The great white South; being an account of experiences with Captain Scott's South pole expedition and of the nature life of the Antarctic

Front matter

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Foreword

This book is written by one who had the honour to take part in that great adventure, The British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13. Its object is to present, in simple language and pictures, some fresh aspects of the setting of that epic Polar drama which must ever stand out in the annals of exploration for the beauty of character revealed in those who took the leading parts, and perished in the final scene.

Whilst in the Great White South, during the winter of 1911, Captain Scott expressed to the author the sentiment that it was much to be desired that the youth of the Nation should become conversant with such adventures as Polar expeditions, as this would help to stimulate * a fine and manly spirit in the rising generation.' The great explorer's words inspired the writing of this book.

If, therefore, this volume should help to foster in some of our boys that love of adventure which has animated all our great Empire Builders; and in the hearts of some of our girls that approval of chivalrous qualities and gallant deeds which has been the inspiration of the sterner sex throughout the ages, the writer will feel that his reward, for the years spent in securing and preparing the material for this book, will have been richer than he would have dared to hope for when he sailed into the South.

The author records, herewith, his gratitude to Lady Scott for graciously contributing the Introduction to this volume; his thanks to Messrs. John Murray of London, and Messrs. Dodd, Mead and Company of New York, for their kind permission to make many quotations herein from * Scott's Last Expedition ' ; and his warm sense of obligation to his comrades of the adventure for the assistance they rendered him in the South whenever opportunity permitted.

H. G. P.

viii]

INTRODUCTION By lady SCOTT

The author has given me the manuscript of his book to look over, and what good reading it is! That Mr. Ponting is a great artist with the camera is very widely known, but to find him also writing with so much lucidity and beauty is surprising and delightful.

In his book, which teems with appreciation of his leader, there seems no word of his leader's appreciation of him. This will never do! So let my form of introduction be to quote my husband.

Here, then, is what Captain Scott wrote in his diary soon after arriving in the South :

* Ponting is the most delighted of men ; he declares this is the most beautiful spot he has ever seen, and spends all day and most of the night in what he calls " gathering it in " with camera and cinematograph . . . He is enraptured and uses expressions which in anyone else and alluding to any other subject might be deemed extravagant.'

* Of the many admirable points in his work perhaps the most notable are his eye for a picture and the mastery he has acquired of ice subjects. The composition of his pictures is extraordinarily good ; he seems to know by instinct the exact value of foreground and middle distance and of the introduction of " life," whilst with more technical skill he emphasises the subtle shadows of the snow and reproduces its wonderfully transparent texture. He is an artist in love with his work, and it was good to hear his enthusiasm for results of the past and plans for the future.'

X INTRODUCTION

Personally, I know Mr. Ponting's work only by results. Over and over, and yet over again have I seen his cinematograph pictures of the Expedition, and I am still looking for further occasions of seeing them, for the beauty and wonder of them never varies. My husband, however, was marvelling at the dexterity of the artist, when he wrote on April 13th, 1911:

* Next is the dark-room in which Pouting spends the greater part of his life. Such a palatial chamber for the development of negatives and prints can only be justified by the quality of the work produced in it, and is only justified in our case by the possession of such an artist as Pouting. My eye took in the neat shelves with their array of cameras, etc., the lead-lined sink and automatic water tap, the two acetylene gas burners with their shading screens, and the general obviousness of all conveniences of the photographic art.

* Here, indeed, was encouragement for the best results, and to the photographer be all praise, for it is mainly his hand which has executed the designs which his brain conceived. In this may be seen the results of a traveller's experience. Ponting has had to fend for himself under primitive conditions in a new land ; the result is a " handy man " with every form of tool, and in any circumstances. Thus, when building operations were to the fore and mechanical labour scarce, Ponting returned to the shell of his apartment with only the raw material for completing it. In the shortest possible space of time shelves and tanks were erected, doors hung and windows framed, and all in a workmanlike manner commanding the admiration of all beholders.

' It was well that speed could be commanded for such work, since the fleeting hours of the summer season had been all too few to be spared from the immediate service of photography. Ponting's nervous temperament allowed no waste of time. For him fine weather meant no sleep; he decided that lost opportunities should be as rare as circumstances would permit.'

INTRODUCTION xi

To Mr, Ponting (in common, I like to believe, with all true artists), it is more important that good work should be done, than that he, himself, should do it ; and the following quotation shows how freely he gave of his own knowledge so that others should * train on ' to replace him — eager that his pupils should get the best out of material that might come their way, and not his. That good work should at all costs be done, no matter who was the man to do it, seems, from the following, to have been Mr. Ponting's aim:

* The photography craze is in full swing. Ponting's mastery is ever more impressive, and his pupils improve day by day; nearly all of us have produced good negatives. . . . Miy incursion into photography has brought me in close touch with him, and I realise what a very good fellow he is ; no pains are too great for him to take to help others, whilst his enthusiasm for his own work is unlimited. ... I would describe him as sustained by artistic enthusiasm. This world of ours is a different one to him than it is to the rest of us. He gauges it by its picturesqueness. His joy is to reproduce its pictures artistically, his grief to fail to do so. No attitude could be happier for the work he has undertaken, and one cannot doubt its productiveness. His results are wonderfully good, and if he is able to carry out the whole of his programme we shall have a photographic record which will be absolutely new in expeditionary work.'

Mr. Ponting had been a voracious traveller, and had sought out beauty in many strange and unfamiliar quarters of the world, taking splendid pictures as he went. Imagine, then, what a delight to the Antarctic travellers were the lantern-slides which he had the imagination and forethought to take South with him. These final quotations from my husband's diary speak for themselves :

'May 29th, 1911. — To-night Ponting gave us a charming lecture on Japan with wonderful illustrations of his own. He xii INTRODUCTION

is happiest in his descriptions of the artistic side of the people, with whom he is in fullest sympathy. So he took us to see the flower pageants, the joyful festivals of the cherryblossom, the wistaria, the iris and chrysanthemum — ^and the paths about the lotus gardens where mankind meditated in solemn mood. We had pictures, too, of Nikko and its beauties, of temples and great Buddhas. Then, in more touristy strain, of volcanoes and their craters, waterfalls and river-gorges, tiny tree-clad islets — ^that feature of Japan — ■ baths and their bathers, Ainos and so on. His descriptions were well given and we all of us thoroughly enjoyed our evening.'

^August 22nd, 1911. — ^Yesterday Ponting gave us a lecture on his Indian travels. He tells his story well, and his pictures are wonderful. In personal reminiscence he is distinctly dramatic — he thrilled us a good deal last night with a vivid description of a sunrise in the sacred city of Benares. In the first dim light the waiting, praying multitude of bathers, the wonderful ritual and its incessant performance; then, as the sun approaches, the hush — ^the effect of thousands of worshippers waiting in silence — a silence to be felt. Finally, as the first rays appear, the swelling roar of a single word from tens of thousands of throats : " Awm." It was artistic to follow this picture of life with the gruesome horrors of the ghat. This impressionist style of lecturing is very attractive and must essentially cover a great deal of ground. So we saw Jeypore, Udaipore, Darjeeling, and a confusing number of places — temples, monuments, and tombs in profusion, with remarkable pictures of the Taj Mahal — horses, elephants, alligators, wild boars, and flamingoes — warriors, fakirs, and nautch girls — ^an impression here and an impression there.

* It is worth remembering how attractive this style can be. In lecturing one is inclined to give too much attention to connecting links which join one episode to the other. A lecture need not be a connected story; perhaps it is better it should not be.'

INTRODUCTION xiii

'September 10th, 1911. — The second weekly lecture was given by Ponting. His store of pictures seems unending and has been an immense source of entertainment to us during the winter. His lectures appeal to all, and are fully attended. This time we had pictures of the Great Wall and other stupendous monuments in North China. Ponting always manages to work in details concerning the manners and customs of the people in the countries of his travels ; on Friday he told us of Chinese farms and industries, of hawking and other sports, and, most curious of all, of the pretty amusement of flying pigeons with seolian whistling-pipes attached to their tail feathers.'

'June 22nd, 1911. — Midwinter Day. By the end of dinner a very cheerful spirit prevailed, and the room was cleared for Ponting and his lantern. He had cleverly chosen this opportunity to display a series of slides made from his own local negatives. I have never so fully realised the value of his work as on seeing these beautiful pictures. They so easily outclass anything of their kind previously taken in these regions. The audience cheered vociferously.'

* Ponting would have been a great asset to our party if only on account of his lectures, but his value as pictorial recorder of events becomes daily more apparent. No expedition has ever been illustrated so extensively, and the only difficulty will be to select from the countless subjects that have been recorded by his camera.'

Surely Mr. Ponting has it in his power greatly to delight!

Kathleen Scott.

BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1910-13

SHORE PARTY

Officers Robert Falcon Scott. . .- Captain, C.V.O., R.N.

Victor L. A. Campbell Lieutenant, R.N.

Henry R. Bowers. , . .Lieutenant, R.I.M.

Lawrence E. G. Gates Captain, 6th Inniskilling

Dragoons.

G. Murray Levick Surgeon, R.N.

Edward L. Atkinson Surgeon, R.N., Parasitologist.

Scientific Staff

Edward Adrian Wilson...;. . .:. ..B.A., M.B., Chief of Scientific Staff, and Zoologist.

George C. Simpson D.Sc, Meteorologist.

T. Griffith Taylor B.A., B.Sc, Geologist.

Frank Debenham B.A., B.Sc, Geologist.

Charles S. Wright B.A., Physicist.

Raymond E. Priestley Geologist.

Herbert G. Pouting. Camera Artist.

Cecil H. Meares In charge of dogs.

Bernard C. Day Motor Engineer.

Apsley Cherry-Garrard B.A., Assistant Zoologist.

Tryggve Gran... . .:. Sub. -Lieut., Norwegian N.R.,

Ski Expert.

Men

W. Lashly.^.- -.Chief Stoker, R.N.

Thomas Clissold ,. Cook, late R.N.

Edgar Evans Petty Officer, R.N.

Thomas Crean. . ;,>. Petty Officer, R.N.

Robert Forde Petty Officer, R.N.

Thomas S. Williamson Petty Officer, R.N. (2nd year).

Patrick Keohane Petty Officer, R.N.

George P. Abbot. ,«. Petty Officer, R.N.

Frank V. Browning Petty Officer, R.N.

Harry Dickason Able Seaman, R.N.

F. J. Hooper ,.. . . „-. .Steward, late R.N.

Anton Omelchenko Groom, Russian.

Dimitri Geroff .-.-. .Dog Driver, Russian.

xiv

Contents

PAGE

FOREWORD Vii

INTRODUCTION, BY LADY SCOTT . . . . . ix

BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, I9IO-I3 . . . xiv

Chapter I The Expedition Leaves England

Meeting with Captain Scott — ^Disappointed enthusiasts — ^My future shipmates — Meares leaves for Siberia — Preparing for the South — ■ Departure from London — ^The Terra Nova at New Zealand — ^New Zealand hospitality — Sir John Kinsey ...... 1-8

Chapter II Into The ' Fifties '

Departure from Port L3rttelton — ^The picturesque Terra Nova — ^The Expedition leaves New Zealand — Our crowded deck — The dogs and ponies — The ship's dark-room — Seabirds — •' Uncle Bill ' — An anecdote — Mr. Cheetham, the Bo 'sun — ' In for dirty weather ' — ■ The Terra Nova in a gale — ^The dark-room flooded — The port bulwarks carried away — The pump choked — The engine-room swamped — Efi&ciency of Lashly and Williams — Evans clears the pump — Superb seamanship — A close call .... 9-18

CHAPTER III THE 'terra nova' ENTERS THE PACK-ICE

Into lonely seas — ^Valuable scientific work — The ward-room — The cabins — ^Life below deck — ' Show a leg, gentlemen ! ' — Not a musical party — About chanties — Songs the sailors sang — Captain Scott outlines his plans to me — ^Vocabulary of the forecastle — 'A quick-witted Petty Officer — ^Dr. Wilson snares sea-birds — Lagynorynchus ohscuvus — ^We feel the breath of frozen seas — The first iceberg — A magnificent spectacle — ^The Terra Nova enters the ' Pack ' — Hard luck to meet the ice so early — A never-to-be-forgotten scene . . 19-30

b XV xvi CONTENTS

Chapter IV Battling With The Ice-floes

PAGES

We cross the Antarctic Circle — ' Conning ' the ship from the ' crow's-nest ' — ^The Terra Nova's massive build — Ramming the ice-floes — ^Watering the ship — ^Mr, Cheetham's record — A cheery Bo 'sun — ^The exquisite Snow petrels — ^The first seals — The first penguins — ^The penguins and the potato — Icebound again — The ship imprisoned in the ice — Ski exercise on the ice-floes — The dogs have a run — A whale in the Pack — ^A knowing ' Emperor ' — Immense bergs in the offing — A berg like an island — Kinematographing in the Pack — An ominous-looking place — A weathered iceberg — Iceberg discussions — ^The jnost wonderful of all Christmas Eves — Christmas in the Pack . 31-43

Chapter V The Great Ice Barrier

Interesting operation aboard — Manning the pumps — Lieutenant Rennick — Taking soundings — Globigerena ooze — Our biologists — The biologists' microscope — Diatoms and minute organic life — ^The Current Meter — Lieutenant Pennell — Bowers' stoical ordeal — ^Anomalous weather conditions — The floes well broken ahead — A wonderful ice-garden — The last of the pack-ice — Open water in the Ross Sea — The new year in the Ross Sea — ' Ice-blink ' on the Great Ice Barrier — Ross Island and Mt. Terror — ^The Great Ice Barrier — Authorities differ as to whether the Barrier is aground or afloat — ^The birth-place of the icebergs — Impossible to land — The ship's course laid for McMurdo Sound . . . , . . . . . 44-55

Chapter VI We Land On Ross Island

A wonderful penguin colony — Orca gladiator — First view of Mt. Erebus — ^The brilliance of the midnight sun — We sight the Shackleton hut — Mt. Erebus — ^The Royal Society Range — ^Mt. Lister — Captain Scott decides to winter at Cape Evans — Unloading the ship — The penguins and the dogs ....... 56-62

Chapter VII Some Photographing Episodes

The weather favours us-r— An adventure with Killer whales — I lose my favourite lens — ^The midnight sun — ^A wonderful grotto — Beautiful colouring of the grotto — Wright has a narrow escape — Treacherous ice — A dismaying experience — ^The Killer again — A searchlight into the depths 63-71

CONTENTS xvii

Chapter VIII We Complete Our Winter Quarters

PACKS

The Terra Nova at the icefoot — First visit ashore — Scott's right-hand men — Rapid building of the Hut — A fresh-water cascade — Skua Lake — Seals frequent the Cape — ^Method of killing a seal — ^Fun with the penguins — A ski-ing feat — Gran's mishap — The ice deteriorating — ^We lose one of the motors — Warmth of the sun — ^The invigorating climate — The fine weather breaks — Mt. Erebus shows signs of activity — Capt. Scott visits Hut Point — ^The first cold snap — The Terra Nova runs on to a rock — Capt. Scott and I visit an ice cornice — ^The sea-ice goes out ..... 72-81

Chapter IX Exploring Operations Commence

Glacier tongue — One of the ponies breaks through the ice — ^The Southern Party away — Lillie's remarkable trawl catches — Concerning whales — KiUer whales — ^The great Rorquals — How whales spout — 'Distance sounds can be heard — ^A whale blows alongside the ship — A shapely creature — A whale ' breaching ' — A sportive whale — ^The Western Geological Party landed — 'Meeting with the Norwegians — ^Two ponies have to swim ashore — The ship returns to New Zealand 82-92

Chapter X The Barne Glacier And Cape Royds

Staking the glacier — A volcanic pillar — A maze of crevasses — About crevasses — ^Measuring the flow of the glacier — Sir Ernest Shackleton's hut — The penguinry deserted — Features of Cape Royds — An interesting locality — An octopus — A remarkable spectacle — Return to Cape Evans ......... 93-101

Chapter XI The Freezing Of The Sea

Ice ' effects ' after the gale — Features of our cape — Conical mounds — Ponds — Seals bask on the Cape — ^Wind Vane Hill and the meteorological instruments — Break up of Glacier Tongue — ^The Delbridge Islands — ^The freezing of the sea — ' Frost smoke ' — How the ice forms — Ice furrows — Some icebergs stranded — The Southern Party seen at Hut Point — Return of the Southern Party — Remarkable adventures — Caught in a blizzard — A memorable evening — A miraculous escape — ^Disaster to the ponies — A tragedy narrowly averted — All are pleased with the Hut ...... 102-13 xviii CONTENTS

Chapter XII Farewell To The Sun

PAGES

Mt. Erebus — ^A marvellously beautiful sight — The steam cloud from the crater — ^Testing the air-currents — Dr. Simpson's balloons — The magnetograph — Our meteorological instruments — Telephonic communication — Sunset colouring — ^Dr. Wilson's method of sketching — A picturesque iceberg — A meditative Emperor — The sun deserts us — Beautiful earth shadows — A cavern in a glacier — Nelson's biological researches — The fish-trap — Flashlighting fishing operations

114-22

Chapter XIII The Polar Winter

The Hut now full — ^Description of the Hut — My dark-room — ^Dr. Atkinson's laboratory — ' Simpson's Comer ' — The ' blizzometer ' — Temperature of the Hut — ^Dr. Wilson's winter work — The ' Tenements ' — Good-natured banter — ^The ' player ' piano — The gramophone — An ingenious cook — Our commissariat — Life in the Hut — The Night Watch — About Aurora — Failure to secure satisfactory Aurora photographs — Meteorological stations — The Arch Berg collapses — Flashlighting an iceberg — An anecdote of Capt. Scott — A lecture season inaugurated — Winter entertainment — The South Polar Times — ' The Sleeping-bag ' — ^Midwinter dinner — A Christmas-tree and snapdragon — ^A wonderful Aurora display — A gorgeous spectacle . 123-44

Chapter XIV The Return Of The Sun

Departure of the Cape Crozier Party — ^Dr. Atkinson lost — His hand frostbitten — A terrific storm — The glory of the Polar night — The majesty of silence — ^A wonderful echo — Inactivity produces sleeplessness — Piercing a hole in the ice — Monotony of developing films — ^Twilight again — Efiect of approaching daylight — ^Wright's hardihood — Return of the Cape Crozier Party — ^An heroic adventure — Emperor penguins' eggs — Winter discussions — ^Discussion on Travel — Good-natured banter — A good Polar story — Capt. Scott and I watch the sun return — The birth of Spring ...... 145-59

Chapter XV The Early Spring

Outstanding personalities — ^Dr. Wilson — Lieut. Bowers — Capt. Oates — Petty Of&cer Evans — The staunchest tie that bound the Expedition ■ — A kindly Leader — Captain Scott's environment — ^A lovable trait of his character — Scott, a man of moods — Intimate talks with Capt. Scott — Scott decides to take up photography — ^My other photographic pupils — Photographing difficulties— -Care necessary when photographing — An unpleasant predicament — ^A wonderful iceberg — The palace of Jack Frost — Clissold falls oflE an iceberg — A dreadful dilemma — A rescue party arrives — Clissold 's narrow escape . 160-75

CONTENTS xix

Chapter XVI The Start For The Pole

PAGES

Scott's reliance on Bowers — Preparations for the great journey — ^Hoosh — ^About our dogs — ^Method of driving — Julick's adventure — Dog characteristics — Capt. Oates, a bom horseman — ^A football mishap — The final overhaul of the motors — ^Another mishap — Resource of Day and Lashly — Capt. Scott's final instructions — Uncle Bill's request — Meares and I leave for Hut Point — An inspiring sight — The Vince Cross — The ponies reach Hut Point — My fareweU to Scott and Wilson — Into the Great Alone .... 160—89

Chapter XVII The Polar Summer

Anton and I return from Hut Point — A strenuous day — A realistic dream — Frequent disappointment on account of bad weather — Glorious skyscapes — The warmth of the sun — ^The joys of summer — The beauty of the icebergs — Happy camera days — A surprise for the cook — ^A matchless panorama — A remarkable telephotograph

190-99

Chapter XVIII Concerning Seals

No land animals in the Antarctic — ^The Sea-leopard — The WeddeU seal — Colouring — No fear when on ice — Seal characteristics — Thickness of blubber — Breathing holes in the ice — ^Through an ice window — Method of catching fish — ^Method of cutting the ice — ^Valuable kinematograph records — ^The calving season — Affection for young — Sense of scent — ^The first plunge — Seals seen fighting — ^An extraordinary predicament — Vocal propensities — An unexpected attack — Bitten by a seal — ^A thrilling drama — The Australian reporter . . 200-16

Chapter XIX The Buccaneers Of The South

Giant petrels — Rapacity of the skua-gull — Fondness for fresh water — Appearances deceptive — ^Nesting habits — Habit of striking intruders — Disgusting habits — ^Truculent scamps — ^A blow in the eye — Thieving propensities — ^The skua suspected of eating its young — ^The chicks — Inherited instincts — Regurgitating — Craftiness of the skua — Ugly fledglings — The skuas leave us ..... 217-26

Chapter XX The Real Inhabitants

Varieties of penguins — ^Valuable results of Cape Crozier Expedition — The Emperor penguin — A courtly creature — ^A comical experience — The Adelie penguin — Lovable little people — Roving tendencies — • Adelie characteristics — Comedians of the South — The first inter-

XX CONTENTS

PAGES

view — The Adelie will stand no nonsense — Looking backwards — An anecdote — Penguins love fun — The nesting-season — Ecstatics — A penguin Lochinvar — The ' glad eye ' — Seeking a mate — A bully vanquished — ^Friendly advances — Building the nest — -Inveterate thieves — Habit of stealing stones — Brawling hens — Period of incubation — Airing the eggs — An inveterate enemy — Some remarkable films — Flooded out — Habits explicable and otherwise — A blizzard breaks — ^The penguinry snowed up — Nesting under dismaying conditions — Snow-bound for ten days — The chicks hatched — Bustling activity — ^Method of feeding chicks — Penguin organisation — How the youngsters are provided for — Shedding their down — The chicks take to the sea — In the moult — ^The penguins leave on the approach of winter ........ 227-60

Chapter XXI The Return Of The ' Terra Nova '

The ship sighted — A wonderful mirage — The ship moors to the ice — News from home — The Western Party — ^The Northern Party — The Northern Party marooned — Fruitless endeavours to reach them — ^Magnificent leadership and resource — Homeward bound — Fighting with mountainous seas — Sperm whales sighted — ^Arrival at New Zealand — We hear of Amundsen's success .... 261-68

Chapter XXII The South Pole

Experiences of the Motor Party — Failure of the motors — Night-marches — ^The first pony shot — Shambles Camp — The dog-teams return — The Beardmore Glacier — The Supporting Parties return — Lieut, Evans disabled with scurvy — Gallantry of Crean and Lashly — Evans' life saved — The Leader's tributes to his comrades — Forestalled — ^At the Pole — Scott's devotion to purpose — The footfalls of Death — Anxiety regarding P.O. Evans — Snow-blindness — The Leader's bad fall — Dr. Wilson's devotion to science — A desperate situation — Serious condition of P.O. Evans — ^Death of Petty Of&cer Evans — The survivors reach Shambles Camp — Intense cold and bad surfaces — A very tight place — Dr. Wilson's devotion — Bravery of Captain Oates — Captain Gates' Farewell — Self-sacrifice sublime — Within eleven miles of food — The fateful blizzard — ' The end cannot be far ! ' — ^The Search Party — ^Discovery of the bodies of Capt. Scott, Dr. Wilson, and Lieut. Bowers — ^The Leader's last message ' Had we lived ' — A noble epitaph .... 269-93

EPILOGUE 300

IN MEMORIAM . 306

(Reprinted by permission of the Proprietors of Punch) .

All illustrations are from photographs by the Author, except where otherwise stated.

THE ' TERRA NOVA ' ICE-BOUND

Frontispiece

A STUDIO PORTRAIT ,.,.....

CAPTAIN ROBERT FALCON SCOTT, R.N., C.V.O., ON THE BRIDGE OF THE ' TERRA NOVA ' .......

From a kinematograph fihn.

DECK OF THE * TERRA NOVA,' FROM THE POOP .

CAPTAIN OATES AND SOME OF THE PONIES

THE 'terra nova' IN A GALE ....

SOME OF THE CREW OF THE ' TERRA NOVA ' .

OFFICERS AND SCIENTISTS IN THE WARDROOM .

THE HELMSMAN AT THE WHEEL ....

THE BO'SUN WITH AN ICE-ANCHOR .

LIEUTENANT BRUCE LEADING A CHANTY

MR. WILLIAMS, CHIEF ENGINEER ....

AN ANTARCTIC TABULAR ICEBERG ....

THE ' TERRA NOVA ' ENTERING THE PACK-ICE

VIEW FROM THE MAINTOP IN THE PACK ,.,

A ' LEAD ' IN THE PACK ......

PENGUINS IN THE PACK-ICE .....

AN ICEBERG MIDWAY ON ITS JOURNEY TO DECAY KINEMATOGRAPH ING IN THE PACK ....

CHRISTMAS EVE IN THE PACK .....

xxi

FACING PAGE

viii

XXll

FACING PAGE

LIEUTENANT H. L. PENNELL

BO'SUN A. CHEETHAM . ,.

LIEUTENANT W. BRUCE ,.,

THE 'terra nova' IN HEAVY ICE

WELL-BROKEN ICE-FLOES .

ICE-BLINK OVER THE GREAT ICE BARRIER

MIDNIGHT SUN IN THE ROSS SEA ,..

THE GREAT ICE BARRIER AND MT. TERROR

THE CLIFFS OF CAPE CROZIER

DRAWING ILLUSTRATING THE LOCALITY OF ROSS ISLAND

BIRTH OF AN ICEBERG

CAPE BIRD AND MT. EREBUS

THE RAMPARTS OF MT. EREBUS

PONIES TETHERED ON THE ICE

ATTACKED BY KILLER WHALES

From a painting by Ernest Linzell

A GROTTO IN AN ICEBERG .

DEATH OF AN ICEBERG

THE ' TERRA NOVA ' AT THE ICE-FOOT

WEDDELL SEALS AT CAPE EVANS

FUN WITH THE PENGUINS

MT. EREBUS SHOWING SIGNS OF ACTIVITY

THE HUT, AFTER THE SEA-ICE WENT OUT .

A SEAL RISING NEAR THE SHIP

BIOLOGIST LILLIE WITH A LARGE SILICEOUS SPONGE

KILLER WHALES BLOWING AND SOUNDING

THE ' TERRA NOVA ' LEAVES FOR NEW ZEALAND

THE SOUTHERN PARTY, 1911

THE BARNE GLACIER

THE SHACKLETON EXPEDITION HUT

PROBING A CREVASSE . ;.,

CAPE ROYDS, LOOKING SOUTH .

CAPE ROYDS, LOOKING NORTH .

AN ICEBERG OFF CAPE ROYDS .

XXUI

SEALS BASKING OFF CAPE EVANS A MOZAIC OF SMALL PANCAKE FLOES ICE FURROWS AFTER A BLIZZARD THE FREEZING OF THE SEA

FACING PACK

104 106 106 108

THE MONARCH OF THE ANTARCTIC SOLITUDES, MT. EREBUS (13,500 FEET, 16 MILES DISTANT), FROM THE SEA-ICE

DR. SIMPSON AT THE MAGNETOMETER, AND SENDING UP A BALLOON TO TEST THE AIR CURRENTS miles.

•ROOM

THE CRATER LIP OF MT. EREBUS

A telephotograph from a distance of 15

HAULING UP THE FISH-TRAP ,.,

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC DARK-ROOM

THE AUTHOR AT WORK IN THE DARK

DR. ATKINSON IN HIS LABORATORY

DR. WILSON COLOURING A SKETCH

THE TENEMENTS

THE geologists' CUBICLE

PETTY officers CREAN AND EVANS MENDING SLEEPING-BAGS

CLISSOLD, THE COOK, MAKING BREAD

THE ARCH BERG IN WINTER .

THE AUTHOR LECTURING ON JAPAN (a COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPH

MIDWINTER DAY DINNER, 1911

A BLIZZARD BREAKING

DR. Atkinson's frost-bitten hand

THE HOME OF THE ECHOES

PIERCING A HOLE FOR THE FISH-TRAP

PHYSICIST WRIGHT OBSERVING AN OCCULTATION

THE CAPE CROZIER PARTY

MEARES AND OATES AT THE BLUBBER STOVE

CAPTAIN SCOTT WRITING UP HIS JOURNAL .

THE AUTHOR IN THE ANTARCTIC

THE CASTLE BERG IN SUMMER .

CLISSOLD ON THE MATTERHORN BERG

116 116

XXIV

FACING PAGB

E. L. NELSON AT HIS BIOLOGICAL HOLE A DOG-TEAM RESTING BY AN ICEBERG

KRISAROVITSA .

TRESOR ,.

OSMAN ;. . . .

VIDA ....

DR. WILSON AND ' NOBBY '

LIEUTENANT BOWERS AND ' VICTOR '

CAPTAIN GATES AND ' CHRISTOPHER ' f.,

PETTY OFFICER EVANS AND ' SNATCHER ' .

THE MOTOR PARTY r. ,.,....

THE AUTHOR EXERCISING

CAPTAIN SCOTT WITH THE FOOTBALL

HUT POINT ..... |. .