and 
 after a short survey to sail for Melbourne, Sydney, and 
 the ports of New Zealand. 
 
 ''On the 31st of December (1873)," writes William 
 J. J. Spry, R. N., a member of the expedition, ''after 
 a succession of strong north-westerly winds, the first of 
 the Crozet group of islands was seen ; but the weather 
 prevented any hope which might have been indulged 
 in of effecting a landing; however, the islands, six in 
 number, were all seen, and their correct position ascer- 
 tained. It is over a hundred years ago that they were 
 discovered and reported. Possessing no interest in a 
 geographical point of view, and having no resources, 
 they are therefore more to be avoided than approached. 
 
182 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Very little is known about them, for Sir J. C. Eoss's 
 expedition was unable to land in 1843, and now the 
 'Challenger's' was equally unfortunate. Later in the 
 day the lofty mountain of East Island was seen through 
 the haze, and on it clearing we had a good view of this 
 perfect mountain mass of volcanic land, with its bold 
 and precipitous shores and projecting rocks, which seem 
 to have been formed by the unceasing action of the 
 waves, cutting away softer parts. We stood up between 
 the channel separating East and Possession Islands, 
 the largest of the group, but saw no indication of tree 
 or shrub. It was intended to make a short stay in 
 America Bay, but the strong northeast wind prevented 
 our reachiiig it before dark, and encountering a heavy 
 cross sea, it was not considered safe to venture nearer. 
 A dense fog now setting in, and a heavy gale of wind 
 springing up, it was evident we were to be disappointed ; 
 so we stood off to sea, and the opportunity of again 
 closing the land was not afforded. 
 
 ** Favoured by a strong northwesterly breeze, we ad- 
 vanced rapidly under sail towards Kerguelen Land; 
 on our way passing several patches of floating sea- 
 weed. We were daily accompanied by many of the 
 great albatrosses and the large dark petrels and still 
 more numerously by several varieties of speckled Cape 
 pigeons. These birds added a degree of cheerfulness 
 to our solitary wanderings, contrasting strongly with 
 the dreary and unvarying stillness we experienced while 
 passing through the equatorial regions, where not a 
 single sea-bird is to be seen, except in the immediate 
 vicinity of the few scattered islets and rocks. The 
 strong breeze continued, and with a heavy northwesterly 
 swell assisting, on the 6th January land was reported; 
 
The Voyage of the Challenger 183 
 
 at first a small islet, known a;^ Blight's Cap, and after- 
 wards the black, rough-looking coast of Kerguelen Land 
 (or the Island of Desolation) ; thick weather prevented 
 approach to the land until the next day, when it cleared 
 sufficiently to run into port, when the anchor was let 
 go in 18 fathoms, in Christmas Harbour. 
 
 ''In this harbour Captain Cook, when in command 
 of the expedition sent out to explore the South Seas, 
 anchored his two vessels, the 'Resolution' and 'Discov- 
 ery,' on Christmas Day, 1777, and although not the 
 actual discoverer of the island, his was tlie first vessel to 
 anchor in any of its numerous harbours." 
 
 Thirty years before Ross had anchored his vessels, 
 the "Erebus" and "Terror," in Christmas harbor and 
 he described it as being nearly a mile wide at its en- 
 trance, between Cape Francois on the north, and Arch 
 Point on the south, on which side is a small bay, that 
 increases the breadth for nearly half the depth of the 
 inlet, when it suddenly contracts to less than one-third 
 of a mile, and thence gradually diminishes to the head 
 of the bay, which terminates in a level beach of dark 
 sand, extending across for a distance of 1,200 feet. 
 
 "Here we pitched our magnetic tent for observa- 
 tion," continues the narrator. "The shores on each 
 side are steep, and rise in a succession of terraces to 
 the height of more than 1,000 feet; the highest hill 
 being on the north side, which attains an elevation of 
 1,350 feet, and from its form received the name of 
 Table Mountain. . . . The w^eather being favorable, it 
 was determined to make a running survey of the ^vest 
 coast." 
 
 On the 8th of January the "Challenger" steamed 
 out of Christmas Harbour, on a course S.S.E. along 
 
184 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the coast, surveying and sounding. On the 28th she 
 anchored in Rhodes Harbour, in the company of two 
 sealing schooners, the ''Betsey Jane" and the ''Rossel 
 King," which had been fortunate in capturing twenty- 
 two fur-seals ''which they were willing to sell at 40 s. 
 each in the rough state." 
 
 "The manner in which the seal-fishery is carried on 
 in the surrounding seas," continues Mr. Spry, "is both 
 extravagant and destructive, for at the time of the dis- 
 covery of this island it swarmed with sea-elephants, 
 whales, and fur-seals. On this becoming known, it 
 soon became a favorite cruising ground for those en- 
 gaged in the 'trade.' This led, in an incredibly short 
 space of time, to the reduction of all these species to 
 a mere remnant; and in a few years their utter ex- 
 tinction is sure to follow, for it can hardly be expected 
 to be otherwise. The men, engaged in such arduous 
 avocations as they are in these wild and inhospitable 
 regions, must be expected to make all they can, and 
 they care for none who come after them, but kill old 
 and young as they fall across them in their cruises. 
 The same might be said of the whales and sea- 
 elephants. ' ' 
 
 ' ' The end of January found us in Christmas Harbour 
 (the northern extremity of the island), the tranquil 
 waters of which were quite a relief after the knocking 
 about we experienced during the past month ; but every- 
 thing was now ready for sea, and later in the day 
 anchor was weighed, and under sail we beat out, with 
 a fine fresh breeze, passing close along Terror Reef, 
 over which the sea was breaking with sufficient force 
 to indicate its danger, and affording a capital sight 
 of the celebrated 'Arch Rock,' an oblong block, 150 
 
The Voyage of the Challenger 185 
 
 feet high, of bedded volcanic formation, like a piece of 
 ordinary masonry, with a curiously shaped arch, about 
 100 feet wide, worn through the middle of it. On get- 
 ting clear, a southerly course was shaped along the 
 land/' 
 
 February 1st he makes entry: 
 
 "With a capital breeze we proceeded on our course, 
 rapidly passing the land and some of our familiar 
 landmarks of the preceding three weeks, — Mount Ross, 
 Mount Campbell, Wyville Thomson, and Crozier ranges, 
 all snow-topped and glistening in the morning sun. At 
 noon we were off Cape George, and an hour later we 
 had reached the most southern extremity of this isle 
 of desolation, which was named Cape Challenger. A 
 fair wind had sprung up, and away we went farther 
 south to the Heard Islands. On our passage, sounded 
 and dredged frequently; bottom from 200 to 400 fath- 
 oms. We crossed the track of the Australian clippers, 
 running by the great circle route, and it was in one 
 of these vessels that Captain Heard in 1853 first saw 
 the islands we are bound to. For three days very light 
 winds, with fog and rain, were experienced. This 
 added to the risk of meeting icebergs, during the misty 
 and dark nights, made it anything but cheerful, for it 
 is very questionable if these islands are correctly laid 
 down on the charts." 
 
 February 5th: "The fog continued, and for two or 
 three days previous the cry of the penguins, and several 
 patches of sea-weed, gave indications we were not far 
 from land. The next morning during a lift in the fog 
 it was seen right ahead, which we closed under sail, 
 and found to be a cluster of black, inhospitable, precipi- 
 tous cliffs; Meyer's Rock and Macdonald Islets having 
 
186 The Seventh Continent 
 
 quite a singular appearance. A thick fog again con- 
 cealed tliem from us, but having bearings we proceeded 
 until they appeared through the haze at less than five 
 miles distant, and we were enabled to run along their 
 eastern side, which presented truly a rough and rugged 
 scene. These islands, some 400 or 500 feet high, were 
 perfectly inaccessible, not presenting a point along their 
 rugged shores where it was possible to land. "We passed 
 on, and another 20 miles disclosed a very remarkable 
 headland, which we found out afterwards was known 
 as Roger's Plead. As the roadstead was approached, 
 the squalls came down with great violence, threatening 
 to blow us to sea again ; but having steam at command, 
 we were able to hold our way, and eventually reached 
 the anchorage in Corinthian Bay (or Whisky Bay of 
 the whalers, so named from the quantities of that spirit 
 said to be consumed by them on the arrival of their 
 store ship with supplies for the year). All the places 
 previously visited, however inhospitable, really seemed 
 paradise compared with this wretched mountain of ice 
 rising from a base of black lava cinder. This largest 
 island off which we are at anchor, is said to have its 
 mountainous peak some 7,000 feet high; we had no 
 means, however, of judging, for the top was never free 
 from clouds and mist during our stay. Here we had 
 our first glimpse of really Antarctic scenery, for pic- 
 turesque glaciers descended to the sea on all its sides. 
 Explorers landed and discovered a party of sealers lo- 
 cated here, 'living' in a couple of dirty huts sunk in 
 the ground for warmth and protection from the winds, 
 which frequently blow with violence through a deep 
 ravine. There are some forty or fifty men distributed 
 about the island in small detachments, each party hav- 
 
The Voyage of the Challenger 187 
 
 ing a defined beat where they watch for the sea-ele- 
 phants coming on shore. What a miserable affair a 
 sealer's life evidently must be, hard and monotonous, 
 living in those desolate regions, completely isolated from 
 the world. Here they remain for three years at a 
 time, when, if they are lucky, they return home, with 
 perhaps £50 or £60 in their pockets. This is probably 
 spent in a couple of months, and they again return 
 to their voluntary exile and live on penguins, young 
 albatrosses, and sea birds' eggs for another period. 
 The roads (?) in every direction were swampy and 
 exceedingly unpleasant; wading through the snow and 
 slush, the miserable huts were reached, looking lonely 
 and desolate, the shore for some distance being strewn 
 with bones and fragments, the remains of sea elephants, 
 etc. Several excursions were planned during our short 
 stay to visit the glaciers and the penguin rookeries, 
 for these birds seemed to be in myriads, covering 
 every ledge and precipice presenting a footing. 
 
 *'A11 these prearranged plans were, however, frus- 
 trated, for during the night the barometer fell, and 
 the weather put on a very threatening appearance. The 
 anxious circumstances now under which we were placed 
 on this inhospitable coast caused a move to be made 
 at a very early hour the following morning, at which 
 time it was snowing very heavily as we proceeded to 
 sea. Before well clear of the land (for we had en- 
 deavored to make a rough running survey) the ex- 
 pected gale burst upon us ; still it was a fair wind, and 
 the ships ran on pleasantly towards the Antarctic ice 
 until the middle of the night, when the sea and wind 
 increased to such an extent that we had to heave-to. 
 But it was not of long duration, and as daylight came 
 
188 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the weather moderated, and under a bright sun and 
 clear sky, with a favourable breeze, we sped on at a 
 rate of 9 or 10 knots an hour to the southward, causing 
 us to forget the few miserable days spent at and near 
 the Heard Islands. During the next three days, we 
 pushed on under sail, the weather continuing very 
 squally, with rain and frequent snow storms, the tem- 
 perature of the air being down to 33°." 
 
 Feb. 11th: '^This morning at an early hour we en- 
 countered the first Antarctic iceberg, bearing E.S.B. to 
 our course. On passing within a few miles, it was from 
 observation considered to be three-fourths of a mile 
 long and 200 feet in height. We are now in latitude 
 60° 52' South, longitude 80° 20' West, dredging and 
 sounding frequently with good results. From this time 
 the icebergs became very numerous, and great was the 
 excitement on board as we passed these novel sights. 
 The rich cobalt blue tints blending into the white of 
 the ice produced a very fine effect. The weather was 
 very fine, and each day now we continued to meet ice- 
 bergs in all shapes and sizes, some apparently much 
 worn by the sea into cavities and great fissures, as if 
 they were ready to split asunder; others of tabular 
 form, with heavy surf breaking up their perpendicular 
 sides. Sailing on, we pass much loose ice, evidently 
 fragments of broken up icebergs, and a beautiful white 
 petrel, Procellaria glacins, was seen for the first time. 
 From this we were led to believe we were in the vicinity 
 of large masses of ice, for it is known that these birds 
 never wander far from the main pack." 
 
 About 1.30 p. M. on February 16th the ''Challenger" 
 crossed the Antarctic Circle, latitude ^Q^ 30' South, 
 longitude 78° East, and was then about 1,400 miles from 
 
The Voyage of the Challenger 189 
 
 the South Pole. 
 
 ''The sight was indeed a grand one," writes the 
 narrator, **as we threaded our way through the pack 
 ice and up through avenues of vast bergs, over a 
 course never before taken by explorers; all this left 
 an impression of those icy, desolate regions that can 
 never be forgotten. It seems most difficult to attempt 
 a description, for all I could say would convey but 
 little of the reality to the imagination of one who has 
 not been similarly situated. 
 
 ** Proceeding on to latitude 66° 40' South, the course 
 was altered, and the horizon scanned in all directions 
 for land; the weather was unusually clear, so that we 
 should certainly have seen it had any existed within a 
 considerable distance; none however was visible. The 
 Circle was again recrossed, and we proceeded east along 
 the margin of the great pack. The icebergs had now 
 become so numerous that it was not unusual to be able 
 to count over one hundred and fifty from the deck, and 
 many of them appeared to be miles in length. The next 
 day was very squally, haze extending all round the 
 horizon, and frequent snow storms occurred, we steer- 
 ing east for Wilkes' Termination Land, which was sup- 
 posed to be 440 miles distant." 
 
 Feb. 19th. ''From the great quantities of ice found 
 drifting along our course, it appears evident we are 
 not far from extensive fields, and as many as eighty 
 magnificent icebergs were in sight at one time; thus 
 for days we sail on a straight course, bounded with 
 ice islands from a quarter of a mile to five miles in 
 length." 
 
 On February 23rd the "Challenger" stood within 20 
 miles of the position assigned by Wilkes as land but 
 
190 The Seventh Continent 
 
 with a clear horizon none was visible. The following 
 morning instead of being able to approach the pack, the 
 ship encountered a fearful gale of wind, with heavy 
 and constant fall of snow which completely hid the 
 surrounding dangers; the vast numbers of surrounding 
 bergs made the situation particularly perilous. 
 
 "Steam was at command in four boilers; it was as 
 much as the engines at full speed could do to keep sta- 
 tion, and in a position considered safe from the ice. The 
 barometer fell to 28.9, and the wind rose to a force of 
 10; soon there was a heavy and turbulent sea. As 
 the darkness of the night closed, the wind moderated; 
 still it was a very critical time, and all felt glad when 
 daylight arrived, as we were then enabled to shape a 
 course for the pack under sail. From the direction the 
 wind had been blowing, the ice at its edge was scat- 
 tered and sufficiently open to allow us to push on to 
 within 15 miles of the supposed Wilkes' Termination 
 Land ; although, having a clear horizon, no indication of 
 it could be seen; we sailed for two or three hours, 
 picking our way among blocks of loose ice, varying in 
 size from 5 or 6 feet to 60 feet across, and which no 
 doubt are kept separate by the continual motion of the 
 long swell. Their depth below the surface did not ap- 
 pear to exceed 20 feet. The greater part was washed 
 into all sorts of fantastic forms, and showed evidences 
 of decay and the length of time they had been in the 
 water. In addition to this, hundreds of icebergs could 
 be seen from the mast head. Having now gone as far 
 as practicable in an undefended ship, course was altered, 
 and once more we reached clear water. The weather 
 was getting very unsettled; it was therefore deemed 
 useless to remain in proximity to so much ice, as a 
 
The Voyage of the Challenger 191 
 
 strong southerly breeze had sprung up, and squally 
 weather set in, of which advantage was taken; as it 
 was considered that any further stay in these icy re- 
 gions would not only be attended with peril to the 
 vessel, but would cause a delay in time, which was 
 required for other services, and having nearly 3,000 
 miles to sail to our next port (Melbourne), course was 
 altered to the northward, and throughout the remainder 
 of the day good progress was made." 
 
 Feb. 26th. * * Hove to this morning for dredging from 
 a depth of 1,300 fathoms. The wind and sea, however, 
 gave evidence we were in for another blow before 
 leaving these regions, lest we should think too lightly 
 of the dangers of ice navigation. The dredge was 
 quickly hauled in before it had reached the bottom. 
 We then steamed under the lee of a large iceberg, which 
 somehow or other we ran into, carrying away our jib 
 boom and head gear. Some little excitement now pre- 
 vailed, for the weather had become so thick with the 
 falling snow tha,t we could scarcely see 100 yards' dis- 
 tance. Steam was ready, and the ship hove-to, drifting 
 to leeward before the storm, with the certainty, as 
 we were perfectly surrounded by icebergs, of sooner 
 or later coming across the path of one of them. In 
 the afternoon, during the worst part of the gale, one 
 of these great ice islands was seen looming through 
 the mist, close to, and directly to leeward of us. With 
 the engines going at full speed, the ship just managed 
 to clear it. After this we endeavored to use our enemy 
 as a breakwater; but the violence of the gale caused a 
 difficulty in bringing the vessel head to the wind, so 
 there was no other course but to continue our drift. 
 As the evening advanced, the weather cleared and 
 
192 The Seventh Continent 
 
 during a momentary lull in the storm, while passing 
 to leeward of another great iceberg, the ship was 
 brought round on the other tack. The passage between 
 the two icebergs proved to be clear of danger, and the 
 night was spent in drifting backwards and forwards 
 from one to the other, the steam enabling the ship to 
 hold her own. It was altogether a fearful and perilous 
 night.'' 
 
 Feb. 27th. "Daylight was hailed with much thank- 
 fulness; the gale still blowing its utmost. However, 
 such fierce squalls are never of long duration in these 
 latitudes. Most providentially the weather, as the day 
 advanced, seemed to subside ; and as there had been no 
 mishap, we had much to be thankful for in being pre- 
 served from the dangers and perils of the past twenty- 
 four hours. Later in the day sail was made, and we 
 again proceeded on our course. Next noon we were in 
 latitude 62° 2' South, longitude 97° 6' East, and about 
 2,215 miles from Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia. Be- 
 fore the strong favoring gale good progress was made, 
 every one heartily glad to take leave of the desolate 
 icy regions, after our late experience of what a gale 
 really v/as in the Antarctic. 
 
 *'0n the 4th March, in latitude 53° 17' South, longi- 
 tude 109° 23' East, we passed our last iceberg, but the 
 sea water remained sufficiently cold for them to float 
 about in it for some time without melting until we 
 attained the 50th parallel of latitude. Whenever the 
 weather permitted, we sounded and trawled with good 
 results. Upon investigating the proceeds, they were 
 found to consist of nearly the same fauna as that discov- 
 ered farther north. ' ' 
 
 On Marcli 13th ^he ''Challenger" stood within 400 
 
The Voyage of the Challenger 193 
 
 miles of Cape Otway; by the 16th "land was in sight, 
 the first for forty days." Cape Otway, Australia's 
 southwestern point, was ahead, and the bright light 
 glimmering in the darkness of the night. 
 
 "A short distance farther," concludes the writer, 
 **and we are reminded that our voyage will soon be at 
 an end. Next day crossed the bar, and passed Port 
 Philip's headland; shortly after Hobson's Bay was 
 reached, and we anchored in the harbour of one of the 
 finest colonial cities England possesses." 
 
 In Sir John Murray's official account of the failure 
 to sight Wilkes' Termination Land, he says the ''Chal- 
 lenger" approached to within fifteen miles of the sup- 
 posed position of Wilkes' Termination Land, ''but 
 neither from the deck nor mast head could any indication 
 of it be seen. The limit of vision as logged was twelve 
 miles, and had there been land sufficiently lofty for 
 Wilkes to have seen it at a distance of sixty miles (which 
 was the distance he supposed himself off it) either the 
 clouds capping it or the land itself must have been seen. 
 If Wilkes' distance was overestimated, that of the 'Chal- 
 lenger' would be increased, and it may still be found, 
 but as the expression in Wilkes' journal is 'appearance 
 of land was seen to the southwest, and its trending 
 seemed to be to the northward,' and not that land was 
 actually sighted, and a bearing obtained, it is probable 
 that Termination Land does not exist ; still it is curious 
 that pack ice and a large number of bergs should have 
 been found in nearly the same position as by Wilkes in 
 1840, and this would seem to indicate that land can not 
 be very far distant." 
 
 The results of this voyage are ably . summarized by 
 Greely : 
 
194 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ** Though the * Challenger' barely entered the Circle, 
 yet her researches contributed in an unparalleled de- 
 gree to our knowledge of the South Polar regions. Mur- 
 ray, in his admirable 'Eesults of the Challenger Expe- 
 dition,' shows that 90 species of animals unknown to 
 the tropical oceans are common to the northern and 
 southern seas. Meteorologically, Murray and A. Buchan 
 have demonstrated that high barometric pressures cover 
 the ice-clad lands around the South Pole, The dredge 
 nets were filled with a wealth of marine fauna unequalled 
 in any other part of the world. In addition they gath- 
 ered glaciated rock fragments, — granites, quartzites, 
 gneisses, sandstones of Antarctic lands, since these rocks 
 are not found in oceanic islands. They prove conclu- 
 sively the existence of a southern continent properly 
 called Antarctica by Murray, which the discoveries of 
 Palmer, Eoss, Wilkes, D'Urville, and others (especially 
 Scott) show to be almost entirely buried under glacial 
 formations, from which projects here and there a soli- 
 tary nunatak, or a few miles of favored beach." 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 AN IMPORTANT DUNDEE WHALING EXPEDITION 
 
 THE last half of the nineteenth century was re- 
 plete with enterprises in North Polar research 
 and the question has often been asked why so 
 much money, time, and personal sacrifice has been ex- 
 pended in the Arctic when its Antipodes should remain 
 unexplored and practically unthought of. It has al- 
 ready been pointed out that the prospect of discovering 
 a short passage to India, China and Japan for the pur- 
 pose of promoting commerce and trade, had interested 
 European navigators for a period covering three centu- 
 ries. The Arctic regions were but a few days' sail from 
 American and European ports, while the remoteness of 
 the Antarctic, the long and dangerous passages around 
 the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn and the stretch 
 of limitless water-s before a harbor of safe anchorage 
 could be hoped for, deterred systematic operations under 
 the Southern Cross. 
 
 Another and potent reason had excited the desires of 
 explorers toward unravelling the mysteries of the far 
 North. "We have pictured Captain Ross, Sir John 
 Franklin and Captain Crozier on an occasion of tri- 
 umph and rejoicing on the gaily trimmed decks of the 
 ''Erebus'' and "Terror" at Hobart Town, New Zea- 
 land ; with the passing of the years had come one of the 
 greatest tragedies in the annals of British exploration, 
 
 195 
 
196 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the loss of these two ships in the great white North, 
 and the continued search repeated year by year to 
 solve the tragic fate of Sir John and Captain Crozier 
 and their faithful crew. The whole world mourned their 
 loss and brave men were stirred to heroic adventure in 
 search of them, while the unsolved problems that lay 
 in the frozen breast of Antarctica awaited in vain the 
 conjurer's wand of the scientist and explorer. 
 
 During 1874 and 1875 a party of Americans, one 
 of English and another of German scientists spent a 
 part of the summer on Kerguelen Island for the pur- 
 pose of making observations on the transit of Venus. 
 
 The German scientist, Dr. K. Schrader, commanded 
 an expedition which sailed on S. M. S. ''Moltke," and 
 spent the season of 1882 at Moltke Harbor, South Geor- 
 gia, taking meteorological and magnetic observations, 
 mapping the vicinity of the German station and taking 
 some astronomiceil observations. They returned north 
 in August, 1883, on S. M. S. ''Marie." 
 
 "With these exceptions and the brief visit already re- 
 corded made in 1874 by H. M. S. ''Challenger," the 
 Antarctic regions had been almost entirely neglected. 
 
 For a succeeding period of ten years, there is little 
 to record, but in 1892-1893 four Dundee whalers stim- 
 ulated scientific interest by making an interesting though 
 commercial cruise to the Antarctic. The small fleet 
 was composed of the "Active," the "Balaena," the 
 "Diana" and the "Polar Star." The idea of this ex- 
 pedition originated with the three Gray Brothers of 
 Peterhead, who had been famous Arctic whalers, and 
 decided to venture their fortunes in an Antarctic expe- 
 dition as the whale fisheries of the northern waters had 
 grown less and less profitable. 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 197 
 
 Mr. J. M. Gray, the eldest of the three, endeavored 
 to organize a company with this object in view during 
 the year 1871, but from lack of sufficient financial back- 
 ing was obliged to abandon his project. The following 
 year Mr. R. Kinnes of Dundee, followed Mr. Gray's 
 example and equipped the four mentioned ships for this 
 purpose. All were wooden barks built for ice work, 
 the ''Balaena,'* the largest of the four, being 260 tons 
 register. 
 
 This expedition was purely a commercial enterprise, 
 but the fact that it was to start for Antarctic waters 
 created no little sensation in England. The Royal Geo- 
 graphic Society and the Meteorological Society took a 
 keen interest in the scientific prospects of the voyage, 
 and presented the ships with instruments, and the ship 's 
 doctors, who were men of scientific tastes, were sup- 
 plied by private individuals with necessary material 
 for their observations. 
 
 Mr. Burn Murdock, the artist, who was a member of 
 the expedition and sailed on board the ''Balaena, " gives 
 a vivid and interesting account of the experiences of 
 the whalers among the Antarctic ice. The local atmos- 
 phere, and human interest, if one may be pardoned a 
 hackneyed expression, are especially vivid in his inter- 
 esting narrative, and his descriptions of color and at- 
 mospheric effects of the South Polar regions are par- 
 ticularly pleasing. Sailing in September from Scotland 
 the tedium of the long journey is beginning to be felt 
 by the writer about December 7th, when he makes entry 
 in his jounal: 
 
 **We ought to have seen land to-day, and I beg to 
 apologize to the reader for the unavoidable delay. These 
 southerly gales, and latterly these calms, have caused 
 
198 The Seventh Continent 
 
 us much disappointment; but if the reader will just 
 wait one moment till that curtain of mist rises, we will 
 have a beautiful view of the land on our starboard bow 
 from where we are just now. We are almost sure that it 
 cannot be more than ten or fifteen miles off. To judge 
 from the amount of sea-weed floating about, we might 
 be within twenty yards of the beach; some patches are 
 so thick, and so like the tangle on rocks, that it makes 
 us feel uncomfortable to see the ship running dead on 
 to them. ' ' 
 
 Long ago people thought that there was land to the 
 north and east of the Falklands. It was reported by 
 one or two early navigators and was never seen again; 
 now it is believed that what was taken for land was 
 only floating sea- weed. La Roche was the first to ob- 
 serve this supposed island. He discovered South Geor- 
 gia in 1675, and it was after leaving that island, which 
 lies about two degrees east of the Falklands, that he 
 discovered this lost land. 
 
 The Spanish author who gives the abstract from La 
 Roche's voyage says that, ''after leaving South Georgia 
 and sailing one whole day to the N.W., the wind be- 
 came so violently at south that he stood N. for three 
 days more, till they were got into 46° South, when, 
 thinking themselves then secure, they relate that, direct- 
 ing their course for the Bahia de Todos Santos, in Brazil, 
 they found in 45° South a very large and pleasant island, 
 with a good port towards the eastern part, in which 
 they found wood, water and fish. They saw no people, 
 notwithstanding they stayed there six days. 
 
 ''Captain Colnett, R. N., in H. M. S. 'Rattler,' 
 searched for Isle Grand, as La Roche called it, in 1793 ; 
 he expected to find it about lat. 45° South, and long. 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 199 
 
 34.21 west. 'This,' he says, 'I had often heard my old 
 commander. Captain Cook, mention, as the position of 
 the Isle of Grand.' But all Captain Colnett saw was 
 a great quantity of feathers and birch twigs on the 
 water, which was of a greenish hue. His men saw sand- 
 larks and a large species of curlew. Was there an- 
 other deluge there away in the eighteenth century, and 
 we in the Northern Hemisphere in complete ignorance? 
 . . . That mist is long in rising. It is glassy calm, and 
 we lie waiting to see where we are before we go on. 
 We know that land is close at hand, from our sound- 
 ings, and feel chirpy in consequence. A pair of pen- 
 guins have put in an appearance. All the other birds 
 had gone except our faithful stormy petrels. 
 
 ' ' On the fore-deck the crew are ranging the cable, and 
 the mate and his watch are getting the anchors off the 
 fo 'csle-head, heaving them with hand spike and tackle 
 till they hang at the cat heads ready to let go. Viewed 
 from the poop, this makes a splendid picture. Imme- 
 diately beneath me there is the wet deck and the glisten- 
 ing bulwarks running up into perspective; and on the 
 fo 'csle-head stands a group of dark figures, blurred in 
 the mist, and framed in by the great folds of the clewed- 
 up main-sail, that hang in grand sculpturesque folds. 
 There is a feeling of sunlight in the mist, and up aloft 
 a faint air flaps the damp sails at times, and brings 
 down a shower of rain-drops from the wet shrouds and 
 yards. ' ' 
 
 After a brief stop at the Falkland Islands, the "Ba- 
 laena" proceeded to the sailing grounds and on Decem- 
 ber 16th Mr. Murdock records the approach to the ice 
 by a course between the South Shetlands and South 
 Orkneys. 
 
200 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ^*We had our first glimpse of the Polar world this 
 afternoon," he writes. ''A thin mist rose from the sea 
 and showed us a huge island of ice at some miles dis- 
 tant, white and glittering in the faint sunlight. I 
 should think it was about half a mile long and about 
 two hundred feet high ; the top was as level as a billiard 
 table and absolutely white. The precipitous sides were 
 of a faint grey blue, with great sea worn green caves 
 shaped like Gothic arches; in these we could see the 
 swell rising and falling and bursting out in soft foam 
 hundreds of feet in the air. 
 
 ' ' Between us and the berg the sea had the appearance 
 of a slack-water, as if the tide was running towards us 
 from either side of the berg. On this were countless 
 myriads of Cape pigeons and blue petrels; each wave 
 was specked with them, about a yard apart, all heading 
 towards the distant berg and against the breeze. As we 
 sailed past the birds, those closest to us rose and circled 
 round us for a little, then joined the others on the 
 water. To make a foreground to this Antarctic picture 
 three enormous whales rolled their black backs through 
 the grey sea with ponderous, irresistible force, throwing 
 up blasts of fine spray, which hung in the air for a few 
 seconds, and then vanished above their white wake. They 
 were of a grey-black color, with a sheen of purple- 
 brown — 'finners' we called them. Whenever they rose 
 to blow a flight of blue petrel came and hovered over 
 them." 
 
 The following day he records a heavy fog and a fresh 
 norVester, but he says: ''We found we had made a 
 passage somehow or other between a number of large 
 bergs. A few large ragged pieces of ice, like the roots 
 of huge teeth, are rolling about in the swell, with the 
 
ANTARCTIC PETREL 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 201 
 
 grey sea surging over them and pouring down their 
 sides in white streams. The men call these detached 
 piece of ice ' growlers, ' from their unpleasant nature and 
 the sound the sea makes breaking over them. To us 
 they can do little harm; but many an iron ship has 
 had her sides ripped by these wandering rocks. 
 
 "A few penguins are swimming around us. Now and 
 then they put their heads above the water and quangk — 
 a sudden, melancholy, strange call, sounding sad and 
 lonely in the mist. 
 
 "This morning we saw a seal alongside, apparently 
 sleeping. I bolted for my rifle and managed to put a 
 bullet in its head. We drifted down on it; but we had 
 nothing ready to hook into it; a boat hook would not 
 hold, and a running bowline we got round it slipped 
 over its after end, just as we had hauled it up to the 
 rail. Fortunately it was shot before it had time to 
 contract its muscles, so it floated. 
 
 "It would have been an unlucky thing to lose the 
 first blood of the cruise, so the starboard quarter boat 
 was lowered and after some hunting the seal was 
 picked up. 
 
 "Then the seal was laid on deck, and we all exam- 
 ined it with much interest, for it was very different 
 from those of the north. It measured seven feet from 
 its nose to the end of its hind flipper. Its colour was 
 nearly black, with a tinge of brown and a silvery-grey 
 sheen ; beneath it was of a yellow umber colour, spotted 
 with the dark colour of its back; its head, with its 
 large teeth and narrow, shark-like eyes, somewhat re- 
 sembled that of a Danish hound. Its circumference was 
 small for its length, and the blubber very thin, so we 
 concluded it had either come through the breeding sea- 
 
202 The Seventh Continent 
 
 son or travelled far. Just after killing the seal there 
 was a shout amongst the men forward, ' A Uni ! A Uni ! ' 
 — the whaler's term for a Narwhale. Several men said 
 they saw their horns. 
 
 ''All day we steamed southwards through the black, 
 smooth water, with the mists hanging round us brown 
 and damp. At two o'clock it grew a little lighter, and 
 the folds of the mist curtain were drawn up a little, 
 as if by hands from above, and beneath the veil we 
 saw the edge of the Antarctic ice close to us, white 
 against a dark sky beyond. 
 
 "I felt as if the weariness and fret of many years 
 of voyaging would be repaid by the first glimpse of 
 this strange white land, by the sensation of quietly 
 stealing under the mist veil into this secret chamber of 
 great Nature. The blocks of ice and snow that formed 
 the floating shore were varied with many tints, pale 
 violets, creamy whites, and silky greens ; and the shapes 
 were as beautiful and unexpected by me as the delicacy 
 and variety of the colours. It was as if a Doric temple 
 in dreamland of Carrara marble had been thrown down, 
 and lay floating calmly on the dark, still water. Yet 
 with all the strangeness of the fantastic shapes, of capi- 
 tols, columns, and shattered carvings, there was still a 
 decision in the sculpture of the blocks and masses, and 
 a certainty in the working out of each detail, in the 
 form of the icicles hanging from goblin mushrooms, in the 
 green fret-work supporting white tables, that made us 
 marvel at the skill of the design, and wonder what it 
 was in this stillness that owned and enjoyed such grand 
 and delicate beauty. Whilst we skirted this floating 
 snow-land, the crew watched it from the black bulwarks, 
 and were awed into silence by its unfamiliar beauty. 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 203 
 
 The silence was broken by a whale rising between us 
 and the ice; he was about seventy feet long, I should 
 guess. He spouted a jet of steam into the mist and went 
 down. Some one called, 'He's a Bowhead' and every one 
 forgot all about the ice and thought of whale bone and 
 blubber and great profits. All the men who were not 
 already on deck crowded in the focsle-head at the shout, 
 and waited to see the whale come up again — a silent 
 group of intensely expectant figures, with the mist hang- 
 ing grey on their clothes and beards. A second time 
 he rose quite close to us, spouted, sighed heavily, rolled 
 slowly over, and went down without showing enough of 
 his back to let us know whether he was a finner or a 
 right whale. Certainly his colour was not quite right — 
 it was not black enough for a Bowhead ; still, the colour 
 would not matter, we thought, if he had no fin on his 
 back. The third time he rose higher, and just as he 
 was going down a diminutive fin appeared, and a shout 
 of laughter echoed in the misty stillness, and every 
 one bundled off to his work jeering at the man who 
 
 'couldn't tell a Bowhead from a bl y finner.' 
 
 ' ' Think of all the dreary melancholy, the blank hope- 
 lessness described by writers about the Arctic, and you 
 have but a faint idea of the sad inhuman feeling of 
 solitude there is in this world of white cliffs and black 
 sea. Take all the grace, softness, and mystery of form 
 and colour together, that they have written of, and you 
 can scarcely dream of the delicate beauty of the forms, 
 of the infinite subtlety of the harmonies in white, and sil- 
 ver, and green, and pale yellow, and blue that we have 
 seen in the last few hours steaming along the pack edge 
 — an endless fairy picture, painted on silk, with a 
 ghostly brush from a palette of pearl. 
 
204 The Seventh Continent 
 
 '^To give more than a suggestion of colouring is as 
 impossible in colour as in words. The bloom on a 
 child's cheek can be reproduced in paints, but these 
 high-toned schemes of variously tinted white are infi- 
 nitely more difficult. Their unfamiliarness is at once 
 their difficulty and their charm. One feels in looking 
 at them as if developing a new sense of sight, with 
 each new effect of colour, so that the thought of at- 
 tempting to reproduce the tints at the time is crowded 
 out of mind. 
 
 '* To-night Mick laid out five tumblers, five spoons, 
 and the sugar bowl on the cabin table, with a consid- 
 erable amount of solemnity, and the master brought out 
 his rum, and we in the cabin were invited to celebrate 
 the occasion of our reaching the ice with a modest 
 glass of rum hot ! Taking the total distance N.S.E. and 
 W. we have sailed about 9,000 miles, and come through 
 much bad weather with no loss but a few sails and one 
 spar. So the occasion quite well warranted the excuse 
 for a glass.'' 
 
 The following day, Sunday, December 18th, Mr. Mur- 
 dock makes entry: ''When there is a lift in the mist 
 we take advantage of it, and steer south by west, making 
 a course along the ice edge for Erebus and Terror Gulf, 
 in Louis Philippe Land, where Sir James Eoss saw the 
 right whales in 1842, and where we expect to meet our 
 consorts. We expected to see Clarence Island, the east 
 most of the South Shetlands, but the fog was too thick; 
 so the first land we can see now is Joinville Land, or 
 the small islands that lie to the N.E. of it. 
 
 "We passed a large berg this afternoon, probably a 
 little more than a hundred feet high. I guessed it was 
 eight miles long, and compass bearings we made made 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 205 
 
 it seven and three-quarters. To our Arctic sailors this 
 was an extraordinary sight, as a berg a mile long in 
 the north is considered huge. But the impression of 
 size is not received from enlargement of an object in 
 one direction, so this ice cliff, eight miles long by a 
 hundred feet, was not particularly impressive. The most 
 imposing effect I have yet seen was a mere chip off 
 one of these bergs; it loomed out of a tank of mist, 
 and grey surges climbed up its ice cliffs, and burst, and 
 the spray vanished in the mist above." 
 
 ''Hurrah!" cries Murdock, December 25th, "We've 
 made the land at last — the islands of the Antarctic 
 Continent. At seven this morning the mist rose and we 
 found ourselves almost exactly where our dead reckon- 
 ing put us, but rather nearer the most northerly of 
 the group of Danger Islands than we cared to be. Sir 
 James Ross discovered them fifty years ago, and I sup- 
 pose they have not been seen since. Beyond them to 
 the west lay the N.E. end of Joinville Land, seen by 
 Admiral D'Urville from the N.W. in 1838. What we 
 saw of it was a sweep of snow that rose in a very grad- 
 ual slope to between two or three thousand feet, then 
 fading almost imperceptibly into the clouds. At times 
 the sun shone through the wisps of cloud and chased 
 shadows along the glacier slopes; I thought the faint 
 lines I could trace on the snow might be crevasses. Not 
 a sign of a rock or any kind of land showed through 
 the glacier slopes. Sir James Ross saw some rocks like 
 warty excrescences breaking abruptly from the snow on 
 the top, and Captain Crozier and his officers in the 
 'Terror' believed they saw smoke issuing from the top, 
 but owing to the wreaths of cloud we could not see the 
 rocks, neither did we see any smoke. Some of the islands 
 
206 The Seventh Continent 
 
 we found had not been charted by Sir James Ross, 
 probably he did not see them owing to their being sur- 
 rounded by icebergs. The largest was called Darwin 
 Island. It has blue-black precipitous sides, with a table- 
 top covered with snow. Some of the islets were low and 
 flat, without snow, others rose like broken pillars ab- 
 ruptly from the sea, and these also had no snow on 
 their flat tops. 
 
 "This has been a tremendous day for business," con- 
 tinues Mr. Murdock; ''both watches have been coiling 
 the whale lines into their compartments in the whale- 
 boats. This is a mighty careful process. They have to 
 be laid down so that they can run out when the whale 
 sounds, without a hitch. One line is coiled down in the 
 stern-sheets in a triangular shape — the steersman stands 
 on this, when it is not running out — another is coiled 
 in a box amidships, and the third is coiled in the bow. 
 There has been some demur about coiling the lines on 
 a Friday; but so many instances are quoted of full 
 ships as the results of lines being coiled on a Friday, 
 that the work goes on merrily, and as each crew lays 
 down the last fathom they give a cheer, and the men 
 in the neighboring boats growl at each other for their 
 slowness. Every one is in a state of great expectations ; 
 to-morrow we ought to be amongst the 'great numbers 
 of the largest-sized black whales' that Ross wrote about. 
 One of our harpooners, the slayer of hundreds of levia- 
 thans — perhaps the oldest and most energetic of our 
 crew — has not coiled his lines down yet. He has kept 
 out of sight in his bunk, whistling to his dicky-bird, 
 waiting till twelve o'clock, the end of the nautical day, 
 when there will be time enough, as he says. Nothing 
 will induce him to equip his boat, and nothing will make 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 207 
 
 him confess that it is on account of its being Friday. 
 The harpoon-guns too are being fixed in the bullet-heads 
 on the boats' bows. They are rather like short-barrelled 
 duck punt guns — muzzle loaders with a pistol stock sup- 
 ported on a crutch and a swivel-pin that turns in the 
 bullet-head; a few inches behind this bullet-head there 
 is a second bullet or timber-head, round which the line 
 is hitched as it runs out over the stern." 
 
 The ''Balaena" after passing the Danger Islets came 
 within sight of the southern extremity of Joinville 
 Land. Captain Davidson of the "Active" found the 
 Joinville Land was separated from Cape Fitsroy by a 
 strait through which he navigated his ship and called 
 the land Dundee Island, and the strait Firth of Fay. 
 
 Within a few hours of the arrival of the "Balaena" 
 in Erebus and Terror Gulf each of the other three con- 
 sorts turned up. Much excitement was felt by mem- 
 bers of the expedition at the near proximity of the 
 whaling grounds described by I^oss. At the time the 
 fleet had left Dundee whalebone Avas worth £2500 a ton 
 and one good sized whale would yield a ton of bone. 
 Steering a southeast course, the ships followed in line 
 headed by the ''Balaena," which threaded its way 
 through the loose pack between aisles of many bergs. 
 
 ''Sometimes," writes Murdock, ''we have to shove 
 an ice island out of our course; our black bows crunch 
 into its soft, snowy surface, and break into the green 
 undercut caves, and the shock brings down showers of 
 clinking icicles, and the piece is shoved aside. As we 
 pass, black-backed penguins jump out of the water, and 
 scurry about on the dazzling white snow. 
 
 ' ' The black penguins set off the white tints ; but there 
 is red in the picture as well, to contrast with the blots 
 
208 The Seventh Continent 
 
 of intense blue in the snow — vivid splashes of scarlet, 
 where the warm carcasses of seals which have been killed 
 in our course lie quivering on the snow. A few nellies — 
 large brown birds — dance round them very awkwardly 
 with their big webbed feet. They peck at each other, 
 and then gobble up the warm meat. It is a hideous 
 thing, this sealing, and most awfully bloody and cruel. 
 Some of the seals were killed with the ice picks — a short 
 staff of natural wood about four feet long with a steel 
 pick-head; others were shot. Sport there was none. I 
 would sooner stalk a bunny with a pea-rifle, behind a 
 dyke, than shoot a score of these splendid, dark-eyed 
 seal. They showed not the least surprise at our presence 
 — just raised their heads, and sometimes snarled at us. 
 In killing them with the picks there was the faintest 
 element of risk, as the snow was deep, and hard on 
 the surface in some places, and soft in others. Some- 
 times we plunged in waist deep when delivering a blow, 
 and found ourselves unpleasantly close to the seal's 
 gaping jaws. Their huge bear-like teeth do not look 
 pleasant at close quarters. But the poor beasts only 
 acted on the defensive ; if they had had the good sense 
 to attack us or take to the water instead of taking to 
 the center of the ice-cajkes, there would have been 
 trouble. They evidently consider the center of the snow 
 pieces their refuge from danger; probably the Orca 
 or Grampus treats them here as it does the seals in 
 the north. We found some of the seals very much 
 scarred with long parallel wounds almost encircling their 
 bodies. I think these were marks left by the Grampus ; 
 the smaller cuts about their necks and shoulders were 
 signs of domestic worries. 
 
 **In the evening we steamed gently up against the 
 
WILD LIFE NEAR THE SOUTH POLE 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 209 
 
 edge of a large pack some miles long, which bounded 
 the comparatively open water of the gulf to the south- 
 east. Our bows struck softly against its edge, and 
 the screw went on revolving, while some men dropped 
 from the martingale and made two wire hawsers fast 
 to spikes driven deep into the snow. This position was 
 within a mile of the spot where Sir James Ross brought 
 in the New Year of 1843. The 'Diana' and 'Active' 
 followed, running their black bows over the snow-edge, 
 one on each side of us, and distant a few hundred yards. 
 >Some of the boats were lowered, and the masters of 
 the ships met and had one of their 'mollies,' and the 
 men of the three vessels had an opportunity of speaking 
 to each other on the snow. It was tremendously hard 
 work walking on the snow— a hundred yards quite 
 pumped us." 
 
 On Christmas Eve Mr. Murdock paints in glowing 
 words the beauty of the Antarctic scene. 
 
 "To-day has passed," he writes, "glistening in silky 
 white, decked with sparkling jewels of blue and green, 
 and we thought surely we had seen the last of Nature's 
 white harmonies ; then evening came, pensive and sooth- 
 ing, and grey, and all the white world changed into soft 
 violet, pale yellow, and rose. A dreamy stillness fills 
 the air. To the south the sun has dipped behind a bank 
 of pale grey clouds, and the sky above is touched with 
 primrose light. Far to the north the dark smooth sea 
 is bounded by two low bergs, that stretch across the 
 horizon. The nearest is cold violet white, and th^ sun- 
 light strikes the furthest making it shine like a wall 
 of gold. The sky above them is of a leaden, peacock 
 blue, with rosy cloudlets hanging against it — such col- 
 ouring as I have never before seen or heard described. 
 
210 The Seventh Continent 
 
 To the westward, across the gulf, we can just distin- 
 guish the blue-black cra^s jutting from the snowy lo- 
 monds. 
 
 ''Little clouds touched with gold and rose lie nestling 
 in black corries, and gather round the snowy peaks. 
 To the south in the centre of the floe, some bergs lie, 
 cold and grey in the shadow of the bank of cloud. They 
 look like Greek temples imprisoned forever in a field of 
 snow. A faint cold air comes stealing to us over the 
 floe; it ripples the yellow sky reflection at the ice-edge 
 for a moment, and falls away. In the distance a seal 
 is barking — a low muffled sound that travels far over 
 the calm water, and occasionally a slight splash breaks 
 the silence, as a piece of snow separates from the field 
 and joins its companion pieces that are floating quietly 
 past our stern to the north, — a mysterious, silent pro- 
 cession of soft, white spirits, each perfectly reflected in 
 the lavendar sea. Nature sleeps — breathlessly — silent ; 
 perhaps she dreams of the spirit-world, that seems to 
 draw so close to her on such a night. *' 
 
 A few days later he makes comment: 
 
 ''Still beating about under sail in the open water, 
 with plenty of whales blowing all round, but still no 
 right whales.'* 
 
 December 27th he writes: 
 
 "No whales yet, but every one has one ear pricked 
 for the long-expected shout, ' A fall ! ' — a shout that will 
 make us tumble neck and crop into the boats. Even 
 in our bunks we are ready to jump up at a moment's 
 notice. We sleep with our clothes beside us, tied up 
 in a bundle, so that when the time comes we can jump 
 into the boats, and dress as we row. The excitement 
 when a whale is seen is almost beyond belief. Men 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 211 
 
 have been known after long spells of whale chasing in 
 the boats to go almost off their heads. On the shout 
 of 'Tumble up and go to the boats' they have been 
 known to rush on deck with their bundles and throw 
 them into the water instead of the boats, from sheer 
 nervousness. One boat's crew rushed on deck, threw 
 their bundles over the side into the boat, as they thought, 
 and followed themselves; but there was no boat! So 
 at least I am told. One necessary precaution for seal- 
 ing or whaling is to have a pair of spare mits sewed 
 to the inside of one's jacket, and tobacco and matches 
 you put into the pockets over night." 
 
 The ships approached the land sufficiently close to 
 distinguish the colouring and form of the rocks which 
 are described as reddish in colour without apparent 
 signs of lichens or moss. 
 
 Mr. Murdock makes mention of Captain Larson, a 
 Norwegian sealer, who in the same season made a cruise 
 in the ''Jason" along this same coast and succeeded in 
 making a landing where he collected some fossil shells 
 and described fossil beds on the beach, containing shells 
 and tree-trunks. 
 
 It may be mentioned here that Captain Larson made 
 another cruise the following season, landing at Cape 
 Seymour on November 18th, 1894; about a quarter of 
 a mile from the shore and three hundred feet above 
 the sea, where Captain Larson found petrified wood. 
 
 "We took several specimens of these stems with us," 
 he writes; "the wood looks as if it might be from de- 
 ciduous trees. One recognized the bark with the 
 branches and the year rings of the logs, which lay 
 slantingly in the soil. Some of the wood looked as if 
 it had been thrown out of the water, while some of it 
 
212 The Seventh Continent 
 
 seemed as if it could not have been in the water, be- 
 cause in the first we found petrified worms, while in 
 the other we did not find any. At other places we 
 found balls formed of sand and cement which lay upon 
 pillars of the same kind. We collected in several places 
 some fifty of them; they had the appearance of having 
 been made by the hand of man." 
 
 Sailing east from Cape Seymour the "Jason'' then 
 returned south skirting the eastern coast of West Ant- 
 arctica. The most southern point reached by Captain 
 Larson was 68° 10' South. The coast which he skirted 
 he called King Oscar II. Land and Foyu Land. On 
 his return voyage he landed on Christensen Island. This 
 voyage of Larson's is particularly noteworthy from the 
 mention it makes of the geological formation of Ant- 
 arctica. 
 
 Another Norwegian sealer, Captain Evenson, in the 
 "Hertha," in company with Captain Morten Pedersen 
 of the ''Castor," cruised along the west coast of West 
 Antarctica in 1893. Evenson passed Adelaide Island 
 and the Biscoe Islands and sighted Alexander Land. 
 Ice conditions made it possible for him to reach 69° 10' 
 South latitude, 76° 12' West longitude. 
 
 Meanwhile the Edinburgh Antarctic expedition of 
 which Mr. Murdock has sketched such a vivid picture, 
 was being driven at the mercy of the pack, making a 
 vain search for the ''richt whale" — while many finners 
 tantalized the crew. Nevertheless, they made up with 
 a harvest of seals which they killed in great numbers. 
 
 By January 1, 1893, the fleet were in the neighbor- 
 hood of the Danger Islands, once in comparatively open 
 water, steering a course east by north, ''picking up 
 seals" which were very numerous, 
 
 ' / 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 213 
 
 I *'It is a busy scene that goes on all day on deck/^ 
 ' writes Murdock. ''Immediately after meals all hands 
 turn up on deck with their pipes going. They are 
 muffled up with cravats, and have their collars turned 
 up and the ear flaps of their caps pulled down. Then 
 all get their knives out of their wooden sheaths, and 
 there is a great rustling as they whet them on their 
 steels, and every one sets to work. The old hands 
 ' stand behind upright boards on which the seal skins 
 ,are hung, half on each side of the board, blubber side 
 up. They cut from left to right with a crisp, greasy, 
 swish-swish at each sweep of the thin flat blade. The 
 blubber curls off in yellow folds, and falls on deck, and 
 a boy throws it with a small pitchfork into the tanks. 
 Other boys prepare the skins for the old hands, they 
 "catch the lumps of flesh that have been left on the 
 blubber in the hasty skinning on the snow with a steel 
 hook and cut it off. At first there is plenty of talk, 
 and jests fly about, then gradually the talk quiets down, 
 and there is little sound but the breathing of the knives 
 and the clang of the blubber falling into the metal tanks. 
 The men are very tired. Days of constant work with 
 poor food, hastily swallowed, have told on them sadly; 
 their faces are drawn and their eyes bloodshot; they 
 are tired, but they work away cheerily. They will have 
 a share in the profits. Such a share, enough to keep 
 one in cigarettes for a month ! They don 't like this 
 work on deck so well as being out in the boats — they 
 feel the cold more. Several of them are filled with rheu- 
 matism, and most have festering hands and many have 
 scanty clothing. 
 
 ''Each group of lads tries to make ready more skins 
 than the neighboring group, and the man at the boar(J 
 
^14 The Seventh Continent 
 
 vies with the man next him in the number of skins he 
 makes off. It is tedious, back-breaking, profitless work, 
 all this, and it astonishes me to see men take it all 
 so easily. Is it not a fortunate thing for society that 
 so much contentment comes from hard work?" , 
 
 On Monday, January 16th there is the entry: 
 
 * ' Still wrapped in mist. , . . One of the boats is lost. 
 The mist lifted a little, and some of the seal were seen, 
 and a boat sent off. It fell immediately and we lost 
 sight of the boat. For a time we heard shots, and then 
 they seemed utterly lost. . . . We keep the fog horn' 
 booming its muffled note every two or three minutes. It 
 seems hopeless to send sound through these misty walls. 
 In the silence that follows, the white petrels flitting 
 past us seem more silent and moth-like than ever. 
 
 ** Towards evening the thermometer went up to 35°, 
 the highest point it has reached since we entered the 
 ice. Later a faint air came from the south and soon 
 brought it down below freezing again. As the cold air 
 lifted the mist it showed us the foot of a berg a few 
 hundred yards from us, its blue and grey sides wrinkled 
 and puckered into many folds of pale blue and white. 
 The lift in the mist helped us to pick up the boat. 
 
 ''The 'Polar Star' has turned up at last," continues 
 Murdock. "We thought she had turned back or foun- 
 dered. As the mist rose she appeared on the pack-edge 
 threading her way towards us under sail through the 
 loose ice. We hauled up our ensign and steamed to- 
 wards her, playing on the pipes, as is our wont here on 
 great occasions. As she came alongside there was much 
 cheering. Most of our men have acquaintances on 
 board, and some have brothers." 
 
 On January 30th the wind rose almost to a hurricane 
 
An Important Dundee WhMing Expedition 215 
 
 and the shortening days forewarned the sealers that the 
 winter was approaching. They had on board the "Ba- 
 laena" 4,800 seals, killed in twenty-eight days. The 
 decks were piled with skins and blubber, high above the 
 rail — *'a gory heap weighing more than 100 tons." 
 There was actual fear lest the decks might be strained 
 and the hatches burst. 
 
 By the 3rd of Febiniary they were again in sight 
 of the Danger Islands, where they cruised about for 
 "three days and noted the loose ice rapidly filling Brans- 
 :field Strait. Every indication was toward the rapid 
 approach of winter. On the 6th they steamed down to 
 the N.E. of Joinville Land, where they met the *' Active.'' 
 
 The following day they record a gale — "always a 
 gale," says Murdock — and he adds: *'We are dismally 
 tired of the meaningless soughing through the icy 
 shrouds, and the clack-clacking of the slack ropes. For 
 half an hour at a time we drift broadside to leeward 
 with the helm lashed, then steam up again into the 
 smooth water on the friendly side of a berg. If we 
 fail to gain the shelter of a berg we drift right down 
 the wind and dodge in behind the next. One berg is 
 as good as another, so be that you get on the right side 
 of it." 
 
 By the following Sunday the storm had reached its 
 height. "What a pandemonium of sounds," he writes, 
 "the wind howling and the timbers creaking and crack- 
 ing as the ice pounds against our sides. What the 
 men say is true, 'It's time we're oot o' this, an' awa' 
 hame.' It is a trifle too dangerous for the philosophic 
 contemplation of life. 
 
 "On Thursday the 16th of February, the gale was 
 past and the 'Balaena' was gently rolling in a short, 
 
216 The Seventh Continent 
 
 smooth swell, amid scattered pieces of ice, the oppressive? 
 stillness only broken by the grinding on our sides of a 
 piece of ice against which the ship is resting/' 
 
 *^The very last skins are being made off," writes 
 Murdock. ''The snow is falling and dusting the men's, 
 worn clothes, hanging on their shaggy beards and caps; 
 till they look like models of old father Christmas. Thos© 
 who are not making off are busied clearing up the decks 
 and making all fast in the 'tween decks before we take 
 to the high seas again. The 'Jason' is alongside. She 
 will not leave the ice for several days yet, though sh& 
 has more seals on board her than we have, yet she still, 
 has room for more. We are indebted to her master for- 
 supplying us with salt to preserve our seal-skins. I^ 
 am told that this act of kindness on the part of Norwe- 
 gian captains has never had its equal in whaling rec- 
 ords. 
 
 "The four black barques are here together, collected 
 like crows on a field in the evening before taking flight.. 
 The 'Polar Star' has flown already; these gales must 
 have blown her clean out of the ice and away north, 
 or, as some say, sunk her. She was far too small and 
 fragile for this work, with engines far too weak to 
 contend with the buffeting of the gales and ice, though 
 I am told she can lick us off our feet, in the open sea, 
 but that is no great matter to make her owners gay. 
 
 "All the boats are being brought in board and turned 
 upside down on the skids, and soon we hope to be 
 swinging under them again, in our hammocks, in the 
 heat of the tropics. 
 
 "We are lying in Bransfield Straits this afternoon 
 between Joinville Land to the south, and the South 
 Bhetlands on the north; to-morrow we shall see thenx. 
 
An Important Dundee Whaling Expedition 217 
 
 on our way north.'* 
 
 On Saturday, February 18th he makes the jubilant 
 entry: 
 
 "Home! Home! Hurrah! we are off to the North 
 again. To and fro we swing into the seaway, already 
 out of the still ice-sea, plunging along over 'the rough 
 highway to Freedom and to Peace/ It is as if we had 
 broken from the woof of an eerie, beautiful dream, and 
 wakened in the broad day. And so we turned from 
 the mystery of the Antarctic with all its white-bound 
 secrets still unread, as if we had stood before ancient 
 volumes that told of the past and the beginning of all 
 things, and had not opened them to read. Now we go 
 home to the world that is worn down with the feet of 
 many people, to gnaw in our discontent the memory of 
 what we could have done, but did not do." 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE BELGIAN SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION 
 
 THE interesting coast of East Antarctica was vis- 
 ited in tlie summer of 1894-1895 by the Norwe- 
 gian steam whaler ''Antarctic." This vessel left 
 Melbourne, Australia, September 20th, 1894, and by 
 November 6th was advanced sufficiently into the ice 
 to mistake an immense ice island for land, to which 
 was given the name Svend Foyn Island. By December 
 14th they reached the Balleny Islands and had a great 
 deal of difficulty penetrating the ice. They reached 
 Cape Adare on January 16th and two days later landed 
 several members of the expedition at Possession Island. 
 The "Antarctic" now steered southwest of Coulman 
 Island in latitude 74°. Turning north once more she 
 made Cape Adare by January 23rd and was fortunate 
 to make the first successful landing on Victoria Land. 
 Following this expedition was the famous Belgian ex- 
 pedition of 1898-1899, under the able leadership of Lieu- 
 tenant Adrien de Gerlache, of the Belgian Navy. The 
 energetic efforts of this young and enthusiastic explorer 
 were successful in raising private subscriptions, and 
 finally the support of the Belgian government, to the 
 amount of $60,000, not a very large sum for so impor- 
 tant an enterprise. With this sum was secured and 
 equipped a Norwegian sealer of about 250 tons register, 
 which was rechristened the "Belgia." 
 
 218 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 219 
 
 The expedition was purely for scientific exploration, 
 its itinerary to depend upon circumstances and con- 
 ditions met with in the Antarctic. An important mem- 
 ber of this expedition was Eoald Amundsen of Norway, 
 the future discoverer of the South Pole and famous nav- 
 igator of the Northwest Passage. 
 
 Other men of distinction were aboard and the per- 
 sonnel included a wide range in mental efficiency and 
 varied nationality. The complement of officers and crew 
 numbered nineteen. 
 
 The ''Belgia" sailed from Antwerp the last of Au- 
 gust, 1897, touched at Madeira, then at Rio de Janeiro, 
 skirted the coast of South America to Montevideo and 
 hence to the Strait of Magellan. January 13th, 1898, 
 she left Staten Island bound for the Antarctic. Sight- 
 ing the South Shetlands, the ^'Belgia" plunged into vio- 
 lent gales, losing a man overboard, and after proceeding 
 through Bransfield Strait reached the outskirts of 
 Palmer Archipelago, January 23rd, 1898. The expedi- 
 tion now entered a hitherto unknown strait and charted 
 the coast lands for a distance of about 500 miles. Upon 
 emerging from this strait the ''Belgia" skirted the west- 
 ern border of Graham Land as far as Adelaide Island, 
 then proceeded to Alexander Island. 
 
 The "Belgia" encountered the Polar pack on the 
 eastern border of Graham Land, before crossing the Ant- 
 arctic Circle, about February 13, 1898, and she did not 
 escape therefrom until March 14, 1899. 
 
 Storms, sleet and snow, drizzly fogs and high winds 
 constantly attended the slow advance southward; a 
 clear day was a rarity. On February 28th, the men 
 were forced to take to the ice, that the ship might 
 better ride out the terrific gale. The high winds forced 
 
220 The Seventh Continent 
 
 her in and out of the pack, time and time again, but 
 she steadily endeavored to progress south. As the ship 
 advanced the icebergs became greater in size and the 
 long easy swell of the South Pacific was felt more and 
 more perceptibly. The waves dashed against the sides 
 of the ship, tons of floating ice crashed with them, and 
 the voices of the men could hardly be heard against 
 the din. As the ship penetrated farther into the pack, 
 it became evident that the difficulty of returning became 
 more and more complicated and on March 4th at a 
 distance of three hundred miles from the Antarctic 
 Circle in latitude 71° 22' South, longitude 84° 55', 
 the ''Belgia'' could neither advance nor retreat. The 
 ship was blown at the mercy of the winds in the pack 
 at the rate of about forty to fifty miles a day, and for 
 a period of nearly thirty months drifted thus in a zig- 
 zag westerly course, a distance of about 2,000 miles. 
 
 Preparations were made by members of the expedi- 
 tion for wintering in the pack, the season of the Ant- 
 arctic night fell rapidly and with it the lowering tem- 
 perature, which reached in successive stages twenty, 
 thirty and finally forty-five degrees below zero. The 
 scientists aboard busied themselves with observations 
 and study, while the other members of the expedition 
 hunted seals and sea birds. 
 
 Preparations to resist the cold had included embank- 
 ing the sides of the ship with snow block, while inside 
 everything had been made as snug and warm as the 
 equipment allowed. 
 
 The beauty of the Aurora Australis was a great 
 source of pleasure to the observers, and repeated itself 
 frequently during the early part of the Antarctic night. 
 
 Small outbuildings were erected for taking magnetic 
 
AURORA AUSTRALIS 
 
 From a Sketch by C. Wilkes, U. S. N. 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 221 
 
 observations. Sundry jaunts and long journeys over 
 the ice pack were made on snow shoes or skis. 
 
 On May 16th, the sun set and the Arctic night closed 
 down for the long months. The continual darkness 
 had a notable effect upon the energies of the men and 
 though a certain amount of regular work was accom- 
 plished, it was not nearly as great as had been expected 
 and was done with less spirit and greater physical and 
 mental effort than it would ordinarily have required 
 under normal conditions. The long days passed in 
 wearying monotony save for the brief excursions taken 
 by moonlight across the ice. 
 
 At the beginning of the Arctic night, with the ex- 
 ception of a few patients suffering from rheumatism and 
 neuralgia, the health of the crew remained fair; never- 
 theless with the advance of the dark the general debility 
 of the members of the expedition showed itself in pale 
 faces and general lassitude. One death resulted, June 
 5th, 1898, that of Lieutenant Danco. 
 
 Fresh meat in the form of penguins and seals was 
 added to the usual menu of tinned food. Although this 
 meat had been considered unpalatable in the early part 
 of the voyage, it was now welcomed and the immediate 
 benefit resulted by this change of diet in the health 
 and spirits of the expedition. 
 
 The refraction of the sun was welcomed as a hopeful 
 indication, some days before its actual appearance in 
 a pale, feeble light on July 25th. Strange as it may 
 seem it was with the. reappearance of the sun that 
 some of the coldest weather of the winter was experi- 
 enced, the thermometer varying little above 30 to 40 
 degrees below zero. As the feeble light of the sun grew 
 stronger its heat caused lanes of open water to form in 
 
222 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the pack, finback and bottle-nose whales were numerous, 
 but not the right whale of commerce. 
 
 The men now found their time fully occupied in 
 the various duties incident to a scientific voyage. Never- 
 theless, though hopes of delivery from the ice pack con- 
 tinued at fever heat, the advance of the Antarctic 
 summer did not release the captives and the precious 
 days of daylight slipped by one after another without 
 the longed for escape. 
 
 Plans for a voyage of exploration to Palmer Archi- 
 pelago and to the Weddell seas which had been talked 
 of with so much anticipation by Lieutenant de Gerlache 
 and the officers during the monotonous Antarctic night 
 came to be gradually abandoned as the short season 
 waned with no prospects of navigation. 
 
 The one idea in the minds of all was to extricate the 
 *'Belgia" before the approach of another dreary winter. 
 Hopes that the pack would release them in November 
 were dashed, and that month and the next drifted 
 slowly to a close. 
 
 The ice in the vicinity of the ship varied to a thick- 
 ness of twenty-five feet; explosives, especially tonite 
 were used but without effect. The situation grew des- 
 perate at Christmas time and the heroic suggestion of 
 cutting a canal to the water's edge, a distance of 2,400 
 feet, was undertaken as a final expedient for release. 
 
 The little force of sixteen men set to work with saws, 
 pickaxes, and shovels and in three groups of eight-hour 
 shifts, worked desperately day and night for five weary 
 weeks; they were rewarded February 14th, by safely 
 steaming out of the canal and into open water. 
 
 Joyous but brief as was this first step toward ultimate 
 safety, the ship was a^ain held fast for another month 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 223 
 
 at the edge of the pack, and it seemed as if a second 
 winter in the Antarctic was inevitable. Fortunately 
 March 14, a southerly wind pushed them gently beyond 
 the line of icebergs and they steamed rapidly into open 
 water. The ''Belgia" left the pack in latitude 70° 45' 
 South, longitude 103° West. They now made for the 
 nearest port, Punta Arenas. 
 
 The farthest south made by the 'Belgia' Antarctic 
 Expedition was on March 31st when they stood in lati- 
 tude 71° 36' 5", longitude 87° 33' 30". 
 
 Besides the important scientific results of the hourly 
 meteorological observation under the supervision of M. 
 Arctowki, the series of magnetic observations, by Mr. 
 Lecomte resulted in placing the magnetic pole about 200 
 miles east of the position previously assigned to it. The 
 zoological work of M. Racovitza Lieutenant de Gerlache 
 added to the map of the South Polar regions Belgica 
 Strait, which was discovered by Nathaniel Palmer in 
 1831. The land to the east he named * * Terre de Danco, ' ' 
 and to the west in recognition of Palmer ^s discoveries he 
 called this archipelago "Archipe de Palmer." To the 
 numerous small islands, over a hundred in number, dis- 
 covered in Gerlache Strait, many names were given, in- 
 cluding Braband, Anvers and Wienke Islands. 
 
 Danco Land is described as unbroken save for in- 
 dentations, the ice barrier from fifteen to thirty meters 
 in height, boarded the entire coast line. This land is 
 six hundred to twelve hundred meters high, covered with 
 the everlasting matter of snow and ice ; mountains were 
 sighted in the far distance. 
 
 The immense plateau described between 75° and 103° 
 West longitude and 70° to 71° 36' South latitude, with 
 an approximate depth of from two hundred to five hun- 
 
224 The Seventh Continent 
 
 dred meters, and an abrupt fall to fifteen hundred me- 
 ters towards the north, indicates an immense unbroken 
 continental mass across the Polar regions. 
 
 The ''Belgia" Expedition might be called a pioneer 
 wedge for the more recent Antarctic discoveries, and 
 was unprecedented for the wealth of scientific data 
 which it brought home. 
 
 In the years 1898 and 1899 another scientific expe- 
 dition, this time under German auspices, penetrated 
 the Antarctic regions. This expedition under the leader- 
 ship of Professor Carl Chun and Captain Krech, sailed 
 in the ''Valdivia" for the purpose of taking deep-sea 
 soundings. The ship steered south from Cape Town 
 the 13th of November, 1898, and passed without sight- 
 ing Thompson and Liverpool Islands. Bouvet Island 
 was located in 54° 26' South latitude, 3° 24' East longi- 
 tude. Chun then proceeded east and south following 
 the edge of the pack from 8° East longitude to 58° East 
 longitude, and south to 64° 15', 54° 20' East longitude, 
 to a point about one hundred miles from Enderby Land. 
 Every indication pointed to land in the vicinity and 
 it is a question if many of the high ice peaks sighted 
 in the distance did not belong to it. 
 
 Professor Chun and Captain Krech made important 
 scientific discoveries in the deep sea soundings and the 
 formation of the disintegrating icebergs between Bouvet 
 Island and 40° East longitude; the collections in the 
 trawls showed gneiss, schist, red sand stone, and granite. 
 
 The end of December the "Valdivia" came north to 
 Kerguelen Island, and then proceeded on her homeward 
 voyage. 
 
 The following year, 1898-1900, Mr. C. E. Borchgre- 
 yink led an expedition in the ''Bouthern Cross" to East 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 225 
 
 Antarctica. This expedition was unique, as its members 
 were the first to winter on the shores of Antarctica. 
 The sum of £40,000 had been subscribed by Sir George 
 Newnes, Bart. ; the object of the expedition was to 
 spend a winter on shore for the purpose of collecting 
 meteorological and magnetic observations covering an 
 entire year. 
 
 *'Our knowledge of those conditions," writes Mr; 
 Louis Bernacchi, ''being at that time practically nil, 
 and for the purpose of adding to our general knowledge 
 of those regions, both scientific and geographical. The 
 ship, upon which an expedition of this kind so much 
 depends, was an adapted whaler purchased in Norway, 
 and rechristened the 'Southern Cross,' after that much 
 quoted constellation near the South Pole. She was 
 small, being only 522 tons gross tonnage, and 147 feet 
 in length, but admirably adapted for navigating in the 
 heavy and dense South Polar ice-packs, where a small 
 ship, answering her helm very readily, is essential. The 
 engines were excellent, being quite new and almost too 
 powerful for the size of the ship." 
 
 The ''Southern Cross" sailed from London August 
 22nd, 1898, and by November 2nd stood off the Crozet 
 Islands; by the 27th the Tasmanian Coast was sighted, 
 just ninety-seven days after leaving London. 
 
 The last day of the year 1898 the "Southern Cross" 
 ploughed her dangerous way into the Antarctic ice pack, 
 in latitude 61° 56' South and longitude 158° 55' East. 
 The color of the sea now changed to a dull muddy green. 
 Within the space of an hour thousands of small blocks 
 of ice were within sight and half an hour later the 
 ship was in the midst of them. Bernacchi writes : 
 
 "It had all happened so suddenly, that we could 
 
226 The Seventh Continent 
 
 scarcely realize we were really beset in the ice pack about 
 which we had read and heard so much! Within an 
 hour of sighting the first piece, we were in the thick 
 of it!" 
 
 ''The year 1899," he continues, "will ever remain an 
 eventful one in our lives. We saw the 'Old Year out 
 and the New Year in ' in orthodox fashion, with ringing 
 of bells and blowing of fog horns, tooting of steam 
 whistles and clattering of tin cans, howling of dogs, 
 and salutes from our guns, a pandemonium truly, and 
 one which in this silent world of ice sounded weird in 
 the extreme. At one o'clock we witnessed the splendid 
 spectacle of the rising of the sun over those white flats. 
 Glorious it was beyond all expectation. At first there 
 was but a pale pink colour in the eastern sky; but this 
 slowly deepened and grew richer and richer. At last 
 the gorgeous purple edge of the sun swept up from 
 beneath the horizon. An intense stillness prevailed 
 everywhere. The impressiveness and loveliness of the 
 scene is indescribable. In a short time the whole of 
 the majestic orb was visible, and a broad stream of 
 crimson light shot across the glittering floes, changing 
 their pure whiteness to a blood-red hue. Owing to the 
 great refraction in those high latitudes, flames appeared 
 to dart across the horizon, and resembled a mighty con- 
 flagration. Higher and higher he rose, changing the 
 colour from dark red to every variety of shade, paler and 
 paler it grew, until at last the grandeur of the scene 
 had passed away." 
 
 The vessel now steamed through the pack from hole 
 to hole, the ice becoming heavier and more compact 
 as it advanced. 
 
 "For forty-three long days," writes Bernacchi, "we 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 227 
 
 were imprisoned in that dreadful ice pack; the longest 
 period a ship has ever taken to get through it. On 
 first entering it, ice was visible to the horizon in the 
 south and west, whilst in the east and southeast there 
 was open water. Our experiences and those of other 
 explorers tend to prove that the ice pack on the Aus- 
 tralian side of the Antarctic circle is not nearly so 
 dense in an easterly as it is in a westerly direction. 
 Ships that have entered the pack in about 170° East 
 Longitude have penetrated it in a few days, whilst those 
 entering in between 150° and 165° East have taken 
 more than a month. There are numerous instances in 
 the history of Antarctic navigation which go to prove 
 this. A strong cold surface current appears to set out 
 from Koss Sea in a north-westerly direction driving 
 the ice up northwards, between Kerguelen Island and 
 Australia. At Cape Adare huge bergs were often ob- 
 served during perfectly calm weather travelling at about 
 four knots an hour towards the north-west. The lower 
 latitudes reached by the pack-ice naturally fall short of 
 the extreme, and to some extent even of the mean, limit 
 of icebergs; nevertheless the sea ice reaches fairly low 
 latitudes, and like the icebergs mostly so in the Atlantic, 
 where it had been known to arrive at and beyond 48° 
 South. On the other hand icebergs have frequently 
 been seen as far north as 40° S. Indeed, on the 30th 
 of April, 1894, a piece of ice was seen in Latitude 
 26° 30' S., and longitude 25° 40' W., the remnant, no 
 doubt, of a huge iceberg. The sea-ice which constitutes 
 the bulk of the pack is first formed by the freezing of 
 the sea in the winter along the shores of the Antarctic 
 lands. This freezes to an average depth of from four 
 to five feet, and extends out into the ocean for perhaps 
 
228 The Seventh Continent 
 
 fifty miles, until the formation of an uninterrupted sheet 
 of ice is prevented by its perpetual violent agitation. 
 This ice begins to break up early in November and 
 more northwards, and by the middle of January the 
 coasts are almost free. As this body of sea-ice moves 
 towards the north it is frequently driven back by north- 
 erly winds. Thus in consequence of the circumstance 
 that land lies to the south, which excludes the possi- 
 bility of more sea-ice following in support, an open 
 sea, comparatively free from ice, is met with in the Ant- 
 arctic regions almost regularly when the principal zone 
 of pack ice has been pierced." 
 
 On January 10, 1899, a faint grey light in the far dis- 
 tance, indicated land, and upon the approach proved to 
 be one of the volcanic Bellamy Islands. On the 27th 
 the Antarctic Circle was crossed. 
 
 After experiencing much trouble with the ice, the 
 ** Southern Cross" reached Cape Adare on the 17th of 
 February. Here Mr. Borchgrevink and members of his 
 party landed, establishing themselves at Camp Ridley. 
 
 ' * The prospect from where we were was extensive, but 
 scarcely beautiful," writes Mr. Bernacchi. "Down at 
 our feet lay the sea, almost free of ice-pack. Huge 
 stranded icebergs, defying the power of the solar beams, 
 were visible in various directions along the coast. Be- 
 hind us lay the great Antarctic Land, snow peaks rising 
 beyond one another until by distance they dwindled 
 away to insignificance. The silence and immobility of 
 the scene was impressive; not the slightest animation 
 or vitality anywhere. It was like a mental image of 
 our globe in its primitive state — a spectacle of Chaos. 
 Around us ice and snow and the remnants of eternal 
 fires; above, a sinister sky; below, the sombre sea; and 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 229 
 
 over all, the silence of the sepulchre ! ' ' 
 
 Hardly had the party landed and the construction 
 of the huts been started when a great blizzard came on 
 and nearly resulted in the loss of the ship. The storm 
 descended very suddenly — nine members of the expedi- 
 tion were on shore, with only the protection of a Lapp 
 tent, on the plan of an Indian wigwam, open at the top. 
 Stones were piled around it and the men took refuge 
 within. 
 
 ** Toward night," writes the narrator, "the wind in- 
 creased until it blew with appalling force, bringing along 
 with it tons of drift snow. A heavy sea beat upon the 
 shore and commenced to wash away the cargo which 
 had been landed, and we had to turn out and toil for 
 hours in the blizzard to save it, during which operations 
 we acquired our first experience of frostbite. The ship 
 could nowhere be seen for the darkness and drifting 
 snow, and we had little hope of her being able to brave 
 the storm; nor, in this event, had we much hope for 
 ourselves, for we had practically no shelter, and scarcely 
 a year's provisions. In the tent we were compelled to 
 extinguish the fire. Then it became piercing cold; the 
 whole pack of dogs, however, scrambled into the tent, 
 and by laying on top of us kept us from actually freez- 
 ing. Watches were kept throughout the night. At mid- 
 night, when I was on watch with Lieutenant Colbeck, 
 the tent gave unmistakable signs of departing, of which 
 fact my fellow watcher seemed blissfully unconscious. 
 I therefore suggested that we should go out and pile 
 more stones around it, and lash it down with ropes, an 
 idea with which he did not seem particularly struck, and 
 rather carelessly opined that only one was necessary for 
 the job. Alas! at such times the best of us are mon- 
 
230 The Seventh Continent 
 
 sters of iniquity and egoism ! At last we went out, and 
 as we fiercely pitched the stones on to the tent, the talent 
 exhibited of launching invectives against it, and the 
 wind, and the South Polar regions generally, was, to 
 say the least, unusual. 'The English are a dumb peo- 
 ple, they can do great things, but not describe them. ' 
 So says Carlyle. There are, however, exceptions; for 
 our descriptions at that time were fairly graphic. 
 
 ''The wind continued all next morning, and it was 
 not until the afternoon that we caught sight of our ship 
 through the drifting snow. Late in the evening, the sea 
 had sufficiently subsided to permit us getting on board, 
 where we found that our companions had had a more 
 terrible experience. Very early during the storm the 
 cables had parted and the ship commenced to drift out 
 to sea, towards certain destruction among the ice bergs. 
 The engines, however, by steaming full speed, proved 
 sufficiently strong to keep her almost stationary with her 
 head to the wind. Stones blew on to the deck from 
 the mountain, and once, at a critical juncture, an at- 
 tempt was made to cut away the main mast, but this 
 could not be done on account of the great danger to life 
 it involved. The old ship looked as if she had had a 
 bad time and she was completely covered in ice from 
 the flying spray." 
 
 The "Southern Cross" left the scientific members of 
 the party at Cape Adare the first of March, 1899, and 
 steered her course for New Zealand, her purpose being 
 to winter in Australian waters and return to Cape Adare 
 in the beginning of 1900. Upon the departure of the 
 ship, those remaining on shore occupied themselves in 
 completing the construction of the huts, storing provi- 
 sions and coal and making ready for the coming winter. 
 
The Belgiaii Scientific Expedition 231 
 
 The huts, two in number, each 15 feet by 15 feet, one 
 used exclusively for provisions and the other for living 
 purposes, were fastened securely with cables passed over 
 the roof, so that the frequent blizzards would not carry 
 them bodily into the sea. Sealskins were stretched over 
 the roof to insure greater warmth, and the frequent snow 
 storms soon buried these shelters under banks of drifts. 
 
 ''What with the double lining, double doors and win- 
 dows," writes Bernacchi, "the want of ventilation, and 
 the seal skins and snow outside, the living room, when 
 a fire was burning, became at times too warm, and after 
 the winter, with its accumulated dirt of months, the 
 atmosphere of the interior became so foul as to be al- 
 most unbearable. As a matter of fact, the dimensions 
 of the living room were too small to accommodate ten 
 men comfortably." 
 
 Meteorological instruments were set up and carefully 
 protected, observations were taken every two hours, from 
 nine o'clock in the morning until nine o'clock at night, 
 and during the severe winter months, this duty was per- 
 formed every half hour during the entire twenty-four 
 hours. 
 
 Magnetic observations were also commenced and car- 
 ried on systematically in spite of the intense cold in 
 the shelter of an open Finn tent. 
 
 The geologists were equally busy collecting specimens 
 of penguins, seals and skua-gulls — before the departure 
 of these birds which occurred about the end of March. 
 Notwithstanding the numerous gales experienced during 
 March and April the work was continued with unremit- 
 ting zeal. 
 
 The scientists immediately began preparations for 
 numerous short journeys into the interior. 
 
232 The Seventh Continent 
 
 On one of these short expeditions, undertaken on 
 April 17th, by Mr. Tongner and Mr. Bernacchi, for the 
 purpose of examining the condition of the ice in Eob- 
 ertson Bay, a beautiful large cave in a volcanic cliff was 
 discovered. This ice grotto formed out of the rough 
 rock, had been hewn out by the irresistible power of the 
 sea and the grinding of the ice. 
 
 *'The floor of the interior," writes Bernacchi, "con- 
 sisted of floating blocks of ice, and from the roof hung 
 a magnificent mass of icicles, some delicate and fantas- 
 tic, others huge and polished like ivory, some gleaming 
 with a thousand iridescent colours, and glittering with 
 the opaline sheen of mother o' pearl and others pure 
 white, as the foam on high billows. 
 
 ** Silence, chillness and partial obscurity within; no 
 sound but the weird crunching of the ice, the only move- 
 ment, the gentle rise and fall of the icy floor with the 
 tide. Once a day, for a brief few minutes, the sun 
 streams into this gelid cave and tips the crystals with 
 gold, and a broad band of bright light flows over the 
 moving floor. Then this became a scene of surpassing 
 loveliness, and from the outside looked like a golden 
 entrance to some glorious fairy land." 
 
 A sledge journey undertaken in April proved almost 
 a tragedy. It had been the intention to reach the south- 
 ern extremity of Robertson Bay by travelling over the 
 sea ice. The party consisted of the commander, Mr. 
 Bernacchi, Mr. Tongner and one of the Finns; three 
 sledges drawn by twenty dogs carried the equipment, 
 including a collapsible boat, and provisions for twenty 
 days. By afternoon of the first day, an approaching 
 storm and patches of open water, warned the party of 
 their danger. An attempt was made to seek the safety 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 233 
 
 of land and after some difficulty they managed to reach 
 the shore, taking shelter in a small hollow close to the 
 water where they pitched their tent, under a perpen- 
 dicular cliff, which rose to a height of about 600 feet. 
 
 During the night ''a terrible roar like the sound of 
 artillery made itself audible above the wind, and the 
 echoes rolled up among the rocks of the cliffs. Roar 
 after roar succeeded each other in a way that may with 
 perfect truth be termed appalling. It was the pack 
 breaking up ! ' ' 
 
 ''At 5.30 A. M.," writes Mr. Bernacchi, "I awoke 
 the commander for his watch and turned into a sleeping 
 bag. At that time the wind was increasing, and the 
 sea had already commenced to break on the shore. At 
 about 7.30 a. m., we were hurriedly awakened in order 
 to save ourselves and our equipment, but it had been left 
 until rather late. We had only just crawled out of the 
 tent when three huge seas followed each other in quick 
 succession, striking one sledge and dashing the white 
 foam over the tent. We worked below for our lives, and 
 succeeded in taking down the tent and putting it and 
 the sleeping-bags upon the lightest sledge, which was 
 then pulled up out of reach of the sea. We next set to 
 work to save the provision-sledge, but this was a most 
 arduous task, on account of its great weight ; and it was 
 only by inches that we moved it. The last thing to be 
 saved was the collapsible boat. It had been washed off its 
 sledge by the seas, and the Finn and I had to lift it on 
 and make it fast, many seas dashing up and over us 
 as we worked. 
 
 ' ' At last everything was safe and we were able to rest 
 from our exertions; 'rest' such as it was, in the bitter 
 cold and drenching spray. The seas had carried away 
 
234 The Seventh Continent 
 
 most of the dog food ; also a changing box for our cam- 
 era, with some photographic plates, and all the provi- 
 sions we had out for supper. 
 
 ' ' What a whirling and fearsome mass of Antarctic wa- 
 ters raged beneath us! No sign of ice! nothing but 
 sheets of spray and the dull beating of the sea at the 
 base of the slope. The fury of the blasts was at times 
 fearful, and the spray dashed right up to the narrow 
 ledge upon which we were standing. A huge mass of 
 ice-blocks on the shore, to the left, partly sheltered us 
 from the seas, but for which they would probably have 
 reached the ledge and washed us off. 
 
 * ' The storm continued all day, and it was only towards 
 the late afternoon that the sullen skies began to clear. 
 The seas still lashed the shore with angry thuds of pas- 
 sion, but the strength of the wind was gradually sink- 
 ing. About 8 p. M. the sky cleared completely, the stars 
 shone forth brightly, and the light of the moon shot 
 across the waters of the bay. It was decided to take 
 watch that night, two and two, of six hours each. The 
 Finn and I took the first, from 8 p. m. till 2 a. m. It 
 was more like six months than six hours; no period has 
 ever appeared so long or passed more wearily. 
 
 ' * The Finn crawled underneath the rocks of the ledge, 
 with his reindeer 'pesk' and half a dozen dogs for blan- 
 kets, and promptly went to sleep most of the time. 
 Therefore I was left alone pacing up and down, hour 
 after hour, on the narrow ledge, scarce three feet wide 
 and only thirty feet long. It was bitterly cold, the tem- 
 perature being about 10° Fahr., so one was compelled to 
 tramp up and down to prevent freezing." 
 
 The following day the gale had subsided, and it was 
 possible to see the Camp at Cape Adare, where signals 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 235 
 
 were exchanged, but the stranded party could not hope 
 for rescue. That evening Mr. Tongner and the Finn 
 set out in the small collapsible boat in an effort to reach 
 the main camp. They, however, were caught in sludge 
 ice and obliged to put into shore and make a hazardous 
 return to the stranded party. 
 
 The following day, April 27th, another fearful gale 
 raged ; there was no sleep for any one that night and the 
 plight of the men became desperate. The following 
 morning it was decided to make an attempt to scale 
 the almost perpendicular cliffs ; this dangerous and peril- 
 ous climb was begun. Four hours were consumed in 
 reaching the top, a climb of about 600 feet. It now be- 
 came necessary to ascend an intervening mountain in 
 order to reach Cape Adare. With only a few biscuits 
 for refreshments and nothing to drink, the party slowly 
 wended its way up the precipitous sides. It was a clear, 
 cold night, ' ' not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of wind. 
 The stars shone forth in all their splendor ; the Southern 
 Cross overhead, the brilliant star Sirius flashing in the 
 west, and the constellation of Orion low down on the 
 horizon. Occasionally we rested and gazed on the 
 strange and novel scene before us, ' ' continues Bernacchi. 
 * ' A full moon in all its brilliancy lit up the bay, so that 
 every feature in the weird and desolate landscape could 
 be plainly distinguished. Away in the distance Mount 
 Sabine, tipped with silver rays of the moon, seemed the 
 leviathan among that huge congregation of mountains. 
 
 *'The scene was wonderful and magnificent from its 
 savage desolation. The deepest stillness prevailed — 
 not even the slightest murmur rose from the ice below. 
 All dangers, hardships and annoyances were forgotten. 
 It was such a night as to fill the heart like a holy chal- 
 
236 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ice with the rich wine of joy and gratitude; when Na- 
 ture wears her most serene and noble aspect; when it 
 seems good to live, good to work, good to hope, good to 
 love — good to be even the smallest portion of the divine 
 and splendid order of the Universe. 
 
 ''Hour after hour we continued our way, following a 
 jagged ridge of rough volcanic rocks. The top seemed 
 very far away, and we were very tired; 3,000 ft., 4,000 
 ft., 5,000 ft., and yet we were still a few hundred feet 
 from its summit. The solitude was immense, no sign 
 of life anywhere ; not a bird ; not an insect ; not a ves- 
 tige of vegetation. An absolute sterility prevailed. 
 One became strangely intoxicated with the silence and 
 utter lack of life. Strange and solemn regions of the 
 South Pole ! For how many centuries has the same aw- 
 ful solitude existed and for how many centuries will it 
 still continue? 
 
 ''On reaching the summit an icy wind blew on our 
 faces; the temperature must have been below zero, and 
 suffered badly from thirst. The Finn, who appeared 
 to suffer most, made an abominable concoction of pure 
 spirit and jam, which he seemed to enjoy. In descend- 
 ing, the commander and the Finn forged ahead and 
 reached camp somewhat before us. Hanson, good fel- 
 low, met Tongner and me at the base of the mountain 
 with a bottle of water. How delicious it tasted! How 
 pleased we were to return to warmth and comfort, after 
 our trying perch on a ledge for six long days and nights. 
 The little hut that evening was a palace and our hard 
 bunks beds of softest down." 
 
 At Camp Adare great anxiety had been felt for the 
 absent ones and fears entertained for their safety. 
 After the exchange of signals an unsuccessful attempt 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 237 
 
 had been made to reach them in a boat, but the sludge 
 ice had prevented rescue by this means. 
 
 From May 2nd until the following December the sea 
 again froze — and the Antarctic night with its terrors 
 in gales and storms settled down on the little band of 
 adventurers. On seventy-two days — or 20 per cent of 
 the time spent on this desolate coast — the wind blew 
 from the E.S.E. to S.E. with a velocity above forty miles 
 an hour — *'at which stage," comments Bernacchi, ''the 
 Robinson anemometers were demolished." 
 
 On the 14th May in a temperature of — 31° Fahr. 
 several members of the expedition witnessed a very in- 
 teresting phenomenon. They came in sight of a large 
 patch of open water ; * * the ice in some inexplicable man- 
 ner had broken up during the night and large blocks 
 were moving swiftly along the shore, apparently borne 
 by the tide. Columns of dark vapor rose like altar- 
 smoke towards the tranquil heavens; vapour in a com- 
 plete state of congelation. It attained a height of 
 nearly 200 feet, and so dense that one could see no 
 objects through it." 
 
 The sun remained in obscurity from May 15th until 
 July 29th; the party suffered the usual symptoms of 
 depression of spirits induced by the dismalness of the 
 South Polar night, but kept up their general physical 
 health to a remarkable degree; no one suffered from 
 heart trouble, nervousness or sleeplessness. For days 
 at a time the thermometer remained at — 30° Fahr., very 
 little work was possible during the dark, cold months, 
 "so," says Bernacchi, ''we waxed fat and apathetic out 
 of pure inertion and sloth ! it was a life of merely bovine 
 repose. Whilst our godliness was indisputable, as much 
 could scarcely be said for our cleanliness. Ablutions 
 
238 The Seventh Continent 
 
 were rare on account of the difficulty of melting snow 
 to procure water, so we were soon disguised in dirt, a 
 disguise made more effective by the growth of long patri 
 archal hair and beards, which really saved a peck of 
 trouble in the way of shaving. ' ' 
 
 Some of the coldest temperatures were experienced 
 with the first return of the sun, and out of doors it was 
 necessary to keep moving or be badly frost bitten. 
 
 A serious misadventure that occurred during the Polar 
 night was the accidental setting fire to one of the huts. 
 Fortunately the fire was extinguished without great dam- 
 age having been suffered, but extra precautions were 
 henceforth taken to insure the safety of the party. 
 
 In July, the zoologist, Mr. Nicolai Hanson, evidenced 
 symptoms of scurvy, and for long, weary weeks he suf- 
 fered patiently, tended by the unremitting care of the 
 doctor and his comrades, only to die heroically October 
 14th, and there in the lonely grave on the summit of 
 Victoria Land he lies interred. 
 
 With the return of the sun came a renewal of the 
 sledge journeys and the scientific work rapidly advanced. 
 
 The rocks of the surrounding country are volcanic in 
 origin and represent basaltic lava flows. The ground 
 was bare of vegetation, except for six different kinds of 
 lichens, including the familiar reindeer moss. Three 
 types of small insects were discovered by Dr. Klovstad 
 amid specimens of moss. They were very minute, but 
 the antennas were clearly visible to the naked eye. The 
 Antarctic seas swarm with invertebrate animals, especi- 
 ally in shallow water, and an abundance of five different 
 kinds of fish were found in Robertson Bay. 
 
 ^'The appalling poverty of the flora of the Antarctic 
 regions stands out in glaring light when compared with 
 
The Belgian Scientific Expedition 239 
 
 that of the Arctic regions," writes Mr. Bernacchi, ''for 
 whilst various species of flowering plants are found in 
 high northern latitudes, only the minutest fonns of 
 vegetable life, such as lichens and mosses, have been 
 found in high southern latitudes, and so scanty as only 
 to be found in a few places on the northern slopes." 
 
 On January 28th, 1900, the party rejoiced over the ar- 
 rival of the "Southern Cross," upon which they em- 
 barked and went south, skirting the coast of Victoria 
 Land. Members of the expedition landed in Southern 
 Cross Firth, at the foot of Mount Melbourne and again 
 near Mount Terror. Smoke could be easily distinguished 
 rising at intervals from Mount Erebus. 
 
 The ship then proceeded along the ice barrier in an 
 easterly direction until February 17th, when she reached 
 78° 34' South latitude and 164° 10' West longitude; 
 when she entered an indentation in the ice wall and 
 found herself in a sheltered bay. 
 
 A sledge party consisting of the commander, Lieu- 
 tenant Colbeck, and one of the Lapps, landed and started 
 southward. They travelled south over ten miles across 
 the great smooth sheet and from their turning point 
 farthest south, a distance of 40 miles beyond Ross's 
 farthest in 1842, nothing could be seen but an unbroken, 
 level expanse of ice extending to the limitless horizon. 
 With the return of the party bearing the proud record 
 of having attained the Farthest South up to that date, 
 the members of the expedition were borne northward 
 aboard the ''Southern Cross.'* 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 CAPTAIN SCOTT 'S EXPLORATIONS 
 
 WITH the dawn of the 20th century a remarkable 
 impetus was given to Antarctic discovery. Be- 
 fore this date various articles written by Sir 
 Clements Markham and others demonstrating the im- 
 portance of sending a scientific expedition from Eng- 
 land to the South Polar regions, had stimulated atten- 
 tion to this vast unexplored area. 
 
 In Germany, Professor Meumayer, a valiant advocate 
 of explorations under the Southern Cross had advanced 
 a strong argument when he stated: 
 
 *'It is certain that without an examination and a 
 survey of the magnetic properties of the Antarctic re- 
 gions, it is utterly hopeless to strive, with prospects of 
 success, at the advancement of the theory of the earth *s 
 magnetism. ' ' 
 
 Scientific bodies, such as the Royal Geographical So- 
 ciety, discussed the importance of continued, laborious, 
 and systematic explorations in high Southern latitudes. 
 
 As early as 1895 the International Geographical Con- 
 gress held in London originated the plan for the col- 
 laboration of several countries, with the object of carry- 
 ing out simultaneous observations, in accordance to one 
 systematic plan for extending general knowledge of the 
 enormous areas within the Antarctic Circle. 
 
 The year 1901 was rich in the field of proposed dis- 
 
 240 
 
CAPT. R. F. SCOTT, R.N., C.V.O. 
 
Captam Scott's Explorations 241 
 
 covery. Germany, England and Sweden organized well 
 equipped expeditions to be sent to several points of 
 vantage from which vast tracts of uncharted and hith- 
 erto unmapped coasts were to be carefully surveyed and 
 investigated. 
 
 England was given the task of investigating areas 
 south of the Pacific; Germany was to perform similar 
 labors in the tracts south of the Indian Ocean; and 
 Sweden had as its field of labor, lands and seas lying 
 south of South America and the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 The British National Antarctic expedition was organ- 
 ized by a joint committee of the Royal Society and the 
 Royal Geographical Society, but mainly through the 
 masterful personality and unremitting exertions of Sir 
 Clements Markham. 
 
 The expenses were partly defrayed by the government, 
 and the rest principally by the generosity of Mr. L. W. 
 Longstaff, who provided £30,000, the Royal Geographi- 
 cal Society and Mr. A. C. Harmsworth (afterwards Lord 
 Northcliffe). 
 
 A wooden ship named the '^ Discovery," of 1700 tons 
 displacement, was especially constructed for ice naviga- 
 tion, at Dundee ; she was made non-magnetic amidships 
 for the purpose of securing greater accuracy of mag- 
 netic observations. 
 
 The expedition sailed under the leadership of Com- 
 mander R. F. Scott, R. N., with especially efficient offi- 
 cers and crew, including second in command Lieutenant 
 Albert Armitage, R. N. R., Lieutenants Royds and 
 Barne, R. N., Lieutenant Ernest Shackleton, R. N. R., 
 and Engineer Lieutenant Skelton, R. N. 
 
 Captain Scott had wisely succeeded in getting a crew 
 composed almost entirely of sailors of the Royal Navy. 
 
242 The Seventh Continent 
 
 The scientific staff included several able men who had 
 already passed seasons in the Arctic or Antarctic and 
 were well used to the trying conditions under which their 
 labors must necessarily be pursued. 
 
 Dr. Koettlitz had shared with Lieutenant Armitage in 
 the Jackson Harmsworth Arctic expedition and Mr. 
 Louis Bernacchi had wintered at Cape Adare as a mem- 
 ber of the Borchgrevink expedition. 
 
 The ''Discovery" left England August 5th, 1901, and 
 took her Sooithern course into the Antarctic from New 
 Zealand in December. On the 24th of that month, she 
 encountered the ice at the Antarctic Circle and by the 
 8th of January, 1902, had made her way through it into 
 the open sea in 175° E. longitude. Pushing rapidly to 
 Cape Crozier she skirted along the great ice barrier, 
 verifying Borchgrevink 's discovery that it had receded 
 30 miles farther south than in 1842. 
 
 On the night of January 21st, the ''Discovery" had 
 reached the middle of McMurdo Sound, "creeping 
 slowly, very slowly," writes Scott, "through the pack 
 ice, which appeared from the crow's nest to extend in- 
 definitely ahead. But a few miles separated us from the 
 spot where we were ultimately to take up our winter 
 quarters, and as we got to know this scene so well it is 
 interesting to recall some extracts from what I wrote 
 when first we gazed on it: 
 
 ' ' To the right is a lofty range of mountains with one 
 very high peak far inland, and to the south a peculiar 
 conical mountain, seemingly ending the coast in this 
 direction ; on the left is Mount Erebus, its foot hills, and 
 a glimpse of Mount Terror. The Parry mountains can- 
 not be seen ahead of us. In the far distance there is a 
 small patch like a distant island. Ross could not have 
 
Captain Scott's Explorations 243 
 
 seen these patches, and a remnant of hope remains that 
 we are heading for a strait, and not a bay. 
 
 **This was written shortly after four, and at eight I 
 added: As we drove slowly southward the apparent 
 islands ahead broadened out, and there was no longer 
 a doubt as to their being connected to form the end of 
 the bay. But it is highly satisfactory to note that there 
 are no mountains in the background, and that so far 
 as the eye can see there must be a plain stretching di- 
 rectly south. . . . We now see that if fortune allows us 
 to winter in either of the two harbours we have found, 
 we shall have good prospect of getting to the south. . . . 
 In this manner the coast line to the south for nearly 40° 
 is suggested by five dark rock patches and their con- 
 necting snow slopes, this space being flanked on the right 
 by the conical hill and on the left by a spur of Erebus, 
 which appears to form a sharp headland. It was easy 
 afterwards to recognize each point here noticed when, 
 actually situated at the 'spur of Erebus,' we named 
 the conical mountain after our ship and the high west- 
 ern mountains in honour of the Koyal Society, but it is 
 curious to think that at this time I should have been 
 prepared to affirm that continuous land ran from Erebus 
 to the mainland. " 
 
 It was now necessary for the *' Discovery" to change 
 her course to the eastward as *'we thought," writes Scott, 
 * ' we knew as much of this region as our heavy expendi- 
 ture of coal in the pack ice would justify us in finding 
 out, and as before we lay the great unsolved problem 
 of the barrier and of what lay beyond it. ' ' 
 
 Skirting the barrier Scott found, on January 23rd, 
 a point where its edge did not exceed sixty or seventy 
 feet high. From the crow's nest they could see for a 
 
244 The Seventh Continent 
 
 long distance to the S.W. 
 
 **It was on looking in this direction," writes Scott, 
 ''but from a greater distance, that Ross thought he dis- 
 tinctly saw a high range of mountains running to the 
 south from Mount Terror. He described them as 
 'probably higher than anything we have yet seen,' and 
 named them the Parry Mountains. It will be remem- 
 bered that when in McMurdo Sound, I had some doubt 
 as to these mountains, and it is therefore of interest to 
 note the entry made in my diary on this occasion: 
 'Over the barrier and to the S.W. could be seen some 
 small or apparently small hills, showing bare rock 
 patches, but nothing could be seen of the Parry Moun- 
 tains, and judging by our position two days ago we 
 seem to have been viewing the hills which form or are 
 close to the limits of McMurdo Bay. . . . The southern 
 slope of Erebus can be distinctly seen. ... There seems 
 every probability of getting over this slope, on to the 
 ice plain if we winter west. ' Already there was a strong 
 case against the Parry Mountains, and later we knew 
 with absolute certainty that they did not exist; it is 
 difficult to understand what can have led such a cautious 
 and trustworthy observer as Ross to make such an error. 
 I am inclined to think that in exaggerating the height 
 of the barrier in this region, he was led to suppose that 
 anything seen over it at a distance must necessarily be 
 of very great altitude ; but, whatever the cause, the fact 
 shows again how deceptive appearances may be and how 
 easily errors may arise. In fact, as I have said before, 
 one cannot always afford to trust the evidence of one's 
 own eyes." 
 
 Captain Scott now eagerly looked for the "appear- 
 ance of land" to the east described by Ross and on Jan- 
 
Captain Scott's Explorations 245 
 
 uary 30th, 1902, he had the satisfaction of discovering 
 this new land to which he gave the name King Edward's 
 Land. 
 
 ' ' It is curious to reflect now on the steps which led us 
 to the discovery of King Edward's Land," he writes, 
 ' ' and the chain of evidence which came to us before the 
 actual land itself was seen; at first there had been 
 the shallow soundings, and the sight of gently rising 
 snow slopes, of which, in the nature of things, one is 
 obliged to retain a doubt ; then the steeper broken slopes 
 of snow, giving a contrast to convey a surer evidence to 
 the eye ; and, finally, the indubitable land itself, but 
 even then surrounded with such mystery as to leave us 
 far from complete satisfaction with our discovery. As 
 we continued our course to the N.E. we held close along 
 the fast ice which prevented us from approaching to 
 the land. The weather was still dull and overcast, but 
 we could see that the fast ice on our right was no longer 
 plain sea-ice; at the edge it stood seven or eight feet 
 above the water, and seemed to rise to fifteen feet or 
 more on the slope of the cornice that overhung the edge, 
 after which the surface ran back on the level for many 
 miles. ' ' 
 
 Captain Scott made an ascent in a captive balloon from 
 the barrier ; from an altitude of about 800 feet the nature 
 of the barrier surface to the south could be well seen. 
 
 ''I had expected to see a continuous level plain," he 
 writes, "but to my surprise found that the plain con- 
 tinued in a series of long undulations running approxi- 
 mately east and west, or parallel to the barrier edge; 
 the first two undulations could be distinctly seen, each 
 wave occupying a space of two or three miles, but be- 
 yond that, the existence of further waves was only indi- 
 
246 The Seventh Continent 
 
 cated by alternate light and shadow, growing fainter in 
 the distance. In the far south a bank of cloud had all 
 the appearance of high land, but such indications are 
 now too well known not to be received with caution, and 
 even as I looked through my glasses, faint changes in 
 outline were perceptible. Far over the snow expanse a 
 small black dot represented our sledge party ; they must 
 have been nearly eight miles away, and their visibility 
 shows how easily a contrast can be seen on the monoto- 
 nous grey of the snow. ' ' 
 
 The ''Discovery" now returned to McMurdo Bay and 
 winter quarters were established in 77° 49' S., 166° E. 
 Huts were built and the routine of life in Antarctica was 
 begun in earnest. 
 
 One of the most important discoveries made early in 
 the season was the fact that Mounts Erebus and Terror 
 were on an island and McMurdo Bay was in reality not 
 a "bay" but a sound. 
 
 From this base as long as light lasted sledge journeys 
 were undertaken; with the passing of the sun and the 
 advent of the Antarctic night these had to be deferred 
 until spring. 
 
 ''The following description of our daily life on 
 board," writes Scott, "is contained in my diary of the 
 early months of our first winter: 
 
 "The first task of the day to fetch the ice for the 
 daily consumption of water for cooking, drinking, and 
 washing. In the latter respect we begin to realize that 
 many circumstances are against habits of excessive clean- 
 liness, but although we use water very sparingly, an 
 astonishing amount of washing is done with it, and at 
 present the fashion is for all to have a bath once a week. 
 To fetch the ice in the morning a party of men are 
 
C apt win Scott's Explorations 247 
 
 roused out somewhat earlier than their comrades, and 
 dressing themselves according to the weather, they pro- 
 ceed to the ice quarry with a heavy sledge specially 
 fitted for the work. The harder and bluer the ice, the 
 better it is adapted for melting and the less fuel is re- 
 quired to melt it ; had we been obliged to use snow, either 
 hard or soft, the daily task would have been much heav- 
 ier ; but by good fortune we have a very solid icy slope 
 on the land not more than 200 yards from the ship, and 
 here we have made our quarry/ For two years we dug 
 in an area no greater than twenty yards across, and yet 
 at the end of that time, when we must have removed 
 many tons of ice, we scarcely seemed to have scratched 
 the surface of the slope: such are the puny efforts of 
 man! 
 
 '*A quarter of an hour of hard delving with pick and 
 shovel each morning is sufficient to supply our daily 
 needs; the sledge loaded with ice-blocks, is towed back 
 to the ship, and the blocks are then carried on board 
 and placed in a convenient storage close to the main 
 hatchway. The pile thus made is kept well in advance 
 of our needs in preparation for spells of bad weather 
 when digging may be impossible. Long before the depar- 
 ture of the ice-diggers, the cook's mate has been astir 
 with the galley fire alight and the coppers and ice melt- 
 ers filled so that by 8:30 the men's breakfast is pre- 
 pared. By this time all hammocks except those of the 
 night watchmen are lashed up and stowed away, and the 
 linoleum covered mess desk has been washed and cleared 
 up. Breakfast is a very simple meal, and consists al- 
 ways of a large bowl of porridge with bread and but- 
 ter or marmalade or jam. For a long time hash or 
 stew was prepared, but as appetites fell off with our 
 
248 The Seventh Continent 
 
 comparatively confined life this was rarely touched, and 
 is now practically discontinued ; on the two mornings of 
 the week when seal's liver replaces the more ordinary 
 meat, however, there is no such abstinence; every one 
 partakes of this excellent dish and wishes heartily that 
 the seal was possessed of more than one liver. 
 
 "After breakfast," he continues, ''the mess desk is 
 again cleared up in preparation for prayers at 9:15, 
 after which the men are assembled and told off for the 
 work of the day, which is arranged as far as possible 
 so that each man gets his fair share of the outside tasks. 
 I do not remember a time when there was not a great 
 amount of work to be done. During the latter part of 
 the first winter, and throughout the whole of the second, 
 a large party were constantly employed on our sledging 
 outfit, making or repairing sleeping bags, sledges, tents, 
 cookers, or other details of equipment. Out of doors 
 there was generally some work in the digging line, 
 either piling snow around the ship or the huts, or dig- 
 ging out various objects which had become buried, or 
 making holes in the sea-ice for fish traps or freeing the 
 entrance and the paths to and from the huts, or many 
 other lighter tasks. 
 
 ''Dinner for the men is at one. This varies with the 
 day, but consists always of soup, seal or tinned meat, 
 and either jam or fruit tart. After dinner the rum is 
 served out in accordance with naval custom. Smoking 
 has been allowed on the mess-deck and at all times since 
 we entered winter quarters. 
 
 "After two in the afternoon the men return to work 
 until five. . . . Supper is at five ; a few with good appe- 
 tites make up dishes out of what remains of the tinned 
 meats or seal left over from dinner, but many confine 
 
Captain Scott's Explorations 249 
 
 themselves to bread and butter and tea, with perhaps 
 some jam or cheese. Those men who have not been em- 
 ployed outside during the day take their exercise after 
 supper; there is no constraint, but luckily the men are 
 intelligent enough to appreciate the advantage of good 
 health and the benefits of a daily walk. In the evening 
 all the men are free, and a glimpse at the mess deck at 
 such a time leaves the impression that the greatest com- 
 fort and contentment reigns throughout." 
 
 The fare of the officers' mess was but slightly dif- 
 ferent from that of the men, though the hours varied- 
 and the heartiest meal of the day was taken at 6 p. m. 
 
 The work of the various officers was so distinct and 
 kept them so busily employed that they seldom met ex- 
 cept at meal hours and in the evenings when debates 
 and games formed the chief pastime. 
 
 The record of these winter months emphasized the 
 numerous blizzards and snow storms characteristic of 
 this region. By the first week in August, active prep- 
 arations were being pushed rapidly forward in antici- 
 pation of the spring sledge journeys. 
 
 On August 12th, 1902, Scott records "another bliz- 
 zard, so thick that one cannot see one's hand before 
 one's face. ... No one goes out on these occasions; the 
 drifting snow has very much the effect of a sand blast 
 — it positively pricks the skin and brings frost bites with 
 alarming rapidity. The dogs, whose kennels were likely 
 to be drifted up, were brought on board early in the 
 storm; they are generally rather sad and subdued on 
 such occasions ; and can be safely huddled together with- 
 out fear of a fight, always excepting the redoubtable 
 * Nigger,' who is given a comer to himself." 
 
 ** There is a world of character in these animals of 
 
250 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ours, ' ' he writes farther on. ' ' One of the greatest pities 
 is that they cannot be made to follow or to obey a word 
 of command unless they are in harness. They are great 
 losers by it in missing many a walk. To lead them con- 
 tinually about on a string is very trying, as they pull 
 hard the whole time, and it is odds that the dog rather 
 than the man directs the course of the walk; at other 
 times they will be particularly meek and ingratiating, 
 trotting alongside and pressing their noses into one 's 
 mit, all in the most companionable spirit, until one 
 rashly slips the leash, when in a moment they are off 
 on their own devices, and are seen no more until a wild 
 hubbub at the kennels signifies their return, and some 
 one has to rush out to prevent a fight. 
 
 *'The sport they most dearly love is to worry a seal. 
 The hunting instinct is paramount; the most listless, 
 weary, bored-looking dog or team of dogs has only to 
 catch sight of the black dots far off over the snow which 
 signify the presence of seals to become electrified into 
 a state of wild excitement. If a person has a single 
 animal on leash, the chances are that he is caught un- 
 prepared and the next moment finds himself without a 
 dog or being dragged violently along on his stomach; 
 if he is with a team harnessed to a heavy sledge, a load 
 which a moment before appeared to be taking all heart 
 out of the animals, becomes the merest bagatelle, and he 
 is lucky if he has time to add his own weight and so 
 prevent himself from being left behind. '' 
 
 The long absent sun was due to reappear August 21st, 
 but the day was one of whirling snow squalls and no 
 sight of it was possible. The following day the members 
 of the Expedition were amply rewarded for their long 
 wait as the sky was gloriously clear, * ' and in its vaulted 
 
Captcdn Scott ^s Explorations 251 
 
 arch the strong returning light of day hid all except 
 the brightest stars, and these wore but a pale semblance 
 of their winter aspect." The temperature was up to 
 5° and the officers in high spirits started to mount th€ 
 hill slopes to have a good look at their ''long absent 
 friend." 
 
 The preparations for the spring sledge journeys had 
 required an immense amount of time and foresight. 
 The requirements for sledging in the Antarctic varied 
 materially from that of the North and as Captain Scott 
 expressed it, "it is just to consider all our sledge jour- 
 neys as pioneer efforts." 
 
 '*In regard to climate," he writes, ''the conditions in 
 the South are more severe than those in the North ; the 
 spring temperatures are lower, and the summer tempera- 
 tures far lower. The early spring travellers in the 
 North have rarely recorded a temperature below — 50°, 
 whereas with our early parties the thermometer fre- 
 quently fell below — 60°, and at the lowest stood at 
 — 68° ; in the Arctic summer travellers have experienced 
 temperatures of +40° and even +50°, whilst in the 
 height of our Southern summer the thermometer rarely 
 rose above freezing point, even in the great snow plains 
 adjacent to the sea-level; and when we were forced to 
 explore at great altitudes, we were fortunate if it 
 showed higher than — 10° at this season. 
 
 *'The effect of these generally low temperatures was 
 naturally to increase the hardship to which the sledge 
 travellers were exposed, and of which so much has been 
 written, whilst it is doubtful whether we could have so 
 well withstood this greater intensity of cold had we 
 not been possessed of those improvements to the sledg- 
 ing outfit which have been added in the years that have 
 
252 The Seventh Continent 
 
 elapsed since the great Bnglisli journeys of 1850. But 
 the low summer temperature has one advantage, although 
 we were not fated to gain greatly by it, in that the 
 snowy surface of the sea-ice never gets into that sodden, 
 slushy condition which obtains in the latter part of 
 the Northern summer, and which prevents sledging op- 
 erations being undertaken after the month of June in 
 the Arctic Regions. Except in a few places where dust 
 or grit has been blown on to it, the surface of the South- 
 ern sea-ice remains hard throughout the summer; and 
 as there are many places where it does not break up until 
 the latter part of February, it is quite possible to con- 
 ceive sledging being carried on over its surface until 
 that month, which corresponds with the Northern Aug- 
 ust. 
 
 * ' A circumstance, however, ' ' he continues, ' ' that is far 
 more objectionable to the Southern traveller than the 
 extremity of temperature is the frequency of wind. It 
 is perhaps too broad a generalization to say that Arctic 
 journeys have usually been made under fine weather 
 conditions, but few, if any, Arctic travellers have been 
 subjected to the distressing frequency of blizzards and 
 strong winds that added so much to our discomfort in 
 the South. 
 
 ' ' The geographical difference between the work of the 
 Northern and Southern sledge traveller is as great as 
 the climate, if not greater. ... To the South, it will 
 be seen that everywhere the explorer's ship is brought 
 up by solid land or by some mighty wall resembling that 
 of the Great Ice Barrier ; to pass beyond his ship there- 
 fore, the explorer must either travel over land or over 
 great and ancient snow-fields which possess a similar 
 surface. We have, therefore, this great geographical 
 
Captain Scott ^s Explorations 253 
 
 difference between the North and the South ; the greater 
 part of Northern travelling has been and will be done 
 on sea-ice, but the greater part of Southern travelling 
 has been and will be done over land surfaces, or what in 
 this respect are their equivalents. 
 
 "On travelling over the Great Barrier to the South, 
 I was constantly impressed by recognizing the diffi- 
 culties of surface so graphically described by Nansen in 
 his First Crossing of Greenland ; and I came to the con- 
 clusion that the conditions were very similar. But I was 
 still more impressed by the obvious impossibility of 
 dragging a sledge over such a surface at the rate main- 
 tained by the old English travellers on the Northern 
 sea-ice. A general comparison of the sledging condi- 
 tions met with in the North and in the South CEUinot 
 be said, therefore, to be in favour of the latter, and it 
 must be conceded that the Antarctic sledge traveller 
 journeys under considerable relative disadvantage; he 
 has to meet severer climatic conditions, he has to pull 
 his sledges over heavier surfaces, and he is not likely 
 to encounter fewer obstacles in his path. Hence it is 
 probable that the distances recorded by the Northern 
 travellers will never be exceeded in the South.'' 
 
 The type of sledge preferred by Captain Scott was the 
 11-foot ski runner sledge — to be hauled by men or dogs. 
 He advises having different weight sledges, strong heavy 
 ones being necessary for ordinary work around head- 
 quarters, and lighter travelling sledges for rapid jour- 
 neys. 
 
 The importance of rations cannot be overestimated for 
 upon the food supply necessarily depends the health 
 and success of the party. Those carried by Scott in- 
 cluded biscuit, oatmeal, pemmican, red ration, Plasmon^ 
 
254 The Seventh Continent 
 
 pea flcmr, cheese, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, supplemented 
 with tea, onion powder and a small allowance of pepper 
 and salt. 
 
 The Nansen cooker, constructed of aluminum, and the 
 Primus Lamp were found eminently satisfactory. 
 With this apparatus boiling water could be made from 
 snow in twelve minutes, and a simple one-course meal 
 could be prepared in twenty, a great comfort to the cold 
 and weary traveller on the ice fields. Besides the cook- 
 ing outfit, a shelter tent, sleeping bags with night gear, 
 sleeping jackets, crampon, spare finneskoes, spades, 
 medicine bag, ice axes, instruments and camera, alpine 
 rope, repair and tool bags, sounding line, tape, etc., and 
 ski boots and ski, completed the sledging outfit. Mis- 
 cellaneous articles were carried about the person, and of 
 course goggles were worn continuously. 
 
 The clothing of the men consisted of a thick suit of 
 underclothing, one or two flannel shirts, a jersey, a pair 
 of pilot cloth breeches and a pyjama jacket; an over- 
 suit of thin water tight gabardine was worn as a pro- 
 tection against the piercing winds. Fur or felt mits 
 over long woolen half-mits were worn. The reindeer 
 fur Norwegian finnesko was found the most satisfactory 
 footgear. Finally, an important feature was each man 's 
 harness by which the sledge was pulled, made of a broad 
 band of webbing passing round his waist and supported 
 by braces over his shoulders. The two ends of the band 
 were joined in an iron ring to which a rope could be 
 attached to the sledge or trace. 
 
 The value and importance of dogs in Arctic or Ant- 
 arctic sledge journeys is a matter of common knowledge. 
 
 The trials of sledging in the early spring have been 
 hinted at, but though the long day might be passed in 
 
Captcdn Scott's Explorations 255 
 
 one monotonous grind against the piercing winds, the 
 nights spent in sleeping bags under shelter of the tent 
 were anything but restful. With the thermometer at 
 — 40° members of these sledging parties would rarely 
 be conscious of sleeping, ' ' certainly not of tener than one 
 night in three," says Scott, "can we realize that sev- 
 eral hours have passed in oblivion, and these seem only 
 to be bought at the price of extreme exhaustion. With 
 the temperature at — 48° we can make a shrewd guess 
 as to the sort of night that is before us. The first half 
 hour is spent in constant shifting and turning as each 
 inmate of the bag tries to make the best of his hard mat- 
 tress or to draw the equally hard covering closer about 
 him. There is a desultory muffled conversation broken 
 by the chattering of teeth. Suddenly the bag begins 
 to vibrate, and we know that some one has got the 
 shivers. It is very contagious, this shivering, and parox- 
 ysm after paroxysm passes through the whole party. 
 We do not try to check it; the violent shaking has a 
 decidedly warming effect, besides it is a necessary part 
 of the programme, and must be got through before we 
 can hope for sleep. Presently we hear our neighbor 
 marking time, and we rather unnecessarily ask him if 
 his feet are cold; he explains their exact state in the 
 most forcible language at his command. 
 
 *'A11 this time we are mentally surveying our own re- 
 cumbent figure and wondering whether the parts that 
 feel so cold are really properly covered or whether our 
 garments have got rucked up in the struggle for ease. 
 Our hands are tucked away in some complicated fash- 
 ion that experience has commended ; they are useless for 
 exploring. Besides, we know how far imagination can 
 lead one. Our thoughts, taking flying journeys round 
 
256 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the world, flit past the tropics to log wood firesides, but 
 they stop nowhere until they have raced back to present 
 discomfort. The last squirm brought the wind-guard 
 off our helmet across our face. It is crusted with ice 
 of the day's march; this is now gently thawing, and 
 presently a drop trickles down our nose. Our thoughts 
 become fixed on that drop. It is very irritating; we 
 long to wipe it away, but that means taking out one 
 hand, disarranging the whole scheme of defence against 
 the cold. We are debating the question when a second 
 drop descends. Flesh and blood cannot stand this ; out 
 comes our hand, and for the next quarter of an hour, 
 we are pitching and tossing about to try to regain the 
 old position. It is all very small, very trivial ; yet there 
 are probably few who have not passed sufficiently rest- 
 less nights to appreciate how these trivialities weigh on 
 such an occasion, and here we have in their most con- 
 crete form the greater part of those elements which go 
 to disturb the rest of man. 
 
 *'We start to count those imaginary sheep jumping 
 over their imaginary hurdles for the hundredth time 
 as the shivering lessens. The last half hour has brought 
 a change ; we are no longer encased with ice. There are 
 signs of a thaw and below the bag is less rocky; it is 
 becoming damp and coldly clammy, but it covers us bet- 
 ter. There is just a suspicion of somnolence, when 
 suddenly the whole bag is shaken violently and we hear 
 the most harrowing groans. It is only another attack of 
 the cramp, an enemy that is never far away. We try 
 to sympathise with the victim a^ we start the sheep 
 jumping afresh. And so this wearisome night passes 
 on, with its round of trivial detail and its complete ab- 
 sence of peace and comfort, It was the same last night. 
 
Captain Scott ^s Explorations 257 
 
 and it will be the same to-morrow. It is not an exag- 
 geration to say that we dreaded these nights, yet it is 
 worthy of record that none passed without a jest; the 
 more cheerless and uncomfortable the conditions became, 
 the more light-hearted grew the men. 
 
 ''I have mentioned only some of their ills," he con- 
 tinues. "Besides cramp, cold feet, and general discom- 
 fort, many were attacked by rheumatism; later, snow 
 blindness intervened. Another great source of trouble 
 was indigestion and heartburn. I, with several others, 
 had never known this ailment under ordinary condi- 
 tions, but during the earlier sledging days it attacked 
 us most fiercely. Also, of course, frost-bites were com- 
 mon, with painfully blistered faces and hands ; feet were 
 likewise blistered on the long, fatiguing marches." 
 
 The success of the early spring journeys was some- 
 what dampened by the appearance of scurvy in a mild 
 form, but this was checked by a change of diet, and the 
 work of the expedition proceeded with enthusiasm. De- 
 pots of provisions were carried forward and established 
 at regular intervals, in anticipation of the great journey 
 which Scott had planned to the South. A reconnais- 
 sance had somewhat modified his plans and he decided 
 that with the limited number of depots it was found 
 practical to establish, the strength of his advance would 
 depend upha the supporting party which should accom- 
 pany him as far as possible en route. 
 
 The supporting party, consisting of Mr. Barne with 
 eleven men, preceded the main party by two days, as it 
 was reasoned the dog teams would soon overtake the 
 men. All was in readiness by the 2nd of November, 
 1902, and this day saw the departure southward of Cap- 
 tain Scott, Lieutenant Shackleton and Dr, E, A, Wil- 
 
258 The Seventh Continent 
 
 son. The dog sledges travelled at a rapid gait over 
 the surface of the Great Barrier and within sight of a 
 range of new mountains running parallel to their track 
 on the west. 
 
 With the advance, the ice conditions grew more and 
 more difficult for travelling, the surface was rough and 
 there were many crevasses, the frequent blizzards re- 
 tarded their advance and when travelling became at all 
 practical it was found necessary to bring the heavy 
 sledges forward in relays, thereby making it necessary 
 to march three miles for every mile advanced to the 
 south. The dogs began to show the result of strain and 
 insufficient food and one by one were obliged to be killed 
 and fed to the rest. On December 30th the explorers 
 had reached 82° 17' South. 
 
 They had now been on the march 59 days and covered 
 a distance of 380 miles. With insufficient food ; all suf- 
 fering more or less from snow blindness, and Shackle- 
 ton showing decided symptoms of scurvy, this intrepid 
 trio could advance no further. The great mountain 
 peaks seen in the distance were named Mt. Markham, 
 15,000 feet in height, and Mt. Longstaff, 9,700 feet high 
 in honor of the promoters of the expedition. 
 
 On January 1st, 1903, Scott writes : 
 
 ''We have opened the new year with a march which 
 is likely to be a sample of those which will follow for 
 many a day to come. The state of our dog team is now 
 quite pitiable; with a very few exceptions they cannot 
 pretend to pull; at the start of the march some have 
 to be lifted on to their feet and held up for a minute 
 or two before their limbs become stiff enough to sup- 
 port them. Poor 'Spud' fell in his tracks to-day; we 
 carried him for a long way on the sledge, and then tried 
 
Captain Scott ^s Explorations 259 
 
 him once more, but he fell again, and had to be carried 
 for the rest of the journey tucked away inside the can- 
 vas tent. Towards the end of our day's march it has 
 always been possible to get a semblance of spirit into 
 our poor animals by saying 'Up for supper.' They 
 learnt early what the words meant, and it has generally 
 been 'Spud' who gave the first responsive whimper. 
 This afternoon it was most pathetic; the cheering shout 
 for the last half mile was raised as usual, but there was 
 no response, until suddenly from the interior of the 
 sledge-tank came the muffled ghost of a whimper. It 
 was ' Spud 's ' last effort ; on halting we carried him back 
 to his place, but in an hour he was dead." 
 
 On the 3rd he writes: 
 
 ''We are not finding our homeward march so easy as 
 we expected, and we are not clearing a large margin 
 over the distances which are actually necessary for each 
 day; it is plain that if there are blizzards now we must 
 go on right through them. . . . The dogs have not pulled 
 throughout the day — ^we do not expect it of them now 
 — and this afternoon Shackleton was ahead dragging on 
 those who could not walk. To walk eight or nine miles 
 in a day does not sound much of a task for even a tired 
 dog, yet it is too much for ours, and they are dropping 
 daily." 
 
 "When a decree has gone forth against any poor 
 wretch it has been our custom to lead him some way 
 to the rear of the sledges and there, of course, to put 
 an end to him as painlessly as possible. As the intended 
 victim has been led away, the rest of the team have 
 known at once what is going to happen, and as far as 
 their feeble state has allowed they have raised the same 
 chorus of barks as they used to do when they knew that 
 
260 The Seventh Continent 
 
 we were going to fetch their food. Of course the cause 
 is precisely the same; they know in some way that this 
 means food. But the astonishing fact is that the victim 
 himself has never known; he has always followed will- 
 ingly with his tail wagging; evidently under the im- 
 pression that he is going to be taken to the place where 
 food comes from, nor, until the last, has he ever shown 
 the least suspicion of his end. Thus we have seen ani- 
 mals howling with joy at seeing his comrade led to the 
 slaughter, and the next night going on the same road 
 himself with every sign of pleasure; it has a distinctly 
 pathetic side, but it is good to know clearly that they 
 have not the intelligence to anticipate their fate." 
 
 On January 13, they reached one of the depots, a for- 
 tunate event, for the health of the party was distinctly 
 unsatisfactory. All three showed symptoms of scurvy 
 and Shackleton was suffering greatly from shortness of 
 breath, and in fits of coughing he was spitting blood — 
 his condition was highly alarming. 
 
 The journey was kept up in the face of an overcast 
 sky and the endless vista of grey ahead. These ' ' blind ' ' 
 marches were particularly tryiiig as there was absolutely 
 no point upon which to fix the eye to gage distance. 
 
 On January 20th the party had reached 79° 51' S., 
 and the ship was not reached until February 3rd, 1903, 
 after an absence of ninety-three days — during which 
 time the party had covered 960 statute miles. 
 
 During the absence of Captain Scott, Armitage and 
 Skelton had journeyed a distance of 130 miles and had 
 ascended by way of a glacier the vast snow-covered 
 plateau beyond the granite summits of the western 
 mountains and reached an elevation of 9,000 feet. The 
 scientists had taken many shorter journeys and brought 
 
BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 
 
 Commander Evans in Center, Capt. Scott at Right 
 
Captain Scott's Explorations 261 
 
 back a fund of information in their respective fields. 
 
 The great event of this period had been the advent 
 of the relief ship ' ' Morning. ' ' The voyage South of this 
 little ship had been full of adventure and she had val- 
 iantly forced her way through the heavy ice pack. 
 
 Shackleton's condition was such that his return to 
 England was deemed necessary and he sailed homeward 
 on her March the third, Lieutenant Murdock, R.N., tak- 
 ing his place on the ''Discovery.'' 
 
 Preparations for a second winter in the Antarctic 
 were not long delayed and to the ship 's provisions were 
 added 116 seals, 551 skuas and 20 sheep, which were de- 
 signed to add fresh meat to the bill of fare for a period 
 of 275 days. A great luxury enjoyed during this sec- 
 ond winter of darkness was the use of acetylene gas for 
 the first time. This artificial light, by which the dark 
 months were cheered seemed to have a beneficial effect 
 on the health and spirits of the party, and they emerged 
 in the spring in excellent general health. 
 
 Captain Scott carried out in the spring of 1903-1904 
 his brilliant plan for the great journey on the western 
 plateau. Unaccompanied by dogs he started October 
 26th and by the 30th of November had reached an alti- 
 tude of 9,000 feet on the featureless plateau at a dis- 
 tance of 300 miles west of the ship. On that date he 
 writes : 
 
 ' ' Here, then, to-night we have reached the end of our 
 tether, and all we have done is to show the immensity of 
 this vast plain. The scene about us is the same as we 
 have seen for many a day, and shall see for many a day 
 to come — a scene so wildly and awfully desolate that it 
 cannot fail to impress one with gloomy thoughts. But, 
 after all, it is not what we see that inspires awe, but 
 
262 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the knowledge of what lies beyond our view. We see 
 only a few miles of ruffled snow bounded by a vague 
 wavy horizon, but we know that beyond that horizon are 
 hundreds, and even thousands of miles which can offer 
 no change to the weary eye, while on the vast expanse 
 that one's mind conceives one knows there is neither tree 
 nor shrub, nor any living thing, nor even inanimate 
 rock — ^nothing but this terrible, limitless expanse of 
 snow. It has been so for countless years, and we, little 
 human insects, have started to crawl over this awful 
 desert, and are now bent on crawling back again. Could 
 anything be more terrible than this silent, wind-swept 
 immensity when one thinks such thoughts?" 
 
 The ship was reached on December 5th and one month 
 later the "Terra Nova," a fine whaling ship, in company 
 with the ' ' Morning, ' ' was sent by the Admiralty and ar- 
 rived with orders to Captain Scott to abandon the ' ' Dis- 
 covery" and return at once. 
 
 The thought of abandoning his ship was a severe blow 
 to Captain Scott, but nevertheless he proceeded to fol- 
 low instructions, and stores and collections were rapidly 
 transferred to the relief ships. 
 
 On February 16th, 1904, she was fortunately released 
 from the ice, and to his great satisfaction he was able 
 to bring her safely home to port. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE GERMAN EXPEDITION 
 
 THE German Expedition, co-operating with the 
 British Expedition with regards to simultaneous 
 scientific observations, was under the auspices of 
 the Emperor of Germany, and the result of many years 
 persistent efforts on the part of Professor Neumayer. 
 The leader of this expedition was Professor Erich von 
 Drygalski, and the scientific staff included Professor 
 von Hoffen as naturalist, Dr. Emil Philippi as geologist, 
 and Dr. Frederick Bidlingmaier as meteorologist and 
 magnetician. 
 
 They sailed in 1901 in the ''Gauss" in command of 
 Captain Hans Ruser, of the Hamburg-American Line. 
 They visited the Crozet Islands, the MacDonald group, 
 and established a scientific station on Kerguelen Land. 
 This was forced to be abandoned on account of serious 
 illness of members of the party. 
 
 The * ' Gauss ' * then made two unsuccessful attempts to 
 get south. She crossed the parallel of 60° S. in 92° E. 
 early in February, 1902, and got within 60 miles of the 
 charted position of Wilke's Termination Land, where a 
 depth of 1730 fathoms was found, thus establishing the 
 fact of the non-existence of Termination Land in the po- 
 sition hitherto assigned to it. 
 
 It now became necessary to turn southwest and on 
 February 21st, 1902, ice clad land was sighted in the 
 
 263 
 
264 The Seventh Continent 
 
 southern horizon. A valiant effort was made to skirt 
 the coast westward toward Kemp Land, but abruptly 
 ended within twenty-four hours by the besetment of the 
 vessel, from which she was not released for a period 
 of a year. Land of considerable extent was seen to the 
 south and named Kaiser Wilhelm II. Land, its most 
 prominent feature being a hill of bare black rock with 
 an elevation of about 1,000 feet, situated in 67° S. 90° 
 E. to which the name of Gaussberg was given. 
 
 Sledge journeys were carried forward under the usual 
 trying conditions of prolonged blizzards and piercing 
 cold. The neighborhood for a distance of forty-six 
 miles and Kaiser Wilhelm II. Land were carefully ex- 
 plored. A balloon ascension was undertaken by Dry- 
 galski, who reported seeing large areas of ice-clad land 
 extending along the Antarctic Circle from 87° E. to 
 94° E., and broadening south of the circle. 
 
 The view obtained by Drygalski of the inland ice * * sug- 
 gested the notion of boundless space and . . . the winds 
 which blew from the inland ice by their Fohn properties 
 pointed at a far-reaching uniformly ice-capped hinter- 
 land"; from which he concludes, **He has discovered a 
 new land and cleared up a contested question regarding 
 the Antarctic continent, for over ten degrees of longi- 
 tude, certainly for about half of the debated region be- 
 tween Knox and Kemp Lands ; " he adds, * ' that we lived 
 on the fringe of the South-polar continent, conviction 
 will be afforded by the climate. The easterly Fohn like 
 gales impart to the South-polar region its character and 
 its limits; by their frequency and uniformity they re- 
 veal the immensity and homogeneous nature of these 
 Antarctic Lands, 
 
 During February, 1903, the *' Gauss" was freed from 
 
The German Expedition 265 
 
 the ice. Drygalski made every effort to thread the maze 
 of floes to the eastward and the south, but though a 
 month was spent in this endeavor, he could reach no 
 higher altitude than 80° E. before seeking the open sea. 
 
 The scientific data obtained by this expedition was val- 
 uable and extensive, describing the abrupt fall of the 
 land to a deep sea, its structural rocks being crystalline 
 in character, with molten gneisses in the lava of its 
 volcanic formations. The scant vegetation of this in- 
 hospitable coast consisted of sparse mosses and lichens. 
 
 The Swedish South Polar Expedition, which left 
 Gothenburg October 16th, 1901, in the ship ** Antarctic ' ^ 
 under the leadership of Dr. N. Otto O. Nordenskjold, 
 nephew of the great Arctic explorer and discoverer of 
 the North-East Passage, had as its fields of labor the 
 lands and seas lying to the south of South America and 
 the Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Nordenskjold, through whose 
 personal and unremitting efforts this expedition had 
 originated and been organized, conceived the plan to sail 
 for the South Shetlands, proceed thence to the east coast 
 of the unknown stretch of land that lies south of these 
 islands ; endeavor to penetrate southward as far as pos- 
 sible, land the wintering-party, consisting of the leader 
 and six others, and then send the vessel to the neigh- 
 borhood of the Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego and 
 South Georgia, where scientific work would continue 
 during the winter. In the spring the ship would again 
 go south and pick up the wintering-party and then re- 
 turn to Sweden in May, 1903. This plan had to be es- 
 sentially modified owing to the severity of the Antarc- 
 tic summer of 1902-03, the coldest and **as far as the 
 ice-conditions are concerned, the worst that has hith- 
 erto been experienced. The German Expedition at the 
 
266 The Seventh Continent 
 
 very last moment had the greatest difficulty/* writes 
 Nordenskjold, ''in extricating itself from the ice and 
 sailing for home. The English Expedition did not suc- 
 ceed in getting out of the ice and was obliged to remain 
 there for another year. When the ''Antarctic" was on 
 her way to bring off our wintering-party, it was soon 
 discovered that it would be extremely difficult to pene- 
 trate even to such a northerly point as the place where 
 we had our station. A twofold effort to reach us was 
 then made ; Dr. Anderson and two companions attempt- 
 ing to reach us by travelling over the ice that covered 
 and surrounded the land, while the vessel tried to force 
 a way farther to the east. 
 
 "Both attempts to reach us failed. The 'Antarctic' 
 was nipped by the ice and sand, and the two relief par- 
 ties had to spend the winter at two different points on 
 the Erebus and Terror Gulf, unable to communicate 
 with each other or with us." 
 
 In January, 1902, the "Antarctic," in command of 
 Captain C. A. Larsen, sighted the South Shetlands ; the 
 vessel then swung to the west and steamed slowly past 
 King George 's Island — and turned in the strait between 
 Nelson Island and Robert Island, dropping anchor in 
 Harmony Cove. 
 
 Here Nordenskjold landed with companions for an 
 examination of the surroundings. "We landed on an 
 open, gravelly shore," he writes, "at the foot of a high 
 mass of rock, and thus set foot for the first time on 
 Antarctic Land." 
 
 The land which the day before had seemed a wilder- 
 ness of ice, was in reality swarming with life. "The 
 whole shore," he writes, "was covered with large seals 
 whose peculiar appearance awakened a desire within us 
 
The German Expedition 267 
 
 to make their nearer acquaintance. They were grey- 
 green in colour, with lighter spots, all belonged to the 
 Weddell seals, those most commonly met with in this 
 district. But there are, too, other forms of animal life, 
 which so entirely arrest our attention that we have no 
 eyes for anything else. The penguins, these wonderful 
 creatures, birds that cannot fly, but can swim quite as 
 well as fish ... it is only here in their rightful home 
 amid the ice of the South Pole, that one learns to know 
 in their full development, these, the most peculiar rep- 
 resentatives of the Antarctic animal world. These 
 strange creatures come to meet you far out in the wa- 
 ter; no one, who has not seen them before can say at a 
 distance what kind of animals they are. They come 
 swimming in long rows, hundreds upon hundreds of 
 them; one after another they fling their black, shining, 
 spool-shaped bodies out of the water, to dive down again 
 the next minute and, like fishes, continue their journey 
 under the surface. At the sight of these flocks of pen- 
 guins our thoughts at once turn to the shoals of fly-fish 
 which we have so often beheld in the tropics ; that these 
 are birds thus speeding onwards is the last thought that 
 could come into our minds, if we did not now and then 
 see one or two of them swimming through the water with 
 little more than their round, black heads sticking up 
 over the surface. In a certain sense it can be said of 
 the penguin that it forms a link between birds and 
 fishes, and so far occupies the same position as that 
 held by the seal amongst mammals." 
 
 When the party were on board once more, the ship 
 set her course southward, passing new stretches of land. 
 After passing Astrolabe Island the Louis Philippe came 
 in view; they now examined the gulf called D'Urville 
 
268 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Orleans Channel, lying between the mainland and Trin- 
 ity Land. Exploring this channel it was found to go 
 in a southerly direction and to divide Louis Philippe 
 Land from Graham Land. 
 
 Seals and penguins had given them a welcome on land, 
 but in the hitherto unsailed waters through which they 
 were now steaming, hundreds of whales belonging to a 
 species resembling the humpback whale swam about the 
 vessel. 
 
 It was now clear the Louis Philippe Land was con- 
 tinuous with Banco Land. 
 
 Pursuing their course toward Cape Anna, and thence 
 across the sound to Cape Ryswyck, they viewed Schol- 
 laert Sound in the distance. A shore party visited Cape 
 Rognemaurel, which is the eastern point at the entrance 
 of Orleans Channel. 
 
 Continuing their voyage, they skirted the coast of 
 Louis Philippe Land, ** amidst a whole archipelago of 
 rocky islets and submerged reefs, which taxed the at- 
 tention of the captain in the highest degree. ' ^ 
 
 On January 15th, they had a clear view of Joinville 
 Island, Mount Bransfield could be seen lifting its * ' beau- 
 tifully rounded cone high above the surrounding coun- 
 try.'' 
 
 In the vicinity of Paulet Island and Cape Seymour, 
 the scientists secured in the trawling net a rich har- 
 vest of marine life. 
 
 Steering a course southwards across Erebus and Ter- 
 ror Gulf, there was every indication of the near ap- 
 proach to the ice. 
 
 On November 16th the ''Antarctic" was off the north- 
 ern point of Seymour Island, steaming through sparsely 
 spread fragments of ice. Nordenskjold speaks of Sey- 
 

 d^'"' -^^ 
 
 c Ira ) 
 
 m 
 
 
 DR. N. OTTO G. NORDENSKJOLD 
 
The German Expedition , 269 
 
 mour Island as one of the most remarkable places in the 
 Antarctic regions. It was first seen by Ross, who con- 
 cluded it was volcanic formation. Captain Larsen was 
 the first man to ever land there, making two visits there, 
 one in December, 1892, and another in November, 1893. 
 It will be remembered that he carried home fossils con- 
 sisting of petrified wood and mollusca, the first speci- 
 mens of the kind ever found in Antarctic ice. 
 
 It was at this place that Nordenskjold established a 
 depot of supplies, well protected by a cairn and marked 
 with a signal post. 
 
 The ice conditions soon took on a formidable aspect, 
 and where the "Antarctic" stood, the Great Barrier in- 
 tercepted their progress. Within twenty-four hours she 
 was forced to abandon her course, having reached her 
 farthest south in latitude 10 to 15 minutes south of 66°. 
 
 Geographically, the summer of 1901-1902 was the most 
 prolific in discoveries. As already stated, Louis Philippe 
 Land was found to be continuous with Danco Land. 
 Gerlache Channel had proved to be a continuation of 
 D 'Urville 's Orleans Channel. The similarity of the land 
 examined from about latitude 63° S. to 65° S. to that 
 of Victoria Land was singularly striking, both being des- 
 olate and as heavily glaciated. 
 
 A futile attempt was made to follow the ice to the 
 east in the hope of finding an opening through which 
 the ship might pass to the Weddell sea. The storms and 
 ice barrier necessitated a return and on February 1st, 
 the ''Antarctic" had reached 63° 30' South latitude and 
 45° 7' West longitude. Winter quarters were estab- 
 lished on Snow Hill Island in 64° 25' S. The ''Antarc- 
 tic" then sailed to her winter labors and the little band 
 of scientists — "deserted and alone" — began immediate 
 
270 The Seventh Continent 
 
 preparations for their shelter and protection during the 
 fast approaching winter. 
 
 ^' After having finished a thorough day's work of the 
 normal eight-hours type," writes Nordenskjold, ** nail- 
 ing and hammering on the walls and roof, I felt that I 
 had the right to an afternoon's walk up to the hill top 
 in order to take a survey of our kingdom and obtain 
 some idea of the condition of the ice, and of the chances 
 of the return of the vessel. My way lay up the steep 
 ascent which I afterwards climbed so many times. "What 
 masses of magnificent fossils lie scattered around! 
 After having ascended the last step I find myself on the 
 highest plateau, which has never before been trodden by 
 human foot. There is very much here to attract one's 
 attention, it is a very pattern-card of the rocks of the 
 island, varied here and there by blocks of foreign stone 
 whose presence in the place demands its own explana- 
 tion. There is so much which could chain one to the 
 spot, were it not for the wish to go further inland. The 
 path leads along the edge of deep ravines ; mighty masses 
 of rock rise above the surrounding land, sometimes re- 
 sembling fortresses with walls, battlements and towers; 
 sometimes putting on fantastic forms — gigantic sphinxes 
 amid the loose mass of earth. I am tempted to carry the 
 comparison further, for around me stretches a wilder- 
 ness more terrible than Sahara. Nowhere is there a 
 trace of vegetation ; not even the sand can lie in its place, 
 for everything that can be carried away by the storms 
 is gone, so that the ground consists either of a closely 
 packed mass of stones or of naked rocks which have re- 
 ceived their form by the action of the wind. 
 
 ' ' I go still further inland. To the south there extends 
 before me an endless, slightly billowing plain of ice and 
 
The German Expedition 271 
 
 snow. That is Snow Hill — 'the dome of snow' — after 
 which I have called the whole island, although somewhat 
 incongruously so, as it is not for the sake of the snow, 
 but for that of the snow-free land here, that this island 
 has been chosen as the place for our wintering station, 
 thereby earning its title to remembrance by man in 
 future times. I direct my steps to the place, for from 
 thence I shall have an unobstructed view on both sides. 
 Towards the east ray gaze flies across the boundless sea, 
 which is full of ice so broken up that the vessel should 
 be able to force a passage through it without difficulty. 
 Neither is there much ice in Admiralty Sound, and it 
 became evident that the hurried departure of the ship 
 was somewhat unnecessaty, although that could not be 
 known at the time. 
 
 ' ' I stood there amid the grandeur of the scenery, while 
 the sun sank slowly behind the haughty, ice-covered 
 crown of Mount Haddington, and gilded the ice-fields 
 far away on the eastern horizon. No sound was to be 
 heard around me, one could not be more alone, more 
 isolated. This desert spot is to be, for a long time for- 
 ward, home, everything, for me, for my companions! 
 Here we shall stand face to face with Nature in its 
 mightiest majesty, and, combatting with it, shall strive 
 to make it reveal to us its many secrets." 
 
 Excursions in the neighborhood were undertaken in 
 March, which proved to be a month of unusually fine 
 weather. As the days became shorter and shorter, these 
 journeys became less practicable, though this recon- 
 noitering had satisfactory results for the members of 
 the land party had learned to a certainty that the so- 
 called Admiralty Bay was in reality a sound and that 
 Snow Hill, upon which they had established their win- 
 
272 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ter station, was an island; thus they had ascertained 
 the chief features of the physical geography of the re- 
 gion immediately surrounding them. The situation of 
 Snow Hill was sufficiently far north to avoid the dull 
 monotony of the real polar night, for in mid-winter the 
 sun remained for about four hours above the horizon. 
 
 Each member of the expedition was zealously engaged 
 in his special line of scientific research. 
 
 ''The most important of these," writes Nordenskjold, 
 "were the magnetic and meteorological observations 
 which had to be carried out in agreement with the in- 
 ternational scheme of work. It was Bodman who had 
 charge of these. In respect to magnetic observations, it 
 is just the polar-tracts which are of the greatest interest, 
 but the southern pole has hitherto been very little stud- 
 ied. The most prominent scientific authorities have over 
 and over again expressed the opinion that the absence 
 of accurate investigations in the Antarctic regions ren- 
 dered all real progress in respect to the theory of terres- 
 trial magnetism quite impossible, and all attempts to 
 determine for any length of time the position of the mag- 
 netic powers on the surface quite unavailing, and such 
 questions are, when they bear upon the variation of 
 the compass, of the very greatest practical importance. 
 The international scheme of work embraced observations 
 concerning changes in declination, inclination, and mag- 
 netic horizontal intensity. These observations were 
 to be carried out by means of variation instruments on 
 the 1st and 15th of each month, and should last the en- 
 tire four-and-twenty hours, with observations every 
 whole hour according to Greenwich time. Thus when 
 we were busied here with such observations, we knew 
 that similar ones were being carried out not only by our 
 
The German Expedition 273 
 
 sister expeditions, but also at all observatories in the 
 southern half of the globe, and at some in the northern. 
 
 **Just at present," he writes, *'the meteorological ob- 
 servations^in which all the scientists took part — were of 
 much greater general interest. A couple of thermome- 
 trical screens were erected on the hill outside the house, 
 in one of which were placed a self-registering thermo- 
 graph and hygrometer for the determination of the tem- 
 perature and humidity of the air, and in the other ther- 
 mometers of different kinds. On a shelf in the dining 
 room stood a self-registering barograph and a mercu- 
 rial barometer being in there as well. A hill 220 feet 
 above the station had been fixed upon as the site of 
 the anemometer, this instrument registering the veloc- 
 ity of the wind upon a strip of paper round a wheel 
 set in motion by a clock which hung upon the dining 
 room wall. In addition to these we had a self-regis- 
 tering sunshine recorder, and every hour we took ob- 
 servations of the direction of the wind and cloud-for- 
 mation. In the beginning, when we had so many 
 other things to do, we contented ourselves with making 
 these observations during the daytime only. Bodman 
 and Sobral then took turns, one day at a time, at mak- 
 ing four complete observations of all the instruments, 
 viz., at 7 and 8 a. m., and 2 and 9 p. m. But towards 
 the middle of April, night observations were also taken, 
 and then each of us had to take it in turns to sit up till 
 two in the morning; no observation was taken at 3 
 A. M., but a new man took obserA^ations at 4 and 6 a. m., 
 after which the day was supposed to begin. 
 
 As soon as we had the house in order, Ekelof set up 
 his bacteriological apparatus and commenced his inves- 
 tigations. These chiefly concerned the bacterial flora of 
 
274 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the surface soil, a domain which no one had ever en- 
 deavored to explore, even in North Polar regions. In- 
 teresting results were obtained from the very beginning ; 
 results which showed that in these regions the surface 
 soil must almost be considered as the place of origin 
 of bacteria, and results which, pursued during different 
 seasons and with regard to different kinds of earth, have 
 given rise to wholly new ideas concerning the condi- 
 tion of bacterial life within the Polar regions. 
 
 *'The one who was most hindered in his work was 
 myself, *' continues Nordenskjold, ** although it is true 
 that I had fossils in great numbers on every side, and 
 that just at this time I made great collections of them. 
 It was, however, my intention to make a careful exam- 
 ination of the tract in connection with an accurate 
 mapping-out of the district, but I had been hoping to 
 have many fine days during the autumn at my dis- 
 posal, and, in these low latitudes, some in the winter, 
 too. Our second winter campaign has shown that these 
 hopes were not unreasonable, but such weather as we 
 now had, really did not offer many opportunities for 
 carrying out this work. One can grow accustomed to 
 cold, so that measurements can still be taken, but a 
 storm renders this absolutely impossible, and wind of 
 even moderate velocity, together with cold, prevents 
 almost all outdoor work and observation." 
 
 On the 16th of September the thermometer was at 
 35.6° F. and these were the warmest twenty-four hours 
 experienced since the party had landed. Had their ship 
 been ready to force her way at that date, she could 
 have probably communicated with them. 
 
 An important and extended ski journey over the flat 
 sea-ice bordering King Oscar Land was at last under- 
 
The German Expedition 275 
 
 taken after weeks of preparation and vexatious delays. 
 
 On October 1st, 1902, Dr. Nordenskjold set out with 
 Lieutenant Sobral and a third man on a sledge journey 
 southwards along the coast of King Oscar II. Land. 
 Nordenskjold and Sobral hauled 200 pounds on one sled, 
 while the other, drawn by five dogs, carried 485 pounds. 
 
 ** According to our pedometer," writes Nordenskjold, 
 "we marched during each of these days a distance of 
 50,000 steps, or about 35 kilometers (21 miles). I need 
 not say that during this time we made many new ob- 
 servations. The whole of that extensive Alpine land- 
 scape which we now approached in an oblique line must 
 be regarded as unknown. Before us lay the tract called 
 by Larsen, Mount Jason. As far as we could see, this 
 consists of a continuous ice-cap, at the edge of which 
 some unimportant nunataks project from the ice. But 
 the most interesting thing of all was the remarkable ice- 
 terrace over which we journeyed. At the end of three 
 days I had not fully made up my mind whether it 
 was old sea-ice or not that we were on, although the 
 absence of all fissures and icebergs spoke against its 
 being so. From a scientific point of view it is impos- 
 sible that such an idea was, at bottom, the most correct 
 one, but the experience of the following days went to 
 show that we had here no sea-ice that could be com- 
 pared with the phenomena as previously known in other 
 regions." 
 
 Numerous deep crevasses impeded progress and made 
 this fissure zone advance extremely hazardous. One of 
 these ''canal-like crevasses, some 65 feet broad and al- 
 most as deep, which showed splendid stratification, often 
 seen in large icebergs, proving that the ice had been 
 formed of layers of snow deposited during long periods, 
 
276 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the one upon the other, and being, too, a new proof 
 of the transition, found in these regions, from glacier 
 to sea-ice. I think," continues Nordenskjold, ''that 
 Antarctic icebergs need not necessarily have their ori- 
 gin on land, but that they can also be built upon a 
 base of sea-ice in shallow water near the land. 
 
 ** Instructive as this view was of the history of ice- 
 formation, it was, on the other hand, usually unpleasant 
 for us to be hindered in our march, for I saw at once 
 that, under the circumstances, we should meet insuper- 
 able obstacles in the endeavor to reach land. ' ' To avoid 
 being obliged to camp in a tract where the least sus- 
 picion of fog would form an insuperable obstacle to 
 further progress, Nordenskjold was obliged to make 
 forced marches until better ice conditions could be 
 found. Delays by storms shortened their prospect for 
 advance and the return journey was deemed necessary. 
 
 The length of route traversed during the journey 
 amounted to over 400 miles in extremely cold and blus- 
 tery weather. 
 
 The results were the discovery of an extensive stretch 
 of coast connecting Louis Philippe Land with the tracts 
 seen by Larsen, the charts of these regions becoming 
 completely changed in consequence of the expedition. 
 
 While waiting for the return of the "Antarctic" a 
 journey was made to Seymour Island where important 
 fossil finds were discovered. The bones of species of 
 penguin considerably larger than the Emperor penguin 
 demonstrated that at the far distant Tertiary period the 
 penguin was an inhabitant of the Antarctic regions. 
 Another important find were numerous large and dis- 
 tinct leaves in a brown, coarse, hard rock — probably 
 of the same epoch and similar to the formation of Cen- 
 
The German Expedition 277 
 
 tral and Soutliem Europe. 
 
 *'If there was one hope whose fulfillment or non- 
 fulfillment was in my thought," writes Nordenskjold, 
 "almost synonymous with the success or failure of this 
 expedition, it was just that of being able to discover 
 in these regions determinable Tertiary vegetable fos- 
 sils." 
 
 Disappointment was felt over the fact that the relief 
 ship failed to reach them but they faced the situation 
 cheerfully and prepared for another dismal winter. An 
 inventory of stock showed a scarcity of provisions and 
 penguins were procured for food and seal meat formed 
 a welcome addition to the winter diet. 
 
 While in a sledge journey to Crown Prince Gustaf 
 Channel undertaken by Dr. Nordenskjold in October, 
 1903, a most interesting encounter took place with Duse, 
 Anderson and Grunder of the "Antarctic" who had 
 made a futile attempt to reach the land party in the 
 summer of 1902-3 and unable to rejoin their ship had 
 been forced to winter in a hut in Hope Bay. They 
 now accompanied Nordenskjold back to Snow Hill; as 
 they approached the home station all was silent and 
 quiet. 
 
 "Can it be possible," writes Nordenskjold, "no one 
 has noticed us? All of a sudden we hear a wild bark- 
 ing, and the home-staying dogs rush down to meet us, 
 but stop doubtfully at sight of the blaek unknown fig- 
 ures. Then out come our comrades running down to- 
 wards the shore. Sobral is the first to catch sight of 
 us, but Bodman gets down first. Duse goes up to 
 him and says, in English, 'How do you do?' We see 
 in Bodman 's face an indescribable astonishment min- 
 gled with doubtful uncertainty; one can mark how he 
 
278 The Seventh Continent 
 
 is cudgelling his brains. 'Very well, thank you/ comes 
 the slow answer. But Duse claps him heartily on the 
 shoulder and says, but this time in Swedish, 'Don't you 
 know me?' 'Why, of course, it's Duse.' What more 
 shall I say of this day? That it was celebrated with 
 a banquet need scarcely be mentioned; a dinner when 
 we were served with a dish I had never before tasted — 
 roast Emperor penguin. The bird had come walking 
 past the station a few days before, and had been pho- 
 tographed and studied ere being killed to make a dish 
 for the anniversary of our leaving Sweden. But before 
 dinner great changes had taken place. All available 
 photographic plates had been used to immortalize the 
 new comers, after which we dived deep down into our 
 hiding places, and, although we had previously thought 
 ourselves poor in everything that went by the name of 
 clothes, a fairly large supply of garments was soon at 
 the disposal of our friends. Then there was a great 
 cutting of hair and washing, and a couple of hours 
 changed the savages into ordinary civilized men. But 
 however great the difference appeared to us, I am sure 
 that none but the new comers could appreciate and 
 describe it as it should be." 
 
 When Captain Larsen had landed Anderson, Duse 
 and Grunden December 29th, 1902, for their attempt 
 to reach Nordenskjold across the inland ice it had been 
 understood that they would soon meet again at that 
 station. The "Antarctic" then steered her course north- 
 ward for the purpose of rounding Joinville Land. 
 Hardly had she advanced before she became impris- 
 oned in the ice and carried hopeless to the south, "now 
 on her bows, now with her stem, now with her broad 
 side first." 
 
The German Expedition 279 
 
 On January 10th the pressure from the ice became 
 most alarming, she rose higher and higher in her ice 
 cradle and the ice was crushed to powder along her 
 sides. - On the evening of that day she was crushed 
 with *'one smashing noise after another" but she did 
 not sink for some days later when the ice separated and 
 the full damage to her sides was ascertained. In spite 
 of the six pumps that were kept constantly working 
 the damage was too great to be remedied and she began 
 filling rapidly. 
 
 The crew now took to the ice with such equipment 
 and provisions as they had been able to save from the 
 sinking vessel and made their difficult way to Paulet 
 Island lying in latitude 63° 35' S. and 55° 50' W. 
 longitude. This they did not reach until March 1st, 
 when what they are pleased to call their Esquimaux 
 life began. 
 
 They built a stone hut, and then secured penguins 
 and seal for fresh food, having a very meagre allow- 
 ance of ship's biscuit, tinned meat and fish, condensed 
 milk and preserved vegetables to supply the larder for 
 the entire winter. As early as possible in the spring 
 they made a heroic effort to reach the party at Snow 
 Hill. 
 
 Meanwhile Captain Irizar in the Argentine gunboat 
 *' Uruguay" was making a brilliant attempt to rescue 
 the members of the Swedish expedition at Snow Hill. 
 When the "Antarctic" failed to return, the Argentine 
 Government had become alarmed as to her safety, and 
 equipped a relief vessel and despatched it with all 
 haste as soon as the weather conditions permitted in 
 search of the stranded expedition. Sweden had des- 
 patched another relief vessel, the whaler ''Frithiof," 
 
280 The Seventh Continent 
 
 but the ''Uruguay" was first to the rescue. 
 
 A few hours after the relief ship had anchored No- 
 vember 8, 1903, and Captain Irizar landed to invite 
 Dr. Nordenskjold and the members of the expedition 
 to board the vessel and return to civilization, when 
 some men were seen approaching over the ice. These 
 were at first mistaken for members of the '' Uruguay *s" 
 crew, so that the advance of these men did not awaken 
 much attention. 
 
 *'We were so occupied with our work," writes the 
 narrator, ' ' that it was some time ere any of us took the 
 trouble to go to see who the people were, but at last 
 Bodman went out to solve the riddle. 
 
 "Midsummer was yet far distant, and although the 
 night clear and mild, still it was pretty dark. Out 
 on the hill there was a group of men looking up at 
 the flag which still waved above our house. Bodman 
 approached them slowly, for he thought they were for- 
 eigners, and it would of course be difficult to find 
 words with which to address them. Suddenly his eyes 
 open wide with astonishment. Is it an optical delu- 
 sion produced by the anxieties of the day, or is reality 
 once more about to surpass all that expectation and 
 imagination combined could ever picture? The next 
 few seconds will decide whether the days of miracles 
 are past; he moves with hesitating steps to meet a 
 figure that has left the group and is advancing to meet 
 them. The next moment wild, ear-piercing cheers, min- 
 gled with shouts of ' Larsen ! Larsen is here ! ' tear us 
 away in an instant from the work we have in hand. 
 As a matter of fact, we have experienced so much during 
 the last few days that nothing can seem impossible 
 to US; but still, I can scarcely believe my ears. There 
 
The German Expedition 281 
 
 must be some mistake ; it must be the day 's unrest that 
 has made one of us give a form of reality to his wishes. 
 But I hurry out like the rest, and the next instant all 
 doubts are vanished. There on the hill in the half- 
 gloom of the summer night, I am welcoming Larsen, 
 K. A. Anderson and their four companions, who after 
 this * long divorce ' of place and time, have arrived from 
 their forced wintering on Paulet Island just in time 
 to join us. No pen can describe the boundless joy 
 of this first moment. It was plain that both misfor- 
 tune and suffering were hidden in the period, so long 
 concealed in the mists of uncertainty, that lay between 
 this hour and the departure of the *' Antarctic" from 
 Hope Bay. I learned at once that our dear old ship was 
 no more in existence, but for the instant I could feel 
 nothing but joy when I saw amongst us these men, on 
 whom I had only a few minutes before been thinking 
 with feelings of the greatest despondency, and when 
 I recollected that now we could all leave these tracts 
 in company. However deeply I was touched by the com- 
 munication that a young and able seaman of their num- 
 ber had died at his post, I could not but remember 
 with infinite gratitude that all the others had preserved 
 both life and health. 
 
 ''We conducted the new comers in triumph to the 
 building, where everything was at once produced that 
 was calculated to gladden men who had spent a winter 
 in misery; for these were guests who were certainly 
 more able to enjoy what was set before them than our 
 friends of the morning. 
 
 ''Of what infinite importance was it not that the 
 two parties had arrived in the order they did! Wen- 
 nersgaard's death, the loss of the 'Antarctic,' the suf- 
 
282 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ferings of the party, the uncertain future — all this, 
 coming before the arrival of the Argentine vessel, would 
 have been a terrible blow, but everything was now 
 swallowed up in the satisfaction felt in the rescue of 
 the many. '* 
 
 Immediate and hasty preparations were made for de- 
 parture, and the heavily loaded sledges drawn down 
 to the ice foot. As the members of the Swedish Ant- 
 arctic expedition approached the "Uruguay," her offi- 
 cers and crew lined the sides of the ship. The Swedish 
 flag waved at the topmast, and cheers greeted them as 
 they stepped aboard. 
 
 ''It was a solemn moment," writes one of the party; 
 ''our expedition, with all its cares and trials and its 
 rich harvest of work and discoveries, was now come 
 to an end-^we were henceforth merely guests and pas- 
 sengers. ' ' 
 
 Another Antarctic expedition in the field at the same 
 time as that of the Swedish expedition was that or- 
 ganized by Dr. W. S. Bruce, and financially aided by 
 Mr. James Coats and Captain Andrew Coats. This 
 expedition known as the Scottish Expedition, equipped 
 the "Scotia," with Captain Thomas Robertson in com- 
 mand. The scientific staff included the well known 
 meteorologist Mr. R. C. Mossman, Mr. R. N. Brown 
 as naturalist and Dr. J. H. H. Pirie as naturalist. 
 
 The "Scotia" had as her destination the exploration 
 of the Weddell Sea. On February 3rd, 1903, she lay 
 off the South Orkneys and pushing her way through 
 the ice found an open sea to 70° 25' S. On the 22nd 
 of the month she was beset in 18° W. longitude. Steer- 
 ing a westerly course she pursued an important voyage, 
 demonstrating the navigability of Weddell Sea under 
 
The German Expedition 283 
 
 favourable conditions in 70° south latitude. 
 
 The oeeanographical observations were the most thor- 
 ough and extensive yet carried out in the Antarctic 
 region. In 1904 the ''Scotia" starting from Sandwich 
 group made a straight run south from about 22° West 
 longitude to 74° V South latitude, where her progress 
 was arrested by the ice. Soundings taken at this point 
 showed a depth of only 159 fathoms. In the distance 
 could be seen a great ice wall with high snow-covered 
 elevations beyond. To this land within the Barrier 
 was given the name of Coat's Land. 
 
 In the two voyages of the "Scotia" a distance of 
 thirty degrees of longitude of unknown sea had been 
 carefully surveyed. 
 
 A meteorological station had been established in 1903 
 on Lauri Island, one of the South Orkneys, and kept 
 up by Mr. Mossman for a period of two years — at the 
 end of which period the Argentine government under- 
 took its maintenance. This station has the distinction 
 of being the most southerly station at which continuous 
 observations have been taken for over five years. 
 
 In August, 1903, through the personal efforts of Dr. 
 Jean B. Charcot, an eminent French scientist and ac- 
 complished yachtsman, an expedition sailed from Havre 
 in the ship ''Le Frangais" for the purpose of scientific 
 exploration. There were twenty members of the expe- 
 dition, all rugged young men in the best of health, led 
 by Dr. Charcot himself, and including Lieutenant 
 Matha, Ensign Rey, Engineer Pleneau and M. Turquet 
 and M. Gourdon, naturalists. 
 
 The ship touched at Buenos Ayres, and at Ushuaia, 
 a little town in Argentina, thence it proceeded to 
 Orange Bay and in January, 1904, left the Fueguan 
 
284 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Archipelago for the Antarctic. On the first of Feb- 
 ruary they sighted the mountains of South Island, and 
 shortly after encountered the ice. Proceeding through 
 the mists and fogs they sailed to the southwest ex- 
 tremity of Palmer Archipelago, charting these western 
 coasts, and then entered the Bay of Biscoe. 
 
 Later they cruised through the islands of the Palmer 
 Archipelago in a vain search to the south for a protected 
 harbor for wintering. 
 
 In the vicinity of the Bay of Flanders steep granite 
 rock rising to twenty or thirty meters in height fell 
 sheer into the water, and numerous immense glaciers 
 emptied into the bay. A less dangerous and more pro- 
 tected spot was found in a cove of Wandel Island, in 
 65° S. near the southern entrance of Gerlaehe Strait, 
 where on the evening of March 3rd they cast anchor. 
 
 Immediate preparations were undertaken for secur- 
 ing the ship, and the scientific apparatus was installed 
 near the shore. A portable house was erected and pro- 
 visions were stored in snow houses. A large quantity 
 of supplies, including a boat, were landed in case the 
 ship should be destroyed by the ice, and every pro- 
 tection was taken to insure the success of the expedi- 
 tion. 
 
 The ship was also made as warm and comfortable as 
 possible, and the routine work in the Antarctic was 
 begun with enthusiasm. Excursions were made into the 
 immediate country and a general idea gained of the 
 rocky and mountainous land by which they were sur- 
 rounded. 
 
 The winter which set in about the first of May found 
 everything ready, and the dark period was passed in 
 cheerfulness and good health. To keep his men in good 
 
The German Expedition 285 
 
 condition Dr. Charcot devised many diversions and 
 for their interest he organized a school, which took 
 up two hours on alternate evenings. With the excep- 
 tion of one case of "polar anaemia" all came out of 
 the trying ordeal in good condition, and speedily im- 
 proved with the return of the sun. 
 
 Plans had been made for early spring sledge jour- 
 neys, but the weeks passed in unpropitious weather 
 conditions until all hope was abandoned and a boat 
 journey was organized instead. 
 
 In November, 1904, five members of the expedition 
 with Charcot in command left in the whale boat, with 
 provisions for twenty days, made their way in the 
 direction of Lund Island, situated farthest south of 
 the three islands adjacent to Lemair Channel. Upon 
 leaving Lund Island they found themselves in the open 
 sea; in the sunlight they actually suffered from the 
 heat. Charcot says, ''Our eyes began to smart in spite 
 of our blue glasses. Our lips burned. Fortunately at 
 five o'clock the sun went under a cloud." 
 
 Treading their way through the narrow channels 
 between the ice, or dragging the boat over it, the men 
 proceeded to Cape Tuxen, where they landed and ex- 
 amined the rugged and picturesque country. 
 
 Ascending an elevation of several hundred feet, they 
 viewed this desolate mountainous region, where the 
 coast on all sides was bordered with high walls of ice. 
 
 They returned with difficulty to Lund Island, which 
 was reached December 4th, and two days later were 
 again on board ''Le FranQais." 
 
 By vigorously cutting a channel the ship was freed 
 on Christmas Day and ascended the Strait of Gerlach 
 and the SchoUaert Canal, thereby gaining the open sea. 
 
286 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Proceeding southward they came in sight of Alexander 
 Land January 7th, and after making several unsuc- 
 cessful attempts to reach it, proceeded to reconnoiter 
 the coast of Graham Land. Cruising to the south when 
 in latitude 67°, January 15, new land appeared, moun- 
 tainous in character and stretching to the southwest. 
 Dr. Charcot was unable to determine whether this 
 coast joined Graham Land or was a part of Alexander 
 Land. 
 
 An attempt was made to approach this land, and 
 while going at full speed the **Frangais'' struck a rock. 
 This serious catastrophe necessitated an immediate re- 
 treat. The vessel was rapidly shipping water from all 
 sides, men were put at the pumps, and a hasty return 
 made to Port Penguins, which was reached January 
 29th. After a brief rest the expedition returned to 
 civilization. Although further exploration was impos- 
 sible, Charcot gave to the newly discovered coast the 
 name of Loubet Land. 
 
 In 1908 Dr. Charcot organized a second expedition. 
 The ship ''Pourquoi Pas" left Punta Arenas in De- 
 cember of that year and returning to Palmer Archi- 
 pelago carefully examined the coast to the south. This 
 detailed examination proved that Loubet Land was prac- 
 tically continuous on the north with Graham Land, 
 on the south with Alexander Land. Charcot visited 
 Adelaide Islands, which he found mountainous, the 
 summits rising sharply out of the ice fields. This island 
 described by Biscoe as being about 8 miles long was 
 found to be much larger, and at least 70 miles in length. 
 
 Peterman Island, situated in 65° 10' S. latitude was 
 chosen for wintering, and from this station futile at- 
 tempts were made to reach the interior of Graham 
 
The German Expedition 287 
 
 Land. 
 
 The '^Pourquoi Pas'' made her way to Deception 
 Island, where she obtained coal from the whalers' depot, 
 and then proceeded once more southward January 6th, 
 1910. 
 
 In 70° S. she came in sight of Alexander Land and 
 in the distance new land was discovered to the south- 
 west. 
 
 The advance of the ''Pourquoi Pas" was stopped 
 by the ice in latitude 70° 30' S.; she now steamed 
 westward passing Peter I. Island to 128° W. longitude, 
 through an absolutely unknown sea. The lack of suf- 
 ficient coal prevented her going south at this point 
 and she was forced to make for Punta Arenas. 
 
 The results of Dr. Charcot's voyages were valuable 
 and significant; from the results of frequent soundings 
 and dredgings, he advanced the theory that every in- 
 dication along the 20 degrees of longitude west of 
 Gerlache's farthest and more than half way from Gra- 
 ham Land to King Edward Land, pointed to unsus- 
 pected coasts probably not far distant to the south. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 UPON his return to England, Lieutenant Shackle- 
 ton, whose enthusiasm had not been dampened 
 by his serious illness while a member of the 
 National Antarctic Expedition of 1901, planned a fresh 
 expedition in which he proposed to make an effort to 
 reach the South Pole, as well as supplement the scien- 
 tific and geographical work already accomplished in 
 the least known portion of the globe. By his personal 
 exertions and the assistance of his friends he succeeded 
 in raising a sufficient sum to equip a small sealing 
 vessel, the ''Nimrod," which sailed from Torquay in 
 August, 1907. 
 
 As far as his funds would permit, Lieutenant Shackle- 
 ton had secured the most up-to-date equipment ever 
 used in Polar exploration; it included a portable hut, 
 Manchurian ponies for use in sledge journeys, and a 
 motor car especially adapted to meet the test of rough 
 travelling in low temperatures; it may be stated that 
 this truck proved useful in transporting supplies over 
 the hard surface of sea-ice, but could not be used in 
 the soft snow of the barrier. Food supplies had been 
 selected with the utmost care, their variety and quan- 
 tity chosen with especial consideration for the needs of 
 men living in the unnatural environment of the Ant- 
 arctic, and with careful thought toward the prevention 
 
 288 
 
Lieutenant Shachleton's Voyage 289 
 
 of that disease most dreaded by Polar travellers, an 
 outbreak of scurvy. 
 
 The appetite craves accessories when under the pro- 
 tracted cold of the Polar regions, such as sweets, 
 jams, preserves and syrups, which were taken in con- 
 siderable quantities to supplement the usual diet of 
 meat and vegetables. Pemmican, combining the max- 
 imum of nourishment for the minimum of weight was 
 the staple for sledge journeys. 
 
 The clothing chosen was practically the same as that 
 used by members of the "Discovery" expedition and 
 consisted of thick ' ' Jaeger ' ' woollens and the windproof 
 Burberry sourtout, which had proved an excellent shield 
 against the cutting blasts of these icy regions. 
 
 The ''Nimrod" started from Lyttleton, New Zealand, 
 January 1st, 1908, and in order to save coal was towed 
 to the Antarctic Circle by the ''Koonya," a small 
 steamer. 
 
 Shackleton's original plan was to land a shore party 
 on King Edward Land, discovered and named by Cap- 
 tain Scott in 1902, where he contemplated spending 
 the year, and be called for by the ''Nimrod" the fol- 
 lowing season. 
 
 Skirting the coast line he found the Barrier had 
 greatly altered since his last voyage — and although he 
 tried in every way to force the impenetrable ice pack 
 he found his progress completely barred and was forced 
 to abandon this design. The ''Nimrod" returned from 
 the extreme east of the barrier, and made her way to 
 McMurdo Sound where on February 3rd the landing 
 of stores was commenced at Cape Royds, situated at 
 the base of Mt. Erebus and distant about 20 miles from 
 the abandoned station of the ''Discovery." The rapid 
 
290 The Seventh Continent 
 
 unloading of stores was arrested for three days by a 
 violent blizzard, which buried everything ashore in six 
 feet of ice. 
 
 On the 22nd of February, the ''Nimrod" took her 
 departure and the shore party consisting of fifteen men 
 were left to the strenuous labor of digging out with 
 axes and crowbars their buried equipment, establishing 
 their winter quarters, organizing their daily routine 
 and beginning without delay their scientific labors. 
 
 The members of the expedition thus engaged in- 
 cluded Dr. E. Marshall, Dr. Forbes Mackay, Lieutenant 
 J. B. Adams, R. N. R., meteorologist. Sir Philip Brockle- 
 hurst, J. Murray, biologist, and Professor T. W. David, 
 T. R. S., and R. Priestly, geologists, and Douglas Maw- 
 son, B. E., B. Sc, physicist, geologist, and magnetician. 
 
 Hardly had the men established themselves before 
 speculative eyes were turned toward Mt. Erebus, whose 
 icy sides made the possibility of an ascent well nigh 
 impracticable. Nevertheless, Professor David, Mr. Maw- 
 son, and Dr. Mackay, with provisions for ten days and 
 a supporting party consisting of Adams, Marshall and 
 Brocklehurst, started on the 5th of March to make 
 the attempt. 
 
 **In the ascent of a mountain such as Erebus," 
 writes Shackleton, ''it was obvious that a limit would 
 soon be reached beyond which it would be impossible 
 to use a sledge. To meet these circumstances the ad- 
 vance party had made an arrangement of straps by 
 which their single sleeping bags could be slung in the 
 form of a knapsack upon their backs, and inside the 
 bags the remainder of their equipment could bo packed. 
 The men of the supporting party, in case they should 
 journey beyond ice over which they could drag the 
 
Lieutenant Shackleton^s Voyage 291 
 
 sledge, had made the same preparations for trans- 
 ferring their load to their shoulders. When they started 
 I must confess that I saw but little prospect of the 
 whole party reaching the top, yet when, from the hut, 
 on the third day out, we saw through Armitage's pow- 
 erful telescope six tiny black spots slowly crawling up 
 the immense deep snow-field to the base of the rugged 
 rocky spurs that descended to the edge of the field, 
 and when I saw next day out on the sky-line the same 
 small figures, I realized that the supporting party was 
 going the whole way. 
 
 '^ Standing as a sentinel at the gate of the Great 
 Ice Barrier," he continues, ''Erebus forms a magnifi- 
 cent picture. The great mountain rises from sea-level 
 to an altitude of over 13,000 feet, looking out across 
 the Barrier, with its enormous snow-clad bulk tower- 
 ing above the white slopes that run up from the coast. 
 At the top of the mountain an immense depression 
 marks the site of the old crater, and from the side of 
 this rises the active cone, generally marked by steam 
 or smoke. The ascent of such a mountain would be a 
 matter of difficulty in any part of the world, hardly to 
 be attempted without experienced guides, but the dif- 
 ficulties were accentuated by the latitude of Erebus, 
 and the party started off with the full expectation of 
 encountering very low temperatures. The men all rec- 
 ognized, however, the scientific value of the achieve- 
 ment at which they were aiming, and they were deter- 
 mined to do their utmost to reach the crater itself. 
 
 *'I took a photograph of the party as they started 
 off, ' ' continues Shackleton. ' ' They got under way from 
 the hut at a quarter to nine, all hands accompanying 
 them across the rocky ridge at the back of the hut, 
 
292 The Seventh Continent 
 
 lifting the sledge and load bodily over this, and then 
 helping the party to pull along the slopes of Back Door 
 Bay across Blue Lake up the eastern slope to the first 
 level. There we said farewell to the mountain party. 
 They first steered straight up a snow slope and skirted 
 closely some rocky ridges and moraines in order to 
 avoid crevassed glaciers. About a mile out and four 
 hundred feet above sea-level a glacial moraine barred 
 their path, and they had to portage the sledge over 
 it by slipping ice-axes under the load between the 
 runners and bearers of the sledge and lifting it over 
 the obstruction. On the further side of the moraine 
 was a sloping surface of ice and neve on which the 
 sledge capsized for the first time. Light snow was 
 falling, and there was a slight wind. 
 
 "Pulling the sledge proved fairly heavy work in 
 places; at one spot, on the steep slope of a small gla- 
 cier, the party had a hard struggle, mostly on their 
 hands and knees, in their efforts to drag the sledge 
 up the surface of the smooth blue ice thinly coated 
 with loose snow. This difficulty surmounted, they en- 
 countered some sastrugi, which impeded their progress 
 somewhat. 'Sastrugi' means wind furrow, and is the 
 name given to those annoying obstacles to sledging, due 
 to the action of the wind on the snow. A blizzard has 
 the effect of scooping out hollows in the snow, and this 
 is especially the case when local currents are set up 
 owing to some rock or point of land intercepting the 
 free run of the wind. These sastrugi vary in depth 
 from two or three inches to three or four feet, accord- 
 ing to the position of any rock masses that may be near 
 and to the force of the wind forming them. The raised 
 masses of snow between the hollows are difficult to 
 
Lieutenant Shackleton^s Voyage 293 
 
 negotiate with a sledge, especially when they run more 
 or less parallel to the course of the traveller. Though 
 they have many disadvantages, still there are times when 
 their presence is welcome, especially is this the case when 
 the sky is overcast and the low stratus cloud obliterates 
 all landmarks. At these times a dull grey light is over 
 everything, and it is impossible to see the way to steer 
 unless one takes the line of sastrugi and notes the angle 
 it makes with the compass course, the compass for the 
 moment being placed on the snow to obtain the direc- 
 tion. In this way one can steer a fairly accurate course, 
 occasionally verifying it by calling a halt and laying 
 ofP the course again with the compass, a precaution 
 tJTit is very necessary, for at times the sastrugi alter 
 in direction. 
 
 "The sledgers at this particular juncture had much 
 trouble in keeping their feet, and the usual equanimity 
 of some of the men was disturbed, their remarks upon 
 the subject of sastrugi being audible above the soft pad 
 of the finnesko, the scrunch of the ski-boots, and the 
 gentle sawing sound of the sledge-runners on the soft 
 snow. About 6 p. m. the party encamped at a small 
 nunatak of black rock about 2750 ft. above sea-level 
 and a distance of seven miles from winter quarters. 
 After a good hot dinner they turned into their sleeping- 
 bogs in the tents and were soon sound asleep. The fol- 
 lowing morning, when the men got up for breakfast, 
 the temperature was 10° below zero Fahr., whilst at our 
 winter quarters at the same time it was zero. They 
 found, on starting, that the gradient was becoming 
 much steeper, being 1 in 5, and sastrugi, running 
 obliquely to their course, caused the sledge to capsize 
 frequently. The temperature was 8° below zero Fahr., 
 
294 The Seventh Continent 
 
 but the pulling was heavy work and kept the travellers 
 warm. They camped that night, March 6, at an alti- 
 tude of 5630 ft., having travelled only three miles dur- 
 ing the whole day, but they had ascended over 2,800 
 ft. above their previous camp. The temperature that 
 night was 28° below zero Fahr. The second camp was 
 in a line with the oldest crater of Erebus, and from the 
 nature of the volcanic fragments lying around, the Pro- 
 fessor was of the opinion that Erebus had been pro- 
 ducing a little lava within its crater quite recently. 
 
 *'0n the following morning Adams decided that 
 the supporting party should make the attempt with the 
 forward party to reach the summit. I had left the 
 decision in this matter to his discretion, but I myself 
 had not considered there would be much chance of the 
 three men of the supporting party gaining the sum- 
 mit, and had not arranged their equipment with that ob- 
 ject in view. They were thus handicapped by having 
 a three-man sleeping bag, which bulky article one man 
 had to carry; they also were not so well equipped for 
 carrying packs, butts of rope having to act as substitutes 
 for the broad straps provided for the original advance 
 party. However, the Professor, who had put bars of 
 leather on his ski-boots, found that these answered as 
 well as crampons, and loaned the latter to Marshall. 
 Both Adams and the Professor wore ski-boots during the 
 whole of the ascent. Ski could not be used for such 
 rough climbing, and had not been taken. All the men 
 were equipped with both finnesko and ski-boots and with 
 the necessaries for camping, and individual tastes had 
 been given some latitude in the matter of the clothing 
 worn and carried. 
 
 ''The six men made a depot of the sledge, some of 
 
Lieutenant Shackleton^s Voyage 295 
 
 the provisions and part of the cooking utensils at the 
 second camp, and then resumed the climb again. They 
 started off with tent poles amongst other equipment, but 
 after going for half a mile they realized it would be 
 impossible to climb the mountain with these articles, 
 which were taken back to the depot. Each man car- 
 ried a weight of about 40 lbs., the party's gear consist- 
 ing chiefly of sleeping-bags, two tents, cooking appara- 
 tus, and provisions for three days. The snow slopes 
 became steeper, and at one time Mackay, who was cut- 
 ting steps on the hard snow with his ice axe, slipped 
 and glissaded with his load for about a hundred feet, 
 but his further downward career was checked by a pro- 
 jecting ledge of snow, and he was soon up again. On 
 the third evening, March 7th, the party camped about 
 8750 ft. above sea-level, the temperature at that time 
 being 20° below zero Fahr. 
 
 "Between 9 and 10 p. m. that night," continues 
 Lieutenant Shackleton, *'a strong wind sprang up, and 
 when the men awoke the following morning they found 
 a fierce blizzard blowing from the southeast. It in- 
 creased in fury as the day wore on, and swept with 
 terrific force down the rocky ravine where they were 
 camped. The whirling snow was so dense and the roar- 
 ing wind so loud that, although the two sections were 
 only about ten yards apart, they could neither see nor 
 hear each other. Being without tent poles, the tents 
 were just doubled over the top ends of the sleeping bags 
 so as to protect the openings from the drifting snow, 
 but, in spite of this precaution, a great deal of snow 
 found its way into the bags. In the afternoon Brockle- 
 hurst emerged from the three-man sleeping-bag, and 
 instantly a fierce gust whirled away one of his wolfskin 
 
296 The Seventh Continent 
 
 mits; he dashed after it, and the force of the wind 
 swept him some way down the ravine. Adams, who 
 had left the hag at the same time as Brocklehurst, saw 
 the latter vanish suddenly, and in endeavoring to return 
 to the bag to fetch Marshall to assist in finding Brockle- 
 hurst, he also was blown down by the wind. Meanwhile, 
 Marshall, the only remaining occupant of the bag, had 
 much ado to keep himself from being blown, sleeping- 
 bag and all, down the ravine. Adams had just suc- 
 ceeded in reaching the sleeping-bag on his hands and 
 knees when Brocklehurst appeared, also on his hands 
 and knees, having, by desperate efforts, pulled himself 
 back over the rocks. It was a close call, for he was all 
 but completely gone, so biting was the cold, before he 
 reached the haven of the sleeping-bag. He and Adams 
 crawled in, and then, as the bag had been much twisted 
 up and drifted with snow while Marshall had been hold- 
 ing it down, Adams and Marshall got out to try and 
 straighten it out. The attempt was not very successful, 
 as they were numb with cold and the bag, with only one 
 person inside, blew about, so they got into it again. 
 Shortly afterwards Adams made another attempt, and 
 whilst he was working at it the wind got inside the 
 bag, blowing it open right way up. Adams promptly 
 got in again, and the adventure thus ended satisfac- 
 torily. The men could do nothing now but lie low whilst 
 the blizzard lasted. At times they munched a plasmon 
 biscuit or some chocolate. They had nothing to drink 
 all that day, March 8, and during the following night, 
 as it would have been impossible to have kept a lamp 
 alight to thaw out the snow. They got some sleep dur- 
 ing the night in spite of the storm. On awaking at 4 
 A. M. the following day, the travellers found that the 
 
Lieutenant Shackleton^s Voyage 297 
 
 blizzard was over, so after breakfast, they started again 
 at about 5.30 a. m. 
 
 ''The angle of ascent was now steeper than ever, be- 
 ing thirty- four degrees, that is, a rise of 1 in 1^2- As 
 the hard snow slopes were much too steep to climb with- 
 out cutting steps with an ice-axe, they kept as much 
 as possible to the bare rocks. Occasionally the arate 
 would terminate upwards in a large snow slope, and 
 when this was the case they cut steps across the slope 
 to any other bare rocks which seemed to persist for 
 some distance in an upward direction. Brocklehurst, 
 who was wearing ski-boots, began to feel the cold at- 
 tacking his feet, but did not think it was serious enough 
 to change into finnesko. At noon they found a fair 
 camping-ground, and made some tea. They were, at 
 this time, some 800 feet below the rim of the old crater 
 and were feeling the effects of the high altitude and 
 the extreme cold. Below them was a magnificent pan- 
 orama of clouds, coast and Barrier snow, but they could 
 not afford to spend much time admiring it. After a 
 hasty meal they tackled the ascent again. When they 
 were a little distance from the top of the rim of the 
 main crater, Mackay elected to work his way alone with 
 his ice-axe up a long and very steep neve slope instead 
 of following the less difficult and safer route by the 
 rocks where the rest of the party were proceeding. He 
 passed out of sight, and then the others heard him call 
 out that he was getting weak and did not think he could 
 carry on much longer. They made haste to the top of 
 the ridge, and Marshall and the Professor dropped to 
 the point where he would be likely to be. Happily, they 
 found him coming toward them, and Marshall took his 
 load, for he looked very done up. It appeared that 
 
298 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Mackay had found the work of cutting steps with his 
 heavy load more difficult than he had anticipated and 
 he only just managed to reach safety when he fell and 
 fainted. No doubt this was due, in part, to mountain 
 sickness, which, under the severe conditions and at the 
 high altitude the party had attained, also affected 
 Brocklehurst. 
 
 ' ' The party encamped and later had leisure to observe 
 their surroundings. They were now on the very brink 
 of an almost vertical wall of dark lava, which formed 
 the inner edge of the old crater. In some places it 
 overhung and was from eighty to a hundred feet in 
 height. An immense wind swept ditch separated the 
 base of the cliff from the snow plain beyond. The ac- 
 tive cone and crater was separated from the wall and 
 trench by an extensive snow field which exhibited most 
 surprising features. Here and there rose mounds and 
 pinnacles of the most varied and fantastic appearance. 
 
 **Some resembled beehives, others were like huge ven- 
 tilating cowls, others like isolated turrets, and others 
 again in shape resembled various animals, ' ' 
 
 It was now time to return and prepare a hot meal, 
 and during this interval of rest it was discovered that 
 Brocklehurst had both feet badly frozen. For nearly 
 nine hours he had bravely climbed in this painful and 
 serious condition. Every effort was made by Marshall 
 to restore circulation and after lunch he was left in 
 the three man sleeping bag while the others ascended to 
 the crater rim. Taking every precaution against acci- 
 dent they roped themselves together and cautiously ad- 
 vanced over the snowfield, keeping a close lookout for 
 crevasses, while they steered their way to the peculiar 
 mounds. These eventually proved to be ''the outward 
 
Lieutenant Shachleton's Voyage 299 
 
 and visible signs of fumaroles" or volcanic vapour wells 
 from which in milder zones rises a thin cloud of steam, 
 and slight warmth, but, writes Shackleton, ''the fuma- 
 roles of Erebus have their vapour turned into ice as soon 
 as it reaches the surface of the snow-plain." 
 
 On their return to camp they found Brocklehurst 
 progressing as well as could be hoped for and prepara- 
 tions were made for an earl}^ start the following morn- 
 ing, when they intended making their way to the active 
 criater. 
 
 On the 10th of March, after a journey of four hours 
 and at an altitude of 13,300 ft., they reached its edge. 
 
 *'We stood," writes a member of the party, "on the 
 verge of a vast abyss, and at first could see neither to 
 the bottom nor across it on account of the huge mass 
 of steam filling the crater and soaring aloft in a column 
 500 to 1,000 ft. high. After a continuous loud hissing 
 sound, lasting for some minutes, there would come from 
 below a big, dull boom, and immediately great globular 
 masses of steam would rush upwards to swell the volume 
 of the snow white cloud which ever sways over the 
 crater. This phenomenon recurred at intervals during 
 the whole of our stay at the crater. Meanwhile, the air 
 around us was extremely redolent of burning sulphur. 
 Presently a pleasant northerly breeze fanned away the 
 steam cloud, and at once the whole crater stood re- 
 vealed to us in all its vast extent and depth. Mawson's 
 angular measurement made the depth 900 ft., and the 
 greatest width about half a mile. There were at least 
 three well defined openings at the bottom of the caul- 
 dron, and it was from these that the steam explosions 
 proceeded. Near the southwest portion of the crater 
 there was an immense rib in the rim, perhaps 300 to 
 
300 The Seventh Continent 
 
 400 ft. deep. The crater wall opposite the one at the 
 top of which we were standing presented features of 
 special interest. Beds of dark pumiceous lava or pum- 
 ice alternated with white zones of snow. There was no 
 direct evidence that the snow was bedded with the lava, 
 though it was possible that such may have been the 
 case. From the top of one of the thickest of the lava 
 or pumice beds, just where it touched the belt of snow, 
 there rose scores of small steam jets all in a row. They 
 were too numerous and too close together to have been 
 each an independent fumarole, the appearance was 
 rather suggestive of the snow being converted into 
 steam by the heat of the layer of rock immediately be- 
 low iV 
 
 After collecting geological specimens the party re- 
 turned to camp and made a hasty meal preparatory to 
 the return, Brocklehurst insisting on carrying his heavy 
 burden in spite of his frost-bitten feet. Taking a 
 course a little westward of their ascent they floundered 
 down a precipitous rubbly spur of rock for a distance 
 of several hundred feet when they discovered that this 
 ended abruptly in a steep neve slope. Taking the path 
 of least resistance, they launched their loads down these 
 long slopes and proceeded to glissade after them. 
 
 ''As they gathered speed on the downward course,'' 
 writes Shackleton, ''and the chisel-edge of the ice-axe 
 bit deeper into the hard neve, their necks and faces 
 were sprayed with a shower of ice. All reached the bot- 
 tom of the slope safely (a distance of five or six hun- 
 dred feet) and they repeated this glissade down each 
 succeeding snow slope towards the foot of the main 
 cone. Here and there they bumped heavily on hard sas- 
 trugi and both clothes and equipment suffered in the 
 
Lieutenant Shackleton's Voyage 301 
 
 rapid descent, unfortunately also, one of the aneroids 
 was lost and one of the hypsomete thermometers broken. 
 At last the slope flattened out to the gently inclined 
 terrace where the depot lay, and they reached it by 
 walking. Altogether they had dropped down 5,000 ft. 
 between three in the afternoon and seven in the even- 
 ing.'' 
 
 At the depot they found that the blizzard of the 8th 
 had overturned their sledge and scattered the load, the 
 missing articles being covered with snow. 
 
 After camping for the night they made an early 
 start the following morning and in the face of an ap- 
 proaching blizzard which necessitated abandoning their 
 sled and making a forced march in grey uncertain light 
 toward Cape Royds, the last half mile seeming the most 
 wearisome of the entire distance to the tired travellers. 
 Upon reaching winter quarters once more they received 
 a true ovation. 
 
 The preparation and laying down of depots for Shack- 
 leton's great southern journey, on which he planned to 
 start the latter part of October, 1908, minor excursions 
 incident to scientific research, and the usual occupa- 
 tions of the routine life occupied the succeeding months 
 and the entire party passed the Antarctic night in good 
 health and spirits. 
 
 The second great achievement of the expedition weis 
 the attainment of the South Magnetic Pole by Professor 
 David, Dr. Mackay and Mr. Douglas Mawson. The 
 Northern party, as they were called, left Cape Royds 
 October, 1908, and after picking up one of the depots 
 to the west proceeded by way of the sea-ice along the 
 coast. The heavily laden sledges were dragged forward 
 in relays, the members of the party being obliged to 
 
302 The Seventh Continent 
 
 cover the distance three times, for every mile advanced ; 
 in this laborious manner they travelled 250 miles, but 
 the progress was so slow that it was necessary to sup- 
 plement the rations by the flesh of seals and penguins. 
 As the heat of the sun's rays became stronger the men, 
 though travelling and sleeping upon the ice, found 
 the exertion of dragging the heavily laden sledges more 
 and more trying, and began to complain of the heat, 
 necessitating the removal of some of their extra gar- 
 ments. After establishing a depot on Drygalski Bar- 
 rier Tongue, they proceeded mth six weeks' provisions 
 and proceeded inland to cover an estimated distance 
 of 200 miles to the Magnetic Pole. As they proceeded 
 inland they were obliged to cross a high, deeply crev- 
 assed plateau. Bad weather attended their laborious 
 advance, while blizzards and heavy snow falls made 
 progress difficult and well nigh impossible. 
 
 At the south of Mount Larsen, they ascended a suc- 
 cession of snow terraces until they reached elevation 
 about 8,000 feet above the level of the sea. 
 
 On January 16th, 1909, they reached their goal and 
 raised the Union Jack in honor of his Majesty in 72° 
 45' South, longitude 145°. 
 
 The return of the party was a race against starva- 
 tion and the force of the elements. The men knew that 
 instructions at winter quarters to the Captain of the 
 /'Nimrod" would inaugurate a search for them about 
 February 1st in the direction of the depot at Drygalski 
 Glacier. On January 17th, they had about 249 miles to 
 cover and an effort was made to average sixteen and two- 
 thirds miles a day. They were now almost without food 
 and it was highly important to reach the coast as soon as 
 possible. Delayed by thick weather, and the long detours 
 
Lieutenant Shackleton^s Voyage 303 
 
 incident to the deeply crevassed snow fields over which 
 they were wearily wending their way, they were yet some 
 distance from Drygalski Barrier on the third of Feb- 
 ruary. Fortunately on that day they secured an Em- 
 peror Penguin and its flesh and liver when boiled with 
 a little snow over the Primus was the most satisfying 
 meal they had had for many a day. 
 
 ''After lunch," writes Professor David, ''we sledged 
 on for over one and a half miles further towards the 
 depot, and at about 10 :30 p. m. reached an ice mound 
 on the south side of the inlet in which the snow canon 
 terminated seawards. This camping spot was a little 
 over a mile distant from our depot. We were now all 
 thoroughly exhausted and decided to camp. The spot 
 we had selected seemed specially suitable, as from the 
 adjacent ice mound we could get a good view of the 
 ocean beyond the Drygalski Barrier. While Mawson 
 and I got up the tent, Mackay went to kill a seal at the 
 shore of the inlet. He soon returned with plenty of seal 
 meat and liver. He said that he had found two young 
 seals, and had killed one of them; that they had both 
 behaved in a most unusual manner, scuttling away 
 quickly and actively at his approach, instead of waiting 
 without moving, as did most of the Weddell seals 
 that had been previously killed. We discovered later 
 that these two seals belonged to the comparatively rare 
 variety known as Ross seal. After a delicious meal of 
 seal blubber, blood and oil, with fried meat and liver, 
 cooked by Mawson, Mawson and I turned into the sleep- 
 ing bag, leaving Mackay to take the first of our four 
 hour watches on the lookout for the "Nimrod." During 
 his watch he walked up to our depot and dug out our 
 biscuit tin, which had served us as a blubber lamp and 
 
304 The Seventh Continent 
 
 cooker, together with the cut-down paraffin tin which 
 we had used as a frying-pan. Both these he carried 
 down to our tent. There he lit the blubber lamp just 
 outside the tent and cooked some penguin meat, regal- 
 ing himself at intervals during his four hours' watch 
 with dainty morsels from the savoury dish. When he 
 called me up at 4 a. m. I found that he had thoughtfully 
 put into the frying-pan a junk of Emperor's breast, 
 weighing about two pounds, for me to toy with during 
 my watch. A chilly wind was blowing off the plateau, 
 and I was truly thankful for an occasional nibble at the 
 hot penguin meat. After cooking some more penguin 
 meat I called up Mawson soon after 8 a. m. on Febru- 
 ary 4th, and immediately afterwards turned into the 
 bag, and at once dropped off sound asleep." 
 
 Upon awaking and enjoying another warm repast the 
 weary travellers discussed their future prospects. If 
 the ''Nimrod" did not come to their rescue there was 
 the hard journey back over the sea ice — with only such 
 food as they could procure by killing seals and pen- 
 guins on the way. The prospect was anything but 
 cheerful, and they had just decided to gather up their 
 belongings and make for the depot when a loud report 
 of cannon, seemingly at the tent door, made them start 
 toward that opening with a precipitous rush. 
 
 "Mawson gave tongue first," writes Professor David, 
 * ' roaring out, ' A gun from the ship. ' * Bring something 
 to wave, ' shouted Mawson, and I rushed back to the tent 
 and seized Mackay's ruck-sack. As I ran forward this 
 time, what a sight met my gaze. There was the dear old 
 *Nimrod' not a quarter of a mile away, steaming 
 straight towards us up the inlet, her bows just rounding 
 the entrance. At the sight of the three of us running 
 
Liiutenant ShacHeton's Voyage 305 
 
 frantically to meet the ship, hearty ringing cheers burst 
 forth from all on board. How those cheers stirred every 
 fibre of one's being! It would be hard, indeed, for any 
 one, not situated as we had been, to realize the sudden 
 revulsion of our feelings. In a moment, as dramatic as 
 it was heavenly, we seemed to have passed from death 
 into life. My first feelings were of intense relief and 
 joy; then of fervent gratitude to the kind Providence 
 which had so mercifully led our friends to our deliver- 
 ance. 
 
 **A sudden shout from Mackay called me back to 
 earth, 'Mawson's fallen into a deep crevasse. Look 
 out, it 's just in front of you ! ' I then saw that Mackay 
 was kneeling on the snow near the edge of a small ob- 
 long sapphire-blue hole in the neve. 'Are you all right, 
 Mawson?' he sang out, and from the depth came up 
 the welcome word 'Yes.' Mackay then told me that 
 Mawson was about twenty feet down the crevasse. We 
 decided to try and pull him up with the sledge harness, 
 and hurried back to the sledge, untoggled the harness, 
 ran back with it to the crevasse, and let one end down 
 to Mawson. We found, however, that combined strength 
 was insufficient to pull him up and that there was a risk, 
 too, of the snow lid at the surface falling in on Maw- 
 son, if weight was put upon it, unless it was strength- 
 ened with some planking. Accordingly we gave up the 
 attempt to haul Mawson up, and while I remained at 
 the crevasse holding one end of the sledge harness, 
 Mackay hurried off for help to the 'Nimrod,' which 
 was now berthing alongside of the south wall of the in- 
 let, about two hundred yards distant. Mackay shouted 
 to those on board, 'Mawson has fallen down a crevasse 
 and we got to the Magnetic Pole.' The accident had 
 
306 The Seventh Continent 
 
 taken place so suddenly that those on board had not 
 realized in the least what had happened. A clear, firm, 
 cheery voice, that was strange to me, was now heard 
 issuing prompt orders for a rescue party. Almost in 
 less time than it takes to write it, officers and sailors 
 were swarming over the bows of the 'Nimrod,' and 
 dropping on the ice barrier beneath. I called down to 
 Mawson that help was at hand. He said that he was 
 quite comfortable at present; that there was sea water 
 at the bottom of the crevasse, but that he had been able 
 to sustain himself a couple of feet above it on the small 
 ledge that had arrested his fall. Meanwhile, the rescue 
 party, headed by the first officer of the 'Nimrod,' J. 
 K. Davis, had arrived on the scene. The crevasse was 
 bridged with a suitable piece of sawn timber, and Davis, 
 with that spirit of thoroughness which characterises all 
 his work, promptly had himself lowered down the cre- 
 vasse. On reaching the bottom he transferred the rope 
 by which he had been lowered to Mawson, and, with a 
 long pull and a strong pull and a pull altogether, the 
 company of the 'Nimrod' soon had Mawson safe on 
 top, none the worse for the accident, with the exception 
 that his back was slightly bruised. As soon as the rope 
 was cast free from Mawson, it was let down again for 
 Davis, and presently he, too, was safely on top. 
 
 "And now," concludes Pi-ofessor David, "we had a 
 moment of leisure to see who constituted the rescue 
 party. There were the dear old faces so well known 
 on our voyage together the previous year and inter- 
 spersed with them were a few new faces. Here were 
 our old comrades Armitage and Brocklehurst, Dr. 
 Michell, Harbord (the officer, who — as we learned later 
 — had sighted our depot flag) , our good stewards Ansell 
 
Lieutenant Shackleton's V ay age 307 
 
 and Ellis, the genial boatswain Cheetham, Paton, and a 
 number of others. What a joyous grasping of hands 
 and hearty all-round welcoming followed. Foremost 
 among them all to welcome us was Captain Evans who 
 had commanded the S.S. 'Koonya, ' which towed the 
 'Nimrod' from Littleton to beyond the Antarctic Circle, 
 and it goes without saying that the fact that the 'Nim- 
 rod ^ was now in command of a master of such experience 
 so well and favourably known in the shipping world of 
 New Zealand and Australia, gave us the greatest satis- 
 faction. . . . 
 
 "While willing hands packed up our sledge, tent and 
 other belongings, Captain Evans walked with us to the 
 rope ladder hanging over the bows of the 'Nimrod.' 
 Quickly as all this had taken place, Mackay had already 
 found time to secure a pipe and some tobacco from one 
 of our crew, and was now puffing away to his heart's 
 content. We were soon all on the deck of the 'Nimrod' 
 once more, and were immediately stood up in a row 
 to be photographed. As soon as the cameras had worked 
 their wicked will upon us, for we were a sorry sight, our 
 friends hurried us off for afternoon tea. After our one 
 hundred and twenty-two days of hard toil over the sea 
 ice of the coast and the great snow desert of the hinter- 
 land, the little ship seemed to us as luxurious as an 
 ocean liner. To find oneself seated once more in a 
 comfortable chair, and to be served witli new-made 
 bread, fresh butter, cake and tea, was Elysium. 
 
 ' ' We heard of the narrow escape of Armitage, Priest- 
 ley and Brocklehurst, when they were being carried out 
 to sea, with only two days' provisions, on a small ice 
 floe surrounded by Killer whales; and how, just after 
 the momentary grounding of the floe, they were all just 
 
308 The Seventh Continent 
 
 able to leap ashore at a spot where they were picked 
 up later by the 'Nimrod.' We also heard of the extraor- 
 dinary adventures and escapes of Mackintosh and Mc- 
 Gillan in their forced march overland, without tent or 
 sleeping-bag, from Mount Bird to Cape Royds; of the 
 departure of the supporting party to meet the South- 
 ern Party; and, in short, of all the doings at Cape 
 Royds and on the 'Nimrod' since we had last heard any 
 news. Pleasantly the buzz of our friends' voices 
 blended itself with the gentle fizzing of steam from the 
 'Nimrod's' boiler, and surely since the days of John 
 Gilpin *were never folk so glad,' as were we three." 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 shackleton's southern journey 
 
 LIEUTENANT SHACKLETON'S Southern Jour- 
 ney, the third and greatest achievement of this 
 extraordinary expedition, was the culmination of 
 carefully thought out plans, and the deposit of depots 
 far out in advance of the harrier ice. 
 
 Ever since the landing of the shore party the utmost 
 attention had been given to the care and training of 
 the ponies and dogs, that they should be hardened and 
 in fit condition for the strenuous work upon which the 
 success of this attempt to reach the South Pole so much 
 depended. A maximum weight of 650 pounds to be 
 drawn by each pony was estimated as that which prom- 
 ised the most efficient results. 
 
 The sledges were especially adapted to the ice-crust 
 over which they were expected to travel, metal being 
 used very sparingly in their construction, the object 
 to be attained being suppleness and durability and for 
 this carefully selected hickory wood was held together 
 for the most part with rawhide lashings. Shackleton 
 dispensed entirely with the iron runners which the ex- 
 perience of his former journey while a member of the 
 ''Discovery" expedition had proved unsatisfactory. 
 
 The food supply had been selected with a view to the 
 greatest amount of nourishment to the minimum weight 
 and included pemmican, — ground beef mixed with lard 
 
 309 
 
310 The Seventh Continent 
 
 — sugar, biscuits, cheese, plasmon, tea, cocoa and choco- 
 late. An *' emergency ration," consisting of crushed 
 bacon and beans to which was added pemmican and 
 powdered biscuit and when heated altogether made a 
 quickly prepared and nourishing dish called "hoosh." 
 
 Shackleton's plan was to follow a route about 40 
 miles farther east than Scott had done, in order to avoid 
 if possible the rough and crevassed ice near the great 
 range mountains running southward. 
 
 He chose for his companions Dr. Marshall, Wild and 
 Adams, and on the 28th of October, 1908, with provi- 
 sions for ninety-one days, four ponies and four eleven- 
 foot sledges, this party left Cape Koyds. A supporting 
 party of five men provisioned for fourteen days accom- 
 panied them. 
 
 The first camp was made at Hut Point and here they 
 were delayed until the 3rd of November by one of the 
 ponies which had gone lame crossing the sea-ice. Upon 
 passing the end of White Island the surface of the 
 snow became softer, which commenced the trying condi- 
 tions of travel with which they were forced to contend 
 for the entire journey. Numerous crevasses loomed 
 dangerously in their path and on the 7th of November 
 the supporting party bid farewell and returned to quar- 
 ters. 
 
 What had appeared to be a level plain over which 
 there was every indication of propitious travelling, 
 turned out to be a treacherous maze of crevasses in 
 many places lightly covered with snow so that the eye 
 must constantly be on the lookout for fear of fatal ac- 
 cident. In spite of every precaution, one of the ponies 
 went down and narrowly escaped dragging Adams and 
 half of the provisions of the party after him. The dif- 
 
Shackleton's Smithern Journey 311 
 
 ficulty of extricating a heavy pony from such a precari- 
 ous position was no light work, and the several occasions 
 of these accidents, added greatly to the drain upon the 
 strength and endurance of the men. 
 
 In spite of accident and the stress of high winds, an 
 average advance of fifteen miles was kept up for a 
 considerable period, each man leading his pony and 
 taking turns in breaking the trail. Upon reaching the 
 great wind swept snow plain their advance was through 
 the great sastrugi, characteristic of this desolate region. 
 
 Stores were picked up at Depot A, which was reached 
 the 15th of November; at the second distant about 
 eighty-eight miles further, one of the ponies which had 
 broken down was killed. Part of the meat and other 
 rations were left here for the return and a flag marked 
 the depot, although in the uncertain light this could 
 be seen only for a short distance. At each camp they 
 built a mound of snow to guide them on the return 
 journey. 
 
 On November 22nd, in 81° 8' South, Shackleton 
 writes : 
 
 *'The outstanding feature of to-day's march is that 
 we have seen new land to the south — land never seen 
 by human eyes before. The land consists of great snow- 
 clad heights rising beyond Mount Longstaff, and also 
 far inland to the north of Mount Markham. These 
 heights we did not see on our journey south on the last 
 expedition, for we were too close to the land, or, rather, 
 foothills, but now at the great distance we are out they 
 can be seen plainly." 
 
 From now on each mile showed them new land of 
 lofty mountains, estimated at over 10,000 ft. in height. 
 
 Two days later, November 26th, they passed the lati- 
 
312 The Seventh Continent 
 
 tude of Scott's ''furthest South"; that day he writes: 
 
 ''It falls to the lot of few men to view land not pre- 
 viously seen by human eyes, and it was with feelings 
 of keen curiosity, not unmingled with awe, that we 
 watched the new mountains rise from the great unknown 
 that lay ahead of us. Mighty peaks they were, the eter- 
 nal snows at their bases, and their rough-hewn forms 
 rising high towards the sky. No man of us could tell 
 what we would discover in our march south, what won-^ 
 ders might not be revealed to us, and our imaginations 
 would take wings until a stumble in the snow, the sharp 
 pangs of hunger, or the dull ache of physical weariness 
 brought back our attention to the needs of the immediate 
 present. 
 
 "As the day wore on, and mountain after mountain 
 came into view, grimly majestic, the consciousness of 
 our insignificance seemed to grow upon us. We were 
 but tiny black specks crawling slowly and painfully 
 across the white plain, and bending our puny strength 
 to the task of wresting from nature secrets preserved 
 inviolate through all ages. Our anxiety to learn what 
 lay beyond was none the less keen, however, and the 
 long days of marching over the Barrier surface were 
 saved from monotony by the continued appearance of 
 new land to the southeast. ' ' 
 
 It now looked as if this mountainous range must be 
 crossed if an advance upon the Pole was to be hoped 
 for. 
 
 On December 2nd there was only one pony left, and 
 the travelling was growing more and more difficult. 
 High pressure ridges enormously crevassed made fur- 
 ther travel on the Barrier impracticable and it was de- 
 termined to strike due south to the land. On December 
 
Shackleton^s Southern Journey 313 
 
 4th, Shackleton makes the entry: 
 
 "Unable to write yesterday owing to a bad attack of 
 snow blindness, and not much better to-night, but I must 
 record the events of the two most remarkable days that 
 we have experienced since leaving the winter quarters. 
 After breakfast at 5:30 a. m. yesterday, we started off 
 from camp, leaving all camp gear standing and a good 
 feed by Socks to last him the whole day. We got un- 
 ^ der way at 9 a. m., taking four biscuits, four lumps 
 of sugar and two ounces of chocolate each for lunch. 
 We hoped to get water at the first of the rocks when we 
 landed. Hardly had we gone one hundred yards when 
 we came to a crevasse, which we did not see very dis- 
 tinctly for the light was bad, and the sun obscured by 
 clouds. We roped up and went on in single file, each 
 with his ice-pick handy. I found it very difficult to 
 see clearly with my goggles, and so took them off, and the 
 present attack of snow-blindness is the result, for the sun 
 came out gloriously later on. We crossed several crev- 
 asses filled with snow except at the sides, the gaps being 
 about 2 ft. wide, and the whole crevasses from 10 to 20 
 ft. across. Then we were brought up all standing by an 
 enormous chasm about 80 ft. wide and 300 ft. deep which 
 lay right across our route. This chasm was similar to, 
 only larger than, the one we encountered in latitude 80° 
 30' South when on the southern journey with Captain 
 Scott during the ''Discovery" Expedition. By making 
 a detour to the right we found that it gradually pinched 
 out and became filled with snow, and so we were able 
 to cross and resume our line to the land, which very 
 deceptively appeared quite close but was really some 
 miles away. 
 
 ''Crossing several ridges of ice-pressure and many 
 
314 The Seventh Continent 
 
 more crevasses, we eventually at 12 :30 p. m. reached an 
 area of smooth blue ice in which were embedded several 
 granite boulders, and here we obtained a drink of deli- 
 cious water formed by the sun playing on the rock face 
 and heating the ice at the base. After travelling for 
 half a mile, we reached the base of the mountain which 
 we hoped to climb in order to gain a view of the sur- 
 rounding country. This hill is composed of granite, 
 the red appearance being no doubt due to the iron. At 
 1 p. M. we had a couple of biscuits and some water, 
 and then started to make our way up the precipitous 
 rock face. This was the most difficult part of the whole 
 climb, for the granite was weathered and split in every 
 direction, and some of the larger pieces seemed to be 
 just nicely balanced on smaller pieces, so that one could 
 almost push them over by a touch. With great diffi- 
 culty we clambered up this rock face, and then ascended 
 a gentle snow slope to another rocky bit, but not so 
 difficult to climb. From the top of this ridge there 
 burst upon our view an open road to the South, for 
 there stretched before us a great glacier running almost 
 south and north between two huge mountain ranges. 
 As far as we could see, except towards the mouth, the 
 glacier appeared to be smooth, yet this was not a cer- 
 tainty, for the distance was so great. Eagerly we 
 clambered up the remaining ridges and over a snow- 
 slope, and found ourselves at the top of the mountain, 
 the height being 3,350 ft. according to aneroid and 
 hypsometer. From the summit we could see the glacier 
 stretching away south inland till at last it seemed to 
 merge in high inland ice. Where the glacier fell into 
 the Barrier about northeast bearing, the pressure waves 
 were enormous, and for miles the surface of the Barrier 
 
SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON 
 
Shackleton's Scmihern Journey 315 
 
 was broken up. This was what we had seen ahead of us 
 the last few days, and we now understood the reason of 
 the commotion on the Barrier surface. To the south- 
 east we could see the lofty range of mountains we had 
 been following still stretching away in the same direc- 
 tion, and we can safely say that the Barrier is bounded 
 by a chain of mountains extending in a south-easterly 
 direction as far as the 86th parallel South. The moun- 
 tains to the west appear to be more heavily glaciated 
 than the ones to the eastward. There are some huge 
 granite faces on the southern sides of the mountains, 
 and these faces are joined up by cliffs of a very dark 
 hue. To the south-south-east, towards what is appar- 
 ently the head of the glacier, there are several sharp 
 cones of very black rock, eight or nine in all. Beyond 
 these are red granite faces, with sharp needle-like spurs, 
 similar in appearance to the 'cathedral' rocks described 
 by Armitage in connection with the ' Discovery ' Expedi- 
 tion to the western mountains. Turning to the west, 
 the mountains on that side appeared to be rounded and 
 covered with huge masses of ice, and glaciers showing 
 the lines of crevasses. In the far distance there is what 
 looked like an active volcano. There is a big mountain 
 with a cloud on the top, bearing all the appearance of 
 steam from an active cone. It would be very interesting 
 to find an active volcano so far south. After taking 
 bearings of the trend of the mountains, Barrier and 
 glacier, we ate our frugal lunch and wished for more 
 and then descended." 
 
 Shackleton now decided to travel over this great gla- 
 cier, this magnificent ''Highway to the South." This 
 journey is one of the most remarkable in Polar history. 
 Upon closer acquaintance this immediate glacier, which 
 
316 The Seventh Continent 
 
 had looked smooth and beautiful in the distance was 
 found to he honeycombed with crevasses, some open, 
 others more treacherous because hidden under the snow. 
 The heavily loaded sledges could not be drawn over 
 these blue-black caverns but as each bottomless cut ap- 
 peared the loads had to be lightened and carried across 
 in relays, thus making every mile advanced one of the 
 most strenuous and back breaking toil. 
 
 The one remaining pony sank repeatedly to his belly 
 in the soft snow, and had to be continually hauled out 
 of pitfalls, making the work of the men yet more dan- 
 gerous and arduous. 
 
 By December 6th they had crawled 1700 ft. up this 
 fateful pathway to the Pole. The following day in the 
 uncertain gray light Wild called suddenly for ' ' Help ! ' ' 
 and upon the others rushing to his assistance they saw 
 the pony sledge with the forward end down a crevasse 
 and Wild reaching out from the side of the gulf grasp- 
 ing the sledge. The pony had entirely disappeared, and 
 the marvel was that Wild had been spared a similar fate, 
 but he fortunately scrambled out unhurt. 
 
 The loss of this last pony, which was to have been 
 shot that night, as it could no longer proceed over the 
 disturbed glacier face, was the loss to the men of just 
 so much reserve food, and was in all probability, the 
 unforeseen cause of their non-attainment of the South 
 Pole. 
 
 ''Wild says," writes Shackleton, "he just felt a sort 
 of rushing wind, the leading rope was snatched from 
 his hand, and he put out his arms and just caught the 
 further edge of the chasm. Fortunately for Wild and 
 us. Sock's weight snapped the swingle-tree of the sledge, 
 so it was saved, though the upper bearer was broken. We 
 
Shackletan^s Souihern Journey 317 
 
 lay down on our stomachs and looked over into the gulf, 
 but no sound or sign came to us ; a black bottomless pit 
 it seemed to be. We hitched the pony sledge to our- 
 selves and started off again, now with a weight of 1,000 
 lb. for the four of us/^ 
 
 On the 9th Marshall went down and entirely disap- 
 peared, and was only saved by his harness. Constant 
 falls, bruises, cut shins, and the unremitting watchful- 
 ness necessary to avoid the crevasses and *' razor-edged ' * 
 ice, with insufficient food and in the face of cutting 
 winds, was the daily lot of these courageous adventurers 
 along the 100 miles travelled in the Great Beardmore 
 glacier. 
 
 The question of food became the great factor in their 
 advance. On December 18th they had reached an alti- 
 tude of 7,400 ft. above sea level and on that night Shack- 
 leton makes entry: 
 
 *'We have been saving food to make it spin out, and 
 that increases our hunger; each night we all dream of 
 food. We save two biscuits per man per day, also pem- 
 mican and sugar, ekeing out our food with pony maize, 
 which we soak in water to make less hard. All this 
 means that we have now five weeks' food, while we are 
 about 300 geographical miles from the Pole, with the 
 same distance back to the last depot we left yesterday, 
 so we must march on short food to reach our goal. The 
 temperature is plus 16° Fahr. to-night, but the cold 
 wind all the morning cut our faces and broken lips. 
 We keep crevasses with us still, but I think that to- 
 morrow will see the end of this. When we passed the 
 main slope to-day more mountains appeared to the west 
 of south, some with sheer cliffs and other rounded off, 
 ending in long snow slopes. I judge the southern limit 
 
318 The Seventh Continent 
 
 of the mountains to the west to be about latitude 86° 
 South.'' 
 
 On December 21st the Midsummer day of the Ant- 
 arctic, there was 28° of frost, and the men suffered from 
 frost bites; they were now travelling at an elevation of 
 8,000 ft. above sea level. On that day they covered a 
 distance of six miles in the face of a strong wind. 
 
 ' * We are very hungry now, ' ' he writes. ' ' Thank God 
 we are fit and well and have had no accident, which is 
 a mercy, seeing that we have covered over 130 miles 
 of crevassed ice." 
 
 And the next day there is the entry : 
 
 ** Please God, ahead of us there is a clear road to the 
 Pole." He adds: "We are very hungry indeed, and 
 talk a great deal of what we would like to eat. ' ' 
 
 Christmas day the plateau surface was fairly reached 
 in an altitude of 9500 ft., the men travelling laboriously 
 in the face of drifting snow and a biting wind. On this 
 day a still further reduction of food was inaugurated. 
 The advance on the plateau was a weary climb of ridge 
 after ridge of undulating snow. " If a great snow plain 
 rising every seven miles in a steep ridge can be called 
 a plateau, then we are on it at last," wrote Shackleton. 
 At an altitude of 10,310 ft. the men suffered from bad 
 headaches, probably due to a combination of insuffi- 
 cient food and mountain sickness, several bled from the 
 nose, all felt the great strain of physical effort in this 
 high altitude. 
 
 New Year's day the record is very brief — they had 
 compassed eleven miles — ''struggling up hill all day in 
 very soft snow" — 10,755 ft. above sea level. The fol- 
 lowing day Shackleton writes: 
 
 "A cold wind with a temperature of minus 14° Fahr., 
 
^ SJmckleton's Southern Journey 319 
 
 goes right through us now, as we are weakening from 
 want of food, and the high altitude makes every move- 
 ment an effort, especially if we stumble on the march. 
 My head is giving me trouble all the time. Wild seems 
 the most fit of us. God knows we are doing all we can, 
 but the outlook is serious if this surface continues and 
 the plateau gets higher, for we are not travelling fast 
 enough to make our food spin out and get back to our 
 depot in time. ... I feel that if we go on too far it 
 will be impossible to get back over this surface, and then 
 all the results will be lost to the world. We can now 
 definitely locate the South Pole on the highest plateau 
 in the world, and our geological and meteorological rec- 
 ords will be of the greatest use to science ; but all this is 
 not the Pole. Man can only do his best, and we have 
 arrayed against us the strongest forces of nature. This 
 cutting south wind with drifts plays the mischief with 
 us, and after ten hours of struggling against it one pan- 
 nikin of food with two biscuits and a cup of cocoa does 
 not warm one up much.'' 
 
 They came to their final march on January 6 ; the 
 situation was too desperate to be protracted further; 
 they were now at an altitude of 12,200 ft. above sea 
 level and for two days were held fast in the teeth of a 
 raging blizzard. On January 19th, 1909, these un- 
 daunted men at 4 a. m. arose from the frozen sleeping 
 bags in which they had sheltered themselves against the 
 tempests, leaving everything behind them, and racing, 
 half walking, half running, reached by nine o'clock 88° 
 23' South in 162° East, where they raised the Queen's 
 flag, then the Union Jack, and took possession of this 
 vast snow-clad plateau in the name of his majesty the 
 King. 
 
320 The Seventh Continent 
 
 To the South, lying white and silent under the South- 
 ern Cross distant 97 miles across the trackless wilder- 
 ness, was the great undiscovered goal of their ambi- 
 tions. 
 
 Lieutenant Shackleton in this extraordinary south- 
 ward journey had outdistanced the previous record by 
 336 geographical miles, an unprecedented feat in the 
 history of Polar exploration. It was a stupendous 
 achievement, and the return of over a distance of 700 
 miles to the ship was still more remarkable. They had 
 started on their journey South in the best of health, well 
 nourished and with an excellent reserve vitality, but the 
 journey northward to the distant depots upon which life 
 itself depended, was made by a series of forced marches 
 in an enfeebled and half -famished condition, the results 
 of constant exposure and incessant toil telling more and 
 more upon them, and the marvel was that they ever 
 managed to pull through. 
 
 The strength of the fearful south wind which had in- 
 creased their labour on the journey out now helped them 
 on their return. Rigging a sail to the sledge they were 
 able to cover a distance of between twenty and thirty 
 miles a day — ^this remarkable retreat was all that saved 
 them — without the assistance of the wind to help them 
 travel they would have succumbed to starvation between 
 the depots. They crossed pressure ridge and treacher- 
 ous crevasse at full speed ; it was a case of riskiug life 
 and limb in the hope of ultimately reaching safety or 
 dying by the wayside, of hunger and exhaustion. Janu- 
 ary 26 and 27 are written up as one, for says Shackle- 
 ton: 
 
 ''They have been the hardest and most trying we 
 have ever spent in our lives^ and will ^ver stand in our 
 
Shackleton^s Souihern Journey 321 
 
 memories. To-night (the 27th) we had our first solid 
 food since the morning of the 26th. We came to the 
 end of all our provisions except a little cocoa and tea, 
 and from 7 a. m. on the 26th till 2 p. m. on the 27th 
 we did 16 miles over the worst surfaces and most dan- 
 gerous crevasses we have ever encountered, only stop- 
 ping for tea or cocoa till they were finished, and march- 
 ing twenty hours at a stretch, through snow 10 to 18 
 in. thick as a rule, with sometimes 2i/^ ft. of it. We 
 fell into hidden crevasses time after time, and were 
 saved by each other and by our harness. In fact, only 
 an all-merciful Providence has guided our steps to to- 
 night's safety at our depot. I cannot describe ade- 
 quately the mental and physical strain of the last 
 forty-eight hours. When w^e started at 7 a. m. yester- 
 day, we immediately got into soft snow, an uphill pull 
 with hidden crevasses. The biscuit was all finished, and 
 with only one pannikin of hoosh, mostly pony maize, 
 and one of tea, we marched till noon. Then we had one 
 pannikin of tea and one ounce of chocolate, and marched 
 till 4:45 p. M. We had one pannikin of tea. There 
 was no more food. We marched till 10 p. m., then one 
 small pannikin of cocoa. Marched till 2 a. m., when 
 we were played out. We had one pannikin of cocoa, 
 and slept till 8 a. m. Then a pannikin of cocoa and we 
 marched till 1 p. m. and camped, about half a mile 
 from the depot. Marshall went on for food, and we got 
 a meal at 2 p. m. We turned in and slept. Adams fell 
 exhausted in his harness, but recovered and went on 
 again. Wild did the same the night before." 
 The following day he writes: 
 "Thank God we are on the Barrier again at last.'' 
 The entries grow more brief as the days slip by. 
 
322 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Wild was taken very ill with dysentery and the others 
 were hardly in better condition. 
 
 On February 4th he comments: 
 
 * ^ Cannot write more — All down with acute dysentery ; 
 terrible day. No march possible, outlook serious. . . . 
 Fine weather.'' 
 
 And three days later: 
 
 ** Blowing hard blizzard. Kept going till 6 p. m. 
 Dead tired. Short food ; very weak. ' ' 
 
 On the 16th he says: 
 
 *'We are so weak now that even to lift our depleted 
 provisions bag is an effort. When we break camp in 
 the morning we pull the tent off the poles and take it 
 down before we move the things inside, for the effort 
 of lifting the sleeping bags, etc., through the doorway 
 is too great. At night when we have come to camp 
 we sometimes have to lift our legs one at a time with 
 both hands in getting into the tent. It seems a severe 
 strain to lift one's feet without aid after we have stif- 
 fened from the day's march. Our fingers are extremely 
 painful. Some of us have big blisters that burst occa- 
 sionally." 
 
 The following day they marched nineteen miles in a 
 blinding blizzard and 42° of frost, and at night were 
 repeated the same dreams which had been theirs repeat- 
 edly of food — always of food. 
 
 Their hope of salvation lay in finding a depot of pro- 
 visions which was to be placed at the Bluff by Joyce and 
 men from the station, and on February 25th, while 
 nearing the vicinity they came upon the tracks of four 
 men going south. The next day they reached the Bluff 
 Depot, where at last food in variety and abundance sat- 
 isfied the hunger of the travellers. Though there were 
 
Shackleton's Sowthern Journey 323 
 
 luxuries in abundance the enfeebled men found that 
 after eating biscuit, two pannikins of pemmican fol- 
 lowed by cocoa, their contracted bodies could stand no 
 more and they were forced to stop. Though all the 
 men made an effort not to overeat, three days later 
 Marshall w^as taken seriously ill with paralysis of the 
 stomach and renewed dysentery, and in the face of this 
 serious situation a blizzard came on. 
 
 The following two days, though suffering but always 
 uncomplaining, Marshall kept on the march, but grew 
 steadily worse and Shackleton decided to pitch camp 
 and leave Marshall under Adams' care and push ahead 
 with "Wild for speedy relief. Leaving everything behind 
 except a prismatic compass, sleeping bags and food for 
 one day, they pressed forward at 4:30 p. m., February 
 28th and marched till 9 p. m., when they had some 
 * ' Hoosh, ' ' then continued until 2 a. m. of the 28th when 
 they stopped for an hour and a half off the northeast 
 end of White Island, but got no sleep ; then they pressed 
 on until 11 a. m., when the last of the food was fin- 
 ished. In the hope of attracting attention from Obser- 
 vation Hill, they kept flashing the heliograph, but re- 
 ceived no response. At 2 :30 p. m. open water was 
 sighted out four miles south of Cape Armitage; thick 
 weather now enveloped them, at this juncture the ice 
 over which they were making their way was swaying 
 up and down and they were in grave danger of being 
 carried out on it. They now abandoned their sledge 
 for speed alone would save them and the need of shel- 
 ter and food was imperative. 
 
 **We clambered over crevasses and snow slopes,'' 
 writes Shackleton, ''and after what seemed an almost 
 interminable struggle reached Castle Rock, from whence 
 
324 The Seventh Continent 
 
 I could see that there was open water all round to the 
 north. It was indeed a different home-coming from 
 what we had expected. Out on the Barrier and up on 
 the plateau our thought had often turned to the day 
 when we would get hack to the comfort and plenty of 
 the winter quarters, but we had never imagined fighting 
 our way to the hack door, so to speak, in such a cheerless 
 fashion. We reached the top of Ski Slope at 7 :45 p. m., 
 and from there we could see the hut and the bay. There 
 was no sign of the ship, and no smoke or other evidence 
 of life at the hut. We hurried on to the hut, our minds 
 busy with gloomy possibilities, and found not a man 
 there. There was a letter stating that the Northern 
 Party had reached the Magnetic Pole and that all par- 
 ties had been picked up except ours. The letter added 
 that the ship would be sheltering under Glacier Tongue 
 until February 26. It was February 28, and it was 
 with very keen anxiety in our minds that we proceeded 
 to search for food. If the ship was gone, our plight 
 and that of the two men left out on the Barrier was a 
 very serious one. 
 
 **We improvised a cooking vessel, found oil and a 
 Primus lamp, and had a good feed of biscuit, onions 
 and plum pudding, which were amongst the stores left 
 at the hut. We were utterly weary, but we had no 
 sleeping gear, our bags having been left with the sledge 
 and the temperature was very low. We found a piece 
 of roofing felt which we wrapped round us, and then 
 we sat up all night, the darkness being relieved only 
 when we occasionally lighted the lamp in order to se- 
 cure a little warmth. We tried to burn the magnetic 
 hut in the hope of attracting attention from the ship, 
 but we were not able to get it alight. We tried, too, to 
 
Shackleton's Southern Journey 325 
 
 tie the Union Jack to Vince's cross, on the hill, but we 
 were so played out that our cold fingers could not man- 
 age the knots. It was a bad night for us, and we were 
 glad indeed when the light came again. Then we man- 
 aged to get a little warmer, and at 9 a. m. we got the 
 magnetic hut alight, and put up the flag. All our fears 
 vanished when in the distance we saw the ship miraged 
 up. We signaled with the heliograph, and at 11 a. m., 
 on March 1st, we were on board the 'Nimrod' and once 
 more safe amongst friends. I will not attempt to de- 
 scribe our feelings. Every one was glad to see us, and 
 keen to know what we had done. They had given us up 
 for lost, and a search party had been going to start 
 that day in the hope of finding some trace of us." 
 
 Now occurred one of the most extraordinary acts of 
 heroism in the annals of Polar history and Shackleton 
 makes so brief an entry of it, treats it so much as a mat- 
 ter of natural sequence, that the reader's mind hardly 
 grasps its true significance when reading the matter 
 of fact account. 
 
 Step by step of this Great Southern journey, with its 
 hardships, its perils and its dangers, has been briefly 
 sketched. The return over the 700 miles of desolate 
 ice and snow, in the face of starvation and exhaustion 
 has been outlined, and the last forced march for help is 
 one of the greatest tests of endurance that human na- 
 ture has ever undergone. With practically no sleep 
 since February 27th, adding to the weariness and ex- 
 haustion of the weeks and weeks of accumulated strain, 
 Shackleton had hardly reached the shelter of the ship 
 March 1st, when he started back to face the cutting 
 South wind once again to bring in his loyal comrades 
 lying in anxious anticipation of his coming far out on 
 
326 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the Barrier ice. He says quite simply of this great act 
 of endurance and self-sacrifice: 
 
 ''I ordered out a relief party at once. I had a good 
 feed of bacon and fried bread, and started at 2 :30 p. m. 
 from the Barrier edge with Mackay, Mawson and Mc- 
 Gillan, leaving Wild on the 'Nimrod/ We marched 
 until 10 p. M., had dinner and turned in for a short 
 sleep. We were up again at 2 a. m. the next morning 
 (March 2), and travelled until 1 p. m., when we reached 
 the camp where I had left the two men. Marshall was 
 better, the rest having done him a lot of good, and he 
 was able to march and pull. After lunch we started 
 back again, and marched until 8 p. m. in fine weather. 
 We were under way again at 4 a. m. the next morning, 
 had lunch at noon, and reached the ice-edge at 3 p. m. 
 There was no sign of the ship, and the sea was freezing 
 over. We waited until 5 p. m., and then found that it 
 was possible to strike land at Pram Point. The weather 
 was coming on bad, clouding up from the southeast, and 
 Marshall was suffering from renewed dysentery, the 
 result of the heavy marching. 
 
 ''We therefore abandoned one tent and one sledge at 
 the ice edge, taking on only the sleeping bags and the 
 specimens. We climbed up Crater Hill, leaving every- 
 thing but the sleeping bags, for the weather was getting 
 worse, and at 9:35 p. m. commenced to slide down 
 towards Hut Point. We reached the winter quarters 
 at 9:50 and Marshall was put to bed. Mackay and I 
 lighted a carbide flare on the hill by Vince's cross, and 
 after dinner all hands turned in except Mackay and 
 myself. A short time after Mackay saw the ship ap- 
 pear. It was now blowing a hard blizzard, but Mackin- 
 tosh had seen our flare from a distance of nine miles. 
 
8hackleton*s Sauihern Journey 327 
 
 Adams and I went on board the 'Nimrod,' and Adams, 
 after surviving all the dangers of the interior of the 
 Antarctic continent, was nearly lost within sight of 
 safety. He slipped at the ice edge, owing to the fact 
 that he was wearing new finnesko, and only just saved 
 himself from going over. He managed to hang on until 
 rescued by a party from the ship. A boat went back 
 for Marshall and the others, and we were all safe on 
 board at 1 a. m. on March 4th." 
 
 During the return of the *'Nimrod," Shackleton 
 traced the coast of the mainland for a distance of about 
 50 miles south of Ballemy Island, to the southwest be- 
 yond Cape North. 
 
 Upon his return to England Lieutenant Shackleton 
 received among other honours that of knighthood in 
 recognition of the great results obtained. This reward 
 was bestowed by the King for the first time on an ex- 
 plorer of the Antarctic since the day of Sir James Clark 
 Ross. 
 
CHAPTER Xyi 
 
 HEROES OF THE ANTARCTIC 
 
 THE question often has been asked : What tempts 
 men to risk their lives not once, but twice, some- 
 times many times, in the trackless wilderness of 
 the Polar World ? And to this question the explorers 
 themselves make varied answers. * ' Love of adventure, ' ' 
 says one; '*A passion for science," says another; *'a 
 combination of the two," a third may claim; humaji 
 ambition to excel his fellowmen; the indescribable lure 
 of the unknown ; the desire to see with human eyes that 
 which no man has ever seen before ; to wrest from Na- 
 ture her most hidden secrets ; to indulge that great pas- 
 sion which is at the foundation of all human knowledge 
 — man's natural and insatiable curiosity. Whatever 
 may be the motive or the combination of motives that 
 prompt men to try not once but many times to over- 
 come the almost insurmountable obstacles that await the 
 adventurer in the frozen zones, they go back with con- 
 fidence and in all hardihood, weighing lightly against 
 the goal of their ambitions, the sufferings they must 
 endure, the privations, the painful accidents, the tor- 
 ture of frozen limbs, the agonies of slow starvation and 
 the probability always hovering near that their best ef- 
 forts may avail nothing and their puny human strength 
 be snuffed out by the hand of death. 
 
 The names of the men who have entered the ranks, 
 
 328 
 
Heroes of the Antarctic 329 
 
 flying banners of the North Star and the Southern 
 Cross are constantly repeated in the victories won. 
 There is the mysterious call borne on the icy winds that 
 lures them. back. Once an explorer of the Arctic or Ant- 
 arctic Zone, always at heart the rover of the frozen 
 world; the spirit of its mysterious claim is never lost; 
 the eye kindles at its memories the voice softens as he 
 narrates a past experience. Thus we find men going 
 back to try once more to do the thing no man has done 
 before, and year by year the Arctic and Antarctic have 
 claimed their heavy toll of human sacrifice — but not the 
 sordid sacrifice to Mammon that gathers in its hordes 
 of human victims in gentler climes — rather the votaries 
 of a distinct cult, who go forth to do the thing they 
 have set their minds to do because they cannot help it. 
 The rewards of success, weighed by the standards of a 
 sordid world, are nothing, the popular acclaim, perhaps 
 the unstinted praise to-day, the voice of which is lost 
 upon the light zephyrs of a heedless world to-morrow. 
 
 Men do great things because they themselves are great, 
 and not because a pigmy may stand upon the curb to 
 gape at them. The example which these men set before 
 the world, of steadfastness of purpose, of self-sacrifice, 
 of single-hearted devotion to a cause, of loyalty to 
 friendships, the tender care of enfeebled and dying com- 
 panions, when the stress of conditions under which 
 these tests are made almost justify less nobleness, and in 
 many cases the heroic tragedy of their untimely death, 
 are more potent in the results upon the human mind 
 than mere scientific data. 
 
 The layman needs these examples of the great quali- 
 ties latent in the heart of man. In the stress of his 
 every day existence he grows to disbelieve in their real- 
 
330 The Seventh Continent 
 
 ity, and it is only through the medium of some untoward 
 event that he once more is brought face to face with 
 their significance. 
 
 Thus we find Captain Robert F. Scott in the spring 
 of 1910 busily occupied in furthering the departure of 
 another British Antarctic expedition. Captain Scott 
 had planned this expedition with the utmost detail and 
 thoughtfulness. Through the public press he had ex- 
 plained the manner in which he desired to conduct his 
 enterprise, and aided by the members of the Royal Geo- 
 graphical Society and other learned bodies, a subscrip- 
 tion fund of $200,000 was raised to promote the expedi- 
 tion. The ''Terra Nova," a Dundee whaling ship, was 
 selected and refitted. Prior to her last voyage she 
 had made several trips to Arctic waters and had proved 
 her efficiency in ice navigation. Captain Scott made 
 every preparation for the equipment towards achieving 
 the great results he hoped from his undertaking. He 
 carried with him three newly devised motor sledges in- 
 tended for ice travel, as well as the usual dog sledges. 
 
 ' ' The problem of reaching the South Pole from a win- 
 tering station is purely one of transport," wrote Cap- 
 tain Scott before his departure. "The distance to be 
 covered there and back is about 1,500 miles. The time 
 at the disposal of an explorer in a single season never 
 exceeds 150 travelling days. An average of ten miles 
 a day can easily be maintained by men of good physique, 
 provided adequate transport facilities are made." 
 
 Accompanying him was a carefully selected crew, and 
 a highly efficient scientific staff. Scott 's plan was to ar- 
 range two parties, one to leave King Edward Land, the 
 other to leave McMurdo Sound, to converge on the Pole. 
 Captain Scott purposed to follow his own track and that 
 
Heroes of the Antarctic 331 
 
 of Sir Ernest Shackleton, except for the last hundred 
 miles. 
 
 The ''Terra Nova" left England June 1, 1910, and 
 sailed for New Zealand. Captain Scott joined the party 
 at Port Chalmers, near Christchurch, and the final de- 
 parture southward was made November 29, 1910. The 
 personnel of the shore party and crew numbered fifty 
 men, of which twenty-four officers and men were of the 
 Royal Navy, one from the Army and two from the Pub- 
 lic Services of India. The "Terra Nova" encountered 
 bad weather and heavy seas from the outset, and was 
 over three weeks in pushing her way through 380 miles 
 of pack ice. 
 
 By January 1st, 1911, she stood in open water in Ross 
 Sea and sighted the Admiralty Mountains, Victoria 
 Land two days later. Pushing her way southward she 
 passed Cape Crozier and reached McMurdo Sound, 
 where winter quarters were established distant about 
 fourteen miles north of Discovery Station, where the first 
 Scott expedition had wintered, and eight miles to the 
 south of Cape Royds. 
 
 The work of landing stores proved exceedingly ardu- 
 ous as the distance of transportation was a mile and a 
 half. Ponies, dogs and motor sledges were utilized by 
 the men to assist in transportation and at the end of 
 a week the main work had been completed and the build- 
 ing of the house was begun. 
 
 The ''Terra Nova" left Scott making ready for his 
 preliminary journeys southward. She steamed east- 
 ward and surveyed the Great Ice Barrier as far as 170^ 
 West longitude, when a gale forced her to make for 
 Cape Colbeck, where her further progress to the east 
 was prevented by the pack. On the 4th of February 
 
332 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the ''Terra Nova" entered the Bay of Whales and there 
 found the ' ' Fram ' ' of the Amundsen Antarctic Expedi- 
 tion. She then returned to the depot laying party and 
 found all well. 
 
 A scientific party under Lieutenant Campbell was left 
 in the Antarctic by the ''Terra Nova" when she re- 
 turned on April 1st. This party was prepared to win- 
 ter there if necessary ; they included Campbell, Priestly, 
 Levicki, Browning, Abbott and Dickerson. 
 
 From the first Captain Scott seemed to have worked 
 against great odds. The depot laying party which left 
 Cape Evans January 25th 1911, consisting of twelve 
 men, eight ponies, and two dog teams, made the most 
 difficult progress over the soft surface of the barrier and 
 experienced a blizzard which exhausted both men and 
 beasts and resulted in the loss of two ponies. 
 
 On February 24th Captain Scott started with men 
 and a single pony to establish a supply depot at Cor- 
 ner Camp. On the outward journey they passed the 
 ponies going well. Again blizzards delayed the return 
 to camp and when Scott returned he found the animals 
 had suffered so severely that a prompt retreat to Hut 
 Point was at once ordered. Of this journey to shelter 
 Captain Scott has given a most graphic account. Two 
 of his men with a dog team reached there safely. One 
 of the ponies had been injured during the blizzard and 
 Captain Scott, Bates and Grain remained behind in con- 
 sequence. 
 
 Another party, consisting of Cherry, Gerrard, Bowers 
 and Crean with the dogs and four ponies had to fight 
 their way across the disintegrating ice pack, barely es- 
 caping with their lives. 
 
 The Western Geographical party which landed at 
 
Heroes of the Antarctic 333 
 
 Butter Point, below Farrar Glacier, January 27, 1911, 
 had made a depot at Cathedral Bocks, and from this 
 base they took a sledge journey westward for miles 
 down the glacier. At an altitude of twenty-four hundred 
 feet above the glacier a crater was discovered and basalt 
 flows in places eighty feet in depth. From the glacier 
 they entered a dry, snow-free valley trending toward 
 the sea. A fresh-water lake was discovered estimated 
 about four miles in length. On February 13th, they 
 returned down the Farrar Glacier and crossed the dan- 
 gerous ice of New Harbor. Ten days later they were 
 in the vicinity of the west coast of Keottlitz Glacier, 
 where a week was spent in examining the locality. 
 Travel became more and more dangerous owing to al- 
 most impenetrable pinnacles of ice, northesist of Daily 
 Islands. Blizzards overtook them at the edge of the 
 Barrier, and here they were marooned until the vio- 
 lence of the gale subsided. They then endeavored to 
 reach Castle Rock — and finally reached Discovery Hut 
 after an absence of six weeks. 
 
 The Western party again set out on November 7, 1911, 
 for Granite Harbor. Owing to the exceptionally heavy 
 loads which they carried, they made the slow progress 
 of about five miles a day, being forced to relay the dis- 
 tance to a cape about nine miles inside the harbor. 
 
 Building a stone hut and erecting a store as a base 
 for scientific operations they devoted the next two 
 months to exploring the northern shores and sledging 
 around West Harbor where remarkably large mineral 
 deposits such as topaz were discovered. Another curious 
 discovery at their headquarters was that of myriads of 
 wingless insects of two distinct varieties which clustered 
 in a half frozen condition under every stone. 
 
334 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Meanwhile Captain Scott had been completing his 
 preparations for his final journey to the Pole. On Nov- 
 ember 2nd, 1911 the final start was made. What he 
 expected to accomplish on this great journey was de- 
 scribed by himself and brought back to England by the 
 "Terra Nova" as his final word. 
 
 ''The pony party," he wrote, ''consisting of myself 
 with Wilson, Bates, Bowers, Gerrard, Atkinson, 
 Wright, Evans, Crean and Keohane, will start about 
 Nov. 1st. Independently of the success of the motors, 
 ponies will be worked with light loads in easy marches 
 to Corner Camp, with full loads and easy marches to 
 One Ton Camp, and with such pressure as necessary 
 thereafter. Dog teams starting will rejoin us at One 
 Ton Camp and help to advance loads. By these means 
 we hope to get thirty units of food to the foot of the 
 Beardmore Glacier, a unit being a week's provision 
 for four men. Then, with three divisions of four men, 
 and twenty-one units of provisions, I hope to extend the 
 advance to the required distance, if the weather con- 
 ditions are not wholly unfavorable. 
 
 "Of the ten remaining ponies one is unreliable and 
 one doubtful, the remainer being in very fine form. 
 Officers and men are in splendid health and eager to go 
 forward. Owing to my decision to postpone there is an 
 obvious chance that the most advanced southerly party 
 will be unable to reach the 'Terra Nova' before she 
 is forced to quit the Sound. Under these conditions, 
 having regard to important scientific work done and 
 facilities offered for further work, I have decided to 
 maintain the station for a second year. The majority 
 of the shore party will probably remain, but details de- 
 pend upon the date of our returning from our journey 
 
Heroes of the Antarctic 335 
 
 on home news and the extent of fresh transport pro- 
 vided." 
 
 Another message reached the world in 1912. On 
 November 24, Scott wrote the party had reached Cor- 
 ner Camp. The dog sledge party caught up with Scott's 
 party before it reached One Ton Camp and they jour- 
 neyed in company. The precaution of building snow 
 cairns at intervals of four miles was to guide the return. 
 Caches of provisions were left at intervals. 
 
 At 81° 15' the motor party turned back. 
 
 Bad weather seemed to persist from the outset. It 
 soon became necessary to sacrifice some of the ponies to 
 feed the dogs. 
 
 December 4th, 1911, the party had reached 83.24, 
 about twelve miles distant from Mount Hope. Day by 
 day these men plodded on, in the face of snows, storms 
 and gales. We have read Shackleton's brave struggle 
 with like conditions ; in imagination we can picture Scott 
 moving steadily, laboriously southward. 
 
 On December 9th the remaining ponies were sacrificed 
 as there was no forage for them. 
 
 As the main party advanced, sections of the support- 
 ing parties turned back. Day and Hooper, who had 
 left Scott first, returned safely to Camp, January 21st; 
 a week later, Atkinson, Wright, Gerrard and Keohane 
 showed up. 
 
 On December 21st, Captain Scott had reached just 
 beyond 85° South, longitude 163.04 East, and an alti- 
 tude 6,800 feet. 
 
 On January 3rd, 1912, he was within 150 miles of the 
 South Pole, when he sent back the following message: 
 
 ''I am going forward with a party of five men, send- 
 ing three back under Lieutenant Evans with this note. 
 
336 The Seventh Continent 
 
 The names and descriptions of the advance party are: 
 Capt. Scott, R.N., Dr. Wilson, Chief of the scientific 
 staif; Captain Gates, Inniskillen Dragoons, in charge 
 of the ponies and mules; Lieutenant Bowers, Royal In- 
 dian Marine, commissariat officer; Petty Officer Evans, 
 R.N., in charge of sledges and equipment. 
 
 **The advance party goes forward with a month's pro- 
 visions and the prospects of success seem good, provid- 
 ing the weather holds and no unforeseen obstacles arise. 
 It has been very difficult to choose the advance party, as 
 every one was fit and able to go forward. Those who 
 return are naturally much disappointed. Every one 
 has worked his hardest. The weather on the plateau 
 has been good, on the whole. The sun has never de- 
 serted us, but the temperatures are low, now about minus 
 twenty degrees, and the wind pretty constant. How- 
 ever, we are excellently equipped for such conditions, 
 and the wind undoubtedly improves the surface. So 
 far all arrangements have worked out most satisfac- 
 torily. It is more than probable no further news will 
 be received from us this year, as our return must neces- 
 sarily be late." 
 
 In the light of subsequent events there is something 
 very sad and touching in this last message before the 
 final dash to the Pole. Lieutenant Evans and his com- 
 panions bore it painfully, faithfully, in the face of 
 scurvy and sickness, back over the frozen ice sheets 
 through snow and storm to the Discovery Hut. *'Our 
 return must necessarily be late": the words were a 
 prophecy which he bravely and heroically fulfilled. 
 
 Meanwhile across those frozen wastes there were oth 
 ers facing with the same courage, the same endurance 
 and with the same ambitions the great goal lying silent, 
 
Heroes of the Antarctic 337 
 
 cold and desolate under the emblem of the Southern 
 Cross. 
 
 The ' * Terra Nova ' ' had found the Norwegian Expedi- 
 tion in the Bay of Whales. The **Fram" is an his- 
 toric ship; already she had carried two successful ex- 
 peditions to the Arctic regions. She had been admir- 
 ably fitted out under the direction of Roald Amundsen 
 and with especial equipment for an extended oceano- 
 graphical cruise. 
 
 Amundsen as a veteran Polar explorer and successful 
 navigator of the Northwest Passage, had accompanied a 
 previous expedition to the South Polar regions. His 
 original plan, however, in equipping another expedition 
 for scientific research in Polar waters was not to ven- 
 ture south but to continue work beyond the Arctic Cir- 
 cle. How the change of program was inaugurated 
 which finally resulted in one of the greatest achievements 
 on record is best told by himself. 
 
 "I was preparing my trip toward the North Polar 
 regions," Amundsen has explained, "it may be to the 
 North Pole — in 1909. It was not very easy to start 
 an expedition from Norway, for it was hard work among 
 us to raise money and I was preparing this expedition 
 slowly. Then suddenly the news flashed all over the 
 world that the North Pole had been attained, that Ad- 
 miral Peary had planted the Stars and Stripes up there. 
 The money, which had been scarce, now went down to 
 nothing. I could not get a cent more, and I was in the 
 midst of my preparations. 
 
 **One of the last mysterious points of the globe had 
 been discovered. The last one still remained undis- 
 covered, and then it was that I took the decision to turn 
 from the north toward the south in order to try to dig- 
 
338 The Seventh Continent 
 
 cover this last problem in the polar regions." 
 
 Amundsen's party made a successful landing on the 
 Ross Barrier in longitude 162° W. about fifty miles to 
 the west of Edward Land. He established his winter 
 quarters at a station which he appropriately called 
 Framheim, and there in good health and spirits he and 
 his sturdy companions passed a cheerful and busy sea- 
 son. 
 
 The effect of Amundsen's personality, his rugged fea- 
 tures blending with an alert expression and a genial 
 laugh, the high qualities of absolute fearlessness and 
 directness of purpose, combine to impress one with the 
 undaunted spirit of the Viking, the single directness of 
 a well ordered mind, combining the loyal and compas- 
 sionate qualities of a human heart. 
 
 The Norwegian expedition relied on the most primi- 
 tive methods for its success, favored by unusually good 
 conditions of weather and ice. 
 
 "Amundsen's victory is not due," says Nansen, 'Ho 
 the great inventions of the present day and the many 
 new appliances of every kind. The means used are 
 of immense antiquity, the same as were kno^vn to the 
 nomad thousands of years ago, when he pushed for- 
 ward across the snow-covered plains of Siberia and 
 Northern Europe. But everything, great and small, 
 was thoroughly thought out, and the plan was splen- 
 didly executed. It is the man that matters, here as 
 everywhere. . . . Both the plan and its execution are 
 the ripe fruit of Norwegian life and experience in 
 ancient and modern times," and he comments, ''Like 
 everything great, it all looks so plain and simple." 
 
 Amundsen had placed his chief reliance for trans- 
 portation of equipment and supplies on the service of 
 
Heroes of the Antarctic 339 
 
 dogs. Nearly one hundred of these animals had been 
 secured from Greenland, and these had increased in 
 numbers during the long voyage of nearly 16,000 miles 
 through many waters and climes. 
 
 The slogan *'Dogs first and all the time," seems to 
 have inspired the men from the start and the greatest 
 care was taken of these canine friends who occupied 
 every available foot of room upon the decks and were 
 tethered upon the bridge as well. Amundsen's pre- 
 vious experience in the Arctic as well as his Norwegian 
 training as a disciple of Nansen had convinced him 
 of the importance depending on dogs in all human ef- 
 forts to reach high latitudes. Their superiority over 
 ponies was demonstrated by their being able to cross 
 more easily the snow ridges that span the dangerous 
 crevasses of the Barrier. Shackleton's experience in 
 the loss of a pony in a crevasse, its weight carrying it 
 entirely out of sight in the icy abyss, makes the useful- 
 ness of these animals a mooted question. The extra ex- 
 ertion of hauling out a pony, if he can be saved at all 
 would necessarily tell heavily upon the strength of men, 
 where vigour might already be impaired by prolonged 
 strain. Another important factor in favor of dog teams 
 is the fact that dog eats dogs in case of emergency, 
 whereas extra food must be carried to support ponies 
 during the entire journey. In placing his confidence 
 on the superiority of dog teams Amundsen says: 
 
 * * One can reduce one 's pack little by little, slaughter- 
 ing the feebler ones and feeding the chosen with them. 
 In this way they get fresh meat. Our dogs lived on 
 dog's flesh and pemmican the whole way, and this en- 
 abled them to do splendid work." 
 
 From Amundsen's Winter quarters at Framheim to 
 
340 The Seventh Continent 
 
 the South Pole was a distance of 870 miles. To cover 
 this distance and return, the party of five men took 
 provisions for four months, with four sledges, drawn 
 by fifty-two dogs. Amundsen left Framheim on Octo- 
 ber 20th, 1911, and was absent three months and five 
 days, returning to headquarters with two sledges and 
 eleven dogs January 25th, 1912. 
 
 When one recalls the uneven surfaces over which 
 the route was followed, the high altitude of the undu- 
 lating plateau, the mountainous region to be crossed 
 before the goal could be reached and the herculean ex- 
 ertions which Shackleton had made to reach that goal, 
 and been obliged to turn back, one marvels that these 
 Norwegian vikings returned with any dogs at all, nev- 
 ertheless, man and beasts not only returned safely but 
 in excellent condition. To be sure Amundsen was sin- 
 gularly favored. There were few accidents. Neverthe- 
 less they encountered blizzards and were weather bound 
 in their tents on more than one occasion. 
 
 On December the 9th they passed the record of the 
 ** Furthest South." Amundsen writes with enthusiasm 
 of Sir Ernest Shackleton whose name, he says ''will al- 
 ways be written in the annals of Antarctic exploration 
 in letters of fire," and now he adds: 
 
 "We had a great piece of work before us that day; 
 nothing less than carrying our flag further south than 
 the foot of man had trod. We had our silk flag ready ; 
 it was made fast to two ski sticks and laid on Hansen's 
 sledge. I had given him orders as soon as we had cov- 
 ered the distance to 88 degrees 23 minutes south, which 
 was Shackleton 's furthest south, the flag was to be hoist- 
 ed on his sledge. It was my turn as forerunner, and I 
 pushed on. There was no longer any difficulty in hold- 
 
Heroes of the Antarctic 341 
 
 ing one's course. I had the grandest cloud formation 
 to steer by, and everything now went like a machine. 
 First came the forerunner for the time being, then Han- 
 sen, then Wisting, and finally Bjaaland. The forerun- 
 ner who was not on duty went where he liked; as a 
 rule he accompanied one or other of the sledges. I had 
 long ago fallen into a reverie — far removed from the 
 scene in which I was moving; what I thought about I 
 do not remember now, but I was so preoccupied that 
 I had entirely forgotten my surroundings. Then sud- 
 denly I was aroused from my dreaming by a jubilant 
 shout, followed by ringing cheers. I turned round 
 quickly to discover the reason of this unwonted occur- 
 rence and stood speechless and overcome. 
 
 **I find it impossible to express the feelings that pos- 
 sessed me at the moment. All the sledges had stopped 
 and from the foremost of them the Norwegian flag was 
 flying. It shook itself out, waved and flapped so that 
 the silk rustled ; it looked wonderfully well in the pure 
 clear air and the shining white surroundings. Eighty- 
 eight degrees and 23 minutes was passed; we were 
 further south than any human being had been. No 
 other moment of the whole trip affected me like this. 
 The tears forced their way to my eyes; by no effort 
 of will could I keep them back. It was the flag yonder 
 that conquered me and my will. Luckily I was some 
 way in advance of the others, so that I had time to pull 
 myself together and master my feelings before reach- 
 ing my comrades. We all shook hands with mutual con- 
 gratulations ; we had won our way far by holding to- 
 gether and we would go further yet — to the end." 
 
 The distant horizon which Shackleton had seen with 
 regretful eyes, Amundsen now saw. The road was 
 
342 The Seventh Continent 
 
 straight ahead, there to the south lay their goal. As 
 was the case in Peary's final success, so it was with 
 Amundsen, nothing untoward happened. No obstacles 
 hindered them, the weather favored them and on De- 
 cember 14th the greatest day of all they experienced 
 that sense of nervousness incident to great expectations 
 that were soon to be realized. 
 
 At the annual banquet of the National Geographical 
 Society held in Washington, January 11, 1913, 
 Admiral Peary, the discoverer of the North Pole, 
 presented the gold medal of the Society to Amundsen, 
 the discoverer of the South Pole, and paid a gracious tri- 
 bute to the ''man who forced his way across hundreds 
 of miles of icy Antarctic waste, climbed thousands of 
 feet into the frozen Antarctic air, and stood at last 
 more than two miles above sea level, with a frozen desert 
 stretching from his feet to the horizon, and the yellow 
 sun circling parallel with the horizon, at the South Pole 
 — ^Amundsen, of Norway." 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 EXPLORERS FROM MANY LANDS 
 
 THE spirit of emulation is so great in man that 
 be he Oriental or Occidental he is led to attempt 
 the most difficult tasks from his natural desire to 
 do what others have tried to do before him; this spirit 
 of indomitable courage has a fine example in that af- 
 forded by Lieutenant Shirase, the leader of the First 
 Japanese Polar Expedition. His government had given 
 him scant support, and his countrymen felt likewise that 
 Japan was in no position at the time to advance money 
 for adventurous exploration, nor was it considered in 
 their line of national development. 
 
 **But now,'* writes Lieutenant Shirase, **the govern- 
 ment and my countrymen think differently and better of 
 their own qualification as explorers, and those who con- 
 tributed money to our cause in the belief that they were 
 throwing it away for nothing, are convinced that our 
 expedition to the Antarctic regions was not after all 
 mere wasting of time and money. To summarize our 
 journey: we left the country out of favor of the people 
 and were welcomed back into public favor and recogni- 
 tion. 
 
 ''In 1912," he continues, "I requested 100,000 yen 
 ($50,000) from the Diet as a fund for my prospective 
 polar expedition. The bill was passed by the Lower 
 House, but it was reduced to $15,000 at the Upper 
 
 343 
 
344 The Seventh Continent 
 
 House. Whereon I applied to the Educational Office 
 for its financial assistance to what I believed would 
 have much educational value. I then carefully ex- 
 plained that that sum of money would fit out our party 
 with complete and efficient equipment. The govern- 
 ment officials simply laughed at my proposition. They 
 advised us to abandon our foolish notion and leave the 
 pole to European explorers who have more money and 
 far superior physique. 
 
 ''There was no use in tarrying with the Government. 
 I might as well argue with dumb Buddhist idols as 
 with Government officials. 
 
 "As the last recourse, I applied to the public for its 
 sympathy and support; and it responded. The press 
 took it up with enthusiasm. One journal of Tokyo 
 raised by itself $2,500. 
 
 "A sailing ship was purchased. She was christened 
 'Kainan-maru' ('Southern Pioneer') and was imme- 
 diately fitted up for the polar voyage. 
 
 "The party was made up with twenty-seven men, in- 
 cluding two Ainus, and a pack of thirty Ainu dogs. 
 
 "The ship in which we made the voyage was the 
 smallest vessel that has ever plowed the polar waters. 
 The 'Kainan-maru' was built of oak and her sides were 
 only 2 feet high. She measured 100 feet by 25 feet, 
 and displaced 204 tons. Besides schooner rigging, she 
 was provided with an engine of 18 horse power. At last, 
 toward the end of 1910, we were ready for departure 
 for the South Pole. 
 
 "Amid scornful criticism and ominous predictions," 
 writes Lieutenant Shirase, "as to the outcome or fate 
 of our voyage, the 'Southern Pioneer' set sail from 
 Tokyo Bay December 1st, 1910. It was the saddest and 
 
Explorers from Many Lands 345 
 
 most dismal sort of a send-off ever accorded to any- 
 polar explorer." 
 
 This small craft, under the masterful seamanship of 
 Captain Normura, steered her course of some 30,000 
 miles without serious accident. 
 
 After a long voyage to New Zealand, Captain Nor- 
 mura and several others were sent back to raise more 
 funds and it was not until November 19, 1911, that the 
 Japan expedition made a fresh start for the Polar seas. 
 She encountered the ice between 63° and 64° S. She 
 arrived in the bay in 78° S. and 146° E., which was 
 given the name of ''Kainan Bay," and drifting west- 
 ward about 40 miles succeeded in effecting a landing. 
 Later members of the expedition discovered the *'Fram" 
 and near by Captain Amundsen's camp some six miles 
 west of them. At that time members of the Amundsen 
 party were waiting for his return from the Pole. At 
 the place where the Japanese had decided to land, there 
 rose to a height of 300 feet the perpendicular face of 
 the Barrier. To scale this ''so-called insurmountable 
 barrier" was the determination of the men. 
 
 ''We set to cutting a zig-zag path upon the almost 
 perpendicular slope," writes Lieutenant Shirase. "The 
 whole crew worked body and soul, and at length, after 
 sixty hours' hard labor, the first man was at the top 
 of the wall or precipice. The crew of the 'Fram,' 
 which had followed our attempt at first with ridicule, 
 then gave us hearty praise of our achievement. 
 
 "A party of four men, including myself, remained 
 on the ice-field, while the rest sailed away to explore 
 King Edward VII Land. This latter party was by- 
 far more fortunate and successful. A cruise of about 
 200 miles brought them safely to King Edward VII 
 
346 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Land, — the land where the Japanese flag was the first 
 to be unfurled. 
 
 "When the ship was brought near the icy shore, a 
 rock was seen frozen in a pack-ice and drifting along 
 the shore. The rock was hauled aboard and brought 
 back. We have the pride to announce that it was the 
 first rock that has ever been brought back from that 
 shore. 
 
 '*An exploring party was landed, which travelled 30 
 miles into the interior. 
 
 ''The rest of our voyage," writes Lieutenant Shirase, 
 ''may be summarized in brief. The party reunited at 
 Whales Inlet, and started homeward via Sidney. The 
 'Southern Pioneer' returned to Tokyo, on the 20th of 
 last June (1912). The people who sent us off with per- 
 fect ridicule and scorn came out in a body to give us 
 spontaneous orations and a hearty welcome to home." 
 
 Other contemporaneous expeditions in the Antarctic 
 were the Australian expedition under Dr. Douglas 
 Mawson. A German expedition under Lieutenant Dr. 
 Filchner, and the Argentine expedition whose special 
 object was to continue meteorological and magnetical 
 work initiated by the Scottish expedition at Scotia Bay 
 in 1903, and continued by the Oficina Meteorologica 
 Argentina since 1904 at an annual cost of about 6,000 1. 
 
 "The work of the German expedition," writes Dr. 
 William S. Bruce, ' ' lies in the Weddell Sea in longi- 
 tudes west of Coats' Land, Dr. Filchner having gener- 
 ally agreed with the writer that the region to the east 
 of this should be left for the proposed Scottish expedi- 
 tion. If, however, the Germans fail on account of con- 
 ditions of ice or other difficulties to carry on their work 
 to the west of this longitude, it is quite understood that 
 
Explorers from Many Lands 347 
 
 they are to be free to work to the eastward. 
 
 ''The area of the unknown Antarctic regions," con- 
 tinues Mr. Bruce, *'is so vast that there is plenty of 
 room for all comers, and more especially so if there is 
 a division of labour in the work. There are two promi- 
 nent theories of the structure of Antarctic lands. 
 Filchner bases the plan of his expedition upon the theory 
 held by himself, Dr. Peuck, Dr. Otto Nordenskjold, Sir 
 George Darwin and others, that there are two Antarctic 
 land masses which are divided from each other by a 
 channel possibly covered by a continuation of the Ross 
 Barrier running across the Ross Sea to the Weddell 
 Sea, thus dividing Graham Land from the rest of the 
 land. The other prominent theory, which has for long 
 been held by Sir John Murray and is supposed by Sir 
 Ernest Shackleton, Dr. Mawson, and myself, is that 
 there is one great Antarctic continental land mass with 
 no such division across it. A third theory, held by 
 Dr. Nansen, is that the Antarctic Land is composed of 
 an archipelago of islands. In a paper delivered to 
 Der Schweizerischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft at 
 Basel in 1910, I summarized my reasons for holding the 
 view that there was one great Antarctic continent. Hav- 
 ing a definite theory of the structure of the Antarctic 
 continent, Filchner sets out to test the accuracy of it. 
 His confidence augurs well for the success of the Ger- 
 man expedition." 
 
 *'I have had word from Lieutenant Dr. Filchner and 
 Dr. Heim, geologist to the expedition," continues Mr. 
 Bruce. ''They inform me that they have so far had 
 a successful voyage, having landed at St. Paul's Rocks, 
 and having already taken as many as eighty soundings. 
 Several of them appear to have been taken in the neigh- 
 
348 The Seventh Continent 
 
 borhood of South Georgia and the South Sandwich 
 Group, and these will form a most important contribu- 
 tion to the study of former Antarctic continental con- 
 nections with South America. * Storm and stress of 
 weather hindered every attempt at landing on the South 
 Sandwich Group,' and in this connection it is interest- 
 ing to note that this heavy weather was previously pre- 
 dicted by Mr. R. C. Mossman at Buenos Aires. 
 
 ''Prof. Peuck, who has been good enough to furnish 
 me with much useful information, says: 'Reaching the 
 pole does not form a special feature of the programme.' 
 He also writes that Filchner will establish a station to 
 the west of Coats' Land, and will not leave the Ant- 
 arctic regions until the summer of 1913-1914. 
 
 "Quite extensive geological excursions were made in 
 South Georgia, which were facilitated by Captain Lar- 
 sen lending the German expedition his 500 ton yacht 
 'Urdine.' The Germans have found that South Georgia 
 is a folded mountain range, probably part of Faltenge- 
 birge of the South American Andes and Graham Land. 
 The tuffs :^und by Gunnar Andersen in 1902 are found 
 to be old Mesozoic and young Paleozoic tuffs. Dr. Ko- 
 nig found an ammonite in the slate of Possession Bay. 
 Bad weather prevented pendulum observations, but 
 earth magnetic elements were determined. 
 
 "It took from November 1 to 14 to go from South 
 Georgia to the South Sandwich Group. A course was 
 first steered to Lieskow Island; the ' Deutschland ' then 
 passed Candlemas Island, and left the group at Zava- 
 dowskij Island. Some of these islands are extinct, and 
 others active, volcanoes. The rocks appeared to be 
 bas'altic. Volcanic sand containing fragments was se- 
 cured by sounding. Meteorological and other observa- 
 
Explorers from Marty Lands 349 
 
 tions were made and it is especially interesting to note 
 that for the first time in Antarctic regions balloons- 
 sondes, as used by the Prince of Monaco in Spitsber- 
 gen, were employed, since in South Georgia sixty-five 
 of these balloons were released. These were traced to 
 a height of 9 kilometers, or 29,528 ft., and should give 
 valuable information regarding the higher atmctephere 
 in the south polar regions. 
 
 ** Whether Filchner succeeds in pushing far to the 
 south to the west of Coats' Land, where he believes he 
 will be able to land on a barrier similar to and con- 
 tinuous with the Ross Barrier, depends on the state of 
 the ice in the Weddell Sea, and Mossman unfortunately 
 predicts a series of bad ice years. If Filchner meets 
 the pack as Ross met it in 1842-43, and as the Scot- 
 tish expeditions met it in 1892-93 and in 1902-03, in 
 which latter season also Nordenskj old's ship, the 'Ant- 
 arctic,' was crushed and lost, he will not attain a high 
 latitude to the west of Coats' Land, but if he has an 
 open summer, as Morrell and Weddell had in 1822-23, 
 he will get far south, and will fall in with land some- 
 where about 75° S., if the supposed rift valley from 
 the Ross Sea does not exist. Filchner will also in all 
 probability then be able to prove the existence or non- 
 existence of New South Greenland, discovered by Cap- 
 tain Johnson in 1821-22 and revisited and described 
 by Morrell in 1822-23, the summer Weddell attained the 
 high latitude of 74° 15' S. in those longitudes. If 
 Filchner falls in with New South Greenland it will al- 
 most preclude the possibility of the existence of the sug- 
 gested ice-covered strait cutting across Antarctica from 
 the Ross to the Weddell Sea. Altogether, the German 
 expedition has most interesting and fascinating prob- 
 
350 The Seventh Continent 
 
 lems to solve, and with such a good ship — the 'Deutsch- 
 land' — with such excellent equipment and staff, and so 
 competent a leader, should not fail to bring us back 
 much valuable information. 
 
 ''The Australian expedition," continues Mr. Bruce, 
 ''under the able leadership of Dr. Douglas Mawson, is 
 on a different plan from any of the others in the field, 
 and in that it will do not only a considerable amount 
 of hydrographical work, but will also make deep sea 
 biological research a special feature, it resembles more 
 the general plan of the late Scottish expedition. In fact, 
 the 'Aurora's' trawling gear is much the same as that 
 used by the 'Scotia,' and she carries with her the 'Sco- 
 tia's' quick- working winch, which was used for hauling 
 up the sounding apparatus, the deep-sea water bottles 
 and thermometers, and vertical plankton net. Mawson 
 also emphasizes meteorology, especially in relationship 
 to Australia. 
 
 "The 'Aurora,' which was refitted in London under 
 the guidance of Captain Davis — who is her master, and 
 was previously master of the 'Nimrod' — left Hobart on 
 December 2 (1911) and pushed south-eastward, calling 
 at the Macquarie Islands on December 21st, after which 
 Mawson intended to land a party west of Cape North, 
 directly north of the magnetic pole. This party will 
 hope to complete the magnetic data yet wanting in the 
 vicinity of the south magnetic pole. Proceeding east- 
 ward, a second party will be landed at Clarie Land, and 
 a third at Knox Land. These parties, by man, dog, and 
 motor sledges, will seek to map out the coast land to 
 the east and west of their respective stations. The voy- 
 age is then to be prolonged westward about the latitude 
 of the Antarctic Circle as far as Enderby Land, whence 
 
Explorers from Many Lands 351 
 
 the 'Aurora' will return to Fremantle. 
 
 **The prograiimie is a very ambitious one," comments 
 Bruce, **and Mawson may rest well satisfied if he lands 
 but one party and carries out a general investigation of 
 this little known and much disputed coast, including 
 oceanographical and meteorological survey. In 70° E., 
 viz., the longitude of Kerguelen Island, an attempt will 
 be made to penetrate southward as well as in longitude 
 of the magnetic pole. Mawson regards this part of the 
 Antarctic continent to which his efforts are to be di- 
 rected as by far the most important portion of Ant- 
 arctica yet to be explored. He points out that 'along 
 the whole 2,000 miles of coast between Cape Adare and 
 Gaussberg a landing has been made once only, and then 
 but a few hours, by D'Urville's expedition in 1840. 
 Only a few vessels have come within sight of this coast, 
 and practically none since the days of d'Urville and 
 Wilkes.' 
 
 "Mr. Alfred Reid tells me that lack of coal may ren- 
 der it necessary for the 'Aurora' to put into Kerguelen 
 for ballast on her return to Fremantle under canvas. 
 In April (1912) the 'Aurora' will again go south with 
 a number of Australian men of science in order to carry 
 out dredging and sounding in seas between Australia 
 and Antarctica, and in December the 'Aurora' will 
 proceed south once more to pick up Dr. Mawson and 
 his colleagues at the three stations. 
 
 "Mawson carries with him an aeroplane and certified 
 air pilot, and has, like Filchner, an installation of wire- 
 less telegraphy. The expedition, which carries a crew 
 and staff of fifty persons, is well supported by the Aus- 
 tralian and British Governments and by private enter- 
 prise. Mawson is a geologist of the first order and a 
 
352 The Seventh Continent 
 
 trained magnetic observer, and with Shackleton's expe- 
 dition gained an intimate insight into the geology of 
 Antarctica and its relationship to Australasian geology. 
 He is an enthusiast and his plans are original and well 
 thought out. Mawson is well supported by Captain 
 Davis and an excellent scientific staff." 
 
 The latest news of this expedition was received from 
 Sydney, N. S., February 25th, 1913. According to this 
 report the principal objects of this expedition had been 
 attained. 
 
 Unfortunately Dr. Mawson and six of his compan- 
 ions, after they had been picked up by the ''Aurora," 
 undertook another journey and were unable to rejoin 
 their ship and therefore compelled to remain another 
 winter in the Antarctic. 
 
 A wireless message from Adelie Land received by 
 Prof. David, contained the following information: 
 
 '*Dr. Douglas Mawson and several of his men missed 
 the 'Aurora,' which had gone to fetch them under the 
 command of Captain J. K. Davis. This happened owing 
 to unfortunate circumstances. 
 
 "Lieut. B. E. S. Ninnis of the City of London, Regi- 
 ment of Royal Fusiliers, and Dr. Mertz, who was ski 
 champion of Switzerland in 1908, are both dead. All 
 the others are well. 
 
 "Dr. Mawson and six others of his party probably 
 will winter on Adelie Land. 
 
 "Some very successful sledging expeditions wene 
 made during the sojourn of Dr. Mawson and his com- 
 panions in the Antarctic." 
 
 In the last chapter we left Captain Scott making his 
 brave fight to reach the South Pole, which even then 
 seemed within his grasp. That was in January, 1912, 
 
Explorers from Many Lands 353 
 
 On February 10th, 1913, his last message written by 
 his dying hand more than a year before, was for the 
 first time given to the world. No greater tragedy has 
 happened in the Polar world; no sadder fate had over- 
 taken one of England's sons since the loss of Sir John 
 Franklin, Captain Scott and his companions were dead 
 — their fate coming after the success of their achieve- 
 ment was all the more pathetic. 
 
 The cable to the New York Times was sent from 
 Christchurch, New Zealand, where the ''Terra Nova" 
 had anchored, stated: 
 
 She had reached Cape Evans, the station on McMurdo 
 Sound on January 18 of the current year, where she 
 was to meet the explorers on their return and bring 
 them back if they so desired. Here it was learned that 
 Captain Scott and his four companions had reached 
 the pole just one year before — January 18, 1912, but 
 all had perished on the homeward journey the end of 
 March. 
 
 A searching party had found their bodies and the rec- 
 ords nearly eight months later. In these diaries they 
 mentioned finding the tent and records left by Amund- 
 sen which had been left there a month before their 
 arrival. 
 
 ''Before the 'Terra Nova' sailed for New Zealand 
 last March," so runs the account, "Surgeon Atkinson, 
 who had been left in charge of the Western party until 
 Captain Scott's return, despatched Gerrard and De- 
 metri with two dog teams to assist the southern party, 
 whose return to Hut Point was expected about March 
 16, 1912. Atkinson would have accompanied this par- 
 ty, but was kept back in medical charge of Lieut. Evans, 
 the second in command, who, it will be remembered, 
 
354 The Seventh Continent 
 
 nearly died from scurvy. 
 
 ''This relief party reached One Ton Depot on March 
 3, but was compelled to return on March 10, owing pri- 
 marily to the dog food running short, also to persistent 
 bad weather and the poor condition of the dogs, after 
 the strain of a hard season ^s work. The dog teams re- 
 turned to Hut Point March 16th, the poor animals be- 
 ing mostly frost bitten and incapable of further work. 
 Gerrard collapsed through an overstrained heart. His 
 companion was also sick. It was impossible to com- 
 municate with Cape Evans, the ship having sailed on 
 March 4, and the open sea lying between Atkinson and 
 Keohane. 
 
 *'The only two men left sledged out to Corner Camp 
 to render any help that might be wanted by the south- 
 ern party. They fought their way out to Corner Camp 
 against the unusually severe weather, and realizing that 
 they could be of no assistance, they were forced to re- 
 turn to Hut Point after depoting one week's provi- 
 sions. 
 
 **In April, when communication with Cape Evans 
 was established, a gallant attempt to relieve Lieutenant 
 Campbell was made by Atkinson, Wright, Williamson, 
 and Keohane. This party reached Butter Point, when 
 they were stopped by open water. Their return was 
 exciting and nearly ended in disaster, owing to the sea 
 ice breaking up. The search party left Cape Evans 
 after the winter of Oct. 30 last. The party, which was 
 organized by Surgeon Atkinson taking the dog teams 
 with Gerrard and Demetri, and Mr. Wright being in 
 charge of a party including Wilson, Gran, Lashley, 
 Crean, Williamson, Keohane, and Hooper, with seven 
 Indian mules. They were provisioned for three months. 
 
Explorers from Many Lands 355 
 
 as they expected an extended search. One Ton Camp 
 was found in order, and all provisioned. 
 
 *' Proceeding along the old southern route, Wright's 
 party sighted Capt. Scott's tent on Nov. 12. Within it 
 were found the bodies of Captain Scott, Dr. Wilson, and 
 Lieut. Bowers. They had saved their records, hard 
 pressed as they were." 
 
 From these papers the following information was 
 gleaned : 
 
 The first death was that of Seaman Edgar Evans, 
 petty officer of the Royal Navy, official number 160,225, 
 who died on Feb. 17 at the foot of the Beardmore Gla- 
 cier. His death was accelerated by a concussion of the 
 brain sustained while travelling over the rough ice some 
 time before. 
 
 Captain L. E. G. Gates of the Sixth Inniskillen Dra- 
 goons was the next lost. His feet and hands had been 
 badly frost bitten from exposure on the march. Al- 
 though he struggled on heroically, on March 16 his 
 comrades knew that his end was approaching. He had 
 bkjrne his intense suffering for weeks without com- 
 plaint, and he did not give up hope to the very end. 
 
 Capt. Scott wrote in his diary this tribute to Capt. 
 Gates : 
 
 **He was a brave soul. He slept through the night, 
 hoping not to wake, but he awoke in the morning. It 
 was blowing a blizzard. Gates said: 'I am just going 
 outside and may be some time.' He went out into the 
 blizzard, and we have not seen him since. ' * 
 
 Another passage read: ''We knew that Gates was 
 walking to his death, but, though we tried to dissuade 
 him, we knew it was the act of a brave man and an 
 English gentleman." 
 
356 The Seventh Continent 
 
 On March 16 Gates was really unable to travel, but 
 the others could not leave him and he would not hold 
 them back. After his gallant death, Scott, Wilson and 
 Bowers pushed on northward when the abnormally bad 
 weather would permit them to proceed. They were 
 forced to camp March 1, in latitude 79° 40' South, 
 longitude 169° 23' East, eleven miles south of the big 
 depot at One Ton Camp. 
 
 This refuge they never reached owing to a blizzard, 
 which is known from the records of the party at Cape 
 Evans to have lasted nine days, overtaking them. Their 
 food and fuel gave out and they succumbed to expo- 
 sure. 
 
 In Capt. Scott's diary. Surgeon Atkinson found the 
 following which is quoted verbatim: 
 
 ''Message to the public: 
 
 ''The causes of this disaster are not due to faulty or- 
 ganization, but to misfortune in all the risks which had 
 to be undertaken. 
 
 "One, the loss of the pony transport in March, 1911, 
 obliged me to start later than I had intended and 
 obliged the limits of the stuff transported to be nar- 
 rowed. The weather throughout the outward journey, 
 and especially the long gale in 83 degrees south, stopped 
 us. 
 
 "The soft snow in the lower reaches of the Glacier 
 again reduced the pace. 
 
 "We fought these untoward events with a will, and 
 conquered, but it ate into our provision reserve. 
 
 "Every detail of our food supplies, clothing, and de- 
 pots made on the interior ice sheet and on that long 
 stretch of 700 miles to the pole and back worked out to 
 perfection. 
 
Explorers from Many Lands 357 
 
 *'The advance party would have returned to the gla- 
 cier in fine form and with a surplus of food but for the 
 astonishing failure of the man whom we had least ex- 
 pected to fail. Seaman Edgar Evans was thought the 
 strongest man of the party, and the Beardmore Glacier 
 is not difficult in fine weather. But on our return we 
 did not get a single complete fine day. This, with a 
 sick companion, enormously increased our anxieties. 
 
 **I have said elsewhere that we got into frightfully 
 rough ice, and Edgar Evans received a concussion of 
 the brain. He died a natural death, but left us a shaken 
 party, with the season unduly advanced. 
 
 ''But all the facts above enumerated were as noth- 
 ing to the surprise which awaited us on the Barrier. I 
 maintain that our arrangements for returning were 
 quite adequate, and that no one in the world would 
 have done better in the weather which we encountered 
 at this time of the year. On the summit, in latitude 
 85 degrees to 86 degrees, we had minus twenty to minus 
 thirty. On the Barrier in latitude 82 degrees, 10,000 
 feet lower, we had minus thirty in the day and minus 
 forty-seven at night pretty regularly, with continuous 
 head winds during our day marches. 
 
 ''It is clear that these circumstances came on very 
 suddenly, and our wreck is certainly due to this sud- 
 den advent of severe weather, which does not seem to 
 have had any satisfactory cause. 
 
 "I do not think human beings ever came through 
 such a month as we have come through, and we should 
 have got through in spite of the weather but for the 
 sickness of a second companion, Capt. Oates, and a short- 
 age of fuel in our depots, for which I cannot account, 
 and, finally, but for the storm which has fallen on us 
 
 I 
 
358 The Seventh Continent 
 
 within eleven miles of this depot, at which we hoped to 
 secure the final supplies. 
 
 ' ' Surely misfortune could scarcely have exceeded this 
 last blow! We arrived within eleven miles of our old 
 One Ton Camp with fuel for one hot meal and food for 
 two days. For four days we have been unable to leave 
 the tent, the gale blowing about us. We are weak. 
 
 ''Writing is difficult, but for my own sake I do not 
 regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen 
 can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death 
 with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. We took 
 risks. We knew we took them. Things have come up 
 against us, and therefore we have no cause for com- 
 plaint but bow to the will of Providence, determined 
 still to do our best to the last. 
 
 ' * But if we have been willing to give our lives to this 
 enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, I 
 appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend 
 on us are properly cared for. Had we lived I should 
 have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and 
 courage of my companions which would have stirred the 
 heart of every Englishman. 
 
 ' ' These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the 
 tale, but surely, surely a great rich country like ours 
 will see that those who are dependent on us are prop- 
 erly provided for. 
 
 (Signed) R. Scott.* 
 
 March 25, 1912. 
 
 * Copyright Dodd-Mead S Compawy. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE AUSTRALASIAN EXPEDITION UNDER 
 SIR DOUGLAS MAWSON 
 
 THE idea of exploring that great span of Antarc- 
 tic coast lying nearest to Australia, bounded by 
 Cape Adare on the East and Gausberg on the 
 West, germinated in the mind of Sir Douglas Mawson, 
 veteran explorer, and leader of the Australasian Ex- 
 pedition in the year 1910. 
 
 The January following his provisional plan received 
 the sanction and financial support of the Australasian 
 Association for the Advancement of Science, at their 
 meeting at Sidney, and this together with liberal con- 
 tributions from other sources, made possible one of the 
 most remarkable and successful Antarctic journeys on 
 record. 
 
 Captain John King Davis, Second in Command of the 
 Expedition, purchased and re-fitted the *' Aurora'' in 
 the spring of 1911, and on December 2nd of that year, 
 the Australasian Expedition set sail from Hobart for 
 the far South. 
 
 After establishing a base on Macquarie Island the 
 ship pushed through the ice and left a party on an un- 
 discovered portion of the Antarctic Continent, then 
 journeyed fifteen hundred miles to the West of this base 
 where another party was landed. 
 
 The purposes of the party stationed at Macquarie 
 
 359 
 
360 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Island were for the prosecution of general scientific 
 investigations, and to co-operate with the Antarctic 
 bases in meteorological and other scientific work. The 
 party consisted of five men, and was supplied with a 
 hut, stores and a complete wireless outfit. 
 
 Macquarie Island is a sub-antarctic possession of the 
 Commonwealth, and was a busy station in the days of 
 the early sealers but had long since become neglected. 
 In fact, little accurate information could be secured re- 
 garding it and no reliable map existed. 
 
 The field of scientific discovery was unlimited to the 
 men landed at the two bases on the Antarctic Conti- 
 nent, for little or nothing was known of the vast re- 
 gion that was their goal. Mawson had expected to 
 find these latitudes bounded by a rocky and attractive 
 coast like that in the vicinity of Cape Adare, but in- 
 stead he discovered an austere plateau and ice-fettered 
 coast that was evidence of a rigorous and inhospitable 
 climate. 
 
 The Main Base was established at Cape Denison, Com- 
 monwealth Bay, a land which Mawson describes as so 
 overwhelmed with ice that even at sea-level the rock 
 was entirely hidden; the temperature could not have 
 been colder, and the velocity of the winds which they 
 were later to experience would have appalled less cour- 
 ageous adventurers. 
 
 After leaving the third party, consisting of Mr. Frank 
 Wild and seven companions, the "Aurora" returned 
 to Hobart where she refitted and went again to sea for 
 the purpose of carrying out oceanographical investiga- 
 tions in the waters South of the New Zealand and Ant- 
 arctica. 
 
 In December, 1912, the ship returned to the Antarc- 
 
Australasian Expedition Under Sir Douglas Mawson 361 
 
 tic for the relief of the two parties that had wintered 
 there. 
 
 Sir Douglas Mawson not having returned from his 
 disastrous sledging journey, on which his companions 
 Lieut. B. E. S. Ninnis and Dr. X. Mertz both lost their 
 lives, Captain Davis decided to leave five men for an- 
 other year to prosecute a search. 
 
 The ''Aurora'* with ten men and the party picked 
 up fifteen hundred miles to the West, reached Hobart 
 safely the following March. 
 
 The men stationed at Macquarie Island ran short of 
 food the second winter, but were relieved by the New 
 Zealand Government, which dispatched the "Tutane- 
 kai" with necessary stores. 
 
 The "Aurora" set out on her third and last voyage 
 South in the summer of 1913, picked up the parties on 
 Macquarie Island and in the Antarctic, and after car- 
 rying out scientific observations for two months reached 
 Adelaide in February, 1914. 
 
 In the vicinity of the Main Base animal life was 
 abundant for part of the year including Weddell and 
 crab-eater seals, and for a time penguins in large num- 
 bers. Giant petrels and skua gulls swarmed in flocks, 
 in search of the carcasses of seals or penguins. 
 
 In February of the first year a giant sea elephant was 
 secured, measuring seventeen feet six inches in length 
 and twelve feet in maximum circumference. 
 
 Mawson comments on the fact that sea elephants are 
 sub-antarctic in distribution, and only occasionally have 
 these animals been found on the shores of the Antarctic 
 continent. 
 
 The continuous winds delayed the contemplated sledg- 
 ing journeys for which the men prepared, but scientific 
 
362 The Seventh Continent 
 
 work continued unremittingly. 
 
 As far as the eye could reach in all directions the 
 inland ice was an unbroken plateau. Artificial land- 
 marks were established to guide the men back to the 
 Hut on their later journeys. 
 
 It would seem that the dominant characteristic of 
 Adelie Land is the high velocity of the wind and the 
 constant recurrence of severe blizzards. 
 
 The greatest care had to be exercised to secure every- 
 thing, nevertheless articles of value would occasionally 
 be missed, although often recovered, caught in crevices 
 of rock or amongst broken ice. At times the dogs suf- 
 fered pitiably during the severe weather, finding shelter 
 in the lee of some large object and being completely 
 buried in snow. 
 
 For man as well as beast progression in a hurricane 
 became a fine art. The smooth, slippery surface of the 
 ice offered no grip for the feet, and on emerging from 
 the Hut one was apt to be hurled headlong down the 
 wind. With crampons firmly fixed upon the feet, the 
 equilibrium was maintained by leaning against the 
 wind. With a wind that never abated and drifting snow 
 that was hurled screaming from hundreds of miles in- 
 land to the sea, the * ' Home of the Blizzard ' ' was an apt 
 name for the location of the party at the Main Base. 
 
 Mawson gives great credit for the faithful manner 
 which those responsible for the tidal, magnetic, and 
 meteorological work carried on their work under such 
 trying conditions. 
 
 Whenever a lull came, indoor activity ceased, and the 
 men would crawl out of the Hut as rapidly as possible 
 and busy themselves with some long-standing job. 
 
 The erection of the wireless masts was begun in April, 
 
Australasian Expedition Under Sir Douglas Mawson 363 
 
 but not until September was this arduous work com- 
 pleted. During the following few weeks messages were 
 sent out and caught by Macquarie Island, but nothing 
 was received at Adelie Land in spite of vigilant watch. 
 
 By the middle of October a terrific wind storm broke 
 the wire stays and smashed the poles, putting an end 
 to their efforts for this season. 
 
 It was noted that the displays of the aurora on Ade- 
 lie Land were more active than in the higher latitudes 
 of Ross Sea. 
 
 Continued preparations for sledging parties occupied 
 the men indoors and the most careful attention was 
 bestowed upon equipment and warm clothing. Sledge 
 harness for men and dogs was made of canvas. 
 
 Sir Douglas Mawson used the primus heater for cook- 
 ing purposes upon his sledge journeys, the ''Nansen 
 Cooker" being the same used by similar expeditions 
 and favored by Dr. Nansen himself in his journey across 
 Greenland. 
 
 Most careful consideration was given to the subject 
 of food not only for the entire expedition but for sledg- 
 ing foods, the latter being chosen upon a solid basis of 
 dietetics and included per man for one day: plasmon 
 biscuit, 12 ounces; pemmican 8 ounces, butter 2 ounces, 
 plasmon chocolate 2 ounces, glaxo 5 ounces, sugar 4 
 ounces, cocoa 1 ounce, tea, 25 ounces. 
 
 For ordinary fare in the Antarctic Zone Mawson fa- 
 vors a well balanced ration of the very best prepared 
 foods, and even encourages a variety in the shape of 
 favorite luxuries in moderation, mainly for their psycho- 
 logical effect. 
 
 Short sledge journeys were taken in August and Sep- 
 tember, it being a regulation that no party should go 
 
364 The Seventh Continent 
 
 farther than fifty miles from the Hut or remain away 
 longer than a fortnight. 
 
 By October signs of returning life, in the form of 
 penguins, skua gulls, snow petrels and seals, brought 
 cheer to the adventurers who celebrated the event with 
 a dramatic entertainment. 
 
 Elaborate preparation had been completed for sledge 
 parties to be undertaken in November as it was ex- 
 pected the "Aurora" would return by January, 1913, 
 and such explorations as were possible before that time 
 were eagerly looked forward to in spite of adverse 
 weather conditions. 
 
 It was on this summer journey Mawson, Mertz and 
 Ninnis had their disastrous adventures, which cost the 
 lives of the latter two and only by a seeming miracle 
 did their leader survive. The territory traveled over in 
 the vicinity of Aurora Peak and Mertz Glacier present- 
 ed a smooth surface, broken by treacherous crevasses, 
 hidden for the most part by deceptive bridges of snow. 
 
 It was the caving of one of these snow bridges that 
 precipitated Lieut. Ninnis to his tragic fate, carrying 
 with Kim dogs, sledge and provisions. 
 
 The return journey to winter quarters was a series 
 of unlooked for trials and tribulations; with lack of 
 food and in a depressed and weakened condition Maw- 
 son and Mertz stumbled over unseen ridges and hard 
 neve, their gaze straining ever forward. 
 
 Starvation faced men and dogs. At intervals it be- 
 came necessary to kill a weakened beast and the thin 
 carcass was used for soup which was eagerly devoured 
 by the men. Christmas Day was celebrated with dog- 
 stew and two scraps of biscuits. 
 
 Snow blindness and general weakness added to the 
 
Australasian Expedition Under Sir Douglas Mawson 365 
 
 depression of the day. 
 
 The first of January found Mertz seriously ailing and 
 still about one hundred miles from winter quarters. 
 On January 7th he was too weak to advance farther, 
 becoming delirious by afternoon, and that night he died. 
 
 Mawson was now left on the boundless plateau of the 
 Antarctic Continent alone — weakened by hunger and 
 exhaustion and with slight hope of reaching the Hut or 
 of rescue by a search party. Making brief notes in his 
 diary of the three hundred miles traveled and stating 
 his approximate location was in latitude 68° 0' S., longi- 
 tude 145° 9' E., Mawson decided to push on in the hope 
 that should he meet a like fate, a cairn or cache might 
 be noticed by his companions and his diaries be found. 
 
 Laboriously toiling along day after day, growing con- 
 stantly weaker, and with little chance of computing the 
 direction in which he was traveling, Mawson staggered 
 on. The crevasses were the greatest obstacles to overcome 
 and on one occasion he fell, hanging suspended from 
 his sledge at the end of some fourteen feet of rope. 
 
 His progress was very slow and each day seemed to 
 bring him to the end of his strength and resources, but 
 his indomitable courage proved sufficient to urge him 
 to renewed eifort. 
 
 By January 28th the three thousand foot crest of the 
 plateau had been crossed and he was bearing down on 
 Commonwealth Bay. The next day he stumbled upon 
 a cairn of snow erected by McLean, Hodgeman and 
 Hurley, who were out searching for the missing men. 
 
 With food in abundance and a brief rest Mawson im- 
 proved and the final lap of his journey, though made 
 in the face of a blizzard, was stimulated by the hope 
 of soon reaching the Hut and finding the "Aurora" at 
 
366 The Seventh Continent 
 
 anchor in the Bay. Unfortunately, the ship had set 
 sail a few hours before his arrival. 
 
 The reunion of Mawson and those remaining for an- 
 other year was a jubilation, and though disappointed at 
 the absence of the ' ' Aurora, ' ' preparations for a second 
 winter on Adelie Land occupied the energies and good 
 spirits of the little band. 
 
 The Southern party, including Bage, Webb, and 
 Hurley, after having parted with Dr. Mawson, Ninnis 
 and Mertz, on November 10th, had proceeded in the di- 
 rection of the Magnetic Pole. The country covered was 
 a jumbled mass of sastrugi rising in ridge after ridge 
 in seemingly endless procession. This was varied on 
 the north side of Mertz Glacier where a smooth valley 
 was traversed. It was the purpose of this party to 
 proceed inland due South, taking magnetic, geographi- 
 cal, meteorological and other observations, with orders 
 to return to the Hut not later than January 15th. 
 
 As each day's march brought them closer to the Mag- 
 netic Pole they found the magnetic needle quite use- 
 less for steering purposes, the sun compass proving it- 
 self a more valuable and efficient substitute. 
 
 They encountered severe hurricanes and blizzards but 
 were fortunate in escaping accident or disaster, and by 
 December 21st they stood at an altitude of five thousand 
 nine hundred feet, in latitude 70° 36.5' South and 
 longitude 148° 10' East. 
 
 They had now been six weeks on the march and it 
 was necessary to turn back. Snow-blindness and ex- 
 haustion featured in the return trip, but in spite of 
 these discomforts the party made surprisingly good 
 time and reached the Hut January 11th. 
 
 The Eastern Coastal party consisted of C. T. Madi- 
 
Australasian Expedition Under Sir Douglas Mawson 367 
 
 gan, Dr. A. L. McLean, and P. E. Correll, with in- 
 structions to ascertain as much as possible of the coast 
 lying East of Mertz Glacier, and to make magnetic, 
 biological and geological observations; to study the ice 
 or snow surfaces, details of sastrugi, topographical fea- 
 tures, heights and distances, and meteorology. 
 
 After having traveled about fifty miles to the East- 
 ward they beheld a wonderful panorama of sea below, 
 and a flat plain of debouching glacier-tongue which 
 ebbed away North into a foggy horizon. Farther on 
 the view widened and in the foreground could be seen 
 low, white, Northern ice cliffs, and in the distant East 
 a vague suggestion of land across the bed of the gla- 
 cier. 
 
 Ascending Aurora Peak they had a fine view of the 
 surrounding country from an altitude of one thousand 
 seven hundred and fifty feet. 
 
 On December 17th they approached a huge rocky 
 bluff — Horn Bluff — the cliffs rising one thousand feet 
 in height, a magnificent and awe-inspiring sight. 
 
 The ** farthest East" was made December 18th, at a 
 distance of two hundred and seventy miles from the 
 Hut. 
 
 The return was not accomplished without incident and 
 the three men found themselves short of rations and 
 in an exhausted condition while yet fifty miles from 
 the Hut. Madigan was barely able to reach a depot 
 where food had been cached, returning with this to the 
 others. When sufficiently restored to health they under- 
 took the last few miles of their journey. They reached 
 the Hut January 14th to find that the ship was in and 
 received the first news in a year of the outside world. 
 Stillwell's party, known as the ''Near-Eastern Party," 
 
368 The Seventh Continent 
 
 had meanwhile explored a broad expanse of valley in 
 the vicinity of Mount Hunt. 
 
 Bickerman's party spent forty-three days exploring 
 to the West and other excursions were made at inter- 
 vals from the Main Base. 
 
 On January 13th the '^ Aurora" had dropped anchor 
 in Commonwealth Bay and the members of the crew 
 received a royal welcome from the men ashore. 
 
 Mawson's instructions had been that all parties should 
 return by January 15th. By the 19th all of the sledg- 
 ing parties had reported to the Hut except Mawson's, 
 which was now a week overdue. Considerable anxiety 
 was felt at his prolonged absence and searching parties 
 explored the vicinity in vain. 
 
 Captain Davis decided to remain in Commonwealth 
 Bay until January 30th, or as long as possible, when 
 the *' Aurora" would proceed for Wild's Base. 
 
 It became necessary to plan for a relief party to re- 
 main at winter quarters possibly for another year and 
 supplies of provisions and coal were landed for this 
 purpose. 
 
 Reluctantly Captain Davis set sail February 8th, the 
 terrific hurricanes making it dangerous to remain any 
 longer in those treacherous waters. 
 
 The Relief Party, with Madigan in command, includ- 
 ed Bage, Bickerman, Jeffreys, Hodgeman and McLean. 
 
 On the same night a wireless was received by the 
 ''Aurora" from the Main Base telling of Mawson's ar- 
 rival alone, and ordering the ship to return at once. In 
 spite of every effort to reach the Main Base, a hard 
 gale prevented the ''Aurora" from anchoring and re- 
 luctantly Captain Davis was forced to abandon the hope 
 of taking aboard the remaining men at this time. The 
 
Australasian Expedition Under Sir Douglas Mawson 369 
 
 danger of the ''Aurora" being obliged to winter in these 
 latitudes was too great a risk and the only hope of 
 reaching Wild's party, fifteen hundred miles distant, 
 was to proceed at once. 
 
 The "Aurora" literally ploughed her way through 
 the loose pack, reaching the Western Base February 
 23rd. 
 
 Wild and his men had begun to prepare for a sec- 
 ond winter by laying in a stock of seal meat as they 
 feared some catastrophe had overcome the ship. 
 
 The brief summer of Antarctica was over and the 
 rapidity with which the winter ice was forming neces- 
 sitated a quick run through hundreds of miles of bergs. 
 
 During the previous year Wild and his men had em- 
 ployed their time in like manner to the men at the 
 Main Base, taking observations and preparing for 
 sledge journeys which were undertaken at intervals as 
 the season and weather permitted. 
 
 The Main Eastern summer journey had as its object 
 the survey of as much coastline as possible and at the 
 same time to carry on geographical work, surveying and 
 magnetics. With fourteen weeks' provisions Wild's 
 Eastern Party made an extraordinary trip in which 
 new lands were sighted and formally taken possession 
 of in the name of George V and the Australian Com- 
 monwealth; later this territory was called Queen Mary 
 Land. The total distance covered by this journey was 
 two hundred and thirty-seven miles, covering a period 
 of seventy days. 
 
 A long trip was made from the Western Depot in 
 October, 1912, toward Gausberg, in Kaiser Wilhelm II 
 Land, which was discovered by the German Antarctic 
 Expedition in 1902. On this successful journey the 
 
370 The Seventh Continent 
 
 linking up of the intervening country was accomplished. 
 Abundance of bird life was noticed on this expedition 
 in the vicinity of Haswell Island and the Adelie pen- 
 guins were found in great numbers. 
 
 The seven men, including Mawson, left at the Main 
 Base, in spite of their disappointment at their failure 
 to return to civilization at the end of their first year 
 in the Antarctic, spent their time to advantage in con- 
 stant and laborious routine incident to their scientific 
 studies. 
 
 On February 15th there was a sense of jubilant fel- 
 lowship with the outside world when Jeffreys, who was 
 in charge of the wireless, announced that he had heard 
 Macquarie Island send a coded weather report to Hobart. 
 Later in the month ''Good Evening" was exchanged 
 with Macquarie Island, and still later a message from 
 Mawson was forwarded via Macquarie Island to Lord 
 Denman, Governor- General of the Commonwealth, ac- 
 quainting him with their situation and loss of their 
 comrades. 
 
 News was received at the Main Base of Captain Scott 's 
 disaster but no details were given. 
 
 Communication was continued at intervals with Mac- 
 quarie Island, this mitigating the deadly monotony of 
 the second winter. The general health of the party, 
 with one exception, kept surprisingly good, and with 
 rest and care the sick man recovered sufficiently to con- 
 tinue his share of the work. 
 
 Short sledge journeys were undertaken in favorable 
 weather and the months rapidly sped until the glorious 
 day of all days, December 12th, when the courageous 
 band of men welcomed the sight of the "Aurora" slowly 
 but surely coming up the bay to their relief. 
 
Australasian Expedition Under Sir Douglas Mawson 371 
 
 Perhaps no expedition to the Antarctic Zone has done 
 more for the advancement of Science than that of Sir 
 Douglas Mawson. The work accomplished by the party 
 on Macquarie Island in all lines of natural history was 
 as complete as time and conditions permitted, and the 
 constant magnetic and meteorological observations have 
 been of exceptional value to the maritime world. 
 
 The same credit is due the work accomplished by 
 those of the ** Aurora" who traversed a vast expanse 
 of sea area, studying tides, currents, and the animal 
 and vegetable life in these low latitudes. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 shagkleton's latest antarctic expedition 
 
 IN February, 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton presented 
 before the Royal Geographical Society of London 
 his programme for a new Antarctic Expedition, the 
 purpose of which was to cross the South Polar Conti- 
 nent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. Such a 
 journey was a stupendous undertaking but Shackleton 
 hoped that from the geographical point of view the 
 complete continental nature of the Antarctic might be 
 solved. It was the purpose of the expedition to take 
 continuous magnetic observations from Weddell Sea 
 right across the Pole, and to follow conscientiously all 
 branches of science, with the hoped-for result of greatly 
 adding to the sum total of human knowledge. 
 
 To carry out his bold project of a trans- Antarctic ex- 
 pedition Shackleton had planned to go with his party 
 to the coast line on the Weddell Sea, while Captain 
 Mackintosh and nine companions were to start from the 
 coast of Ross Sea, on the other side of the Pole, and 
 meet Shackleton 's party at a point far inland. 
 
 Having received the encouragement and support of 
 the scientific world. Sir Ernest left Buenos Aires on 
 board the ''Endurance'^ October 25th, 1914, and the 
 last word was heard from him in February of the fol- 
 lowing year. 
 
 In May, 1916, Shackleton cabled his arrival in the 
 
 372 
 
Shachleton^s Latest Antarctic Expedition 373 
 
 Falkland Islands, bringing with him an account of his 
 failure to reach his destination, through adverse ice con- 
 ditions. 
 
 No attempt at a trans- Antarctic journey could be 
 made — the '"Endurance" was beset in January, and 
 from then on drifted at the mercy of the elements, reach- 
 ing the farthest South of 77° in longitude 35° West. 
 Then a zig-zag drift was made across Weddell Sea and 
 she continued North-West. Intense ice pressure was 
 experienced in June when the ridges of ice reached 
 the height of twenty feet near the ship, and during 
 July they reached twice that height. 
 
 It was not until October, however, that the pressure 
 against the hull of the '" Endurance" became too much 
 for the ship, and she was finally crushed by the ice, all 
 hands abandoned her, taking to boats and sledges, with 
 a part of their provisions. 
 
 After a drift Northward for two months, the ice be- 
 came strong enough to travel over it and the march 
 was pursued through deep snow. 
 
 During the next few months the party lived on the 
 ice floes, narrowly escaping death on more than one 
 occasion. In April, 1916, the ice suddenly opened be- 
 neath them and forced them to take to the open sea in 
 boats. They made their way to Elephant Island and 
 here they found themselves in such dire straits that Sir 
 Ernest with five men in a small boat started for South 
 Georgia for assistance. 
 
 This amazing journey, accomplished under such 
 hazardous conditions, is one of the most daring and 
 heroic feats in Antarctic history. 
 
 After reaching the Falklands, Shackleton made sev^ 
 eral unsuccessful attempts to rescue his men left on 
 
374 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Elephant Island. 
 
 The first was made from South Georgia on May 23rd 
 in a whaling vessel furnished by a Norwegian whaling 
 station. 
 
 The boat could not penetrate the pack ice and was 
 obliged to return to the Falkland Islands, reaching Port 
 Stanley on May 31st. 
 
 On the 8th of June a second attempt was made in the 
 steamer ^'Instituto Pesca" of the Uruguayan Bureau 
 of Fisheries which left Montevideo, stopping en route 
 at Port Stanley, June 17th, to pick up Shackleton. It 
 was found impossible to reach Elephant Island because 
 of the ice and the trip was abandoned June 25th. The 
 ship had approached to within twenty miles of the 
 Island, and it was ascertained that penguins abounded 
 in the vicinity, giving reasonable assurance that the men 
 would be able to subsist until help came, although when 
 their leader had left them they had only five weeks' ra- 
 tions. 
 
 Shackleton 's third attempt was made July 13th, when 
 he set sail from Punta Arenas on the schooner ' ' Emma. ' ' 
 The schooner was forced back by the terrific gales and 
 ice fields; with engines injured and a battered hull she 
 returned to the Falkland Islands on August 4th. 
 
 Undaunted by repeated failures, worn in body and 
 mind from exhaustion and anxiety, this heroic explorer 
 renewed every effort to rescue the twenty-one marooned 
 men whose trust in him had never wavered, and again 
 set out upon his quest. 
 
 The fourth and successful journey was made from 
 Punta Arenas, where Sir Ernest chartered a steamer 
 and finally reached his men, when they had all but 
 given up hope of rescue. 
 
Shackleton^s Latest Antarctic Expedition 375 
 
 The party had endured many hardships during the 
 absence of Shackleton. The island was beset by a dense 
 ice pack soon after his departure, and the little band 
 of stranded men were confined to a narrow spit of land 
 250 yards long and 40 wide, surrounded by inaccessi- 
 ble cliffs and ice-laden seas. 
 
 They constructed a shelter from their two boats sup- 
 ported by rocks, and as far as possible from the sea. 
 In spite of this precaution the heavy gales threatened 
 to blow the shelter and the men themselves into the 
 ocean, and had it not been for the ice foot which formed 
 on the sea shore, and which offered some protection, 
 the party would have suffered total destruction. 
 
 To add to their precarious situation, an adjacent gla- 
 cier calved on several occasions, throwing up heavy 
 waves and huge blocks of ice which were hurled to 
 within fifteen feet of their miserable hut. 
 
 The indomitable Frank Wild, whose long experience 
 in the Antarctic had made him a man of unlimited re- 
 source, immediately prepared for insuring a sufficient 
 food supply. At first only one meal a day was allowed, 
 but having secured a reserve of blubber this was in- 
 creased. 
 
 The meat supply was very low but was increased by 
 small penguins. Later seaweed and limpets were added 
 to this diet. 
 
 When Shackleton had left his men he had told them 
 he would return, and he simply did that, in spite of 
 the most disheartening and hopeless failures. 
 
 So great was the faith of his men in the indomitable 
 courage and persistence of their leader that Frank Wild 
 would say to them each day — ''Boys roll up your sleep- 
 ing bags, the 'boss' may come at any moment." 
 
376 The Seventh Continent 
 
 Disaster had likewise pursued Captain Mackintosh 
 and his party. The '* Aurora," in which he had sailed, 
 broke away in a blizzard off Ross Barrier, leaving Mac- 
 intosh and his men stranded on shore. 
 
 The ship drifted to New Zealand, where she was re- 
 paired and Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed in her to the 
 final rescue of the remaining band of adventurous men. 
 
 In their isolation of twenty months three of their 
 number had died, including Captain Mackintosh, the 
 leader, A. P. Spencer Smith, and Victor G. Hayward. 
 
 Part of the program of the Ross Sea party had been 
 to lay depots on the Ross barrier ice, for the use of 
 the Shackleton party when it came down from the Ant- 
 arctic plateau. 
 
 This they did, in spite of their abandonment, the last 
 depot being made in October, at Mount Hope (831/^ S.), 
 at the foot of Beardman Glacier. 
 
 This had been one of Captain Scott's depots, and 
 two of his sledges were found. On the return journey 
 made in the month of January the party suffered from 
 scurvy. The Rev. Spencer Smith became so helpless 
 that he was obliged to lie on a sledge in a sleeping bag. 
 
 When only eleven miles from Bluff depot they were 
 overtaken by a blizzard which necessitated their camp- 
 ing for six days. Their provisions were now practi- 
 cally exhausted and on February 23, the party started 
 in the face of a blinding storm to attempt to reach the 
 depot. 
 
 Captain Mackintosh, having reached the limit of his 
 endurance, fell ill and together with Smith, was left 
 in charge of a comrade, while the others pressed on. 
 
 It now devolved upon Joyce, Richards and Hayward, 
 with four starving dogs, to secure the much needed 
 
Shackleton^s Latest Antarctic Expedition 377 
 
 relief. 
 
 This they managed to accomplish in spite of Hay- 
 ward 's giving out, and having returned with food and 
 oil to the helpless men left behind, the entire party 
 once more started toward their base. For a time sails 
 rigged to the sledge helped their advance, but the wind 
 having died down they found themselves unable to pull 
 the sledges burdened by the sick men. 
 
 Mackintosh, appreciating the gravity of their situa- 
 tion, unselfishly decided to remain behind while the 
 others pushed on. He was left in a tent with three 
 weeks' provisions. 
 
 The party had a distance of forty miles to cover, all 
 were in a weakened condition and Spencer Smith died 
 March 9, after having been ill forty-seven days. 
 
 At Hut Point, situated on the southwestern corner of 
 Ross Island, fresh meat and dried vegetables were pro- 
 cured March 11th. Three days later Joyce, Richards 
 and Wild started back to get Mackintosh, and by March 
 18th all were safe at Hut Point. 
 
 Having survived the trials of the 800-mile journey 
 to the foot of Beardmore Glacier and back. Mackin- 
 tosh and Hay ward lost their lives on a short 15-mile 
 journey across the sea ice from Hut Point to Cape 
 Evans. 
 
 May 8, 1916, they left camp in fine weather, but a 
 blinding storm overtook them. 
 
 "When their anxious companions started after them, 
 they found their tracks terminated abruptly in open 
 water. The influence of the blizzard had broken the 
 young ice under their feet and thus they met a tragic 
 fate. 
 
 Though at every turn disaster and misfortune fol- 
 
378 The Seventh Continent 
 
 lowed Shackleton's last expedition to Antarctica, the 
 indomitable courage, heroism, and faith exhibited by- 
 leader and men will ever stand in this story of failure'* 
 as an example to all and stir the heart with the deepest 
 admiration and enthusiEism. 
 
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 Lives and Voyages of Drake, Cavendish and Dampier, 
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 Hawksworth 's Voyages Bound the World, Vols. I, II, 
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 379 
 
380 Bibliography 
 
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 Voyages Bound the Worlds Pub. London, Thomas Nel- 
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 Four Years in the Government Exploring Expedition 
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 1884 
 
 The Antarctic Manual, London, Royal Geographical 
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 Exploring Expeditions of Wilkes, D'Urville, Boss and 
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 Mariners' Library, Lilly Wait Colman and Holden, 
 
BihUography 381 
 
 Boston, 1833 
 The Forum, Feb., 1898, page 641, Antarctic Explora- 
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 Exploration, by Rear- Admiral A. H. Markham, R. N. 
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 From Edinburgh to the Antarctic, 1892-93, by W. G. 
 
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 1894 
 My Antarctic Explorations, by Dr. Jean B. Charcot, 
 
 Part I, Part II, Harper ^s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 
 
 CXI, June, 1905, to November, 1905 
 Farthest South, by Lieutenant Shackleton, Vol. 
 
 XXXIII, 1909, McClure's Magazine, and Vol. 
 
 XXXIV, 1909 
 
 The Heart of the Antarctic, Vols. I-II, by E. H. Shackle- 
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 The First Japanese Polar Expedition, by Lieutenant 
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 The Antarctic Campaign, Nature, March 7, 1912, page 
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 Two Thousand Miles in the Antarctic Ice, McClure's 
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 The South Pola/r Regions, Expeditions of 1898, 1900, 
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 Voyage of the ^'Discovery," by Captain Robert T. Scott, 
 Vol. I, II, Pub., Toronto, Copp, Clark & Co., Lim- 
 
382 Bibliography 
 
 ited, London, Macmillan & Co., Limited, 1905 
 Antarctica, by Dr. Otto Nordenskjold, Pub., Hurst and 
 
 Blackett, 182, High Holbum, W. C, 1905 
 The Antarctic Campaign, by William S. Bruce 
 Nature, March 7, 1912, Page 17, Macmillan & Co., Lon- 
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 The New York Times Account of the Tragedy of Cap- 
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 The South Pole, Roald Amundsen, Pub., Lee Keedick, 
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INDEX 
 
 Abbott, 332 
 
 *^ Active/' 196, 207, 209, 213 
 
 Adams, Lieutenant J. B., 290, 
 
 294, 296, 310 
 ** Adventure,'' 50, 51, 54, 56, 
 
 63 
 Alexander VI, 11 
 Alozo, Martin, 12 
 Alvarez, 14 
 Amundsen, Koald, 9, 219, 332, 
 
 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 345 
 Anderson, Dr., 266, 278, 281 
 Andrew of Bristol, 14 
 *' Anna wan," 79 
 ''Antarctic," 218, 265, 266, 
 
 268, 269, 277, 278, 281 
 ''Argo," 21 
 Armitage, Lieutenant Albert, 
 
 241, 242, 260, 306 
 "Astrolabe," 112, 113, 116, 
 
 118, 127 
 Atkinson, 334, 353, 354, 359 
 ''Atrexoida," 70 
 Attwaye, Captain, 179 
 ''Aurora," 70, 350, 351, 352, 
 
 359, 361, 364, 365, 366, 368, 
 
 369, 370, 376 
 
 Bage, 368 
 
 "Balaena," 196, 197, 199, 207, 
 
 215 
 Balboa, Vasco Nunez de, 23 
 Balch, Edwin, 60, 79, 146 
 Balleny, John, 105, 106, 125 
 Barne, Lieutenant, 241, 257 
 Bates, 332, 334 
 "Beaufort," 88 
 "Belgia," 218, 219, 220, 222, 
 
 224 
 Beinngshausen, 76, 90, 91 
 
 "Benedict," 23 
 
 Bernacchi, Mr. Louis, 225, 226, 
 
 228, 232, 233, 237, 239, 242 
 Bickerman, 368 
 Bidlingmaier, Dr. Frederick, 
 
 263 
 Binstead, Lieutenant, 110 
 Biscoe, John, 79, 80, 106, 107, 
 
 108, 109, 110, 135 
 Bjaaland, 341 
 Borchgrevink, Mr. C. E., 224, 
 
 228, 242 
 Bouvet, M. des Lozier, 37, 38, 
 
 52 
 Bowers, Lieut., 332, 334, 336, 
 
 355, 356 
 Branfield, Edward, 88 
 Brisbane, Mathew, 88 
 Brocklehurst, Sir Philip, 290, 
 
 296, 297, 300, 306, 307 
 Brown, Captain James, 80, 105 
 Brown, Mr. E. N., 282 
 Browning, 332 
 Bruce, Dr. William, 282, 350, 
 
 351 
 Byron, 42 
 
 Campbell, Lieut., 332, 354 
 Carder, Peter, 29 
 Carteret, 42, 56 
 "Castor," 212 
 "Challenger," 180, 181, 182, 
 
 183, 188, 189, 192, 193, 194, 
 
 196 
 "Chanticleer," 78, 93 
 Charcot, Dr. Jean B., 283, 285, 
 
 286, 287 
 Cherry, 332 
 "Christopher," 22 
 Chun, Prof. Carl, 224 
 
 383 
 
384 
 
 Index 
 
 Gierke, 64 
 
 Clesmeur, Chevalier de, 38 
 Coats, Captain Andrew, 282 
 Coats, Mr. James, 282 
 ''Coquille,'' 112 
 Colbeck, Lieut., 239 
 Colnett, Captain, 198, 199 
 Columbus, 11, 12, 13 
 Colvoccorresses, Lieut., 147 
 ' ' Concepcion/ ' 13, 16 
 Cook, Captain James, 40, 41, 
 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 
 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 
 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64, 
 65, 66, 67, 68, 89, 91, 102, 
 107, 131, 132, 176, 199 
 Correll, K. C, 367 
 Cowley, Captain, 35 
 Crean, 332, 334, 358 
 Crozier, Captain Francis, Eow- 
 don, 154, 195, 196, 205 
 
 Dallman, Captain, 179 
 Dalrymple, Alexander, 39, 40, 
 
 57, 58 
 Banco, Lieutenant, 221 
 Darwin, Sir George, 347 
 David, Prof. T. W., 290, 303, 
 
 352 
 Davidson, Captain, 207 
 Davis, Captain John King, 306, 
 
 350, 352, 359, 361, 368 
 Demetri, 353, 354 
 Desbois, 112 
 De Lope, 24 
 De Solis, 13, 23 
 ''Diana,'' 196, 209 
 Diaz, Bartholomew, 10 
 Dickerson, 332 
 ''Discovery," 241, 242, 243, 
 
 244, 246, 261, 289, 309 
 "Dolores," 70 
 Doughty, Thomas, 25 
 "Dove," 90 
 Drake, Sir Francis, 21, 22, 23, 
 
 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 36 
 Du Bouzet, 112, 127 
 Duperrey, Captain, 112 
 D 'Urville, Captain Dumont, 
 
 112, 113, 114, 117, 118, 
 
 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 
 126, 128, 136, 154, 157, 175, 
 194, 204, 351 
 Duse, 277, 278 
 
 "Eagle," 41 
 "Eendracht," 34 
 "Eliza," 90 
 "Eliza Scott," 105 
 "Elizabeth," 22, 23, 28 
 Queen Elizabeth, 21, 22, 29, 31 
 "Emma," 374 
 "Endeavor," 43, 45, 46, 47, 
 
 49 
 Enderby, 79 
 
 "Endurance," 372, 373 
 "Erebus," 154, 168, 169, 170, 
 
 195 
 Evans, Captain Edgar, 307, 
 
 334, 335, 336, 353, 355, 357 
 Evenson, Captain, 212 
 
 Fanning, Edmund, 71, 72, 73, 
 
 74, 75, 76, 80, 81, 95, 96, 
 
 98, 99, 100, 104 
 Fanning, William A., 71 
 Fernandez, Juan, 32, 57 
 Filchner, 346, 347, 348, 349 
 Fitzroy, 113 
 
 "Flying Fish," 130, 131, 132 
 Foster, Captain Henry, 78, 93, 
 
 106, 178 
 Fourneauz, Captain, 51, 55 
 Foxton, Mr., 110 
 "Fram," 332, 337, 345 
 Franklin, Sir John, 154, 157, 
 
 166, 167, 195, 196, 353 
 "Freelove," 41 
 Fresne, Captain du, 38 
 
 "Gauss," 263, 264 
 
 Gerlache, Lieut. Adrien de, 
 
 218, 222, 223 
 Gerrard, 332, 334, 353, 354 
 Gherritz, 33, 71, 73 
 "Golden Hind," 27, 28, 30 
 Gonneville, Sier de, 37 
 Gourdon, M., 283 
 Gracia, Nimo, 15 
 Graham, Sir James R. G., 80 
 
Index 
 
 385 
 
 Grain, 332 
 
 ♦'Grampus/' 42 
 
 Gran, 354 
 
 Greely, General, 71, 74, 79, 80, 
 
 136, 193 
 ''Greenland," 179 
 Grunder, 278 
 Guillemard, 19 
 Guyot, 38 
 
 Halley, 36 
 
 Hamer, Captain, 41 
 
 Hamilton, Sir E. V., 87 
 
 Hansen, 340, 341 
 
 Hanson, Nicolai, 238 
 
 Harmsworth, Mr. A. C. (Lord 
 
 Northcliffe), 241 
 Hartwig, 92, 95 
 Hawkesworth, 39 
 Hays, M., 37 
 Hayward, Victor G., 376 
 Heard, Captain J. J., 178, 185 
 "Henry," 104, 105 
 Henry, Midshipman Wilkes, 
 
 147, 148, 149, 150 
 ' ' Herald of the Morning, ' ' 179 
 "Hero," 74, 75, 91 
 "Hersilia," 71, 73, 74 
 "Hertha," 212 
 Hodgeman, 365, 368 
 Hooper, 354 
 "Hope," 71 
 "Hopewell," 110 
 Hurley, 369 
 Hutton, Captain, 179 
 
 "Institute Pesca," 374 
 Irizar, Captain, 279 
 
 Jacquinot, Captain, 112, 114 
 
 "Jane," 88 
 
 "Jason," 211, 212, 216 
 
 Jeffreys, 368, 370 
 
 Johnson, Captain Kobert, 87, 
 
 104, 349 
 Joyce, 376, 377 
 
 " Kainan-maru, " 344 
 
 Kemp, 105 
 
 Kendall, Lieutenant, 51, 93 
 
 Keohaue, 334, 335, 354 
 Kertoge, Theodoric, 34 
 King, Captain, 113 
 Klovstad, Dr., 238 
 Keottlitz, Dr., 242 
 Konig, Dr., 348 
 "Koonya," 307 
 Krech, Captain, 224 
 
 ' ' La Dauphine, ' ' 39 
 
 "La Fortune," 38 
 
 "L'Aigle," 37 
 
 "Le Marie," 37 
 
 La Eoche, 58, 198 
 
 Larsen, Captain C. A., 211, 
 
 212, 266, 269, 276, 278, 280, 
 
 281, 348 
 Lashley, 354 
 
 "Le Francais," 283, 285, 286 
 "Le Gros Ventre," 38 
 Le Maire, 34 
 "Leon," 38 
 "LeEoland," 38 
 Levicki, 332 
 
 "Lincluden Castle," 179 
 "Lively," 108, 109 
 "L'Oiseau," 38 
 Longstaff, Mr. L. W., 241 
 Lowe, 91 
 
 Mackay, Dr. Forbes, 290, 295, 
 
 296, 298, 303, 304, 305, 307, 
 326 
 
 Mackintosh, Captain, 308, 326, 
 
 376, 377 
 Macy, Eichard, 70 
 Madigan, C. T., 371 
 Magellan, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 
 
 21, 23, 25, 69 
 Mahn, Admiral Jaques, 34 
 "Marie," 196 
 "Marigold," 22, 27 
 Marion, M., 52 
 Markham, Sir Clements, 176, 
 
 240, 241 
 Marshall, Dr. E., 290, 296, 
 
 297, 323, 326 
 Matha, Lieutenant, 283 
 Mawson, Sir Douglas, 290, 301, 
 
 303, 304, 305, 306, 346, 347, 
 
386 
 
 Index 
 
 350, 351, 352, 360, 363, 364, 
 
 365, 368, 370 
 McCormick, Dr. E., 154, 158, 
 
 159, 161, 162, 164, 167, 170, 
 
 173, 174 
 McDonald, Captain, 179 
 McGillan, 308, 326 
 McLean, Dr. A. L., 365, 367, 
 
 368 
 Mendana, 33 
 *' Mercury," 42 
 Mertz, Dr., 352, 361, 364 
 Meumayer, Prof., 240 
 ^'Moltke,'^ 196 
 Montravel, Tardy de, 112 
 Moore, Lieut. T. L., 178 
 *' Morning," 261, 262 
 Morrell, 87, 349 
 Mossman, Mr. E. C, 282, 283, 
 
 348 
 Murdock, Mr. Burn, 197, 199, 
 
 204, 205, 206, 207, 209, 211, 
 
 213, 215, 216 
 Murdock, Lieutenant, 261 
 Murray, Sir John, 193, 290 
 
 Nansen, 253, 254, 338, 339, 
 
 363 
 Nares, Captain George S., 180 
 Neumayer, 263 
 Newnes, Sir George, 225 
 Ninnis, Lieut. B. C. S., 352, 
 
 361, 364 
 ^'Nimrod," 350 
 Nordenskjold, Dr. N. Otto G., 
 
 265, 266, 268, 269, 270, 272, 
 
 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 280, 
 
 347 
 Normura, Captain, 345 
 
 Gates, Captain, 336, 355, 356, 
 
 357 
 ''Otter," 71 
 
 "Pacific," 80, 81, 82 
 "Pagoda," 178 
 Palliser, Sir Hugh, 42 
 Palmer, Captain Nathaniel 
 
 Brown, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 
 
 §0^ 87^ 90, 91, 194 
 
 "Paramour," 36 
 
 Parry, 89 
 
 "Peacock," 130, 131, 135, 
 
 146, 147, 150 
 Peary, 342 
 
 Pedersen, Captain Morten, 212 
 "Pelican," 22 
 Penck, Dr., 347, 348 
 Pendleton, Benjamin, 74, 75, 
 
 76, 83, 84, 86, 87 
 "Penguin," 78 
 Perigot, 112 
 Philippi, Dr. Emil, 263 
 Pigafeeta, 16, 17, 19, 20 
 Pinzon, Vincent Yanez, 12 
 Pirie, Dr. J. H. H., 282 
 Pitcher, William, 29 
 Pleneau, Engineer, 283 
 "Polar Star," 196, 214 
 "Porpoise," 132, 134 
 "Pourquoi Pas," 286, 287 
 Powell, Captain George, 90, 
 
 122 
 Priestly, E., 290, 382 
 Prince Henry the Navigator, 
 
 10 
 "Princess," 70 
 Pringle, Sir John, 61 
 
 Queros, Pedro Fernandez de, 34, 
 49,43 
 
 "Eattler," 198 
 
 Eea, Lieut., 110 
 
 Eees, Captain, 179 
 
 "Eelief," 130, 131, 132 
 
 Eey, Ensign, 283 
 
 Eeynolds, J. N., 78, 79, 103 
 
 Eichards, 376 
 
 Eoggeveen, Admiral Jacob, 36 
 
 "Eose," 110 
 
 Eoss, Captain J. C, 110, 135, 
 154, 157, 158, 159, 161, 162, 
 167, 169, 173, 174, 175, 176, 
 177, 180, 194, 195, 204, 205, 
 206, 209, 242, 243, 244, 245, 
 269, 327, 349 
 
 Eoyds, Lieut., 241 
 
 Euserj, Captain Hans, 26?^ 
 
Index 
 
 387 
 
 ' * Samarang, " 179 
 
 ''San Antonio," 13, 16 
 
 ''Santiago," 13 
 
 Saunders, Sir Charles, 42 
 
 Sehoulen, 34 
 
 Schrader, Dr. K., 196 
 
 "Scotia," 282, 283 
 
 Scott, Captain Eobert F., 9, 
 241, 242, 243, 244, 249, 251, 
 253, 257, 258, 260, 261, 262, 
 310, 313, 330, 331, 332, 333, 
 334, 335, 336, 352, 353, 355, 
 356 
 
 "Sea Gull," 130, 132 
 
 "Seraph," 79 
 
 Shackleton, Sir Ernest, 241, 
 257, 259, 261, 288, 295, 300, 
 309, 311, 313, 315, 316, 318, 
 320, 323, 327, 339, 340, 341, 
 343, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 
 377 
 
 Sharp, Captain Bartholomew, 
 34 
 
 SheflBeld, Captain James P., 71 
 
 Shelrocke, Captain, 35 
 
 Shirase, Lieut., 343, 344, 356 
 
 Siminow, 91 
 
 Skelton, Engineer Lieut., 241, 
 260 
 
 Smiley, Captain William H., 
 177 
 
 Smith, Captain, 73 
 
 Smith, A. P. Spencer, 376 
 
 "Snow Swan," 70 
 
 Sobral, Lieut., 275, 277 
 
 "Southern Cross," 224, 225, 
 230, 239 
 
 "Southern Pioneer," 344, 346 
 
 Spry, William J. H., 181, 184 
 
 Stillwell, 367 
 
 Swain, Captain, 70 
 
 "Swan," 22 
 
 Tasman, Abel, 34, 65, 66 
 "Terra Nova," 262, 330, 33], 
 
 332, 334, 337, 353 
 "Terror," 154, 165, 167, 168, 
 
 170, 172, 173, 195, 205 
 "Tierra Austral," 34 
 
 Tongner, Mr., 232 
 
 Tremarec, Captain Yves T. de 
 
 Kerguelin, 38 
 "Trinidad," 13 
 Turquet, M., 283 
 Turneauz, Captain, 51, 55, 65 
 
 Underwood, Lieut. J. A., 147, 
 
 148, 149, 150 
 "Urdine," 348 
 "Uruguay," 279, 280 
 
 "Valdivia," 224 
 Verne, 106, 107, 110, 112, 118 
 Vespucius, Americus, 13 
 Villiers de L'Isle Adam, 19 
 "Vincennes," 130, 134, 138, 
 
 150, 157, 163 
 "Victoria," 13 
 "Volunteer," 71 
 
 Von Drygalski, Erick, 263, 
 
 264, 265 
 Von Hoffen, Prof., 263 
 
 Wallis, 42 
 
 "Wasp," 87 
 
 Webster, Dr., 78 
 
 Weddell, James, 88, 89, 90, 349 
 
 Wild, Frank, 360, 369, 374, 
 
 377 
 Wild, Dr. Marshall, 310, 316, 
 
 321 
 Wilkes, Captain Charles, 60, 
 
 110, 130, 131, 133, 135, 136, 
 
 138, 141, 143, 145, 146, 150, 
 
 151, 152, 153, 154, 157, 175, 
 193, 194 
 
 "William," 73, 88 
 
 Williamson, 354 
 
 Wilson, Dr. E. A., 257, 334, 
 
 336. 356 
 Wilson, 354, 355 
 Winter, Captain, 27 
 Wisting, 341 
 Wolfe, General, 42 
 Wright, 334 
 "Zelee," 112, 113, 118, 119, 
 
 125