i OF THE

<A N < ;harcot

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES

THE ' POURQUOI-PAS ? ' IN THE
ANTARCTIC

Winter Quarters of the Expedition .it Petermann Island.

THE VOYAGE OF THE

' WHY NOT ? '
IN THE ANTARCTIC

THE JOURNAL OF THE SECOND FRENCH
SOUTH POLAR EXPEDITION, I908-I9IO

DR. JEAN CHARCOT

English Version by
PHILIP WALSH

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
FROM PHOTOGRAPHS

HODDER AND STOUGHTON
NEW YORK AND LONDON

ButUrattd I'unntr Tfu ■■. H •> U Promt and London

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CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION 1

FROM HAVRE TO PUNTA ARENAS .... 25

THE DIARY OF THE EXPEDITION

PART I
THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909 29

PART II
AUTUMN, WINTER AND SPRING, 1909 . . . .140

PART III
THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910 250

25124 1

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Winter Quarters of the Expedition at Petermann Island

( Folder — Frontispiece)

South Polar Chart 6

The Pourquoi-Pas ?' a Rio 10

Plan of the Pourquoi-Pas ? 10

Sections of the Pourquoi-Pas ? and of an Ordinary Boat 10

The Staff Before Departure 24

Departure from Havre 24

Our First Iceberg 29

Coaxing at Pendulum Cove 48

Cormorants on their Nests 60

The Magnetic Hut on Wandel Island after Five Years 64

Threatening Ice-Blocks 68

The Fight with the Ice at Wandel 72

Adelie Penguins on the Ice in Marguerite Bay 96

Jenny Island and its Terrace 100

On the Summit of Jenny Island 104

Ice-Floes off Alexander I. Land 108

Glacier Face in Marguerite Bay 112

Embarking in the Norwegian Boat in Matha Bay 132

Rock Formation in Matha Bay 136

Penguin Rookery on Petermann Island 140

One of the Meteorological Shelters in Autumn 144

The Same Shelter in Spring 144

Penguins' Tracks at Whaleboat Point 148

vii

ILLUSTEATIONS

PAGE

The Huts for the Transit Instrument and the Seismograph 149

Sending up a Meteorological Balloon 149

A Sea Leopard 154

A Crabbing Seal 155

A Sea Leopard 155

Shrove Tuesday Masquerade 158

Shrove Tuesday Parade 158

An Arch op Ice 160

Meteorological Observatory on Megalestris Hill 161

Our Quarters, Spring, 1909 166

Crossing a Bridge of Ice 170

A Difficult Descent 174

The Descent of the Glacier 175

Hauling the Norwegian Boat over the Glacier ISO

The Argentine Islands 180

On the Pace; 188
Clouds Round the Glacier Peak and an Ice-blocked Channel 192

The Staff ln July, 1909 200

The Camp on the Glacier 224

The Return of Aveline, Besnard, and Herve 232

The Pourquoi-Pas ? and her Surroundings in October, 1909 236

We Beoln to put the Stores on Board 2 1 1

An Argument ! 24S

Out for a Walk 248

hovoard and wandel islands, as seen from petermann 252

An Icebero off Petermann Island 256

On the Edge of the Pack 2Sii

The Pourquoi-Pas t Charging a Big Floe 292

INTRODUCTION

THE distance between Europe and the Antarctic is the
principal cause of the apathy so long shown toward
exploration in the latter region, while in the direction of the
North Pole, on the contrary, explorations grew more and
more numerous.

Recently, however, the South Pole has emerged from
darkness. Voyagers and scientific men during the last two
centuries have realized that our knowledge of the natural
physical conditions of the globe must necessarily remain
incomplete as long as there continues so large an unknown
zone as that represented by the great white spot covering the
southern extremity of the world, twice as vast as the whole
of Europe.

The general public, too, has been aroused to a passionate
interest in the subject. There is good reason, for there is
no other region of which the study is more gratifying to
explorers or to the scientific men who give their attention to
the observations and collections made by the explorers.
Everything there, indeed, is new, much is unexpected, and
whoever makes up his mind to go thither is certain of important
discoveries to reward his pains.

The circumnavigatory voyages and the expeditions of
the Englishmen Cook and Eoss, the Russian Bellingshausen,
the American Wilkes, the Frenchman Dumont d'Urville,
combined with the gallant incursions of the English and
American sealers, Biscoe, Morrell, Weddell, Palmer, Pendleton
and Balleny, the German Dallmann, and the Norwegians

i I

INTRODUCTIOI

Larsen and Evensen, narrowed very considerably the limits
of the great Terra Incognita which is supposed to exist, and
already warranted the view that if the Arctic polar cap is
composed of a frozen sea bounded by the northern coasts of
Europe, Asia, and America, the Antarctic polar cap, on the
other hand, is solid land or at least a vast frozen archipelago
surrounded by sea.

A Belgian officer, Commandant de Gerlache, has the
credit of spending the first winter amid the Antarctic ices
on board the Belgica in 1897, his achievement being from
all points of view a fine and productive piece of work. It had
also the merit of exciting public attention, and undoubtedly
it is to his example that we owe the very fruitful pilgrimages
of the last few years to the Antarctic. In fact, after the
wintering of the Anglo-Norwegian Borekegrevinck Expedition
on Eoss Land, Europe organized a regular siege of the Ant-
arctic. Beginning with 1902, there were to be seen the English
captain, Scott (who had just started out again, having Shackle-
ton with him as a partner) exploring Ross Sea and Victoria
Land and making a magnificent raid across the great ice bar-
rier ; the German professor, Van Drygalski, on the Gauss,
wintering in the pack-ice in that difficult sector of the Ant-
arctic Circle which lies south of Kerguclcn and discovering
new lands there ; the Swedish professor STordenskjold, accom-
panied by the Norwegian captain Larsen, wintering under
dramatic conditions — but conditions very important for
science — east of Graham Land, whence the audacious dash
of the Argentine captain Irizar brought him home; the
Scottish doctor, Bruce, on board the Scotia, discovering
Coates Land in Weddell Sea and bringing to a close one of
the greatest of surveying campaigns ; and finally, in 1904,
the little ship Francais, commanded by me, attempting to
verify and continue the discoveries of De Gerlache, while
wintering on the west coast of Graham Land.

In connexion with this great joint effort one is pleasantly

INTEODUCTION

struck by the absolute harmony between the heads of the
expeditions and the savants who organized them; and also
by the genuinely scientific spirit which animated them all.
It is to be hoped that in the conquest of the Antarctic such
will always be the case, to the great benefit of universal science.
I am sure that in our enlightened age there will be thereby
no diminution of the slight glory which explorers are able to
shed on their own countries.

In 1908 Sir Ernest Shackleton accomplished his fine and
gallant piece of exploration, too well known to all for it to
be necessary to dwell on it here, which brought him within
179 kilometres (112 miles) of the Pole. And we on the Pour-
quoi-Pas ? were doing our best — without, however, any desire
to challenge comparisons — in the region to the south-west of
South America, with results which, thanks to the zeal and
energy of my colleagues, the scientific world has been pleased
to consider important.

The exploration of the Antarctic, therefore, has started
and seems as though it will never cease until the conquest,
however arduous and long of accomplishment it may still
look, is complete. Captain Scott, indeed, has just set out again
for the conquest of the South Pole itself, and we hear of great
expeditions preparing in Germany and America. Lastly,
the Argentine Eepublic, which has for several years kept up
a permanent observatory on the South Orkneys, is anxious
to establish another on the west coast of Graham Land, at
the place where we wintered.

The diary of our late expedition forms the subject of my
new book ; but I think I ought first of all to explain why I
chose as my working-centre this inhospitable region, so
unpromising at times and so distant from the actual Pole.

James Eoss in 1841, while skirting, in the sector of the
Antarctic Circle lying south of Australia, a line of coast trend-
ing to the south — called by him Victoria Land — discovered
an immense ice-cliff rising absolutely vertical and continuing

INTRODUCTION

eastward. This has since been known by the name of the
Great Barrier.

Borchegrevinek in 1900 climbed this cliff and ascertained
the existence of an ice-plain stretching as far as the eye could
reach. Lastly in 1902 the Discovery Expedition, skirting
the Great Barrier, found King Edward VII Land bounding
it on the east, and then, during the course of the winter on
Victoria Land, crossed the barrier in a magnificent dash as
far as 82° 17' South latitude. It was quite natural that
Shackleton should return to these same regions, staked out
by the explorers of his own country ; and it was equally quite
natural that, after he had announced his intention of going
there, I should abstain from directing my course thither, in
spite of the attractions ; for one can sail as far south as 78°
and from that point a vast flat plain seems to extend to the
earth's axis. But, of necessity, two expeditions of different
nationality, with the best intentions in the world and with
the best of hearts, could not have avoided coming into rivalry
over the glorious prize of the Furthest South ; and, great
sporting interest as this rivalry would have had, it could
not but have prejudiced completely the observations and
perhaps the ultimate results. I must hasten to add, too,
that I have no reason for supposing that we should have
rivalled the magnificent results attained by my friend Sir
Ernest Shackleton ; and therefore the pecuniary sacrifices
which my country made would have been entirely wasted.

Besides, the Antarctic is a vast enough field to allow a
number of expeditions to work there together with advantage.
I resolved to return to the region which I had begun to explore
on the Francais in 1903-1905, i.e. that mountainous pro-
jection, due south of Cape Horn, which seems as if it had once
been a continuation of America and is improperly known
under the general name of Graham Land. There I should
be able to continue the researches of the Francais (themselves
considered so valuable) in all branches of science, and to
4

INTRODUCTION

verify, complete, and expand them. To the South Graham
Land came to an abrupt end in 67° of latitude. Beyond,
Alexander T Land rose amid the ice, scarcely visible and
never yet approached. Was it a solitary island or part of a
continent ? West of it an unknown zone stretched as far
as King Edward VII Land. The Belgica, carried along by
the drift, was able to make some interesting soundings in
part of this zone, but the work required continuing as far as
possible westward, where nothing had been made out except
a small island, reported by Bellingshausen but questioned
by some geographers. Had we any right to go on calling
by the name of the ' Antarctic Continent ' this portion of our
globe where the only indications of land to which we could
point were two isolated peaks at a distance from one another ?

My exact object was to study in detail and from all points
of view as wide a stretch as possible of the Antarctic in this
sector of the circle, regardless of latitude. I knew that I
had chosen the region where ice confronts the navigator as
far north as 61°, where innumerable icebergs dot the sea, and
where the coast-line is fringed with high mountains, to all
appearance insurmountable. I had no hope therefore of
approaching the Pole. Nevertheless, lest any one should
cry ' Sour grapes ! ' I must hasten to say that if I had had
the chance of stumbling on a road by which I could realise
the dream of all Polar explorers I should have made for the Pole
enthusiastically and shmdd certainly have spared nothing
to reach it.

I had no means of foreseeing, however, what we might
discover, and the unknown nature of my undertaking when
I made choice of this sector of the circle rendered the organiza-
tion of the expedition all the more difficult, since it was neces-
sary to be ready for any emergency, and it w T as impossible,
as in the case of an attack on familiar ground, to concentrate
one's preparations for a struggle against forces which could
not be foreseen.

INTEODUCTION

I had entertained this project of a new expedition even
before the end of my former one, and since my return to
France, encouraged by the satisfaction the scientists showed
with the results I had achieved, I had been looking for the
means of realizing my plan. I submitted my programme
to the Academy of Sciences, which appointed a committee
to consider it and after a favourable examination decided
to give its gracious patronage to this new expedition, issuing
detailed instructions as to the work which it would like us to
undertake. The Museum and the Oceanographical Institute
similarly consented to be patrons. With such backers, success
was surely inevitable.

Still it took me many long months before I could discern
the possibility of raising the necessary funds, though I had
no lack either of sympathy or of encouragement. The Paris
Press never ceased to raise its powerful voice, in my behalf,
while devoted friends like MM. Joubin and Eabot, and my
own family, too — in spite of the prospect of a long and painful
separation — never let me be discouraged.

At last my efforts had a result. I was lucky enough to
interest in my work MM. Berteanx, Doumer, and Etienne,
who were joined first by MM. J. Dnpuy and E. Poincare,
and tljen by M. Briand, Minister of Public Instruction and
M. G. Thomson, Minister pf Mai inc. Soon, after a favour-
able report had been issued by the Committee on Exploration,
I was assured thai a handsome grant-in-aid would lie included
in the Budget for presentation to the Chambers.

On the proposal of M. Doumer, indeed, the Chambers
agreed to a vote of 600,000 francs in the Budget of the Ministry
of Public Instruction. 1 This proof of confidence on (he part
of the French Governmenl and the patronage of our great
learned societies were !<> me the finest recompense for the

1 W'lul.' the expedition was a1 work in the Antarctic, M. Doumer twice
persuaded the Chambers to vote a sum of 50,000 franca, which brought the

(ioviTiiini'iil rrunt u|. to 700,01)0 franca.

South Polar Chart.
Showing routes of the Charcot (1908-10) and Shackleton (1908-9) Expeditions.

INTRODUCTION

efforts which I had made. To this sum were added later
100,000 francs subscribed by generous donors, including a-
sum of 10,000 francs from the Geographical Society of Paris
and grants from the Museum, the Paris Municipal Council,
and the Chambers of Commerce of the big French towns.

The Ministry of Marine put at the disposal of the Expe-
dition three naval oilicers and promised me 250 tons of coal,
the dredging outfit which had already been used on the Fran-
?ais, and all the necessary instruments, maps, and documents
which could be provided by the Surveying Department and
the arsenals.

The, Prince of Monaco, whose own labours and great
generosity have given such an impulse to surveying work,
offered the Expedition a complete oceanographical outfit.

The Museum, the Bureau des Longitudes, the Montsouris
Observatory and private observatories, the Meteorological
Department, the Agronomic Institute, the Pasteur Institute,
and several celebrities in the world of science enriched with
loans and gifts our scientific arsenal, already increased by
purchases from the funds of the Expedition, until it became
one of the richest and completest ever carried by a polar
expedition. 1

Large as was our banking-account in the end — 800,000
francs — most South Polar expeditions sent out by other coun-
tries have had at their disposal much larger sums, and it is
not one of the least of my grounds for pride that we succeeded
in organizing ours in so perfect a way at so small an expense,
especially when one considers that the ship (which alone
cost 400,000 francs) was brought back with the greater part
of the equipment in good condition. Account must be taken
of the outlay necessary on the wages of the crew for iwo
years, the costly scientific instruments of which I have just

1 When we reached Buenos Aires the Meteorological Department of the
Argentine Republic, under the direction of Mr. Davis, lent us still more instru-
ments.

INTEODUCTION

spoken, the food for thirty men for three years, and all the
stores required. If I was able to attain so good a result,
my thanks are due for the generous interest shown by indi-
viduals, including perfect strangers, by the governments of
Brazil, the Argentine Eepublic, and Chili, and also by the
great majority of our own purveying firms.

As soon as the scientific staff was definitely constituted,
my future colleagues had several months in which to perfect
themselves in the duties they would be called upon to perform,
while availing themselves of the bounteous hospitality offered
them on the yachts of the Prince of Monaco, at the Montsouris
and Paris Observatories, at the Meteorological Department,
and in the Museum laboratories.

May I be allowed to make special mention here of the
excellent relations which have always existed between other
Antarctic explorers and myself ? Seeking to gain every
advantage, I have frequently addressed myself to MM. de
Gerlache, Bruce, Scott, Shaekleton, Otto Nordenskjold, and
Van Drygalski, and all of them have been kind enough to
pour out for my benefit their precious stores of experience.

The ship was not only the most important factor in the
Expedition, but also that which demanded attention from
the very first. My earliest idea was to try to buy back my
old vessel the Franfais, and I caused negotiations to be opened
with the Argentine Eepublic for this purpose. But I learnt
that this excellent little ship, renamed the Austral, was to
be used for the revictualling of the station on the South
Orkneys and in the establishment of a new observatory on
Wandel Island. 1 Next, with the aid of my friend M. Charles
Boyn, ex-Naval Paymaster and now Director of the Agence
Generate Maritime, we tried to purchase a whaler, either in

1 In December, 1007, while leaving Buonos Aires on this double duty the
Austral was wrecked on a shoal in the Rio do da Plata, going down with all
the instruments she had on board, while tho crew were saved by the French
liner Magellan.

INTRODUCTION

Scotland or in Norway ; but our search was in vain, for all
the vessels offered to us were of ancient build and required
considerable alterations. Moreover, our programme involved
wintering on board, which made necessary the fitting-up of
-pecial accommodation ; and all these alterations and im-
provements would in the end have brought the price up nearly
as high as that of a new boat.

After collecting the needful information in the countries
which have concerned themselves most about polar explo-
ration and from the mouths of competent men, we decided
with M. Boyn to submit our list of requirements to ' Pere '
Gautier, the clever St. Malo shipbuilder, who had been so
successful in the matter of the FranQais. My demands were
considerable, and all the more difficult to fulfil because of the
limitation of my pecuniary means. I wanted, in fact, a
very good weather-boat for the navigation of the Antarctic
seas, at the same time one powerful enough to resist shock
against ice and the grinding which it might have to undergo,
fitted with holds capable of taking 250 tons of coal and about
100 tons of food and stores, with comfortable accommodation
for the crew of twenty-two and the eight members of the
si aft', and finally with laboratories.

Pere Gautier, with an eye only to the building of a fine
boat and the solving of a difficult problem, undertook the
job with enthusiasm and presented us with an extremely
modest estimate. So the construction of the Povrquoi-Pas f,
under the superintendence of M. Boyn, was entrusted to
Gautier and Son of St. Malo, and the result proves once more
the skill, conscientiousness, and disinterested character of
the doyen of French shipbuilders.

The engine had to be strong, powerful, and economical.
We chose a compound engine, of 450 horse-power built by
the firm of Labrosse and Fouche" of Nantes, under the superin-
tendence of M. Laubeuf, their head marine engineer.

The Pourquoi-Pas ?, commenced in September, 1907,

INTRODUCTION

was launched on May 18, 1908. The robustness of her con-
struction and the care devoted thereto, the simultaneous
power and elegance of her lines, were the admiration of all
discriminating eyes. Admiral Nevy represented the Ministry
of Marine at the launch, M. Eabot the Ministry of Public
Instruction. My wife as godmother of the vessel, supported
by M. Doumer as godfather, broke the customary bottle of
Mumm on the stern — and as she broke it at the first attempt
a prosperous career was assured in advance for the Pourquoi-
Pas?

A few weeks later, when the engine was in its place and
the rigging was completed, Monseigneur Eiou came to Saint-
Malo to baptize the Pourquoi-Pas ? as he had formerly baptized
the Franqais.

The dimensions of this ship, which obtained the highest
character at the Bureau Veritas, l were : —

Length at water lino ..... 40 metres

Beam . . . . . . . . 9- 20 metres

Depth of keel . . . . . . 5" 10 metres

Load water-draught . . . . . 4' 30 metres

Her rigging was that of a three-masted barque, and her
masts, sturdy but short, had been selected at heavy expense
among the finest specimens in Brest Arsenal. In the case
of the wooden scantlings as of the anchors and chains, every-
thing was made about three times as strong as on an ordinary
ship of the same tonnage. The powerful ribs were brought
very close together, and at the bow as also in the bilge the
spaces between the timbers were tilled in with chocks of wood.
Two very thick plankings covered the ribs, being themselves
protected against the wear and tear of the ice by an exterior
sheathing. An interior planking, caulked and coal-tarred,
made a kind of extra hull inside. The whole vessel, except
that the bilge was of elm, was built of the best oak.

On every side she was strengthened by special services.

1 The French ' Lloyd's '—Trant.
10

The Pourquoi-Pas ?'s Rig.

The Plan "f the Pourquoi-Pas ?

Sections of the Puurquoi-Pas r (to left) and of an Ordinary Boat of the same Tonnage (to right).

INTRODUCTION

Her bow, which would be called upon to withstand the severest
shocks, had been particularly looked after. This was very
compactly built and furnished inside with powerful belts,
outside with armour-plates and thick galvanized iron sheeting,
while its lines were rounded to enable it to ride up over the
ice and break it by the weight of the vessel.

Thus the Pourquoi-Pas ? was a superb piece of work, of
remarkable sturdiness — through which quality alone, as will
be seen, she was enabled to escape from the rude ordeal through
which she went.

The same care and solidity were shown in erecting the
engine as in constructing the hull, and spare parts and repairing-
tools were provided in sufficient quantity to allow all the
necessary repairs to be executed on board. A steam windlass
was furnished by the firm of Libaudiere and Mafra of Nantes,
which served equally for working the anchor-chains and
cables, the dredge-nets and the various fishing-tackle.

The accommodation on board had to meet the necessities
of our work and our life in winter-quarters, while providing
the maximum of comfort. I believe I may say that the
arrangements made gave generally excellent results. Fore-
ward, under the deck, were the very spacious quarters for
the crew, with eighteen berths, lockers, tables, etc., the height
of which between decks was two metres, the same as in all
the living-rooms. Behind this and communicating with it
was a small ward-room for the subordinate officers, out of
which opened the cabins of the skipper and chief engineer
and the two-berthed cabin of the quartermaster and second
engineer.

In order to give as much space as possible for the stores
I had the deck raised over the central portion of the vessel,
thus making a poop-deck, on which were placed the quarters
of the staff. Out of the big central ward-room opened six
cabins, each two metres square, and two others slightly
larger. Of these last two, the starboard one was occupied

INTEODUCTIO^

by the second officer, while the port cabin, used by my wife as
far as Punta Arenas, communicated with mine ; and in the
Antarctic it served at once as bacteriological laboratory,
infirmary, and lumber-room. My own cabin opened into
the fore passage which gave entrance, also to a large photo-
graphic laboratory, a bath-room, etc. Below two small ladders,
of four steps each, led from the ward-room into the zoological
laboratory aft on the starboard side, and on the port side into
a passage leading to the after deck, where were the physical
science and hydrographic laboratories. These two laboratories
were built in the form of a rooting over the deck. By this
arrangement it was possible to warm all our apartments with
a single stove in the ward-room, which when lighted kept
up a constant temperature of from 12 to 14°.

Boofed over on the fore-deck were the cook's galley and
offices and a passage which opened to starboard onto a ladder-
way used in bad weather at sea. This communicated with
the poop-deck on the port side by a door easy to block Tip,
only used during our winter-quarters, when the ship had
her tarpaulin over her. The accommodation for the staff
communicated with the open air both under this fore-rooling
and aft. The illumination was provided by a large sky-
light and by a scuttle in each cabin. Abaft of the engine
was a store-room lined with lead, intended for our supplies
of spirit, and two sail-stores. On the deck right aft there
were kept under cover various appliances, including in
particular the .surveying apparatus.

The quarters of the crew and of the staff alike, as well
as the cook's galley and the laboratories, had a lining of fell
two centimetres thick inside the planking. This felt is indis-
pensable to prevent ice forming inside — which would inevitably
have occurred without it, however thick the partitions. For
the same reason every scrap of metal communicating with
the outer air was covered with cork.

The coal-bunkers were three in number, one on either

INTRODUCTION

side of the boiler, and a large central one foreword of the
boiler. They held 250 tons of closely stowed coal-briquettes.

The large provision-store had no opening except a hatch
in the ward-room, so that nothing could be taken out except
under our eyes. Beneath the cabin for the crew were the
water-casks, holding 18 tons, and a fairly large hold for the
general stores.

I provided each member of the staff with his cabin-furni-
ture, of which the principal items were a folding-bed, a bureau,
and a washstand. Every one could arrange these as he
pleased, being at liberty also to have made for him all the
cupboards and shelves he might consider necessary. Wherever
it was possible I had fitted up cupboards and lockers in the
ward-room and the alley-ways. In addition to two book-cases
in the ward-room a shelf ran round all the cabins, whereon
we found room for nearly 3,000 books.

The laboratories were arranged according to the suggestions
of those who were to work in them.

Forward of the poop was the steering-department,
containing one of the two steering-wheels, the chart-table,
and the usual navigating instruments. Lastly, at the top
of the mainmast was the distinguishing feature of all polar
vessels, the ' crow's-nest ' which is so indispensable for a
voyage amid ice. This was reached by a rope-ladder starting
from the top-mast cross-trees. Usually the voice is sufficient
to convey orders on deck, but to make assurance doubly sure
we had installed a ' Le Las ' loud-speaking telephone, which
was kindly offered to us by its inventor and which did its
work admirably during the whole of the trip.

The Pourquoi-Pas ? was the possessor even of a work of
art. Father de Guibriant, one of our brave missionaries in
China, to whom I had once done a service without knowing
it. insisted on offering to our ship the French naval emblem,
a magnificent piece of silver and copper work, designed by
Connte de Chabannes La Palice and executed by R. Linzeler.

INTRODUCTION

It is worth while to direct particular attention to the
lighting arrangements for an expedition called upon to spend
several months in the midst of almost total night. I had
placed in profusion everywhere, and in particular in each
cabin, excellent little slow-burning petroleum-lamps. On the
advice of the Marquis De Dion, moreover, I had installed
De Dion-Bouton electric lamps, supplied by an eight h.p.
motor and accumulators by the same firm. To shelter these
from frost they were placed under the fore roofing, against
the partition of the various offices heated by the cook's galley.
At the outset I decided that our electric lighting must be
considered a luxury, only to be used twice a week and on
exceptional occasions. As a matter of fact, under the able
superintendence of Bongrain, seconded by the ex-torpedo
artificer Lerebourg and the motor-engineer Frachat, this
installation, hitherto unknown on Polar expeditions, worked
constantly for two years, practically without a moment's
stop, thus showing the excellence of the motor and the accumu-
lators. I cannot too much insist on the invaluable assistance
that it was to us.

In the Polar regions, where for most of the time fresh
water can only be obtained by melting down snow or ice, it
is necessary to devise practical means of providing it. To
this end, I had set up in communication with the kitchen-
furnace a great water-butt with a capacity of 250 litres, into
which, through a hole pierced in the roof could be thrown
lumps of ice as required. Thanks to this plan, wc had, without
any expense or trouble, as big a water-supply as we needed.
As long as the engine-boiler was alight, moreover, a pipe
running from il enabled us to melt the ice in the butt rapidly,
to feed the water-casks and the boiler itself.

We took a good number of boats, for my previous experience
had taught me that, in addition to those requisite for the
service of I he ship, it might be useful to have others not only
to facilitate the various tasks in which we were all engaged,
14

INTRODUCTION

but also for transport over the ice and even for establishing
rescue and revictualling-posts. We had a big canoe, a dinghy,
two stout whale-boats such as the Norwegian sealers carry
(of which one had been on board the Francais on the former
expedition), two small Norwegian boats known by the name
of ' prams,' four dories — those flat light vessels used by
fishermen on the Newfoundland banks, fitting one into another
— two ' Berthon ' boats, and a little folding affair of the
1 Williamson ' type. Lastly ' Pere ' Gautier built for us a strong
picket-boat, specially adapted for work amid ice, with a
rounded prow protected by iron plates. This excellent sea-
boat was fitted with an eight h.p. De Dion-Bouton motor,
which did its duty admirably, in spite of its long and very
arduous service and was of great use to the expedition.

In addition to the ordinary instruments and equipment
for every long-distance voyage, we took ten ice-saws and
the same number of chisels, a dozen small and large ice-
anchors and a stock of stakes, ice-hooks, shovels, pickaxes,
crowbars, and spades.

The excellent Lucas apparatus, which takes up so Little
space and yet allows soundings to be taken to the depth of
6,000 metres, was set up on the quarter-deck and was worked
at the start by a dynamo, which was afterwards advantage-
ously replaced by a small steam-engine. Foreward, on the
starboard side, was the steam-bobbin for the steel-wire cable
of the dredger, which could be lowered to a depth of 4,000
metres.

I had taken the greatest care in my preparation for our
excursions, and making the Discovery expedition my model
had arranged everything as if for independent groups of three
persons each. I had six tents made, each holding three
persons, six Nansen kitchens sbghtly modified by myself,
six mess-services, etc., all for three, while the provisions for
the excursions of which I shall have occasion to speak later
were also divided into portions for three, in such a way that

INTRODUCTION

it would only be necessary to empty each into the cooking-
pot, thus avoiding labour which would have been painful in
a low temperature and after tiring journeys.

The ship's wardrobe was abundant, being chiefly composed
of woollen clothes of all kinds and knitted things, while stockings
and mittens were to be counted by the hundred. We pro-
vided ourselves with lengths of cloth and a sewing-machine.
MM. Linzeler, Vimout, and Denian had sent considerable
presents to swell the stock on board. In case of our unex-
pectedly being obliged to winter away from the shelter of
our ship, I thought it best to bring reindeer-hide suits and
a bed-sack of the same material for every man. We were not
called upon to make use of these furs, except the bed-sacks
which are so necessary on excursions. Generally speaking,
we were comparatively lightly clad, but one indispensable
article of clothing was the ' anorak,' a kind of overcoat of
pliable but close-fitting canvas, with a hood to it, which
went over the ordinary clothes and counteracted the cold
admirably by keeping out draughts. For ordinary work a
stout mackintosh was sufficient ; but on excursions the
material known as ' Burberry ' is certainly all that one can
desire for lightness and absolute imperviousness to wind
and snow.

My previous experience had caused me to give very serious
attention to the all-important question of foot-wear, and we
took with us a large and varied stock of ordinary boots, of
boots of leather with wooden soles (of which a friend, M.
Perchot, gave 70 pairs), of sabots lifted with leggings of tarred
canvas such as the Icelandic fishermen wear, of strong moun-
taineering boots, of socks like those of our Mountain Infantry,
made for us by one of the regimental tailors, and of /inskoex
and homagers from Norway. These last-named, a sort of
mocassin of reindeer-hide, well tested on recent expeditions,
arc the only kind of fool -wear of use on journeys in extreme
cold when one is at a distance from the ship. Their drawback
16

INTRODUCTION

is that they get very slippery on hard ice, thus making them
really dangerous on glaciers. To remedy this I had made,
after the model of those recommended by Captain Scott, a
kind of canvas sandal fitted with strong frost-nails, which
WB could put over them — a very practical invention.

To protect the eyes against snow-ophthalmia I had made
some yellow-glassed goggles and masks with cross-shaped
slits in them. It will be seen from the story of the Expedition
that, thanks to these precautions, we had not a single case
of this ophthalmia.

We took a dozen sledges of the type universally adopted
on Polar expeditions, several pairs of skis for each man (not
only for use on journeys but also for amusement), as well as
some toboggans, snow-shoes, and the usual equipments for
mountaineering and other excursions, ropes, axes, knapsacks,
lanterns, etc. And I must not forget the ' Thermos ' bottles,
which are of the greatest assistance in these latitudes, where
one suffers almost as much from thirst as in warm countries
and where flasks cannot be used.

With regard to all the material coming from Norway,
whether clothing and furs or such Polar apparatus as skis,
sledges, etc., Mr. Crichton Somerville, a resident in Chris-
tiania, was kind enough to devote his care and ability to
choosing it or having it made.

The possibility of coming across an ice-plain, such as that
which constitutes the Eoss Barrier, directed my notice to
the advantage of taking some motor-sledges. The Marquis
De Dion and M. Bouton, with their usual generosity and their
enthusiasm for any new idea, proposed to present the Expedi-
tion with the desired vehicles. Captain Scott was interested
in the same matter. We decided to make our experiments
together, and I shall always remember the pleasant and
profitable time which I spent with him and his assistants,
Missis. Skelton and Barnes. The trial took place in mid-
winter at Lautaret. We had the assistance of Lieutenant

2 17

INTBODUCTION

de La Besse, who had long given attention to motor-sledges.
General Picquart, Minister of War, put at our disposal during
the eight days of the trial ten men from our Alpine garrisons.
The results seemed most encouraging. M. Coursier, engineer
at the De Dion-Bouton works, who was present, set to work
vigorously and thanks to him we were ahle to take three
motor-sledges, on which we built great hopes. Unluckily
we never came across, in the region we visited, any surface
on which we could use them. MM. de Dion, Bouton, and
Coursier must set against this failure the services to the
Expedition of the picket-boat and the electric installation.
We carried nearly three years' stock of provisions, and in
my selection of these I applied to the leading firms of France,
England, Germany, Norway, and America. Owing to the
progress of the preserved foods industry, the only real diffi-
culty in provisioning an expedition like ours lies in the necessity
of choosing with due regard to variety and space alike. A
catalogue of what we placed in our store-rooms would occupy
several pages, and I shall simply say that we had almost
everything that it was possible to take and that the choice
was made with the most scrupulous care, limiting ourselves
to the first quality always. The food-products and preserves
which can be taken on journeys are nowadays generally
familiar, and a description of them would be tedious. I
must, however, remark on the convenience and excellent
manufacture of all sorts of compressed foods, soup, milk,
meats, etc. The same is true of dried vegetables, some of
which give remarkable results, especially cabbages and potatoes.
In the course of the narrative, however, it will often be neces-
sary to refer to the question of food. Generally we may
divide provisions into four classes : those for daily use, those
for excursions, those kept for storage-dcp6ts or for emergencies,
and, lastly, luxuries.

T shall have occasion later to speak of the provisions for
excursions. As for what is placed in the storage-depots,
18

INTRODUCTION

handy tins of biscuits form the bulk of those ; for in the Ant-
arctic one may always expect to find penguins or seals, which
supply excellent fresh meat, as well as fat at need for fuel.
It is not too much to say that with biscuits, a knife to kill and
cut up animals, and matches to kindle the fat, one can live,
at least in most parts of the Antarctic.

Numerous agreeable gifts were made to swell the stores
of the Expedition not only in France, but also abroad — at
Bio Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Punta Arenas.

At all places of call, both going and returning, nothing
but fresh food was eaten.

In the long run one grows tired of even the best of pre-
served stuff, especially meats, and it is very probable that
the majority of the meals composed exclusively of these,
left but an indifferent memory in the minds of the members
of the Expedition. Nevertheless, I believe I may say that
no expedition was ever better provisioned than ours, as
regards both quality and quantity, and that we never ran
short of anything on board.

So well stocked with wine was the steward's room that
during the whole duration of the voyage the crew were able
to have their daily ration and often double. In the ward-room
wine was served at discretion to those who drank it and of
such good kind that for several weeks I amused myself by
having it brought on in bottles with fine green seals, to pre-
tend it was of special quaUty. But this innocent joke was
needless ; for our cellar, thanks to generous givers, was
furnished with the best brands, and those who had thus
thought of our well-being would have been rewarded could
they have seen the pleasure with which we uncorked the
noble vintages.

The question of the consumption of alcohol on expeditions
has been often discussed and settled in various ways. Per-
sonally I consider it neither more nor less dangerous on a
Polar expedition than elsewhere, provided that moderation

INTRODUCTION

is observed. I even think that rum in certain cases is one
of the most useful of medicines ; but from the start I have
made a point of waging unrelenting war against the aperitif,
the great curse of France.

We kept on board an ample stock of antiscorbutics, such
as sauerkraut, tomatoes and lime-juice. These combined
with vegetables and fruit, either dried or in jam, etc., were
evidently more than sufficient to save us from the scurvy
that attacked the expeditions of old ; but it will be seen that
these ordinary precautions were useless against what one
may call modern scurvy — or, more strictly speaking, preserved-
food sickness.

Almost as important as the question of the choice of
eatables is that of the cases in which they are put up, the good
construction of which insures their keeping. I laid down
certain requirements in this respect, which unfortunately
were not always scrupulously carried out by our French firms.
The loss is their own, for if later expeditions discover our
store-depots they will be able to form their judgments on
the more or less good state of preservation of the different
brands. I desired first of all that everything should be put
up in cases easy to handle, of a weight not exceeding 30 kilos,
but with many of the goods the need of taking a large quantity
and the comparatively small space at our disposal, compelled
us to stow them away without their superfluous coverings.
These were kept, however, on the storage-dep&t provisions.
An expedition fortunate enough to have abundant funds
would do very well to have its stores put up in ' Venesta '
cases, which are at once strong, water-tight, and light.

Matches — on the usefulness of which I need not insist —
were packed in little zinc boxes handy to open and easy to
carry on sledges and even in knapsacks.

I pass over in silence the necessities of ordinary life, the
thousand little trifles which were nevertheless indispensable
for the. repair and upkeep of our varied stock or for what we

INTRODUCTION

had to make for ourselves, our drugs and our surgical instru-
ments. It turned out that very little had been forgotten,
for we never had to want for anything essential.

Coal was of course the sinews of the Expedition. The
Minister of Marine gave us at the start 250 tons in briquettes.
At Madeira Mr. Gordon-Bennett with his habitual generosity
telegraphed spontaneoxisly to his representatives to fill our
bunkers at his expense. The Brazilian Government gave us
100 tons when we reached Eio, and on our return filled our
bunkers both at Rio and Pernambuco ; and finally on our
way back the Chilian Government gave us 70 tons. I had
myself sent to Punta Arenas 300 tons of briquettes presented
by French mining companies. This important stock the
Chilian Government, with great kindness, deposited in its
own hulks until our arrival, assisting us then to put on board
what we wanted and keeping the remainder until our return.
We were thus able to set out with our bunkers absolutely full
of coal of the best quality. It will be seen that in the Ant-
arctic we had the opportunity of replenishing them again.

Our numerous spirit-motors necessitated us having on
board eleven tons of what is esteemed a most dangerous
cargo. We had made for this a lead-lined hold aft, in which
the 18-litre cans of Motricine were carefully stored, enclosed
two and two in wooden cases. A hand-ventilator supplied
air to the bottom of this hold to drive out the dangerous
vapours, which are heavier than air. At every change of the
watch this ventilator was set working, and thus we managed
to carry this risky cargo without any mishap.

As far as the choice of the staff of the Pourquoi-Pas f is
concerned, I can only repeat what I said in the case of our
former expedition. It is extremely easy in France to find
fellow-scientists ready to give up their time, and even to
expose their lives, without the slightest hope of recompense.
Several of ray comrades on the Franfais wished to join this
expedition too. One of my fondest hopes would thus have

INTEODUCTION

been realized. But Lieutenant Matha, after his long leave
of absence, had to make some return for the well-merited
confidence placed in him by our naval authorities ; and
Engineer P. Pleueau had his duties toward the commercial
company which had wisely selected him for a difficult enter-
prise in Siberia and Mongolia. My very friendship for them
both obliged me to advise them to renounce this time all ideas
of accompanying me. But I was glad to see at my side again
my devoted friend and valued collaborator from the first,
E. Gourdon.

The staff, as finally constituted, consisted of three naval
officers, a geologist, two naturalists, a doctor, and myself.
The various departments under our programme were assigned
as follows : —

H. Bongrain, sub-lieutenant. Second officer. (Astrono-
mical observations, hydrography, seismography, terrestrial
gravitation) ;

J. Bouch, sub-lieutenant. (Meteorology, atmospheric
electricity, physical oceanography) ;

E. Godfroy, sub-lieutenant. (Study of tides, atmospheric
chemistry) ;

E. Gourdon, D.Sc. (Geology and glaciology) ;

J. Liouville, M.D. (Assistant doctor to the Expedition,
zoology) ;

L. Gain, B.Sc. (Zoology and botany) ;

A. Scnouque. (Magnetism, actinometry, scientific photo-
graphy) ;

J.-B. Charcot, head of the Expedition, commander of the
Pourquoi-Pas f (Bacteriology).

Apart from their special departments, the naval officers
assisted me in the navigation and other duties on hoard.

I am happy to be able, to say that it was thanks to the.
enthusiasm, energy, and attainments of my colleagues that
(he Expedition was a success, and my gratitude Inward them
i- all Hie wanner since they enable me, without laying myself

INTRODUCTION

open to a charge of personal vanity, to assert that we succeeded.
I had the same ease in getting together the crew and
had to make choice from among 250 applications. Almost
all the old crew of the Fran^ais rejoined me on the Pourquoi-
Pas ? thus giving me a nucleus of seasoned and devoted men.
Chollet had been my navigator for 24 years, Guegen had been
on four expeditions with me, Jabet and Libois on three.
The new-comers, animated by an excellent spirit, and sailors
in the best sense of the term, were spurred on by the example
of the veterans to display the same qualities as they.
The crew consisted of —

Rosselin, F., chief engineer.
*Poste, second engineer.
*Guegen, F., stoker.
Monzimet, stoker.

*('liollet, E., skipper.
* Jabet, boatswain.
*Besnard, assistant boat-
swain.
*(lnegen, J., sailor.

Herv6, ,,

Thomas, ,,

Dufreche, „

Lerebourgh, „

Aveline, ,,

Dennis, ,,

Xozal, „

Boland, „

It would be difficult to discover a better crew than ours,
more energetic, devoted, courageous, patient, and intelligent.
All asked but to be allowed to do their best and always went
about their work cheerfully and enthusiastically. There
was no punishment-book on board, and the need of one was
never felt.

1 The names preceded by an asterisk are those of the men who took part in
the Fraii^ais Expedition. Boland and Nozal, who signed on as sailors, were
mercantile marine cadets. By the terms of their agreements they were treated
on board like the other sailors and worked like them, but their very superior
training made thorn most valuable assistants to MM. Bongrain and Roach, and
I thought it riu'lit tu promote them later to the rank of lieutenant.

Lhostis, stoker.
* Libois, stoker and carpenter.
Frachat, motor engineer.
Modaine, cook.
*Paumelle, mess steward.
Van Acken, second steward
(a Belgian taken on board
at Punta Arenas, where he
was living). 1

INTEODUCTIOX

As soon as the Pourquoi-Pas f was launched, staff and
crew set to work on the final preparations and the embarka-
tion and stowage of food and material. In order not to lose
time, the stowage was begun at Saint-Malo, while the engine
was being put on board and the rigging finished, and was
completed at Havre.

i hi Staff beiore Our Departure.
Bongrain. Linuville. Gain.

Gourdon. Roucli. Charcot. Senouque.

Godfroy.

eparture from Havre. August 15. 1908.

FROM HAVRE TO PUNTA ARENAS

Firmly convinced of our sincerity of purpose, the town
of Havre showed its goodwill toward us in a touching manner
on August 15, 1908. It was in the midst of a sympathetic
crowd, collected from far and wide to prove that France is
never indifferent to the labours of her sons, that our friends
and relations wished us a good journey and all success, while
the strains of the ' Marseillaise ' answered the parting salute
of the Pourquoi-Pas t

The same day we reached Cherbourg, where the Super-
intendent of the Dockyard, Admiral Bellue, gave us a warm
welcome. His anxiety to aid us in putting on board the coal
and material given to lis by the Minister of Marine proved
once more the interest taken in our work by the naval
authorities.

Owing to continued bad weather we were forced to stop
at Cherbourg until August 31. Impatient to begin our
\ "\age, we weighed anchor on the first break in the weather,
but off the Casquets we were assailed by one of the worst
storms of the year, which caused many disasters at sea. The
Pourquoi-Pas ? early gave proof of those excellent qualities
which stood us in such good stead later ; but after battling
for twenty-four hours we put into Guernsey to save useless
consumption of coal and avoid the necessity of turning back.
We left Guernsey again on September 5, to reach Madeira
Eoads on the 12th. Three days later we set off once more,
and on the 22nd we made a twenty-four hours' call at Porto
Grande, Saint Vincent.

On October 12 we were at Eio Janeiro, where an un-

FEOM HAY BE TO PUNTA ABEKAS

expected reception awaited us from the people and Govern-
ment of Brazil and the French colony, headed by our vice-
consul, M. Charlat. Baron Bio Branco, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, received the whole Expedition at the Itamaraty
Palace, and the Minister of Marine, Admiral Alexandrino
de Aleucar, did us the great honour of coming on board the
Pourquoi-Pas f The entire contents of the arsenal were put
at our disposal so generously that, for fear of appearing indis-
creet, we dared not express a desire ! Presents and kindnesses
were showered on us from all sides by individuals, in addition
to the gifts from the Government, while the wife of Captain
Barros Cobra (one of the most devoted friends of the Expedi-
tion all through) honoured us by sending a special silk flag
for the Pourquoi-Pas ? embroidered by her own hands.

On the 20th we left the magnificent and flourishing country
of Brazil for Buenos Aires. The relations I had kept up with
the Argentine Republic since the never-to-be-forgotten recep-
tion of the Frangais Expedition, on both the outward and
the home voyages, led me to believe that we should be wel-
comed ; but Argentina was determined to show that she can
always do still better. On the motion of Dr. Pinero, the
Chambers decided to vote unlimited credit to meet the needs,
whatever they might be, of the Expedition. The Pourquoi-
Pas ? went into dry dock to undergo all the improvements
possible. With splendid generosity all materials were pro-
vided that she could want. I had the honour of being pre-
sented to the President of the Republic by our Minister,
M. Thi6bault, and the French residents vied with 1 he Argentine
people in making our stay at once profitable and pleasant.
I met once more my warm and sincere friends, Dr. Fernando
Perez and his brother Manuel, Professor Lignieres, Colonel
Nunez, Dr. Pinero, Admirals Garcia and Barilari, Chief
Engineer Sumblad Rosetti, MM. Lainez, Py, Thays, Davis,
and Lahille, Father Sola and many others whose friendship
had only been increased by lapse of time.
26

FROM HAVRE TO PUNTA ARENAS

On November 23 we left Buenos Aires, and on December
1 we anchored in the roadstead of Punta Arenas. This was
our last place of call in the civilized world, but not the place
which showed us the least sympathy. The Chilian Govern-
ment had put at our disposal all the resources of the town,
and the French representative at Santiago, M. Desprez,
demonstrated to us by his kindly messages, both as we went
and as we came back, that France was watching over us at
this distant stage on the way to the lands where we were
about to hide ourselves so many long months. The little
French colony and the inhabitants of the town feasted us and
made much of us, and I hope to be able to show in the following
narrative all the good which the Expedition derived from
its stay here, and how grateful is the friendship which must
bind me henceforward to those of its inhabitants whose names
I shall have occasion to mention.

At Punta Arenas my wife, who had bravely accompanied
me so far, left me, to return and watch over our home during
my absence. This expected and inevitable separation was,
nevertheless, a wrench which only our high ideal of duty
enabled us to bear with. Certain people may have smiled
over the presence of a woman on board during the first part
of the journey, and even have found in it an excusefor be-
littling the grave and serious side of our work. But others
— happily the majority — only saw in it a touching proof of
love, courage, and interest in the object which I had in view ;
it is the opinion of these latter for which I care. My own
thought was to labour for my country and for the honour of
a name made illustrious by my father and rendered still more,
dear to me by her who, in adopting it as her own, was willing
to aid me in sharing its responsibility.

THE DIARY OF THE
EXPEDITION

PART I

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

r\ECEMBER 16, 1908.— In fine calm weather we weigh
anchor from Punta Arenas at 9 p.m. M. Blanchard,
the kindly French consul, coming on board on his launch
Laurita at 8.30, brought with him the Governor, M. Chaigneau ;
M. Henkes, one of the Norwegian directors of the Magellan
Whaling Company ; M. Grossi, an Italian merchant ; and
our fellow-countrymen, MM. Poivre, Beaulier, Detaille and
Rocca. We drank a glass of champagne, and shook with
emotion the hands of all these kind-hearted people, now
become our friends, and then away we went ! The Laurita
saluted us with three blasts of her whistle, while her passengers
cheered and shouted ' Vive la France ! ' The crew of the
Chilian Government hulk did the same, and at the very end
of the roadstead the look-out man standing all alone on a
big steamer gave us a loud Godspeed.

December 17. — The night has been calm and clear, but
by morning the mountain-tops are wrapped in clouds, and
there is a slight southerly breeze, which, however, does not
prevent us from making rapid progress. We leave Magellan
Straits for Magdalena Sound and Cockburn Channel, and
about 1 in the afternoon we are among the Furies Reefs ;
but there is a heavy sea and a strong west wind, and the baro-
meter is falling. We run the risk by taking this course of

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

losing the hours which we hoped to gain, and worse, if we are
caught by a gale forcing us to lie to or run for shelter — especi-
ally as our boat is heavy laden and the deck is piled with
coal-briquettes, which block the scuppers. We do not hesi-
tate, therefore, to go about and make for Murray Channel,
and we thread the Brecknock. Thanks to a very good Chilian
map, at 8 p.m. we are able to anchor in the picturesque and
well-sheltered little bay of Port Edwards, at the entrance of
Whaleboat Sound.

December 18. — At 7 a.m. we are under way, and in spite
of fog and rain we easily make Beagle Channel. The weather
remains heavy all the morning and it pours with rain, but in
the afternoon it clears up finely at times, allowing us to admire
the wonderful scenery through which we are passing. The
wind blows very strong from the south-west. We pass a
small Chilian steamer from Punta Arenas, exchanging salutes,
and at 9 p.m. we anchor in Lapataia Bay. The gusts are
very strong, but our anchor holds firm.

December 19. — At 3 a.m. we are again on our way. It
would have been tempting to touch at Ushuaia, whose houses
we could make out and where we were sure to meet again
our friends of 1904, with a hearty welcome in store for us. But
every stoppage is time lost, and we have to take advantage
of the fine season. The gusts are still strong, but soon calm
sets in, with very clear weather and an absolutely cloudless
sky. A strong current carries us rapidly along through the
narrow, picturesque Murray Channel, and soon we make out
Orange Bay, the quarters of the Arromanche Mission, where
we ourselves stayed with the Francais in 1904. At midday
we are abreast of False Cape Horn, and the swell from the
south-west becomes very rough. It increases when at 2
p.m. we pass the real Cape Horn, which in this magnificent
summer season has a smiling aspect. There is not a breath
of air, and, deprived of the assistance of her sails, our vessel,
being overladen above, has a rough shaking. In the evening
30

THE SUMMEE OF 1908-1909

we pass astern of a big three-masted barque going east, with
which we exchange signals. By chance it is a French ship,
the Michelet of Nantes, which signals to us ' Bon voyage.''
At 10 we see on the horizon another three-master going east.
December 20. — Since midnight the wind has been blowing
very strong from the north-east, with a storm of snow, the
Antarctic's welcome to us. The choppy sea becomes very
rough and catches us broadside on. We set our fore top-
mast staysail and the two lower topsails, but we are ship-
ping water to an extent dangerous for the engines. So at
8 a.m. we let her bear away 25° when all goes well, except
for those — and there are many on board — who pay their
tribute to sea-sickness. The sea washes in an unpleasant
way over the deck and into the ward-room and the cabins.

Next morning the wind falls and it becomes clear and
cold, with the thermometer at zero. The evening is calm,
but with a very great swell. We brail up generally and head
for Smith Island, formerly known to the American sealers as
Mount Pisgah Island, but nowadays better called after the
man who in 1819 discovered the South Shetlands.

December 22. — At 7 a.m. a cape, which must be part of
Smith Island, reveals itself through the mist, and as the weather
clears up completely the whole of the imposing snow-covered
island appears at a distance of 30 miles. We take Boyd
Strait, where we meet our first iceberg, floating in complete
isolation, and go a little out of our way so as to skirt it, for
the edification of the crew and such of our colleagues to whom
the spectacle is new. The sw T ell has ceased, the weather is
remarkably clear, and we can distinguish the greater part
of the South Shetlands archipelago. Two soundings are
taken in Boyd Strait, one giving 2,800 metres, the other 690.

We stand in for Deception Island, and as the narrow
entrance of its central haven opens before us we see two littlo
whaleboat8, one of which is returning with a whale in tow.
The other heads for us. It is the Raun, flying the Norwegian

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

flag. Soon we are abreast, the whaler's crew raising cheers
in our honour, and the captain offering, in excellent English,
to lead the way for us into the centre of the island. Thinking
that they were returning from fishing, we accepted the offer,
but we learnt afterwards that as a matter of fact these good
fellows were going out and insisted on having the honour of
piloting us in spite of the loss of time involved.

Although it was expected, yet for those of us who had
already visited the Antarctic in 1904 (when we knew that we
were the only human beings there) the meeting with vessels
quietly carrying on their work in this region had something
impressive and almost uncanny about it. This sensation
affected us still more strongly when we found ourselves in
Deception Island basin, in the midst of a veritable flotilla of
boats, all at work as though in some busy Norwegian port.
Our pilot brings us up very close to the smooth, precipitous
face of the high black cliff on the west side of the passage,
and after a sharp turn the whaling-station appears before
our eyes, marvellously sheltered in a fairly big bay notched
out of the great crater-basin of this weird and picturesque
island. We find two three-masters and two steam-vessels,
surrounded by several little steam-whalers, this fleet belonging
to three different companies. Pieces of whale float about on
all sides, and bodies in process of being cut up or waiting
their turn lie alongside the various boats. The smell is
unbearable.

The captain of the L'nuti asks me to come and visit his
little steamer, which I found, despite the trade in which she
is engaged, astonishingly clean, and takes me into a little
ward-room which is neat, comfortable, and almost elegant,
with a fine coal fire burning in a stove. Next we go on board
the largest of the steamers, the Oobcniador Borics, on which
i> .M. Andresen, manager of the Magellan Whaling Company.
Willi great difficulty we make our way amid the bodies of
whales and I am taken into a large and extremely clean
32

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

ward-room, whose furnituro is almost luxurious. A parrot r
which ought to be feeling very much out of it iu the Ant-
arctic, is talking solemnly, and here too there is a fine coal
fire in the stove. As on board the Raun, my eyes look on this
with a little envy, for on the Pourquoi-Pas ? we put up with
the damp without lighting a fire, so as to economize our
coal.

M. Audresen is in bod, but the captain of the Raun does
not hesitate to go and wake him. I let him do this, for I
bring the mail with me and I expect that this unlooked-for
surprise will win me pardon for my early visit. M. Andresen
shows himself at once a true Norwegian, amiable, cordial,
and anxious to be of service to us. I give him the letter from
the directors of his company, which I received through the
kind intervention of MM. Detaille and Blanchard, asking
him to furnish us, if he can, with 30 tons of coal ; and at
once he tells me that, in spite of the shortness of fuel, he will
make arrangements to satisfy us. So pleased is he at receiving
a mail which he did not expect, and which will gladden the
whole of the little colony, that he thanks me with an embarras-
sing gratitude for having taken charge of the letters. Then
I leave him to go back to bed, after making an appointment
to see him again next day. I bring the captain of the Raun
back to the Pourquoi-Pas ?, where we drink a glass of port
together. He makes an admirably turned and sympathetic
little speech, wishing us a safe voyage and abundant success r
and then returns on board his own ship and sets out at once
on his whaling cruise.

The comparatively good anchorages in the bay are occupied
by the whalers, and we seek in vain to anchor in deep water
with a treacherous holding-ground. The smell, moreover,
being really unbearable, we lose no time in moving and making
for the further end of the basin, where Pendulum Cove used
to be. With difficulty we discover, so to speak, this no longer
existing cove, and let fall our anchor at 2 a.m. near the spot

3 33

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

where the corvette Uruguay anchored in 1905. There has
heen no night, and the weather is magnificently calm.

I cannot find any document showing who really discovered
this island where we are nor who christened it with the name
of Deception, most inappropriate in my mind ; for it was
far from being a deception for us or for the other navigators
in this region, who could count on finding here the safe shelter
so rare in the Antarctic. It cannot have been discovered by
Smith, who only explored the north coast of the South Shet-
lands in 1819 ; nor by Bransfield, who, returning with Smith
to these regions, some time after, was unable to circumnavigate
the islands and considered them part of a continent. I am
inclined to think it was known to the Spaniards, or, to be
more exact, to the ancestors of the Argentinans. An historical
incident, which I, like many others, borrow from the excellent
and painstaking works of the learned American explorer
Edwin Swift Balch of Philadelphia, 1 probably is U> be placed
on Deception Island. Mrs. E. Fanning Loper, niece of Captain
Nathaniel Brown Palmer, whose share was so great in making
known this part of the Antarctic, lent to Mr. E. S. Balch
log-books, letters, and various MSS. which had been her
uncle's. The following story is noteworthy : ' In 1818 he
[Captain Potter] became second mate of the brig Hersilia,
bound to Cape Horn for seals, Captain James P. Sheffield,
master. On this voyage he and a sailor were left upon one
of the Falkland Islands to obtain provisions for the brig,
while the Hersilia went in search of the. fabulous Auroras.
Soon after the departure of the brig, the Esprito Santo, from
Buenos Ayres, hove in sight off the island, and "young Nat,"
as lie was then called, piloted her into the harbour, and found
that she was bound to a place where there were thousands of
seals, but [her captain] refused to divulge the situation.
Three days later the Hersilia returned, and " young Nat "

1 Antarctica Add* >»la, by Edwin Swift Balch, from the Journal oj the Franklin
Inatituli , I'Vbnuuy, I'.Mt,

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

told Captain Sheffield about the Esprito Santo, and said he
could follow her and find the sealing ground. Captain Shef-
field, having great confidence in his second mate, followed
his advice, and in a few days discovered the South Shetlands,
at that time unknown in the continent of North America.
The Esprito Santo was anchored there, and the crew was much
surprised to see the brig, but their admiration for " young
Nut's" skill was so great that they even assisted in loading the
Hcrsilia, and [she] returned home with 10,000 of the finest
skins.'

Now what makes me suppose that this anchorage was none
other than Deception is the fact that in the following summer,
1820-1821, there was at this island a squadron of five American
sealers commanded by B. Pendleton, with Palmer as captain
of one of them, the sloop Hero, and no one seemed astonished
at the marvellous shelter for which they apparently unerringly
made. This squadron, fitted out at Stonington, Connecticut,
then one of the most important whaling centres, was composed
of the brigs Frederick, Captain B. Pendleton, and Hersilia,
Captain J. P. Sheffield, the schooners Express, Captain E.
Williams, and Free Gift, Captain F. Dunbar, and the little
sloop Hero, Captain N. B. Palmer. It was while the flotilla
was stopping at Yankee Harbour, afterwards renamed Port
Foster, that Pendleton saw, with Palmer, from the top of a
peak on the island some land to the west, and sent Palmer
reconnoitring on his 40-ton Hero. Palmer, who continued his
explorations successfully next year, discovered on this excur-
sion either the north coast of Graham Land, close to Trinity,
or else the archipelago to which De Gerlache has very rightly
given the name, by which it will continue to be known, of
Palmer Archipelago. (The Frangais in 1904-1905 made a sur-
vey of the north-west coast of this.) E. Fanning 1 says : —

' On the Hero's return passage to Yankee Harbour she
got becalmed in a thick fog between the South Shetlands and

1 Voyages Round the World, pp. 434-440.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

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 sloop of war,
and instantly ran up the United States' flag ; the frigate and
sloop of war then set the Eussian colours. Soon after this a
boat was seen pulling from the commodore's ship for the Hero,
and when alongside the lieutenant presented an invitation
from his commodore for Captain Palmer to go on board ; this
of course was accepted. These ships he then found were the
discovery ships sent out by the Emperor Alexander of Eussia.
To the commodore's interrogatory if he had any knowledge
of those islands then in sight, and what they were, Captain
Palmer replied he was well acquainted with them, and that
they were the South Sketlands, at the same time making a
tender of his services to pilot the ships into a good harbour at
Deception Island, the nearest by, where water and refreshmenl s
such as the island afforded could be obtained ; he also inform-
ing the Eussian 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 Harbour, who would
most cheerfully render any assistance in his power. The
commodore thanked him kindly, " but previous to our being
enveloped in the fog," he said, " we had sight of those islands
and concluded we had made a discovery, but behold, when
t lie fog lifts, to my great surprise, here is an American vessel
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 flatteringly. His astonish-
ment was yet more increased, when Captain Palmer 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.'

Personally 1 am disposed to think there is nothing im-
probable in (his tale, especially as the kindly welcome given
36

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

by the American sealers to a foreign expedition was singularly
like that which we enjoyed 87 years later at the hands of
Norwegian whalers. Nevertheless, H. R. Mill, while noting
that Bellingshausen, when he put into Sydney Harbour in
March, 1820, was informed by the Russian consul of W. Smith's
discovery of the South Shetlands in 1819, adds that in the
account of his arrival at Yaroslav Island (this is the name
which he gave to Deception) Bellingshausen only makes
slight mention of his meeting with Palmer : ' The American
captain Palmer, whom we invited on board, told us of the
prodigiously rich harvest of seal-skins which had been made
here.' J Still, as Fanning says, claiming that Bellingshausen
in his admiration for the young captain called the coast visible
to the south Palmer Land, this name was adopted in the
Russian and English maps published after the return of the
Russian ships — a point in favour of the American version.
In any case, it is certain that the sealing flotillas, both
American and English, made Deception Island one of their
most important centres until the almost complete extermina-
tion of the fur-seal in the South Shetlands, and it is more than
probable that the little Chilian schooners which continued to
come for a few years more to look for the precious booty in
this archipelago put in here. Scientific expeditions also came
here, apart from Bellingshausen's, which did get so far. In
1829 the Chanticleer, commanded by Foster, who was sent out
by the British Government to make pendular and magnetic
observations, took up its quarters at Pendulum Cove, so
named after the pendulum experiments made there between
January 9 and March 4 of that year. Foster died as the result
of an accident on the return of the expedition, but his narrative
was forwarded by Lieutenant Kendall and Dr. Webster, to
whom we owe a detailed description of the island. We owe
another to the American Lieutenant Johnson, commander of

1 Tin Siege of the South Pole, by Hugh Robert Mil), London, 1905.

» 2 I

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

the Sea Gull, one of the Wilkes Expedition, who stopped there
with his ship in 1839.

Dumont d'Urville on the return voyage of his first South
Polar Expedition in 1838 passed along the south-west coast
of Deception, of which he published an excellent view from
the clever pencil of Goupil, an artist on board the Zelee and
great-uncle of my wife. Lastly, the Argentine corvette Uru-
guay, whose name is universally known through the magnifi-
cent way in which she saved the Nordenskjold Expedition in
November, 1903, touched at Deception on January 9, 1905,
having been generously sent out by the Argentine Government
to look for the Francais, about whose fate there were fears,
happily unfounded.

According to the descriptions of Webster and Johnson,
the area of the island, whose centre is 65° 56' South by 60° 40'
West of Greenwich, is about 50 square kilometres, while its
diameter is about 19 kilometres from north to south and 15
kilometres from east to west. In the interior is a great marine
lake, very probably produced by the blowing up of a volcano
beneath the surface of the sea. This inner basin is almost
elliptical in shape, with a diameter of 9 to 10 kilometres and
an area of about 22 square kilometres. It communicates
with the sea by a very narrow strait, about 180 metres long,
on the south-west side of the island. Its depth, which is only
5 or 6 metres at the opening, increases rapidly toward the
centre; according to Kendall, to 177 metres. (It will be
seen that a sounding taken by us at the same spot shows a
tilling up of the basin or else a rise in the level of its bottom.)
The inner banks of the island are as a rule flatter than the
outer shores. At the entrance of the crater-shaped bay, how-
ever, there stands an escarped cliff with perpendicular walls
240 metres high. On the shores are several lakes resembling
the ruins of small craters, while others occur on the beach of
the island, having no visible communication with the large
central basin. Thus Lieutenant Johnson found at the end of
38

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

the bay a small orator 450 metres in diameter, separated from
the main basin by a wall 120 metres thick, rising gradually to
the height of 6 metres. Into this lake the wall descended
perpendicularly, and its surf ace- level was the same as that of
the main basin.

The descriptions of these explorers do not differ much
from what we could have given ourselves, at least as to general
lines ; but when one examines Foster's map, which is much
the completest and most detailed, one sees that some fairly
large modifications of detail have taken place, affecting the
small lakes and the heights of the peaks and the shores of the
inner basin. Coves have filled in, capes have altered, old
lakes have dried up and new ones have formed. But the most
important and interesting change — I might even add, the
most lamentable — is that which affects Pendulum Cove, which
may be said to exist no more. At the time of Foster and the
American whalers Pendulum Cove was, as the Chanticleer's
plan shows, a narrow fjord, shaped like a comma, admirably
sheltered, with little depth of water and good holding-ground,
making it, in fact, the only really good anchorage in the island.
When the Uruguay arrived in 1905, Pendulum Cove had dis-
appeared. The fjord had filled in, either through landslips
or by upheavals, and there only remained just at the entrance
a low crescent-shaped beach, quite close to which the bottom
held fairly well. This state of things was what we also found,
and the plan which we made differs only in a few insignificant
details from that published by our friend Lieutenant Jallour,
second in command of the Uruguay.

Foster during his stay at Deception saw no volcanic erup-
tions, but he found on the edge of the basin numerous vents,
from which steam was ejected violently, and many hot springs
with a temperature as high as 88°. These, too, are the only
active volcanic manifestations which we noted. The water
of these numerous springs was sulphurous, and had a tem-
perature of 68°. Smiley, the American sealer, who visited

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Pendulum Cove in February, 1842, and found there a ther-
mometer left behind by Foster in 1829, reports that ' certainly
the island was then undergoing great changes,' that the whole
southern shore was actively volcanic; — ' in flames ' — and that
he saw ' no less than thirteen eruptions.'

Webster, Johnson, and Dumont d'Urville agree in saying
that very little snow settled on Deception, the last-named
stating that not only were the shores free from it, but also
several of the high peaks. As far as we were concerned, we
found a lot, coming down as far as the beach. But it is true
that we stopped there in December, while the others paid
their visits in March, except Webster ; and he was there from
January to March.

The fur-seals, hunted down without mercy or precaution
by the American and English sealers, have entirely vanished.
This was the cause of the abandonment of Deception for such
long years ; but the comparatively new methods employed
with so much success in the north in hunting the balaenoptera
(rorqual) and the considerable profits assured by this industry,
and by the great competition in the northern seas, have
restored to this Antarctic island some of its former business.

From the whale-hunter's point of view, there are two sorts
of whale, the ' right ' whale and the ' rusher ' — a division
which coincides with a zoological classification, the former
being properly speaking, a balaena (Balaena Australis in the
southern, Balaena Grocnlandis in the northern seas), and the
others being balaenopteras.

The commercial value of the balaenas is much superior to
that of the balaenopteras, not only on account of the quantity
and quality of their oil, but also — and perhaps especially —
because of the dimensions and quality of their bone, of which
the price in the market is high. The bone of the balaenoptera,
on the contrary, is very short and of scarcely any use, and the
oil which can be extracted from its fat is comparatively scanty.
Still, these latter cetaceans having been left alone until recent
40

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

years, their inferior value is largely compensated for by the
numbers of them captured. Hunted without mercy, the
right whale, on the other hand, has become very scarce gener-
ally. Perhaps it visits the Antarctic, since Ross says he has
seen one, and so does Larsen ; but all the other explorers
agree in asserting that they have never met one more south
than the regions known as Sub-antarctic.

The old-time whalers set out in a boat to 'stick' their
prey by means of a harpoon fastened to a long rope, which
uncoiled as the animal fled. They thus had themselves towed
by it until, when it was exhausted, they could finish it off
with other harpoons. But they only attacked the right whale,
which when wounded makes right off, and once dead floats
on the surface. They paid no attention to the so-called
4 rushers,' which when wounded plunge deep, rush at their
foes, or in any case describe a zigzag course, and whose bodies
nearly always sink, thus threatening not only the loss of the
quarry, but also that of the hunting gear. It is to a Norwegian
whaler, Swen Foyn, who died a millionaire through it, that is
due the invention of a special weapon, which now makes huge
fortunes for some people and enables a vast population of
workmen and hardy labourers to five. In the bow of a 40-ton
steamer is mounted a cannon, which discharges a harpoon
attached to a strong grapnel-rope. When the animal is hit,
the two shanks of the harpoon open and explode a small shell.
The body is hauled back by means of a steam windlass, fastened
alongside, inflated by means of a large trocar communicating
with the engine, to prevent it from sinking, and towed to the
melting-house. Sometimes, as happened to us at the Faroes
and at Deception, a single one of these little boats may be seen
coming back with three balaenopteras, sometimes even with
six.

The recent Antarctic Expeditions, from De Gerlache's
down to that of the Franqais, have certainly done much for
this revival of industry in the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

regions, and I personally claim to have done my small part,
though I should have liked to see my fellow-countrymen,
severely tested as they have often been in the cod-fisheries,
attempting to take advantage of it.

Nevertheless, the bold initiative of my former fellow-
explorer, the merchant captain Eallier du Baty, who went to
try his luck with his brother and three sailors on a 40-tonner
in the Kerguelen Islands, and the praiseworthy persistence of
MM. Bossiere, the concessionaires of the islands, who recently
managed to establish a whaling company in this French archi-
pelago, lead me to hope that one day my exertions will have
a result. Perhaps the men who make up the crew of the Pour-
qnoi-Pas ? and who have been so vividly impressed by what
they have managed to see at Deception may on their return
have a good influence over their fishermen comrades. At
any rate, since the return of the Nordenskjbld Expedition an
Argentine company, having as its managing director the
famous and able Norwegian captain Larsen, has established
itself in South Georgia and is making huge profits every year.
It was three years ago that the chase of the balaenoptera
began in our exploration zone ; and in the South Shetlands
since our visit one Chilian and two Norwegian companies have
set up at Deception, while another has taken as its head-
quarters Admiralty Bay in George I Land. As far as these
whalers are concerned, it has been a pleasure to me to note
how useful the Francais Expedition has been to them in
supplementing the discoveries of the Belgica ; for we were able,
of ourselves, to supply them with the only existing chart of
I he north-west coast of the Palmer Archipelago, and another
of the Bismarck estuary, to guide them to a good anchorage
at Port Lockioy and a shelter at Wandel Island, to say nothing
of our notes on the numbers and species of balaenopteras, on
the movements of the ice-floes, on the winds, etc.

December 23. — In spite of the late hour at which we an-
chored, every one is up very early to take advantage of the
42

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

fine weather and set to work. Bongrain is putting up a tent,
in which he is going to make observations with the pendulum.
Rouch, while continuing his meteorological observations, is
undertaking others on the electricity of the atmosphere. God-
froy is mapping the contours of our anchorage and making
soundings, which differ but little from those of the Uruguay.
Gourdon is collecting geological specimens. Senouque is busy
with magnetism and the measurement of rays, and the zool-
ogists, Liouville and Gain, are scouring the neighbourhood,
collecting and classifying all they can find. The crew either
help in these different observations or are busy with work on
board.

As for myself, I am beginning the editing of the reports
on the start of the Expedition, which we shall be able to send
to France, together with our mail, through the whalers. Every
one finds time at intervals to learn ski-ing, gliding down some
admirably suitable slopes of deep snow which, at the end of
what used to be Pendulum Cove, run down into a little lake
covered with ice and snow. The good spirits engendered by
this pastime, new to so many of my comrades, causes the
valley to ring loudly with merriment.

The cove in which we are anchored has a flat, black beach,
bare of snow up to high-water mark, at which point there
rises the steam from the spring of hot sulphur-water. At
the junction-line of snow and beach there is a regular hedge
of whale skeletons, from which, though they are mostly strip-
ped of their flesh, there comes a powerful and sickening odour.
There is a good deal of offal from the fishery now in progress,
and the blue waters of the basin are tinged red with blood.
It is clear that there was a whaling station here last year or
the year before, for on a large board fixed to two uprights is
the legend, ' Sobroan Harbour.' High escarped and snow-
clad mountains rise at the end and side of our anchorage, while
to the south is a black hill with steep walls, 80 metres in height,
on the top of which can be seen the cairn left by the Uruguay.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Two men go to look for the bottle buried in it. It is broken^
but the message is intact. It was meant for the Fran^ais,
which but for her accident would probably have returned via
Deception. I was destined therefore after all to receive the
message, four years late. This is how it ran (in Spanish) : —

' Deception Island, January 8, 1905.
" This day I have visited this bay with the corvette Uruguay
with the object of getting news of the Expedition under the
leadership of Dr. Charcot, and not having succeeded I am
going to Wiencke Island to leave a message there.

' (Signed) Ismael F. Galindez.'

I read this document with emotion. For do I not owe
much gratitude to this generous and hospitable people of
Argentina, which not only enabled my first expedition, reach-
ing Buenos Ayres in so wretched a state, to set out again under
the best possible conditions, sent us a boat to carry our coal
to Ushaia, and left a store at Orange Bay for our return, but
also, in its anxiety over our absence, despatched the Uruguay
to look for us?

The Uruguay, as we know, after leaving Deception went
to Wiencke Island, where we had said we should leave a cairn —
as we did, on Casabianca islet in Boosen Channel. Stopped
by the ice and overtaken by a north-easterly gale, the Argen-
tine corvette was unable to sail round the island and on her
return announced that she had not found our cairn. It was
immediately concluded that we had been lost, probably before
being able to reach the Antarctic. This was the first news
we heard on reaching Puerto Madryn on March 5, 1905.

After breakfast I set out with Liouville on the picket-boat
for the whaling station. Just as we leave the anchorage we
pass a cliff some 10 metres in height and of singular aspect,
black with white spots. It is an ice-cliff with an intermixture
of lava and lava-dust, a formation known by the name of
fossil ice. About an hour later we reach the whalers' cove
44

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1900

With great difficulty — for, in order to let us come alongside,
the crew of the Gobernador Bories has to move five or six
corpses of whales, some of which burst with a report like that
of a cannon — we arrive at the great factory-ship, where we
are received by Captain Stolhani and M. Andresen, our kind
friend of the day before.

M. Andresen, with charming courtesy, offers to send me
thirty tons of coal on two trips of one of the little steamers,
so that the Pourquoi-Pas ? need not come alongside the Gober-
nador Bories (necessarily disgusting because of the oil on
board) nor stop in unpleasantly close proximity to the whale
corpses. So good had been the catch that the coal is beginning
to run short ; but a Hamburg collier is expected every day, l
and if she is late one of the little whalers can go to Punt a
Arenas with a request for some of the precious fuel to be sent.
On my part I ask M. Andresen if I can be of any use to him,
when he tells me that Madame Andresen, who accompanies
him and is probably the first and only woman that has ever
come to the Antarctic, is rather ill, and that a workman on
board, one of the cutters-up of the whales, has met with a
serious accident. There is no doctor on the station, and the
wounded man is coming back on one of the whalers from the
Admiralty Bay Station, where they hoped, in vain, to find a
doctor. While deploring that the service which we are able
to do them is of so melancholy a character, I am happy to be
of some use to these excellent people, and immediately Liou-
ville and I examine Mme. Andresen, whose illness is, very
fortunately, of a slight nature. It is different with the wounded
man. The poor fellow has had four fingers sliced by a steam-
chopper, and a regular amputation is essential to save not
only his hand, but very probably his life. Liouville puts on
a temporary dressing for him, but it is decided to come and
operate to-morrow morning.

1 It will bo seen later that this vessel, the Telephon. was shipwrecked at the
entrance of Admiralty Bay.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

I have a long talk with M. Andresen, who gives me some
interesting and useful information. There are on Deception
Island three whaling companies, one Chilian and two Nor-
wegian ; but apart from some Chilian firemen, the 200 inhabi-
tants of the island are Norwegian. One of the Norwegian
companies has as a factory-hulk a steamer of about 2,000
tons, coming from the Falklands, the other has the two three-
masters, old sailing vessels which came from the Cape of Good
Hope, towed by their little steam launches, while the Magellan
Whaling Company, the best equipped, uses as factory-hulk
the 3,000-ton steamer on which we are. All these floating
factories are supplied by the little iron whale-boats like the
Raun which piloted us in. These last-named are excellent
vessels in spite of their insignificant dimensions, and appar-
ently make light of the terrible seas of these latitudes.

Another company has its headquarters, as I have said, at
Admiralty Bay in King George I Land. The catches are so
abundant that all these vessels are insufficient, and in the
stress of competition they only make use of the most valuable
part of the whales' bodies, letting at least 40 per cent, go to
waste.

For three years the whale-hunting has lasted here from the
end of November to the end of February, when the companies
separate, some going to hunt on the Chilian coast or in the
Magellan Straits, the others in the waters of the Cape of Good
Hope. England, claiming that the South Shetlands, the
South Orkneys, and part of Graham Land belong to her equally
wilh the Falklands, compels the whalers to pay her a small
royalty, which passes through the hands of the Governor of
the Falklands.

M. Andresen tells us that, as regards ice, the summer of
1900-1007 was a bad one, while during the, last two summers
there has been very little, at least in the region covered by the
whale-boats. These vessels, not being built to resist ice-floes,
of course avoid them carefully, although they succeed in
46

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

slipping through them easily enough when they are loose.
The end of November, the whole of December, and the begin-
ning of February are as a rule seasons of good weather, the
gales to be feared coming from the south-west. I am aston-
ished at this last statement (though I cannot refuse to accept
it, since all the whalers on the station whom I have asked
have told me the same), because during our two summer cam-
paigns in 1904 and 1904-5 our gales, which were frequent and
violent, always came from the north-east, 1 and that in regions
not far from Deception Island. The balaenoptcras pass this
way in considerable numbers during December and January,
but begin to go south at the end of the latter month. My
hosts therefore listen with the greatest interest to the informa-
tion which I am able to give them concerning the navigation
in February of De Gerlache Strait, so fine a ground for whale
hunting, and of Bismarck Estuary, where I do not advise
them to go on account of the reefs and ice-floes, and finally
concerning Port Lockroy, the only good anchorage which we
discovered, and which I recommended from the first as a
shelter for whalers, since they can reach it by three separate
channels and run no risk of being stopped by floes. On the
other hand, I do not commend Port Charcot, on Wandel
Island, which cannot hold more than two small boats, or one
of medium size, and becomes dangerous with the north-east
winds. A visit to Port Lockroy seems their best chance,
according to my information, and I think that M. Andresen
has decided to put it to the test in February.

After fixing up an appointment on board the Pourquoi-
Pas f on the next day but one, I bid good-bye to our kind
hosts. The anchorage chosen by the whalers has the advan-
tage of being quite close to the entrance of the bay, while

1 It seems as if the whalers' observations were at fault, or we misunderstood
them, for on our return to Deception we were able to testify that the frequent gales
came from the north-east. M. Andersen must have meant that the gales from the
south-west were the only dangerous ones at the anchorage.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

providing an excellent shelter from the sea. Its only draw-
back lies in its great depth and bad holding-ground. Also,
in strong gales the ships sometimes drag their anchors, and one
of them, it seems, stranded on the opposite side of the basin.
The Gobernador Bories, which was probably the first to arrive,
is anchored by the stern, quite close to a wide low beach like
that at Pendulum Cove, so that she is able by means of a hose
to bring straight on board all the fresh water necessary. On
the beach is a little granite monument recently erected in
memory of M. Andresen's predecessor, who was washed over
board last year during a whale hunt.

We return on board to dinner. In my absence the various
works have gone on. Gain and Gourdon have been on an
excursion, and have met on a neighbouring beach, covered
with snow and ice, a herd of 155 seals, Crabbing and Weddell's
Seals mixed, who seem to have given them a vocal concert
like those which we heard sometimes on the Francais.

I write my mail until 1 a.m., when I go to look for Bongrain
and Boland, who are making a series of pendulum observations
in their tent, and take them some cakes and some Mariani wine
to warm them.

December 24. — Weather as fine as ever. Liouville goes off
to operate on the unfortunate workman, and Gourdon accom-
panies him to administer the chloroform. They are late in
returning, for the operation was a long one ; but both are
hopeful of its success. Thus we have been able to do a real
service to these good fellows ; for without our aid the patient
would have died of gangrene. M. Andresen had quite made
up his mind to send him on a whale-boat to Punta Arenas if
we had not turned up ; but it is doubtful whether he could
have got there in time.

The work begun the previous day starts again. Rouch on
the picket-boat has dredged the basin, bringing up an impor-
tant zoological harvest. He has also taken soundings, and
where Foster's chart shows 97 fathoms he has only found 63,
48

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

which seems to prove that the filling up is not limited to the
shores, but that the crater-shaped basin is also gradually
changing. The whalers, too, who have the English chart,
have frequently noticed this.

A whale-boat brings us in the morning 16 tons of Newcastle
coal stacked loose on deck, and so as not to lose time another
luings xis 14 tons in the evening. Our men, assisted by the
Norwegians, work enthusiastically, and at 6 p.m. our bunkers
are full.

I have a long talk with one of the whaling captains, a
grave, well educated and intelligent man. He confirms all
that M. Andresen and the others told me yesterday, and gives
Die also some details about whale hunting; among other
things, the practical method by which the whalers recognize
at a distance the different kinds of balaenopteras. The Hump-
back Whale (Megaptera), which is of little commercial value,
spouts very low and has a protuberance on its back. The
Fin Whale (the common balaenoptera), which is of medium
value, has a fairly large dorsal fin and spouts very high, with
a single straight jet. The Blue Whale (or Eazor-back), whose
value is greater than the two others', has a medium-sized
dorsal fin and spouts with a double jet, which looks like a
single one of moderate height ending in a plume.

In the evening, when all our work is done, we indulge in
ski-ing. At midnight the bell goes full peal, and we keep
Christmas Eve. There is a gay Christmas tree covered with
knick-knacks and little candles, a present from Mme. Gourdon
to the men, who are delighted with it. We for our part have
supper and distribute the presents which many of our rela-
tives, with a kindly forethought that arouses in me an emo-
tion I find it hard to hide, intended for us on this chief of all
family festivals.

December 25, Christmas Day. — The work on shore is finished
off and all things put straight on board, while I sort the im-
portant mail of the Pourguoi-Pas ? which the whalers are going

4 49

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

to take to Punta Arenas on their return in March. Our news
will, therefore, reach France in April. Many things will have
happened between now and then, and our letters will only
have been written very few days after those we sent from
America ; but still they will contain news which may perhaps
make our absence seem shorter, and will at all events announce
not only the happy termination of the first stage of our journey,
but also the favourable conditions under which we are setting
out.

About 3 o'clock some whaling captains of the Norwegian
companies pay a visit to the Pourquoi-Pas f Christmas is
the only day of the whole season on which they rest. I show
them all over the ship, and must confess that I am not a little
proud of the flattering appreciation which these experts give
to the lines and construction of this vessel, which is in a way
my child, and which was so often criticized by those who
could speak with no authority. They all tell me that the ice-
floes are far fewer this year than previous years ; and when I
compare this statement with the fact that the ocean-going
ships (as we were told in our voyage across, and as is proved
too by the broken stem of a German sailer at Eio Janeiro)
came across an abundance of floes this winter at considerably
more northern latitudes than usual, we may hope that there
has been a mild winter, which allowed an almost constant
break-up of the ice, or at least a prevalence of favourable winds
which drove the iloes toward the open sea, and I am prepared
to believe this a good augury for our expedition.

Half an hour later M. Andresen arrives with his devoted
and amiable wife, now happily recovered from her indisposi-
tion. She gives us the best reports on the patient of yester-
day. We exchange Christmas greetings, and I am able to
present all the Norwegians with picture postcards which my
friend Crichton-Somcrville sent me from Norway in large
quantities, with ' A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year '
on each of them.
50

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

M. Andresen, inexhaustible in kindness and care, tells
me that he will do his best to come to Port Lockroy this year
and that we may therefore leave a mail there. He assures
me, moreover, that in January, 1910, he will certainly come
to Port Lockroy and, if the ice permits, as far as Wandel to
look for tidings of us. Need I insist on the importance of
this generous proposal ? In case of an accident it is to Wandel
and Port Lockroy that we shall seek to get. I was keenly
reproached over the last expedition for not having made sure
of a shelter in emergency. This time the same shall not be
said of me. M. Andresen adds that we may be sure also of
finding coal at Deception on our return.

We take a glass of champagne and shake hands with
genuine emotion, our guests re-embark in their little boat,
and we exchange salutes and blasts of the whistle. At 4.45
■we weigh anchor. There is a brisk wind from the north-east,
but the barometer is rising and the horizon is clear.

Before entering the pass we lessen speed opposite the
"whaling-station, the Chilian and Norwegian flags dip, the
whistles rend the air, and we return the salute of these fine
and hospitable people.

At 8 o'clock, with a good north-east breeze, we make for
the northern entrance of De Gerlache Strait. The weather
is so clear that we can see at the same time Deception, Low
Island, and Hoseason, and make out in the south and south-
west the high snow-covered lands. About us an innumerable
quantity of balaenopteras are plunging.

Our immediate object is to reach Port Lockroy by way
of the usually calm and comparatively free waters of the
strait so justly named after De Gerlache.

De Gerlache in 1898, expecting to enter what the charts
hitherto marked as a bay under the name of Hughes Bay,
to his great astonishment found himself in this strait and
made a stay there, surveying and making numerous landings.
Finally he passed through it and thus reached the Pacific,

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

when he was caught in the ice-pack and stayed until
March, 1899, having the honour and glory of being the
first man to winter in the Antarctic and bringing back a price-
less quantity of notes and observations in the cause of
science.

It is beyond discussion that the discovery of this strait
belongs to De Gerlache, but it is also incontestable that the
numerous American and English sealers, who regularly fre-
quented these regions in the first half of the nineteenth century,
knew much more than they told, both of these latitudes and
of those visited by the Francais. They kept silence, either
intentionally to choke off competition or through indifference
to geographical discoveries, which they were for the most
part of the time incapable of appreciating or registering with
any semblance of accuracy. It is, further, very probable
that Captain W. H. Smiley in 1842 alludes to De Gerlache
Strait in his letter to the explorer Wilkes, when he says :
' Many suppose that Palmer Land is a continent and consider
that it is the continuation of the land marked out by Wilkes.
But this is not the case, for I have sailed round Palmer Land.'
In any case, in 1874 the German captain Dallmann, of Ham-
burg, the first to visit this region in a steamship, discovered
the south-west entrance of this strait, to which he gave the
name of Bismarck Strait. The Greenland, a composite ship,
belonged to the German Polar Navigation Company, and
was equipped for seal hunting. After touching at Trinity
Land, Dallmann made his way along the north-west coast
of Palmer Archipelago, and particularly that part of the west
coast which is now called Antwerp Island. On January 8
he passed between rocks and reefs at a point which he called
Hamburg Haven, and his description of this place agrees
remarkably with that given by the Francais Expedition.
He next went south and discovered, in the midst of ' a shoal
of rocks which lay in surprising numbers close to the coast,'
low islands and rockfl level with the water, a vast estuary
52

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

which he insisted must be a strait and to which he gave the
name of Bismarck Strait. The Greenland was then, in ' about '
64° 55' South latitude. He discovered the archipelago of the
Kaiser Wilhclm Islands, of which the principal were Booth,
Krogmann, and Petcrmann Islands, rechristened by the Belgica
Wandel, Hovgard, and Lund (where we wintered). He
indicates plainly the entrance of Roosen Channel — De Ger-
lache'a Neumayer Channel — and the south-west cape of what
afterwards was named Wiencke Island. Next, going first
north, then north-east, after passing the Paid I reefs, he
doubled Cape Greenland and penetrated into a bay which
ought rightly to bear his name. But the ice prevented him
from ' penetrating far enough to know whether the bay ended
in a strait.' As a matter of fact, there was a channel, which
the Belgica saw from De Gerlache Strait and named Scholaert
Channel. The Francois used it twice, and surveyed it, re-
discovering the two little fjords pointed out by Captain Dall-
mann. Dallmann, who, it must be remembered, was but a
mere scaling captain and, as he confesses himself, had defective
chronometers, could scarcely fail to make incorrect observa-
tions of longitude. His discoveries were utilized for the
first t ime in A. Petermann's South Polar Chart in 1875 (Stieler's
Atlas No. 7, 1894), and then in a chart laid down by L. Fre-
deriehsen in 1895 after the German captain's original sketch
map. In his over-anxiety to be complete, the last-named
geographical expert made the mistake of joining, on the
Strength of a mere^supposition, the entrance of the strait
marked by Dallmann with that of an inlet seen by Larsen
in 1893-4 on the east coast of Graham Land ; and this is the
sole reason for the doubts born later concerning the identifica-
tion of Bismarck Strait with the Pacific entrance of the strait
marked by the Belgica.

The Fran^ais Expedition of 1903-5 settled the question.
After touching Smith Island, we surveyed the north-west
coast of Palmer Archipelago, so important to navigators in

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

these regions. Then entering the strait from the south-
west we sailed down Roosen Channel, discovering Port Lock-
roy, Peltier Channel, and Doumer Island. After a detour to the
south the Frangais came back -to winter at Booth (Wandel)
Island, where she stayed nine months. But excursions
during this period allowed us not only to complete and
extend the survey of this region, but also to prove the non-
existence of another supposed strait a little further to the
south. During the next summer campaign the Frangais
surveyed Scholaert Channel, which joins Dallmann Bay and
runs south. A serious grounding of the ship forced her to
return in February, all but foundering at Port Lockray.
Here the crew had a rest. ISText she sailed up De Gerlache
Strait again, noting some details for alteration, concerning
firstly the channel separating Liege and Brabant Islands,
and secondly Hoseason Island, where we were unable to dis-
cover the cairn left by Foster, although we landed at the
same point as he. In the map drawn by Lieutenant Matka,
second in command, we did not trouble ourselves about our
own small loss of reputation and the lessening of the area of
our discoveries, but were particular to restore all the names
given by Dallmann and to render full justice to this modest
Hamburg sealing captain. The Germans had done equal
justice to the French explorer Bouvet, when in 1899 the
Valdivia rediscovered the island which bears his name and
whose existence had been so long disputed after the voyages
of Cook and Ross.

In 1903 the Nordcnskjold Expedition sailed along the
northern side of De Gerlache Strait before visiting the coast
of Graham Laud, and the Uruguay when looking for the Fran-
gais in January, 1905, went as far as the cape at the southern
end of Wiencke Island without being able to round the island.
Finally, we must note that the celebrated English sealer
Biscoe was the first to discover and name in 1832 Mount
William, situated on Antwerp Island at the entrance of tho
54

THE SUMMEE OF 1908-1909

strait, and that he landed at a point on the island where we
landed in February, 1905.

December 26. — Passing Hoseason Island yesterday Eouch
took a sounding. The lead went down to a depth of 1,400
metres without touching the bottom. The temperature at
this depth was — 0°5.

In the morning we are abreast of Two Hummocks Island,
south-west of which in February, 1905, the Francais found
fair shelter from a north-east gale. The weather, like yester-
day's, is remarkably fine and clear, and we are sailing over
an absolutely smooth sea. We are closer to the coast of
Palmer Archipelago, but we can see the opposite shore very
distinctly. From time to time we have to avoid a few ice-
bergs and ice-blocks, but they are so scattered that they do
not trouble us. There is evidently much less ice than when
we were here in 1904 and 1905, and even less, it seems, than
when the Belgica was here. We came across no marine ice r
and no coastal ice-belt or debris of the latter.

Another sounding is taken at the entrance of Scholaert
Channel, but an accident to the lead prevents strict accuracy.
Apparently the bottom is at about 300 metres.

We enter by the northern end of Eoosen Channel, where
we have to pass some remains of icebergs piled up very loosely,
and soon the superb Mount Francais shows up in all its splendid
grandeur. Next the approach to Port Lockroy, whose con-
tours are so familiar to us, appears in its turn, and we come
abreast of Casabianca Islet, where stands out boldly the long
spar with a signal on the top which we set up in 1904, when
we left there tidings of ourselves. I go with Gourdon in the
dinghy as far as our letter-box, and meanwhile on board
they take a sounding of 126 metres and use for the first time
the big steam windlass for the dredging-net. It works very
well, and the fruitful haul will keep the naturalists busy.

We find our cairn intact and solid, only one of the steel-
wire shrouds having broken. The mast is very dry and is

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

covered with a fine white coating, which I mistake at first
for a mould similar to what I found on the wooden buildings
left by the Pola in Jan Mayen Land. A farther examination
shows me that it is really down from birds, evidently coming
from the numerous neighbouring rookeries. The bottle
attached to the mast, containing another phial inside, is
unbroken, and we find again the message which we placed
in it in February, 1905, as plain and clear as if it had been put
there yesterday. It is easy to understand our emotion as
we look at it. We substitute for it a temporary note, indi-
cating merely that we are going to spend a day or two at Port
Lockroy. This letter-box is cleared very irregularly, and so
far we have been the only postmen !

We go on board again and return without difficulty to
Port Lockroy, where we let down our anchor close to the spot
where the Fran^ais used to anchor. Nothing seems changed,
the rookeries are still inhabited by the penguins, and the
gulls are on their solitary little island, where stands an old
wine-pump acting as a cairn and indicating the presence of a
message like that on Casabianca Islet. The ice-cliff which
forms the end wall of the bay has the same appearance as of
old, and those of us who took part in the earlier expedition
might well think ourselves four years younger ! The new-
comers land at once and explore the penguins' rookery, which
they find just as amusing and interesting as we used to.

In the evening, with snow-shoes on our feet on account
of the heavy deposit of snow, Godfroy, Senouque, Jabet and
myself ascend to the plateau which runs across the island at
the foot of the magnificent peak of Louis-de-Savoie, still
wearing its curious ducal crown of ice, to the summit of which
Dayn6 the guide and quartermaster Jabet made their bold
climb in 1905. It appears thai the snow has increased,
altering the formerly level plateau into a huge dome. We
Bee Cape Benard and Wandel Island very distinctly, but fail
in our real object, for we wanted chiefly to ascertain whether
56

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

the passage Erom here to Wandel Island was free of ice, which
was Qot the case in February, 1904, at the end of December,
or in February, 1905. But Doumer Island shuts out the view
of the sea.

December 27. — The weather is line, though a little threaten-
ing in the west. Our colleagues are busy with their observa-
tions ashore. 1 have the picket -boat got ready to go to Wandel
Island. Obviously the trip is a little risky, for there are 20
miles to cover, 15 in the open sea ; but we ought to be able
to see not only whether the way is clear as far as Wandel
anil whether Port Charcot is blocked as it was in December,
1905, but also the state of the ice to the south and around
the island. By using 20 litres of petroleum, of which we
have a big supply, we shall save one day's coal and perhaps
even more.

At 2 o'clock Godfroy, Gourdon, Besnard, Frachat and
myself set off, with our bed-sacks, a tent, and four days'
provisions. We take Peltier Channel, which the Francais
discovered, and at the entrance we stop a few minutes to take
soundings at the foot of an ice-cliff, which does not rest like-
its neighbours upon a stratum of rock, but is worn by the
swell of the sea as the icebergs are. Close up to the per-
pendicular face of the cliff we let fall the lead to the depth of
50 metres without touching bottom. Our glaciologist, Gour-
don, is going to study this matter with care, for perhaps we
have here an ice-barrier in miniature.

All goes well. Even outside the shelter of the channel the
picket-boat makes her five knots. The wind blows freshly
from the south-west, that is to say a little ahead ; but in hug-
ging the icebergs and islands to escape the wind we are bothered
by the chop, which becomes rather pronounced. The floes
are few, certainly much fewer than at any time during our
last expedition. The wind freshens as we push on, the chop
becomes very rough, and we are drenched. Wandel is only
two miles away now, and we are already in sight of our big

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

cairn, when our badly protected magneto is flooded and the
motor stops. Finally we run up the mast, hoist sail, and try
to tack ; but the sea is too heavy, the current is against us,
and the ice-blocks compel us to give way, so that we lose the
small amount of progress we have made. We drift toward
Cape Eenard, whose imposing mass towers over us. Should
the wind drop, increase, or change, we should find ourselves
in a bad plight. To our great regret, when we are so near
our goal, we are forced to put about, and now with a quarter-
wind we head for Wiencke Island. We fall foul of some floes
which bar our way, but we manage to clear them, and after
some hours enter Peltier Channel, where we are becalmed.
We are resigning ourselves to five miles of sculling in this
heavy boat, when our motor, perhaps aware of our curses or
with its magneto dry again since we put about, consents to
restart work and at 11 p.m. we reach Port Lockroy, frozen
to the marrow. We have but partly attained the object of
our trip, but if we have secured no information as to the state
of the ice south of Wandel, at least we are certain of being
able to reach that island without difficulty.

December 28. — The weather is moist and grey, and the
low clouds are scarcely higher than the top of the ice cliff.
The crew load the large canoe with ice from the bergs to till
up the boiler by means of the specially designed pipe, and all
works quickly and well.

Bongrain continues his pendulum observations on Goudicr
Islet. Roueh and Gourdon go out to dredge and take sound-
ings under the ice cliff where we began last night, and find
bottom at 150 metres. Then they look for rock specimens on
Casabianca Islet, and hunt the beach for fossils, unfortunately
in vain. Gain and Liouville arrange and classify the numer-
ous specimens already gathered. Godfroy examines the
atmosphere. I busy myself with various details on board,
and get ready the messages and the mail which we are to leave
in the cairn for the whalers. If they come this year, there
58

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

will be some news to go to France. I write what is probably
the last letter for a very long time to my dear wife. Thus
far this possibility of writing to her, so to speak, daily has
given me the illusion of being not so far away from her, but
now the separation will seem very real to me. Still I do not
yet feel completely cut off from the civilized world in spite of
thr vast isolation, probably because I am still in regions
familiar to me, and perhaps also because of the rapidity and
ease with which we have come from Punta Arenas to
here.

In 1905 during our stay we captured daily on the line 30
to 50 fish ; to-day we have only got two, though they are of a
very good size.

December 29. — Since morning the weather has been clear
and calm, with a fine hot sun. While Bongrain was finishing
his observations, Gourdon and Senouque measuring the depth
of the hollows in the cliff at the foot of which we sounded,
and finding it to be 35 metres, and the crew putting all in
order for our departure, I went in the picket-boat with Godfroy
to change the messages in the two cairns. A number of small
floes encumber the entrance to the harbour, but the picket-
boat slips through them well until on our return we ground
for a long while on the spur of a small ice-block.

At 1.30 we weigh anchor and pass through Peltier Channel
without much difficulty, in spite of the numerous floes of fair
size which have entered it. Our ship pushes them aside or
breaks them with ease, but every time that the shock is a
little rough our red paint comes off on the ice, which therefore
looks as if it were bleeding beneath our blows.

Abreast of Goetschy Islet, Gourdon gets into a Norwegian
boat to look for geological specimens, and Rouch takes a
sounding of 90 metres, with a temperature of 0° 1 ; he also
uses the drag-net, with some difficulty owing to the narrow
space and the presence of ice, but still with very satisfactory
results. We pass Doumer Island outside the Channel, the

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

estuary is free, and in this clear weather our chart is sufficient
to guide us unhesitatingly to Port Charcot.

Unhappily, at the very moment when we reach the en-
trance, the famous north-easter, which is so dangerous here,
begins to blow. Nevertheless we must make a stay here in
order to leave a stock of food. The Frangais was able to
spend nine months here — at great risk, it is true, but without
serious damage in the end. The Pourquoi-Pas f has 10 more
metres in length, and her greater draught of water will not
allow her to thrust herself so far into the cove and thus protect
herself so well. But to return to Port Lockroy or to keep up
si cam while sheltering under the island would mean loss of
time and waste of coal ; for I know no other place in the
neighbourhood where we could moor or anchor and put out
the fires. Therefore I do not hesitate to enter, and in order
to stop our way before the force of the wind we cannon gently
off the round stones of Sogen Island and just beach our bows.
We run out three ice-anchors to starboard astern, three to
port astern, and six from the bows. Finally we stretch across
the cove as a bar against the floes some double lengths of
steel cable belonging to the drag-nets. As all our moorings are
new, I hope that they will hold.

So here I am again at Wandel Island, where for nine
months we lived, worked, hoped, sometimes almost despaired
and often sorrowed. I am back again under much better
conditions, with a ship, equipment, and means which are out
of all comparison with those of the former expedition. In
addition I have Hie experience and, what is not so good, four
years on to my age. By me 1 have again Gourdon and eight
men from the old crew. Our sympathetic memories go back
to our stout little Frangais, whose defective and insufficient
engine broughl on us so much trouble, and to our beloved
comrades, Mat ha and I'leneau, who would he with me once
more, had not inexorable duly kept them away.

Nothing has altered in appearance, and I could believe
60

■ '■: ,
{

■ i ■ • I ' ■

"ML

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

that I never loft the spot. My eyes are struck by the same
familiar objects and the same buildings, my ears catch the
same sounds from the rookeries of penguins and cormorants,
which give forth the same powerful odour. On the rock where
the Francois's gangway landed is a heap of old, empty and
rusty preserved food tins, a pile of stacked bottles, and the
head of a seal. ' Victor Hugo Avenue,' of course, is obliterated
under a mass of snow, but it would be easy to retrace
it.

There is no time, however, for reminiscences, and I climb
at once with Gourdon up the height we called Jeanne to sur-
vey the neighbourhood and the offing. Our hydrographic
signal is still on its cairn, and under a stone I find the little
rum bottle in which Dayne" enclosed a message on December
25, 1904, when we climbed up together to say good-bye, or
rather au revoir, to Wandel. The estuary is free of ice save
for a few blocks and bergs, but in the offing the floes, if in a
loose condition, seem to reach as far as the horizon. On the
south side the water is free as far as the Jallour Islets. I am
very anxious to try to follow the coast and make my way
between it and the Biscoe Islands. Numerous reefs, many
hidden under ice, and icebergs beyond number make the
journey dangerous ; but it would be of the highest interest.
So I make up my mind in any case to push a reconnaissance
along this coast. But for the moment there is nothing to do
except wait for the end of the north-east gale, and we come
down again to visit the familiar spots.

The picket-boat abandoned here in 1904 is in good con-
dition, but is filled with solid ice. Her awning, oars, and
planking, from which the paint has come off, are all as white
as if they had been frequently and energetically holystoned.
The wooden magnetic hut, in which Rey used to work, is
absolutely as untouched as if it had just been left, and its
stoutness does the greatest honour to its builder, our carpenter
Libois. We find in the hut a few objects which were left

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

behind or forgotten, notably a matehbox-stand and on its
glazed earthenware base the glass jar containing the report
of the Expedition, which I had placed there a few minutes
before we left. The stone-built magnetic hut and its observa-
tion-stand are also in the same state as when we left, and I
find there a few pages of a notebook. As for the portable
house, it is almost entirely crushed in under the snow, with
all that it contains. It has a strong inclination toward the
north, having probably slipped along the ice down the gentle
slope in this direction. Its corrugated iron roof has been
carried away by the wind, and is now Heaven knows where.
Otherwise all that one can see appears to be in a good state.
But it would be too long and difficult a job to dig it out
entirely. The big cairn on the 60-metre hill which overhangs
our cove has suffered no damage. This imposing monument
dominates our old station ; the message-box and the leaden
plate on which are engraved all the names of the members of
the Francais Expedition are still attached to it.

Happily the north-easter is only blowing now with moder-
ate force. The swell is not very strong, and our ice-anchors
and cables alike hold good.

December 30. — A fairly large ice-floe is kept off by the steel-
wire hawser. But unfortunately — and this shows that man
is never content — I find that for the moment, apart from the
blocks and bergs, there is not enough floating ice to protect
us, as the Francais was protected by the blockage of the cove,
not only from the swell, but also from dangerous neighbours.
We have no time to give up to the heavy labour spent in 1004,
when we stretched an anchor-chain across, and I am afraid
that in the end the ice-floes will account for our feeble steel-
wire hawser.

We scatter over the island, some for exercise, others for
work. I go with a few men armed with spades and picks to
try to dig out the interior of the portable house. The Christ-
mas tree which we left there the day of our departure comes
62

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

out in pieces, but we find intact various objects, such as a
bread-basket, tins of preserves, desiccated milk, etc.

Some poor penguins had to be killed this evening for the
kitchen. Why is man bound to do evil as soon as he visits
any place ?

Up to now the north-easter has been blowing with clear
weather, but now it is overcast and heavy. The big icefloe
which has been toppling over against the hawser passes under
it and makes for Our ship. We turn it aside and send it along
toward the end of the cove.

December 31. — Still the north-easter, accompanied in the
morning by a small fine rain. But in the afternoon the sky
clears, and the sun comes out. The temperature, which since
our arrival in the Antarctic has been about 1 or 2 degrees
below zero, is now 2° above.

We open our store-rooms to establish on Wandel Island a
depdt containing tins of biscuits, petroleum, a Primus lamp,
some tools, and matches. With these and seals, penguins, and
cormorants, which never leave the island even in the winter,
there will be no danger of immediate death from hunger.

While we are finishing breakfast, the swell increases, and
suddenly the helm above our heads begins to move. A great
ice-block has broken through the hawser and struck the rudder.
Happily there is no damage done, but it is with difficulty that
we drive off the aggressor with poles. We are now sur-
rounded by large blocks, which strike against the ship vio-
lently and have to be constantly pushed aside. The hawser
is stretched across again, but I confess that I have little con-
fidence in its efficacy. I am more anxious than I wish to
appear, for injuries to our screw or our rudder, the only ones
that I fear, would make us prisoners here, and that would be
stupid. This campaign, on which I build such hopes, would
then finish before it had well begun. But bttle by little the
sky clears in the direction of Wiencke Island, a favourable
sign, as I know well ; and sure enough, toward 8 o'clock in

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

the evening, there is a dead calm. It was high time, for an
ice-block all bristling with sharp edges was bearing down on
us, and I do not know how we should have been able to defend
ourselves against it.

Some of my colleagues are losing nerve, give vent to
pessimistic opinions as to the stoutness of the vessel, and
insist that we are going to be shut in by the ice-blocks which
now choke the cove and would keep us from leaving if we
wanted to. It is in vain that I assure them that as soon as it
is calm the regular northerly current will quickly clear away
all these. Probably their anxiety to see the Expedition on
the move makes it difficidt for them to bow before a nine
months' experience acquired in this locality. To make the
time pass, every one goes ashore to practise ski-ing, and I am
left on board alone to sort out the little parcels intended for
us by our families on the first day of the year.

Guegen, following our old custom, has dug a hole in the
snow-hill alongside us, so as to take advantage of the thaw.
From this the water flows in abundance, and with a hose
stretched along a hawser we are able without fatigue to fill
the boiler and the water-casks.

Some of the men take off their skis and search in vain in
the snow of Sogen Islet, named after our good dog which died
here of old age, to see if they can find his body and that of our
pig Toby, who lived eleven months with us and was the delight
of all the crew. Kiki and Polaire, two pet dogs presented to
us at Buenos Aires, play about over their graves without the
slightest respect for their predecessors' memories.

January 1, 1909. — As midnighl struck, every bell on boned,
the foghorns and the phonographs gave forth their sounds in
si deafening discord to welcome the New Year. We eat, in
accordance with the custom which makes this bring good luck,
some fresh grapes which were presented to us for the occasion
by M. Blanchard at Punta Arenas. Packed in sawdust, they
bad already made the journey from Malaga, so that they are
64

c
o

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

of a certain age ; and yet they taste as if they had just been
picked.

Chollet, the old companion of all my travels, comes first,
as at Port Lockroy in 1905, to shake my hand. Then Libois,
the oldest on board, who has also served me long, brings me a
very nice letter signed by all the crew. On their part the staff
came forward to shako the hands of our brave and devoted
helpers. Then, both fore and aft, we wash down with the
generous wines of France an abundant supper.

My first thought of the year has been of my own, of my
brave and devoted wife, who not merely allowed me to do
my duty, but further encouraged and helped me to do it.
I told her once to soothe her, on an occasion when she was
speaking sadly of anniversaries which we should spend apart,
that all days are alike. It is not true, and I did not think so
myself. Too many memories of family gatherings, some joyful,
others saddened by the vanishing of a loved one, are stirred
up by these dates for them to be otherwise than like steps on
life's great stair, whereon the mind halts to look back on the
way already come, fearing, with the dread of the unknown, to
take the next step.

The north-easter has begun to blow afresh, some huge ice-
floes come in again, and my night finishes up with the man
on the watch, pushing them off and protecting the vessel with
fenders. Amid the great solitude, full of the howling of the
wind and the sound of the crashing floes, I pray to God on this
morning of the first day of the year to give me strength and
ability to rise to the height of the task which I have under-
taken, of my own free will, with the sole object of being of
some use to my country.

About midday the wind dropped. We got the picket-boat
quickly into the water, and at 3 o'clock Gourdon, Godfroy,
Liouville and myself, slipping through the floes, which have
separated a little, make a reconnaisance to the south. Going
by way of Salpetriere Bay, among numerous icebergs, we soon

5 65

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

reach Hovgard. Here still stands the hydrographic signal
which we set up in 1904, at a little distance from the cleft
between two rocks which served as our home for several weeks.
We search in vain round this island, which we had only seen
before surrounded by an ice-belt, for a shelter for our ship ;
and we push on to Lund (Petermann) Island. We approach
the place where, after months of fruitless effort, we finally
arrived on skis during our previous winter. I climb with
Gourdon to the summit, from which there is a fine and exten-
sive view, while Liouville collects the mosses and lichens which
abound here, defending himself in the meantime against the
attacks of vast numbers of megalestrides, fine, strong chestnut-
coloured birds, which thought that he had designs on their
nests.

Very often, almost every time we land, we have to put up
with the attacks of the megalestris, and its sharp beak and
strong flight justify fear. Still, I must say that never has
any one of us, man or dog, been wounded by them, although
some say that they have been struck on the head. As a rule
every one detests them, but I confess that I have nothing but
admiration for these courageous creatures.

From the peak we see in the offing some floes, close at band
but of no great extent. Along the coast the water is free as
far as the Jallour Islets ; further on there is a flat ice-pack full
of great clefts. From our observatory we see a fairly big
cove on the east of the island, close to a headland where we
camped twice in succession during our excursion in December,
1904. At that time we dragged our whale boat over the thick
ice at this spot. Now the cove is quite free of ice, and if there
are good enough camping-grounds it will provide our ship
with an excellent shelter, which we must visit. We descend
and get on board the picket-boat, on which during our absence
Godfroy has very ingeniously rigged up a tent with a tar-
paulin — no unnecessary precaution, for it is raining in torrents.

There are some shallows at the entrance of the cove, be-
66

THE SUMMEE OF 1908-1909

tween which the ship will be able to pass; and they will,
moreover, stop ice-blocks of deep draught from entering.
Altogether this inlet makes an excellent harbour, where two
vessels like ours could at need moor, very probably sheltered
from all winds, and at any rate from those blowing from be-
tween the east-north-east and the south-east, if not from the
west. In memory of the date on which we discovered it we
laughingly christen it Port Circumcision, its name in future.
The great French navigator Bouvet gave the same name, for
the same reason, to the remarkable island and cape which he
discovered on this day.

As soon as the weather is favourable we shall bring the
Pourquoi-Pas f here, and shall find whether we can continue
southward along the coast or must, on the other hand, make
for the open. My choice would be to advance with successive
halts, so as to insure a thorough study of this region. But
will ice-floes and reefs permit this, and shall we always find
sufficient shelter ? The future will decide.

At 10 p.m. we return on board drenched, and eat with
good appetite. At Wandel Island the ice-blocks are still in
the same position, and the north-easterly wind is getting up
again.

January 2. — The ice anchor which held the hawser across
the cove has given way, and already one of the ice-blocks has
badly scratched our stern name-board. Certainly Port Char-
cot is a dangerous place during north-easterly winds, especially
for a boat the size of ours. The situation is serious, and it is
necessary to come to a decision quickly. A huge ice-block is
threatening our stern, which it would soon crush in, another
to starboard is knocking against our side, and a third, still
more vast, is bearing down on us to port. I have the two
last-named firmly fastened to the shore, and, as the first is
buttressed up by them, we shall be protected as long as the
cables hold.

It is warm and the sun is bright, but the north-easter is

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

still blowing strong. We shall not be able to get out until
there has been a calm of some duration or the wind has changed.
Nevertheless, I have all made ready for departure, and I write
out the messages to leave in the cairns in French and in Eng-
lish, a language known by all the Norwegians. In the after-
noon we suffer the north-easter's worst onset, the weather
being very heavy, with violent squalls and blinding snow
alternating with sleet or fine rain. For the moment our ice-
blocks keep quiet and even protect us against the swell and
against other ice, but it is best not to think of what will happen
if they recover their freedom of action. The man on the
watch has instructions not to leave the stern, and to give
warning of the slightest move.

January 3. — At midnight the fall of the barometer ceases,
and the wind gradually drops. It snows and rains fast. The
ice-blocks astern fall apart slowly, inch by inch. The sus-
pense is terribly unnerving. To set us free a south wind is
required, but it continues to blow from the north-east, though
weakly. I dare not release our prisoners for fear that the
present calm may be deceptive.

At night the snow ceases, but the weather still remains
very overcast. I set at liberty the ice-block to port, which is
tearing at its cables, and as at 11 o'clock there is a passage
just sufficient for the ship I give orders for the fires to be
lighted and all cables to be taken up that are not needed to
prevent swinging, while I go off to deposit the messages in
the cairns.

At 1.30 we begin our move, and just succeed in slipping
out, our cove being narrower than my own chart makes it to
be. At last we get clear without mishap and make for Le-
maire Channel, leaving Cape Renard and False Cape Renard
to our left. We have to thread two close-packed belts of
broken-up bergs, which give us some pretty hard knocks.
The snow is falling in heavy Hakes, and abreast of Hovgard
we are forced to stop, as we can only see a few metres ahead.
68

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

On the end of the deck the sensation of giddiness produced by
the snow falling on the calm black water is very curious. We
seem to be rising in a balloon, with the sea and the icebergs
plunging rapidly into a bottomless gulf beneath us.

Thanks to a break in the weather, we make Port Circum-
cision easily and here we moor ourselves firmly with four
anchors, almost as if we were alongside a wharf. I believe
that there is no risk to our ship here.

January 4. — It is fine and warm, and everybody scatters
over the island for the usual researches and observations.
We rediscover the locality of our old camps in 1904, and the
corried beef tin with the pencil message in it.

I launch the picket-boat and have Godfrey's awning rigged
up more securely, for I want to start off this very day and
reconnoitre in the neighbourhood of Cape Tuxen and the
Berthelot Islands, which are free of ice and ought to give us
a good view from their highest point.

At 5 p.m., in beautiful weather, Gourdon, Godfroy and
myself set out, and as we only expect to be absent a few hours
we only take enough for one meal and the clothes we have
on us.

As far as Tuxen the sea is clear, and we sight in passing
the cairns, erected in 1904. Beyond the cape there is a wide
channel between the land and the ice-fields, which we take.
Gourdon and I disembark at the foot of an ice-cliff rising on
a base of fallen soil, dominated by the imposing perpendicular
wall of green diorite which composes Cape Tuxen. Gourdon
collects some zoological specimens, and we spend an hour
upon the flat top of the cliff. The Berthelot Islands are
surrounded by open water, and the channel appears to con-
tinue towards Cape Trois-Perez. The extremely clear weather
allows us to make out the wonderful high mountains to the
west of this cape. On board once more, we endeavour to
penetrate by the channel into the big bay which De Gerlache
imagined might be a strait, though it is really the head of

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

an enormous glacier ; but we are in the midst of colossal
piled-up icebergs and the pack-ice is becoming quite solid.
It is, indeed, so thick that very probably it may go through
several winters without breaking up. Twice we very narrowly
escape considerable danger ; for, after we have slipped between
an iceberg and the pack, the former bears down upon and all
but crushes us. Once the picket-boat is actually wedged in,
her ribs crack, and with great difficulty we get away in time,
finding for our exit a narrow channel which we only get through
by lightening the boat and jumping over the ice, which closes
up again as soon as we are gone. It would be absurd to pursue
this course, so we make straight for the Berthelot Islands,
reaching them soon. Thus, in a few hours we have reached
the spot in getting to which we spent six days in 1904 at the
cost of great labour, five of us hauling over the ice a boat
weighing 850 kilogrammes.

Forthwith we make the long and rather toilsome ascent
of the big island to have a look to southward. The whole
coast-line is blocked. To take the boat anywhere here would
be impossible ; but the offing, at a short distance, appears
free, so the Pourquoi-Pas ? shall try her luck in that direction.
It is 10 p.m. when we get into the picket-boat again, and,
judging by the time we took to come, we count on being on
board about 1 or 2 a.m. We have a meal of soup, pate"-de-
foio-gras, chocolate, jam, and two of our five biscuits — a
luxurious repast, which we are destined soon to regret. It
is calm, but snow is beginning to fall.

When we reach the edge of the land we seek in vain for
an opening. Thick pack-ice is now pressing against the cliff,
and in spite of all our efforts we can find no way through.
I climb up on to a neighbouring islet to have a look at the
ice from a point of vantage ; but it is not high enough, so we
return to the Berthelot Islands. I climb to the summit of
one of these and seem to see in the oiling a narrow-winding
channel, running to an open space which ought to lead to
70

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

Tuxen and clear water. I make a note of the icebergs which
choke the channel, and as we have no alternative we make
our way into it.

From this moment onward the snow falls constantly, varied
witli an icy rain. There is no night, and the sun remains
hidden in the clouds. These facts, combined with our incessant
hard work and the absence of such breaks as a meal, prevent
us from knowing, when we chance to look at our watches
whether it is night or daytime.

All goes well at the start of the new route, the picket- boat
making her way well through the small floes, even climbing
over them at times and breaking them up. Godfroy looks
after the motor ; I am at the helm, shouting to him in turn,
' Stop,' ' Right ahead,' ' Back her,' or ' Slow ; ' and Gourdon,
armed with a boat-hook, pushes off the floes now ahead and
now astern. But soon our misery commences. The channel
which I noted is closed, while others have opened, ending in
lakes from which there is no exit. A biting little west wind
alters the position of the ice every minute. We see a channel
forming, but to get there we have to cross a large expanse of
ice. When this is not too thick the picket-boat, by going
alternately full speed ahead and then astern, very slowly
cuts a way for herself. But soon this becomes impossible.
Then we climb on to the fragUe ice and with spade and boat-
hooks try to cut a channel. It is a slow and exhausting job.
The spade is our best tool, but unhappily it sUps from God-
froy's benumbed hands and sinks ! We laugh at the mishap
and at the woebegone face of our good friend ; but our already
feeble efforts now become almost useless. The ice, moreover,
gets so thick that even with the spade we should have been
able to do nothing. A large stretch of free water lies ahead
of us, but we are completely blocked in.

We stop a few minutes to take a rest, when a penguin
coming up through a hole, rises right at our side. We hesitate
a moment whether to kill it for food, but none of us are mur-

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

derously inclined, and we decide to spare it. Like a good
fairy anxious to reward us, it turns to the ice, flaps its wings,
and suddenly the surface opens, making a wide channel in
which the picket-boat floats. We speed along it. But, alas !
our joy is of short duration, for though this channel is open
the others which we wished to reach close up at the moment
when we are about to enter them and regain our freedom !

I have no idea how long our struggle lasts, but I notice
that Gourdon whenever he sits down falls asleep, so we moor
our boat for a while to the ice, to try to get a little rest. We
are beginning to attempt to fix ourselves up, when another
channel opens. We push ahead ; but it is another fraud,
and at last with great difficulty we get to a high reef, where
we moor as best we can. I climb to the top of this black and
gloomy reef, the home of a couple of megalestrides, which in
spite of my protestations that we will do them no harm as
long as we are not literally dying of hunger, persist in attack-
ing me. I discover, with aching heart, that the whole con-
formation of the pack-ice has altered and that we are blocked
in fine and snug. There is nothing to do but to wait. One
of the planks of the boat is stove in, others are so smashed
and damaged by the ice that only a fraction of an inch keeps
the water out. It will not bear thinking about.

We want to stretch ourselves out to sleep, but we have
scarcely room, and without coverings or change of clothes,
wet to our vests, and our socks soaking, we are pierced with
cold. We have one tin of beef, and Gourdon finds a few
sticks of chocolate, which with two biscuits and a flask of rum
constitute all our provisions. With one accord we decide
not to touch them for the present.

We settle down as best we can — and best is very bad in
the restricted space under the tent, which has holes in several
places — and try to sleep ; but the frightful coldness of our
feet wakes us every minute, and my anxiety to extricate our-
selves from this situation makes me rise a dozen times to
72

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

run to the summit of the reef. After three hours of this game
I notice a channel starting from some thin ice, once over
which we shall be able to get back to the Berthelot Islands,
where there was a cormorant-rookery in 1904. We may
even find again the practicable channel along the coast. But
before reaching this thin ice there is a stretch covered by a
pile of icebergs and I cannot see what is in store for us there.
So much the worse ; but we cannot stay here, exposed as we
are to the .slightest shock of the ice. We must act. I awaken
my comrades, and once more we are off ! After many hard-
ships, detours and shocks, we cross the iceberg-zone and the
thin ice. There is some open water, to which we have been
long strangers, and we reach the Berthelots. The cormorants
are still beside an old cairn of ours. At the last extremity
we could eat these raw, or singed by the aid of our spirit ;
for we have not seen a single seal to provide us with its fat
for fuel, and thus allow us to dry ourselves a little. To-day
we shall content ourselves with a cake of chocolate and a bis-
cuit divided among the three. We assert, moreover, that
we are not very hungry — perhaps to make ourselves believe
it. I climb to the summit of this thickly moss-clad island,
and we decide to go and look again for our old channel along
the coast. It is still hermetically sealed, and our efforts are
in vain.

We therefore attempt to get back to the Berthelot Islands
to seek for a corner where the picket-boat will be sheltered,
and we can wait ; but in trying to avoid an ice-block we
ground on a rock. The sea is falling and the boat is already
in a dangerous position. Our situation is critical ; for the
drop of the tide is about 2 metres, and we are far from land
and our cormorant-isle. We shore up the boat with the oars
firmly fastened to the mast laid across and resting on the ice-
floe — which fortunately is also aground. Then, there being
but one tide a day we wait many long hours like this. My
companions get some snatches of sleep, but I cannot do the

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

same, my responsibility weighing on me too much. I reproach
myself with having dragged them into this adventure without
taking more food and clothing, when I am usually so careful-
I am anxious not only for them but also for the Pourquoi-
Pas f It must be nearly three days since we left, and our
comrades on board must be very worried. They will certainly
try to succour us, either in boats or in the ship itself ; and
what risks will they not run, especially in this heavy weather,
not to mention the waste of coal !

At last we get afloat and return to our cormorant-rookery,
where we decide to wait for a break in the weather or a change
of wind. During the hours we spent there I do not know
how often I climbed the summit. It is probable that if I
added up the climbs made on this wretched trip I should find
I have covered more than several thousand metres.

I seem to espy a loosening of the ice along the coast. At
any rate the distance to go before reaching open water
beyond Cape Tuxen is shortened, so we set out full of
hope.

We struggle once more with the ice, making for one rift
after another. We seem on the point of gaining ground,
when suddenly the motor stops and, in spite of all efforts,
amiable encouragements, and harsh words, it is impossible
to start it again. While Gotlfroy takes it to pieces, I use the
paddle and with great difficulty we reach the rocky point
projecting from the ice-cliff on the coast. Had we not got
there we should infallibly have been swept to the end of the
bay full of clashing icebergs — and what would have become
of our frail boat in that titanic chaos ? Even here huge
floes pass to and fro according to the movements of the tide,
but a lucky eddy seems to protect us.

While the indefatigable Godfroy tries to find a cure for
the engine willi l lie help of Gourdon, I make an examination
of the rock. I find a few rather rare barnacles and on the
summit a solitary megalestris. On my return I hear the
74

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

comfort ins; sound of tho motor which has been so good as to
restart work. We take a short rest while waiting for a fresh
opportunity to tempt fortune again.

I begin my climbs once more, and about 3 a.m. the ice-
floes break away quite sharply from the coast. In a few
minutes we are at the foot of the cliff, threading our way as
best we can, risking every instant the fall of debris upon our
heads, and frequently grounding. Then the motor stops
again, and this time there is nothing to be done, the differential
is worn out. We have not even the consolation of cursing
the poor motor, for it has toiled irreproachably, and the wonder
ifi that it has been able to resist so long the strain to which
we have put it. We try to get along with the paddle, oars,
and boat-hook, but it is useless, especially as the floes are
closing in on us ; and all we can do is to return to our rocky
point. It is impossible for us to go back to the Berthelot
Islands, and, besides, our comrades would have no chance of
finding us there if we could. But, as we cannot stay to perish
of hunger and cold and also cannot force others to search for
us in the midst of reefs and ice-floes, we decide to abandon
the picket-boat and try to reach Cape Tuxen by way of the
summit of the ice-cliff. We cannot be sure that this is possible ;
but there is nothing else to do, and once we are at the cape,
a break in the weather will perhaps make our signals visible
from Port Circumcision. Gourdon offers to go alone to Cape
Tuxen, but of course I refuse. We reckon that it will take
us 8 or 10 horns' tramp in the snow, and we appoint 10 p.m.
as our time for setting off.

I am chagrined at being obliged to abandon the picket-
boat, which I tested with my wife at Bougival, which M.
Doumer christened Monica, thus making my infant his god-
daughter, and which has served us bravely and faithfully.
Although the others do not connect it with such memories
as I do, they are also sad over the desertion, and we seek in
vain to console ourselves by reckoning up the advantages we

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

shall gain by its absence, the greater room on deck, the decrease
in top- weight, etc., etc.

We make up our very light bundles and then, to put
strength into ourselves, we open our tin of preserve
and eat a little chocolate. I pencil an account of our adven-
tures to leave in the boat, and we wait for the appointed hour,
while the snow continues to fall in big, thick flakes. Under
the tent on board we look like smugglers preparing to carry
out a raid. We joke away, as we have done from the start,
but our faces are worn and look serious whenever conversation
drops. We are unwilling to confess that we are hungry, and
we are even astonished at having been able to do with so
little without suffering, but my clothes have become so loose
that I tighten my belt in vain ; and my two comrades have
since admitted that they were in the same plight.

Ten minutes to 10 ! In a few minutes, we have decided,
despite the bad weather, despite the snow falling more heavily
than ever, we shall be off, to try our last chance. We have
a last look at what we are taking away and another sad glance
at what we are leaving. We have our bundles in our hands
when suddenly from the direction of Cape Tuxen there comes
to us, distinctly and beyond all possibility of doubt, the
prolonged whistle of our ship's familiar siren. In an in-
stant we climb the rock and all three of us together shout out
with all our might ; and then, conscious that I have a strong
voice, I yell thrice in succession loud enough to burst my lungs.
They have heard us on board, for the siren answers us with
three blasts at intervals, and finally a great joyful-sounding
shout from all the crew together reaches our cars. But our
distress begins over again and communicates itself to the
Pourquoi-Pas ?. The fog is dense, the snow is still falling,
and how can the ship get here amid the ice-floes and roofs ?

Fortune comes our way, the snow ceases, and through a
break in the weather appears a big cloud of black smoke.
Soon after \\<- make out hull and masts. How lino she looks,
7 6

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

our Pourquoi-Pas f, through the snow and fog, pitching in
her struggle with the ice, which she breaks slowly but surely.
We admire her with beating hearts. We wave our flag on
the end of a boat-hook, and the grand old national ensign rises
majestically at the mast-head. The snow hides all up again
and then the ship reappears closer at hand, still struggling.
Never shall I forget this moving spectacle in so grim a setting.

There is but a little more ice to get through, so wo return
to the picket-boat, which seems like a long-lost friend, and
greedily devour the provisions we have left. With our mouths
full we christen our rock Deliverance Point. The ship is
now quite close and we can make out the men preparing to
launch a boat. But we want to rejoin the ship in proper
fashion, by our own efforts. While I hoist the flag astern God-
frey succeeds with a desperate effort in restarting the motor,
and we move along rapidly, soon to stop again. So I finish
the remaining yards with the paddle, putting all my energy
into the work to show them on board that we are not at the
end of our strength.

Staff and crew await us at the entry-port in their dripping
oilskins. In their faces we can read sincere emotion and joy
at their success. I embrace our comrades and shake hands
vigorously with all. At this moment my thoughts are not
of myself nor of the load off my heart, but of them. What a
reception we get ! A good fire, dry clothes and especially
dry socks spread out on our bunks, a good supper in readiness
for us, and (what pleases us best of all) smiling, happy faces
around us.

As I feared, the anxiety on board has been great. At the
end of 24 hours, knowing how little we had in the way of
provisions, they began to be worried. They hardly knew in
what direction we had gone. Eouch set off in a whale-boat
with Besnard, Dufreche, Boland and nerve", taking bed-
sacks and food. They landed first on the Jallour Islands,
where they left a cairn and provisions ; then at Cape Tuxen,

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

where they spent the night. They next tried, but in vain,
to carry the whale boat over the ice. On their return, Liou-
ville, Gain and Senouque proposed to set out in their turn in
the Norwegian boat ; but Bongrain decided very wisely to
weigh anchor after leaving at Port Circumcision a tent, a
dory, some bed-sacks and clothes, provisions in abundance,
a stove and a ton of coal.

As they left the cove, a cable fouled the screw, and then
the ship grounded rather violently astern ; but in spite of
the heavy weather and the snow they reached Cape Tuxen,
passing through the midst of the reefs without seeing them.
Finally they found us. The success of this bold venture does
the greatest honour to Bongrain. He was admirably seconded
by Bouch, and helped also by all.

We change our clothes and then sit down to table, while
I leave to Bongrain, who brought the ship out so well, the
task of taking her back. We were gaily describing our ad-
ventures, when there came a great shock, the glasses over-
turned, and the doors of the ward-room banged violently.
We have grounded horribly. Probably deceived as to dis-
tances by the snow, we have run extremely close to land,
and under Cape Tuxen' s high black cliff we have stranded
ourselves on a rock that is just a-wash. In spite of the
engine going immediately astern, the ship will not move.
The tide is at its height, and we have already over three inches
below our water-line exposed at the bows. All our gaiety
vanishes and gloomily we await low tide. Perhaps the ship
may then slide off the rock, which stands isolated in the midst
of fairly great depths. This hope is shattered, at low tide
her bows are exposed 6 feet 9 inches below the water-line,
and the rock is just a-wash. The iron stem is bent and
broken, the false keel must be ripped for a long way,
since large pieces are floating loose on the surface of the water,
and there are even fragments of the keel to be seen. Our
aft deck is under water.
78

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

In fact, we have met with the same accident at the Fran-
ca is ; but, if the latter's injury was bad enough to drive us
to the pumps night and day, she floated off at once. Now
we cannot find out whether we are making water, and in any
«ase we shall be hard put to it to get ourselves off.

All day long we work to lighten the forepart and shift
the weight to the stern. Our anchors and chains are secured
to the rock, our water-casks emptied, our boats launched
and filled with all the heavy weights taken from the forepart
which we cannot shift aft. We try in vain to throw out an
anchor, but the bottom is rocky and affords no hold whatever.

Need I say what terrible, almost despairing horns I go
through ? For the moment there is no danger to the crew,
the sea is fortunately calm, and it happens that there are no
icebergs near us. Land is quite close at hand, and with what
we could save from the ship we could winter there under
good conditions while waiting to be rescued. Some of us
could even try to take a boat to Deception and seek aid
from the whalers. But the Expedition would be at an end
when barely commenced. All my efforts in organizing it,
fitting it out, and bringing it here would be fruitless, and the
page which I dreamt of adding to the history of French ex-
plorations would never see the light. I am unwilling to
believe that we cannot succeed in getting off, if necessary we
can empty the ship completely ; but in what state will she
be ? I am already contemplating the possibility — for one
must provide for the worst — of returning lamely to Punta
Arenas to get our repairs done at any cost, if it swallows up
the remains of my private fortune, and making a fresh start.
It is not only my honour which is at stake, it is my country's.

At midnight we put the engine full speed astern. The
unhappy vessel vibrates as though she wished to shatter
herself ; but nothing happens. At last, going ahead, we swing
a little to starboard, then after waiting a few minutes we go
astern with all our might. Violent shocks and alarming

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

sounds of cracking follow. We begin over again, and suddenly
with a long grinding noise the ship is off. We are afloat t
What a sigh of relief from every breast, what a shout from
every one of us ! We have literally torn the Pourquoi-Pas ?
from off her fatal rock.

In spite of the terrible weariness for all of these last six
days, days without sleep for some, we set to work again pack-
ing things back in their places. Anchors and chains are-
brought smartly on board again, and at 3 a.m. we are ready
to start off once more. For the moment the ship is taking in
no water (though she will a little later) ; but from now, if I
personally cannot afford to forget that we are damaged forward
— and badly, to judge by the amount of wood torn off by the-
shocks and jars given to the ship — and if others probably
think about it in silence, we shall all act as if we knew nothing.

To return to Port Circumcision we have to cross some
thick drift-ice, made up principally of the debris of icebergs,,
that is to say, of very compact and hard ice. Once the ship
gives a succession of strong rolls. We shall never know
whether we touched a shallow, a spur of ice, or perhaps even
an unwary whale. 1

The weather has turned fine again and we have been
favoured with a superb sun-rise. For six days we might
have forgotten that such a thing existed. Two rather big
icebergs block our harbour, which we move out of the way.
Then, when the ship is moored, I hoist the colours, con-
gratulate the crew on their courage and spirit, and thank
our comrades who came to our aid. Fore and aft we have a
lively supper and we go to bed, not to get up again until 1 p.m.

I take back from Petermann Island all that was deposited
there for us. Nothing had been forgotten, from medicines
to tobacco.

1 Whon on hor return the ship wont into dry dock at Monto Vidoo wo found ft
deep scratch, 13 motroa long, on tho port-aido, which nifty havo boon done thia
day. If so, wo evidently passed over a point of rock.

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

The next two days are grey and heavy, with some fulls
of snow. We spend them in putting straight the ship, which
needs it badly, and tilling the water-casks. Twin cairns are
built, in which we leave documents telling what we have
done so far and our plans for the future.

I make several ascents to the summit of the island, by a
steep snowy slope, and find that we have few ice-floes to en-
counter in reaching the open sea, but that our route is strewn
with reefs and big icebergs.

On the 12th I climb for the last time to my observatory
with Bongrain. The weather is calm and clear. We make
a careful note of our direction, and, to save time, from where
T am I shout orders for the fires to be got up.

Ninety poor penguins and a seal have to be killed to pro-
vide us with a stock of fresh meat. Gain has fastened rings
of variously coloured celluloid, such as are used for fowls,
round the legs of numerous penguins, both young and old,
and of some cormorants. Thus it will perhaps be possible
one day to get some certain information about the movements
of these birds. Some writers claim, though I do not know
upon what observations they found their statements, that
the parents do not return to the old rookery a second year,
and that it is only inhabited by the young who were hatched
there. 1

At 5 p.m. we begin to weigh anchor, but the ice-blocks
force us to manoeuvre with care, and it is two hours later
before we set out.

The ice that we had to get through was thicker than we
supposed. Fragments of the pack, resting against huge
bergs, made a barrier which had to be broken by sheer force,
and the reefs whose black crests rise up from the white expanse,
left us no freedom for manoeuvring. Now it is between the
perpendicular walls of the icebergs that we are steaming
dead slow, but the sea is clear and it is happily fine and calm ;

1 M. Gain's observations proved, later, that exactly the contrary is the case.

6 8i

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

for otherwise we should not have been able to extricate our-
selves from our dangerous position. Godfroy is watching
from the crow's-nest the shallows which, owing to the even
surface and transparency of the water, can be very distinctly
made out from that height.

The scenery is superb. The wild and lofty coast, with its
rocks standing out black against the white of the snow and
the blue of the glaciers, is magnificently lighted up, and we see
outlined against the sky the two rounded domes of Le Matin
Mountain — a name which I gave out of gratitude to the news-
paper whose generosity made possible my first expedition
and which has never since grudged us its assistance — and a
succession of other summits beyond. At 10 o'clock the sun
sets and the land takes on a delicate rose tint. About us a
number of megapteras are gambolling among the icebergs.
Two of them for over ten minutes have been beating the sea
violently with their tails, which they let fall quite flat, with a
deafening noise. Perhaps it is an amatory demonstration,
for in these movements there is nothing of the agitation or
violence which would be the result, for instance, of an attack
by thrashers, the dreaded enemies of the whales.

At 11 we are able to set off in an open sea. The offing is
completely clear, even of icebergs and, in appearance at least,
of rocks.

We steer to set Victor Hugo Island and round it on the
north, for to the south there is reason to dread the Betbeder
Islands and some reefs on which from the Fran$ais we saw the
sea breaking with violence.

January 13. — When I go on watch at midnight it is cold,
although the thermometer is only some tenths of a degree
below zero, the blast being penetrating. The swell runs fairly
strong from the south-west. Soon snow falls very thick, com-
pletely shutting out the view. But at 3 a.m. the wind blows
strongly from the south-south-west, dispersing the clouds,
and I see Victor Hugo Island very clear to port, as well as
82

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

four icebergs and an ioeblook. This isolated island, the most
northerly of the string known as the Biscoe Islands, is a typical
cap-island of medium size, being a segment of a sphere in ice
covered with snow. A few reefs, the only black spots in the
whole formation, prolong it east and west, as well as another
little island of much less dimensions, which apparently is
linked to the large one by a line of reefs. It is fairly evident
that when Evensen says that he sailed between the land and
the most northerly group of the Biscoe Islands it is these of
which he is speaking ; for we never saw the sea clear between
the others and the land — apart from the question as to whether
the reefs allow a passage.

There is a big difference between the present state of the ice
and that which we found in 1904 and 1905. In February,
1904, it took us fifteen hours to reach Victor Hugo Island,
struggling with all our might in the pack-ice, which already
reached as far as the island and which in December, 1905,
surrounded it entirely.

We pass the island on the north-west and then steer for
Loubet Land. The breeze is fairly strong from the south-west,
and the sea choppy and disagreeable. The weather is over-
cast, but soon we see very distinctly, lighted up by the ice-
blink, the rest of the string of cap-islands, and beyond or be-
tween them black masses which look as if they belong to the
mainland. The icebergs around us are extremely numerous.

At 1 p.m. we make a big sweep round a mass of table-
shaped icebergs, amongst which show up four or five rocky
peaks. This neighbourhood is dangerous, for in the very fre-
quent fogs and snowstorms one is constantly running the risk,
if one escapes the icebergs, of f ouling a reef, whose presence is
not always betrayed by breakers. Anyhow, whenever ice-
bergs are seen concentrated round a point, it is wise to keep
away from them, for I have noticed that almost invariably
they mark out a shoal or a line of reefs. It is a gross error on
the part of certain explorers when they say that one can always

. 83

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

without fear pass close to icebergs, owing to the enormous
base which they have under water ; for a reef often has walls
so perpendicular that icebergs rest close up against it. It was
through such erroneous reasoning, not based upon experience,
that we all but wrecked the Franqais on a reef in Fournier Bay
and again in Biscoe Bay and that finally she stranded so seri-
ously on the coast of Adelaide Island. We have had many
opportunities of discovering the truth in our navigation of
the region in which we now are. I do not mean to say that
every group of icebergs necessarily indicates the presence of a
reef or a shallow, but unless one is quite in the open sea there is
always reason for fear, and it is better to observe caution iu
their neighbourhood.

The wind is dropping, but the sea remains very rough and
we are tossing from side to side. About 4 p.m. a fairly wide
opening appears between two of the large cap-shaped islands
which, since we left Victor Hugo Island, have followed, one
on another, in unbroken succession, even overlapping at times.
These two islands are probably those which we marked down
on the chart of the Frangais under the names of Babot and
Nansen Islands. The sea appears clear between them, but
to reach the strait running between it is necessary to pass
between two rows of enormous icebergs of curious shape. One
looks like a giant's arm-chair with a back about 40 metres high.

The weather clears and we see the mainland in the shape of
a very large bay bounded by high mountains, which we recog-
nize as being Cape Waldcck-Rousseau and Capo Marie. A
little floating ice lies across our path, and beyond it is the
pack-ice, made up of large and very thick floes.

At 6 o'clock we are in the pack and we could push fairly far
into the bay, with careful navigation ; but it is for the south
that we want to make, and I am conscious that by pushing on
we should lose the benefit of the fine weather, of which we must
take the best advantage now, and that we should burn a lot
of coal to no particular purpose. We stop, therefore, in the
84

TIIE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

midst of the floes to make a survey of the coast and take a
sounding, which gives 400 metres without touching bottom.
The weather is splendid, with strong sunshine, but the swell is
still very heavy and around us huge fragments of ice collide
with a crash, while the sea swirls and eddies between them. A
Weddell's Seal lies on a floe sleeping peacefully, with an occa-
sional voluptuous stretch, paying no heed to the rolling and
pitching of its couch.

The great iidet at whose entrance we are is situated in 66°
15' South latitude. Although it does not appear on the Eng-
lish Admiralty charts, it seems to me very probable that it was
ficcn and perhaps even visited by the sealing captain B. Pendle-
ton, of whom we have already spoken in connexion with Decep-
tion Island and who commanded the flotilla on which was N.
Palmer. J. N. Reynolds indeed says : * 'In the northern
part of Palmer Land, in latitude 66° 5' and about 63° west
longitude, Captain Pendleton has discovered a bay free from
ice, which he entered a long way but without ascertaining its
extent southward. In these seas the predominant winds are
between west-north-west and west-south-west, and all gales
are from the north-east. A gale seldom lasts more than six
hours. The fine weather comes from the south-south-west and
eouth-south-east, which does not happen many days in a
month.' These last statements prove that Pendleton at least
sailed in these regions, although our experience is that even in
the good season the north-easterly gales often last more than
six hours.

It seems to me only just to give this bay, w r hose entrance we
have definitely marked on the map, the name of Pendleton,
which will at all events recall a brave American captain who
visited these regions and deserves to have his name commem-
orated here.

1 Executives Documents Twenty-third Congress, Second Session : Doc. No-
105, January 27, 1835. ' A Report of J. N. Reynolds in relation to Islands, Reefs,
and Shoals in the Pacific Ocean, etc' New York, September 24, 1828 (quoted by
Edwin Swift Balch, Antarctica, Philadelphia, 1902).

THE VOYAGE OP THE 'WHY NOT'

In manoeuvring to get free of the pack, our rudder fouled a
big floe badly and one of the strands of the tiller-rope parted.
An emergency cable was immediately made, and with the help
of poles we got away from the thick floes. During our short
stay, however, a quantity of drift-ice, coming from I don't know
where, has gathered ahead, and it is not until 10 p.m. that we
are clear. We stop for two hours to repair the tiller-rope and
take advantage of this forced delay to make a sounding.

On January 14, very early in the morning, we are level with
the northernmost point of what in 1905 we named Loubet
Land. The weather, which was foggy, has cleared up remark-
ably, the view is magnificent, and in front of us opens a wide
channel leading into a vast bay. To the north the entrance
of the strait is bounded by one of the big cap-shaped islands
and to the south by the northern extremity of the supposed
Loubet Land. I say ' supposed, ' since with the help of the
clear weather that we are enjoying it seems to me that this
Loubet Land is what Biscoe discovered and called Adelaide
Island. It was the fog, bad weather, and our accident which
prevented us from recognizing it formerly on the Fran^ais.
President Loubet, the sympathetic friend of our earlier expedi-
tion, will lose nothing, for his name shall be transferred to land
a good deal more important lying to the east of the island.

We were, nevertheless, acting in absolutely good faith
when persisting in our error, even after the Expedil ion's ret urn,
with the documentary evidence before our eyes ; and for this
reason I went to the London Royal Geographical Society,
whore with my friend Matha I consulted, to make assurance
doubly sure, Biscoe's original journal and the various Eng-
lish charts whereon Adelaide Island is marked according to that
navigator's statements. We found on Admiralty chart, 1238,
published in 1905 and combining all the previous ones, that
Adelaide Island is 7 miles from north to south and 8 miles from
east to west. It is placed in 67° 15' South latitude and 68° 21'
longitude west of Greenwich. 1 do not know why the Admir-
86

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

alty did not accept Biscoo's longitude, which is, as we have said,
69° 26' west of Greenwich. Probably they followed (ho
Bdgicd's erroneous information on the point.

Now our plan of the coast of Loubet Land runs between
latitudes 6G° 41' and 67° 5' passing through longitude 68° west
of Greenwich, which thus leaves Biscoe with full credit for the
discovery of the land, whose exact latitude he stated, and
assigns to the coast which we sailed along in 1905 an extent of
35 miles, that is to say, at least 27 miles more than was allowed
by the earlier navigator. Biscoe, as we shall show more clearly
later on, certainly viewed this neighbourhood from a much
greater distance than he imagined, which necessarily threw him
out in his measurements. He would probably have been very
astonished to learn the unexpected details which we are able
to give about his discovery, while adding to it considerably.
His description of what he could see is quite remarkable in ita
correctness and must be quoted here in full.

John Biscoe, English sealing captain, whose name deserves
to be placed with those of the most famous Antarctic explorers,
and who received the gold medal of the Paris Geographical
Society, sailed on behalf of the enterprising firm of Enderby
Brothers on board the brig Tula, accompanied by the cutter
Lively. In 1831 he discovered Enderby Land. He returned
to the Antarctic the following year, starting out from New Zea-
land. On February 14, 1832, when in 66° 30' S. and 78° 4' W.
he came across close groups of icebergs and a quantity of floes.
He counted ' not less than four to five hundred icebergs around
him.' On February 15, he wrote in his journal : ' On the 15th,
strong gales from the southward. Water smooth. Latitude
at noon, 67° 01' S., longitude, 71° 48'W. At 5 p.m. saw land
bearing east-south-east, which appeared at a great distance —
run for it all night with a light breeze from the south-west. At
noon our latitude was 67° 15', longitude 69° 29' W. Tempera-
ture, air 33° [Fahrenheit], water 33£°, at a depth of 250, no
bottom. Barometer 2930°. This island being the farthest

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

known land to the southward, I have honoured it with the
name of H.G.M. Queen Adelaide. It has a most imposing and
beautiful appearance, having one very high peak running up
into the clouds, and occasionally appears both above and below
them ; about one-third of the mountains, which are about 4
miles in extent from north to south, have only a thin scattering
of snow over their summits. Toward the base the other two-
thirds are buried in a field of snow and ice of the most dazzling
brightness. This bed of snow and ice is about 4 miles in extent,
sloping gradually down to its termination ; a cliff, 10 or
12 feet high, which is split in every direction for at least 200 or
300 yards from its edge inwards, and which appears to form
icebergs, only waiting for some severe gales or other cause to
break them adrift and put them in motion. From the great
depth of water, I consider this island to have been originally a
cluster of perpendicular rocks, and I am thoroughly of opinion
that the land I before saw last year, could I have got to it,
would have proved to be in the same state as this, and likewise
all land found in high southern latitudes.' 1

This passage in Biscoe's journal proves that he saw very
clearly and distinctly the island, or rather the mainland, which
we traced and whose surveying we were able to do ; but he was,
I repeat, much farther distant than he imagined, probably at
least 23 miles off instead of 3. The subsequent narrative of
our exploration will prove that otherwise he could not have
stated that he had an island in front of him or have assigned to
it such modest dimensions as 8 miles, whereas in reality it is 70
miles long ! His distance away is also shown by the height
which he gives to the ice-cliffs. I can, indeed, affirm that the
average height of these cliffs, which we skirted twice in 1909,
and under which at less than a mile's distance we stranded with
the Fran^ais in 1905, is at least 30 metres. They towered
above our masts then. Lastly, the soundings which we took at

1 The Antarctic Manual (L^ntUm : Royal Geographical Society, 1901). 'The
Journal of John Hiscoe,' p. 331.

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

over 6 miles from the shore, when compared with Biscoe's
sounding, tend equally to prove the case. It is very probable
also that Biseoe did not see the highest peaks of Adelaide Island
(as happened to us in 1905), and that he saw, ' occasionally,
appearing both above and below ' the clouds, the compara-
tively lower peaks, or that he mistook for the summits the
rocky beds beneath them ; for, although the thaw had been
considerable during our summer campaign of 1909 the two
extraordinary and very lofty peaks which dominate Adelaide
Island were covered with a vast mantle of permanent snow,
while the spurs, on the other hand, were free of snow, and it is
correct to say of them, as seen from the sea, that ' the two-thirds
are buried in a field of snow and ice of the most dazzling bright-
ness.'

Now I wish no one to misunderstand the arguments which
I think it right to put forward concerning Biscoe's visit or to
suppose that I want to criticize him. On the contrary, I have
quoted him, before continuing my narrative, because I con-
sider his as the proper basis of my own descriptions, and I
profess the sincerest admiration for Biseoe, as for all those who
by their energy and doggedness accomplished great things
with simple means. It must be remembered, on the one hand,
that the methods of observation, as far as the determination of
longitude is concerned, were nothing like as exact in 1832 as
nowadays and that the value of chronometers then was not to
be compared with ours, especially after the long and toilsome
voyage which they had to undergo with Biseoe on a vessel of
small tonnage, probably unequipped with any one else to look
after them except Biseoe himself. And, on the other hand,
nothing is so productive of error as the eyesight in polar regions.
The least change in the weather alters one's estimates in
truly fantastic manner, and all distinction between different
levels vanishes. No Polar explorer, I feel sure, will contradict
me when I Btate that it is impossible without a guiding-mark
to judge a distance in the Antarctic by the naked eye with any

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

pretence of exactness. I confess that I feel infinitely more
pleasure in verifying the correctness of one of my predecessors,
whose faith is so good as Biscoe's, than in detecting his errors
or proving the incorrectness of his assertions.

From the same point of view, though it is obviously very
gratifying to be the first to name a geographical point and to see
on the maps designations which recall to one one's own country,
I have considered it a point of honour, on this Expedition as on
the last, to keep and even restore in the right places the names
which my predecessors have given to their discoveries. The
various names adopted have always been and will always be 1 he
cause of numerous squabbles — and often of violent polemics, for
national pride in its narrowest sense here comes on the scene.
Nevertheless, as discoveries gradiially multiply, the question
seems to me more and more easy of solution. At any rate it
presents no difficulty in the region where we are, where it is
most simple to render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's.
Still, I cannot pass over in silence, after having read Biscoe's
own Journal and carefully gone over his ground, the following
sentence in H. B. Mill's very interesting book, The Siege of the
South Pole, p. 162 : ' Graham Land might well be restricted to
the southern part south of Adelaide Island.' Now Biscoe says,
precisely, ' this island (Adelaide Island) being the furthest
known land to the southward,' and I am not aware that any one
ever even claimed, before the Pourquoi-Pas" 1 f voyage, to have
seen land south of Adelaide Island except Alexander I Land.
Further, the land sighted by Biscoe, to which the name of
Graham Land has been given, is, as he himself says, behind the
Biscoe Islands, and seems to me to have the sole right to (lie
name. In this matter the Americans for their part might object
and say that Pendleton saw the land before Biscoe, which is
probable ; but that captain made the mistake of not describing
it and not suggesting any name. In any case, Pendleton Bay is
a memorial of his visit to this region.

It serins to me that the name of Palmer Archipelago was
3 o

THE SUMMER OP 1908-1909

appropriately given by the Belgica to the groups of islands
situated to the north of De Gerlache Strait and might be
extended to Two Hummocks, Christiania, and even Trinity
Islands. Then, as indeed the English Admiralty chart calls it,
Danco Land will serve as the name of the coast south of De
Gerlache Strait, Graham Land extending from 65° to 67° S.
latitude. It falls to us now to name the lands discovered by
the Pourquoi-Pax f south and east of Adelaide Island.

Before the Francais and the Pourquoi-Pas f no one had
sighted Adelaide Island since Biscoe except Evensen and De
Gerlache. Evensen, who has given no written description of
it, merely told me that on November 10, 1893, he sighted what
he took to be Adelaide Island and met the first ice-floes, which
forced him to divert his course westward. As for De Gerlache, he
only writes that on February 16, 1898, after having left the strait
on the 13th, and passed on without seeing the Biscoe Islands
on account of fog, ' we see land about south-west, doubtless the
Adelaide Island, of which Biscoe caught a glimpse.' 1 Lecointe,
the Expedition's hydrographer, says in his account 2 that
between February 13 and 16, ' we perceived occasionally in
the dim distance a land from which we were cut off by ice,'
and in the hydrographical section of the scientific report he
only devotes the following lines to the place : ' During the night
of February 15-16, we sight land to port which seems to bo an
island, whose location corresponds with that given by Biscoe
to Adelaide Island. The higher part of this land is perhaps
hidden by the fog. The island presents to us a ridge running
from north-east to south-west, the distance separating us from
it and the heaviness of the atmosphere preventing us from dis-
t inguishing its details.' s Moreover, the course, judged entirely
by the reckoning on the chart, is probably a little incorrect,
since it is impossible that the Belgica can have passed within

1 A do Gerlache, Quinze mois dans V Antarctique, p. 161.

* G. Lecointe, Au pays dea Manchots, p. 189.

3 Rapports eeientifiquet de la ' Belgica.' Travaux hydrogr*phique* et Instruc-
tive* nautiqrie*, by G. Lecointe, p. 96.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

three miles of this coast without running aground and with-
out the staff noticing that they were following a line of cliffs
over 30 metres in height.

In any event they were very lucky, for on their course they
record, at the same spot where we ran across them and in almost
as great numbers, a collection of 85 icebergs. These icebergs,
as we were able to assure ourselves, marked a line of most
dangerous reefs.

To sum up, since Biscoe's time there has been no definite
information.

The bay in front of us is fringed on all sides by high moun-
tains, whose summits are of various shapes. Their bases ter-
minate, as is the case with all others we have seen on Danco
and Graham Lands, in ice-cliffs, here and there intersected by
steep, rocky outcrops, often forming headlands. Between
these headlands huge crevassed glaciers abound, sending down
numberless iceblocks. Toward the south in particular, the
ice-cliff forms the end of a vast snow-covered terrace coming
from the mountains in a gentle undulating slope, out of which
rise weird and majestic granite cones, the nunotdks 1 of Green-
land, looking like monolithic nails or teeth of colossal monsters.

Northward a wide channel, though at the present moment
choked with floes and icebergs, separates the mainland from
the Riscoe Islands, which from this aspect present the same
cap-like appearance as when seen from the open sea,
their cliffs perhaps higher and more perpendicular and over-
lapping one another. To the south Adelaide Island, ending
in a little cap-shaped island, looks the same, but is vaster and
loftier. Near its extremity rises an isolated triangular sum-
mit, W-Iain Peak, which is to be seen far off at sea, with its
three-sided black mass standing out on a white ground. The
great cap mounts slowly and gradually toward the south, as
far as the imposing mountainous masses which dominate the
island and, as we shall see later, form its southern end. Ade-

1 Inouliir hills or mountains surrounded by an ice-sheet (Webstar). — Tram,

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1900

Udde Island is an enormous skull-cap island, the last of the
numerous chain of the Biscoes. But, as the English explorer
remarks, it is the only one with mountains on it ; and we may
add that its dimensions are such that morphologically it is
scarcely one of the group. So too with its coast, as we see
distinctly now that our vessel has penetrated some miles into
the bay ; there are some very lofty ice-cliffs, like cleavages in
the cap, which destroy its regular appearance. It has not,
either, the shape of a segment of a circle, a hollow space being
cut out of its side. A fjord, roughly comma-shaped, separates
it from the land. This being completely blocked with ice, it
is impossible to navigate it now ; so also it is equally impossi-
ble to say, as the mountains overlap one another, whether at
the end of the fjord Adelaide Land joins the mainland and is
therefore a peninsula, or whether it is separated from it by
a channel, which cannot but be narrow. 1

Some of the heights which fringe the edge and bottom of
the bay seem to be islands. In all eases they are cut off by
deep inlets. At the very end rises a rocky mass, whose outline
stands out against the sky like that of a crouching lion. It
blocks the view on this side and prevents us from discovering
whether we are not in the entrance of a strait. However, as
we go on a little, from the elevation of the crow's-nest I see a
big glacier behind the Lion, looking very much as if it linked
up the lateral ridges, and so I feel practically certain that our
bay comes to an end there.

In order to proceed farther we have to push aside or avoid
some big floes and steam between some very tall icebergs,
which literally choke up the bay and its ramifications. Ice-
bergs and iceblocks are decidedly the curse of the region which
we have chosen for our expedition. Great or small, they con-
stitute a perpetual danger for the ship, which is never safe
from them, whether she be under steam, at rest, or moored

1 This question was settled later by an excursion made during our stay in
Marguerite Bay.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

alongside a floe or in a cove. Almost always on the move,
changing their course with surprising rapidity according to
the wind and currents, at times heading opposite ways, they
give no opportunity for repose, even in the calmest of weather,
and it needs the gift of philosophy and the indifference ac-
quired by habit to have the courage to anchor anywhere.
Without risk of exaggeration, I may say that if we had been
able to count those which we saw, even during the summer
campaign, the figure would easily have mounted to over 10,000.
Apart from the danger arising from their bulk, occasionally
they break up, setting up great swelling waves which may
bring danger too, and scattering over the ice-pack their frag-
ments of blue ice as hard as rocks, against which the ship runs
the risk of serious injury, especially when she is steaming
in apparent safety amid the much softer floating ice which
conceals the dreaded foe.

A short distance off, behind the big floes, we see the coastal
pack-ice from which they have broken away.

To loiter in this bay would be an unpardonable mistake in
this superb weather, by which we have the chance of profiting.
Five clear days are so rare in the Antarctic that one must
know how to take advantage of them ; for in a few hours one
may accomplish a task absolutely impossible in weather that
is merely overcast, and the success of an expedition depends
principally on the rapidity with which one can grasp favourable
chances. It was for this reason that I insisted on having a
comparatively fast ship, and I have had no cause to repent it.
We stay to survey and take a sounding, and then set off
again for the open sea and the south of Adelaide Land. But
we make a detour to see whether the latter is really an island.
We pass alongside a magnificent table iceberg. In the crow's-
nest I am just on a level wit h it s top plateau, which a beautiful
snowy petrel is skimming in its elegant flight.

From my observatory it seemed as if the Adelaide mountain
range united with that of the mainland by a neck of snow, and
94

THE SUMMEE OF 1908-1900

as if a nunatalc looking like a Swiss chalet stood in the middle.
Later I was bound to recognize that I had been deceived by
appearances, as so often happens.

I christen the great bay we have left Matha Bay, in memory
of the distinguished Lieutenant Matha, the clever and sym-
pathetic second-in-command of the Fran$ais Expedition.
Though in charge of the hydrographical department, such was
his extreme modesty that he never allowed me to give his name
to any of our discoveries on that Expedition.

It is 10.30 a.m. when we pass again between the double
row of icebergs. We follow the coast-line of Adelaide Land,
from which we keep about four or five miles distant. The
sea is clear, without trace either of drift ice or floes, but it is
crowded with enormous icebergs in the offing, while the coast
is bristling with a kind of rampart of ice-blocks, which look
very much as if they came from the cliff. Biscoe certainly
did not exaggerate when he estimated the icebergs in sight at
500, and there has been no change since his time. So likewise
as he remarked, animal life is very scarce. This is a forbidding
country, and only at rare intervals does a whale break the
silence with its heavy blowing as it appears on the surface for
a few moments.

We pass once more, to seaward, the reef where on January
15, 1905 — exactly five years and a day ago — we of the Frangais
were so justifiably overcome with anxiety and despair at not
being able to continue our researches. At that time, to reach
where we now are, we should have had to cross by sheer force
a thick ice-pack, which only allowed us between it and the
coast a channel barely a mile and a half wide. It encouraged
in us, nevertheless, the hope of pushing on ; and it would
assuredly have led us on to the discovery of Matha Bay, but
that, in passing between two huge icebergs, whose draught of
water persuaded us, in our ignorance, that we were running
no risks, we grounded so violently and so seriously damaged
our bows that for three months we had to pump 23 hours out

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

of the 24 to keep the ship afloat. What tribulations ensued,
caused by an engine with difficulty making 5 knots in dead
calm and by constant injuries, while under sail the ship would
scarcely steer ! And all the time gale of wind followed upon
gale, varied by violent snowstorms and dense fogs !

And now what a difference ! We have a strong and trust-
worthy engine, easily making its 8 knots ; and even the
watches are comfortable, thanks to the wheel-house on the
poop and the hitherto prevalent long spells of fine weather.
Nevertheless, it is with emotion that we talk to the old crew
about our brave little ship on which, with no thought but for
the end in view, we struggled so hard and were brought back
at last, exhausted, but safe and sound. How sadly we saluted
her wreck when we passed it in the Eiver Plate ! *

It is calm, with a long swell from the west. The peaks
above the terrace of ice are swathed in clouds, but the sky
shows big blue patches between the north-east and the south,
while in the west it is very heavy and violet-black in colour.
In honour of our crossing of the Antarctic Circle, the colours
are hoisted and double rations served out to the crew.

We pass close to a superb table iceberg of classical regu-
larity of form, measuring 40 metres in height and 2 miles in
length. It was here that the Hertha, Belgica, and Franca is
nut, the pack-ice, and, driven back by it, had to turn away
from land. We are the first to penetrate into this region.
The Unknown, the Unforeseen are in front of us. How far
can we advance ?

Biscoe's 8 miles are passed, and yet the coast, with its long
and unvarying convexity, continues to make us expect to
reach and double a cape, which ever recedes. Our general
direction is south-west, till at 8.30 p.m. wo are heading S.

1 On the Expedition's return the Argentino Republic asked to buy the Fran-
fain and renamed her the Austral. With her rigging altered and her boilers and
engino changod she made a voyage to the South Orkneys. Starting out again
in the spring of 1!)07, sho was wrockod on the Banco Chioo in the Uiver Plate and
lost, while hor crow woro fortunately savod by the French stoamor Magellan.

9 6

THE SUMMER OP 1908-1909

30° W. without there being any change in the general aspect
of things, in spite of our 7 knots kept up since 10 o'clock »
The two ends of the great white spherical cap look always the
same distance in front of us and behind, as though the Pour-
quoi-Pas f were motionless. Such fantastic navigation would
have been worthy of record in Edgar Allan Poe's Arthur Gordon
P>/>n.

We are making our way, however, for iceberg succeeds on
iceberg. In the offing, to the west, one of them which is
rather isolated looks to us like a ship seen three-quarter front,
with a smoke-stack and a foremast. So complete is the
illusion that the crew assert that it is a wreck, and I have to-
convince them of their mistake by means of the telescope.

South-west, on the edge of the horizon, and rising toward
the west, there now appears a bright light, which is probably
ice-blink. In that case we would be navigating between the
mainland and the pack-ice. In the south and south-east, on
the other hand, the sky has become very gloomy. The wind
is beginning to blow rather strongly from the south-south-
west, but without raising much of a sea, which confirms my
impression that the pack-ice is not far away on this side. The
barometer has been dropping constantly since this morn-
ing.

A mass of big icebergs blocks our way. We thread them,
keeping a careful look-out for rocks. One of them is sculp-
tured in arches and grottoes, while an admirably carved head
stands out from a submarine promontory.

We journey on thus all night, anxiously awaiting the ter-
mination of the island- cap. At length the monotony is tem-
porarily broken by a huge rock, which rises out of the cliff
and stands out very black against the white surface. There
must be a shallow in the direction of the open sea, for a line of
icebergs stretches out pretty far in continuation of the rock.
Cautiously we make a wide sweep, and we congratulate our-
selves on this, for later we found the same icebergs and among

7 97

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

them the tops of rocks just a-wash. Then the cap resume
its former appearance.

Towards 11 o'clock there are some magical light effects.
The land abeam is sparkling white, while the everfleeing
southern point is a metallic green difficult to describe. The
southern horizon is golden, sharply outlined against a back-
ground of black sky, while the west is purple-red. A few
icebergs stand out in deep blue, while others are dyed a bril-
liant red, as though lighted up by fires inside. We are heading
S. 10° W.

At last, toward midnight, a long rocky point runs out of
the ice-cliff, and some isolated reefs also appear, in the midst
of innumerable icebergs. Our course curves in to S. 40° E.,
and an enormous black cliff reveals itself, whose summit is
plunged in fog. It is almost with a sigh of relief that the
officer of the watch and I greet the end of this interminable
cap of ice. 1

January 15. — The termination of the cap is abrupt, with
no gradual modification of the slope. A quite small circular
cove is hollowed out of the ice-cliff, at the foot of a rocky wall,
the perpendicular counterfort of two magnificent peaks, which
we are soon to see break through the fog and which are them-
selves the crown of the mountain range we caught sight of
yesterday. This counterfort forms a noble, lofty cape, beyond
which there opens a sort of bay or rather gulf, whose end we
can scarcely conjecture and whose entrance from where we
are seems to have a black-hued island in its centre, rising up
quite straight to a height of about 600 metres, with a saw-
toothed summit. Another distant cape, certainly a high one,
bounds the gulf to the cast. Quite a long coast-line follows
after this, slightly fog-wrapt, but showing seine glacier peaks

1 We give this capethonamo of II. M. Queen Alexandra. II yeomod tous that
this homago was due to the royal spouso of Edward VII, who has taken BO much
interest in Antarctic expeditions. This cape, situated at the end of Queen Adelaide's
Island, marks tho oxtremity of a land discovered by an English sailor and for
some years t)u> most southorly land known.
9 8

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

and other rocky headlands. It stretches out of sight south-
ward.

I confess to feeling genuine emotion over these lands, on
which we are the first to set eyes after the long struggle it has
taken me for years to attain my end.

We steer for the entrance of the gulf and our average line
is N. 60° E., but we are obliged to turn aside perpetually, for
t he reefs rise menacingly on all sides. The icebergs are numer-
ous, and big loose ice-floes, evidently recently detached, bar
our way.

Since 2 o'clock it has been blowing fairly fresh from the
north-west, the sky has had an ugly appearance, and the
barometer has been falling in a manner that made me fear a
gale, when, almost all of a sudden, the wind falls, the sky
becomes remarkably clear and bright over all land within
sight, and the sun shines out. Only in the south-west and
west do the heavens remain very overcast. Thanks to this
unhoped for weather, we shall be able to do in a few hours a
considerable amount of surveying.

We know already by a mere glance of the eye that land
continues beyond the latitude assigned by Biscoe to Adelaide
Island, as there was reason to suppose, though we had not the
slightest proof of it until to-day. We see also that it does
not take, as was generally indicated (I do not know why), a
south-westerly direction ; but, on the contrary, curves inwards,
after the great mass of Adelaide Land, first to the south-east
and then to S. 20° E. approximately.

We must be about a dozen miles from the coast, and as
we gradually approach the floes become more numerous, some
rocky points appear, and we advance full slow, keeping a sharp
look-out.

The island for which we are making is not in the centre of
the bay, as we supposed at first, but is much nearer the western
cape, from which it is only divided by a channel 4 miles wide.
After undergoing a few rather hard knocks against the stub-

THE VOYACxE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

born ice, we pass this channel without mishap, and what we
took for a bay of moderate extent reveals itself as an enormous
inlet, meriting rather the name of a gulf. It is at the present
moment choked with thick, flat, coastal pack-ice, touching
the northern shore of the island and presenting, from the side
on which we are, a front running with a slight concavity to
the north, where it joins Adelaide Land about 6 miles away,
thus forming a little bay, where it seems to me we ought to be
safe. Unfortunately, quite close to the island there are rocks
level with the water, and as soon as one goes further away the
soundings at once give 80, 100, 250 metres, with a rock bottom.
It is therefore impossible to anchor and we have to be content
with mooring ourselves to the pack-ice, as near as possible to
the island. Great fragments come away from the pack, so
that our ice-anchors have to be carried as far as our cables
permit, that is to say, about 150 metres ; for otherwise we
should risk floating away, and whenever the breaking off of
the ice was encouraged by the strain on it, we should be
obliged to shift our anchors and carry them further forward.
Sledges now replace boats, and on them we transport
hawsers and ice-anchors with pickaxes and shovels, to enable
the men, once at the desired distance, to bury the anchors and
fix them in firmly.

At 5 a.m. we are moored, and almost every one is at work
immediately ; for I have decided to take full advantage of
the fine weather and leave again to-day, as soon as I have
examined the offing from tho summit of the island and made
a note of the land and ice in sight.

I call the gulf Marguerite, after my wife, and tho island,
Jenny, after Mme. Bongrain.

Jenny Island's southern face has cliffs of great abruptness
and perpendicularity, even in their upper two-thirds, which
are consequently completely free of snow, which only appears
at the base. The crest of tho island is extremely jagged
crowned with three sharp rocky peaks, which make it look
ioo

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

from the sea like a seal's tooth. The northern face, on the
other hand, is a fairly even slope, rising right up to the summit,
formed of rocks much surbedded by frost. Being exposed to
the sun, (he greater part of it is stripped of snow, which only
shows itself in great patches, from which veritable little tor-
rents Bpring fin lh. This face generally is slightly concave
and in colour is black or reddish. Its juncture with the per-
pendicular walls of the other sides gives at first sight the im-
pression of a very much damaged crater ; but even a super-
ficial examination soon disposes of all ideas about a volcano.
The island is formed entirely of eruptive granitic rocks,
eeamed with numerous veins. One of its most remarkable
peculiarities is found on the west side, in the shape of a great
bank of stone rising from the sea to a height of 10 metres,
making a vast and perfectly horizontal platform which looks
as though it had been patiently and skilfully constructed by
navvies. This formation is clearly the remains of an ancient
strand.

On the east side are found great heaps of shingle, forming
here and there beaches cut up by debris coming down from
the mountain, which is perpetually crumbling away, and
whose walls rise up, enormous, jagged, ruinous, and tottering.
Opposite the west coast of Jenny Island is the mountainous
mass, the kernel, so to speak, of Adelaide Land, from which
rise like a superb Alpine scene two peaks, whose elevation is
to seem still greater to us when we see it later from the south.
They are over 2,000 metres high. Noble glaciers discharge
themselves into the sea, and the whole coast, except the pro-
montory itself, is fringed by the usual forbidding ice-cliff of
these regions. Further than the eye can see, in an apparently
contracting fjord which separates Adelaide Land from the
mainland, the pack-ice extends to the north-east, joining on
to the pack along the coast running south-east. In Mar-
guerite Bay one can see to the north-east an island surrounded
by the ice, resembling Jenny Island, and quite close to Ade-

ioi

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

laide Land, almost on its edge, an islet formed of a little black
cone. In the background are some black patches which are
also islands, reefs, or dependencies of the land.

At 9 a.m. I set out with Godfroy and Gourdon for the
crest of the island, whither Gain and Senouque have preceded
us. We have to go quite two kilometres before reaching the
shore foot and if last night when the thermometer was 2°
below zero the wind was cold and penetrating, now with a
brilliant sun in an almost cloudless heaven the heat is really
very great. The ascent, which is all over debris of sharp-
angled stones, broken from time to time by patches of snow
or ice, is irksome and ruinous to one's boots.

Gulls and megalestrides, in great numbers, swarm around
us in defence of their nests. A glacier clinging to the mountain
side forms a little lake, from which gushes a sweetly murmuring
torrent, with a cascade elegantly decorated with stalactites
glittering in the sun. We mount, between two of the peaks,
to a crest of about 450 metres high, which abruptly makes an
acute angle with the perpendicular north wall of the island
and the slope which we have just climbed. The view is mag-
nificent, and allows us to see in detail these lands virgin as yet
from all human gaze. But it is the open sea which especially
interests me for the moment. The ice in the sea, blocks and
floes, is fairly abundant but possible to get through. The
reefs are very numerous, forming an oblique line which stretches
very far into the offing, and vary in dimensions from rocky
points to islets. About 45 miles to the south-east I seem to
sec the pack-ice running to join the coastal ice. Not a trace
of Alexander I Land ; and yet later we are to see it very
plainly even from the foot of the island, in apparently much
less clear weather. It was, therefore, hidden to-day in an
evidently local fog, melting into the dark sky of the west and
south-east. This proves, once more, how all statements in
the Antarctic are subject to error. In this beautifid woather,
which allowed us to see other lands at a considerable distance,

102

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

Alexander Land, though large and but a few miles off, was
invisible, without anything to make us suspect the limitation
of our view. We might, therefore, with the best faith in the
world, have squarely asserted, on our return, that to the south-
west there was no land within the limit of sight from an
elevation of 450 metres.

The heat has merely increased during our ascent, and,
after toiling through the now soft, thick snow of the pack-ice,
we return on board all of a perspiration. It is 1° below zero
in the shade, but it is so fine in the sun that after a tub of cold
water on the bridge two of us stop a good half hour completely
undressed, drying ourselves in the kindly rays.

At 2.30 we get under way, and use the drag-net for 250
metres. During this time Gourdon goes off in the dinghy to
build a cairn upon the strange platform on the west shore.
We pick him up as we steam out, and make for the south-
west, passing alongside two small rocky isles separated from
Jenny Island by a channel 3 miles wide. It is still very fine
and clear. We have not yet had the slightest gbmpse of
Alexander I Land, but the continuation of Loubet Land, to
which we give the name of the President of to-day, M. Fai-
lures, is magnificently lit up. This land seems chiefly com-
posed of conical rocky masses, standing out in great black
triangles against the glaciers which they separate. It seems
also cut up by deep bays, while there are islets running out
into the sea, many of them curiously shaped. After a series-
of triangular peaks comes a remarkable cape, very red in
colour and looking like a great broken-down and toppling
tower.

The ice about us, floes, blocks, and debris of blocks, is
fairly abundant, and the rocks and islets being numerous we
have to proceed slowly and with great precautions.

Snow is beginning to fall thickly, and by shutting out the
view complicates matters. It is curious to notice that during
the short cessations of the snowfall the wind comes in small

103

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

gusts from the south-east, while the snowflakes come from
the north-west, that is to say, against the wind.

At midnight the ship is covered with snow, and the sky is
very overcast, except to the south, where during a rift we
distinctly see high land, which cannot be other than Alexander
I Land. We have just passed a long line of reefs, and we
are on the edge of the belt formed of very dense pack-ice, with
numerous bergs scattered over it. From the masthead I
make out a vast channel, which, at a distance of some miles
from us, runs into the open sea to the east and appears to
penetrate obliquely a fair distance into the ice. We reach
this channel, and make use of it. A pretty fresh breeze rises
from the south-east, soon bringing along with it very clear
weather. We must take advantage of this unhoped-for luck
in these regions, and we go ahead as rapidly as we are allowed
by an ice-pack getting thicker and thicker.

Alexander I Land, seen by us at a distance and from a
direction never before known, stands out very distinctly, lit
up and gilded by the sun's rays. All the southern coast of
Fallieres Land also shows up, outlined against a blue sky
which could scarcely hide anything from us. Between it and
Alexander I Land are two comparatively small islands with
rounded summits. Then, quite close to Alexander I Land,
is what I first take for a big mountainous island, but what
we are later to discover to be a rart of Alexander I Land itself.

This land has the same characteristics as Graham Land.
The aspect of its mountains is identical with that of Adelaide
Land's, and here again, on the side at which we are looking,
the base is formed by an enormous terrace of rounded snow,
the ice-cliffs being already visible from the crow's-nest. The
summits are lofty, and form a jagged crest. The two extrem-
ities east and west end in rocky promontories, which look,
from where we are, as if they plunged straight into the sea.
Between Alexander I Land and the islands to the east of it
the pack-ice stretches to the limit of vision, as also between
104

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

the islands and the most southerly point of Falliercs Land.
The same is the case in the west, where the ice bounds the
horizon, its monotony only broken by numerous great icebergs.

The pack before us is becoming more and more dense and
sobd. We still keep on, but with difficulty. The floes are
enormous in extent and height, some being more than 2
metres above the level of the sea. We have to push or drag
off the big ones, break up the little ones, and manoeuvre every
minute. There is not a moment's rest for the helmsman or
the engineers. The jars are sometimes alarming, but we
proceed along metre by metre. Numerous soundings are
taken, giving a rocky bottom and depths varying very abruptly
between 108 and 477 metres.

At 11 o'clock we are about 15 miles from the cliff, when
the pack-ice becomes quite solid, made up of big, closely
crowded floes resting on their sides and apparently forced up
into hummocks. From the height of the crow's-nest I can
see no channel, no break in the continuity allowing us to hope
for further advance. We must needs stop, therefore. Taking
advantage of a small space of open water, we dredge over 144
metres. Numerous surveys are made, based on observations
under the best conditions. To the photographs taken by all
our cameras I cannot resist my desire to add one of the ship
herself, so I go off in a canoe to take her from a neighbouring
floe. Animal life is scanty ; two or three seals, a few penguins,
and that is all.

We stay here part of the day, but without being able to
get any nearer. By an exceptional chance we have been
able to penetrate into this vast hollow, hitherto closed against
all-comers by impenetrable ice. To avoid turning back, I
thought for a moment of stopping where we are and awaiting
events ; but a little reflection made me abandon this idea.
We have, from the point reached in this beautiful unhoped-
for weather, noted down everything possible. The state of
the ice hardly permits us to reckon now on advancing much

105

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

farther in a direction that will allow us to record important
new details, and a landing on the ice-terrace could only be
effected with the greatest difficulty. Moreover, its explora-
tion would only be interesting with several weeks before us
— which would be impossible with the ship afloat and the
chances so many of our not being able to return on board by
a fixed date or even near it. Further, there is the risk of
being carried away by the drift ice far from a region so in-
teresting to study as this, and of being blocked in and com-
pelled to winter to no purpose on a moving icefield ; or again,
since the coast is close at hand, of being crushed by the pressure
which, to judge from the condition of the ice, must be tre-
mendous if bad weather sets in. I consider it preferable,
therefore, from all points of view, to try to push toward the
east, where beyond the pack-ice we have come through there
is to be seen some open water ; and, if we can find no way
out on that side, to return to Marguerite Bay, where Jenny
Island makes a magnificent observatory from which to watch
for a favourable opportunity of proceeding in one direction
or another. Thus, too, we shall best save coal, our sinews of
war.

But to roach the open water is no light task. The ice
has closed against us and a long, painful and irksome job is
before us. At the mast-head, from which I am looking for
the most navigable channels, I am shaken by the vibrations
from the bumps we get, in spite of all precautions, and I cannot
help reflecting that we are navigating thus with our bows
perhaps seriously injured. Still all seems to hold good, the
engine does its duty, and only three pump-valves are broken.

In the evening the ice becomes so solid and close-packed
that we cannot move. At the end of some hours there is a
relaxation and we start off again, pushing the ice slowly
before us. So we get to the edge of the pack, pass through
some drift-ice, and at last are in free water.

We try to make eastward and aim for Fallieres Land, but
106

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

soon our path is blocked by ice still more solid than that in
front of Alexander I Land, and we only get back to Marguerite
Bay after having to go through another long struggle with
the ice, which had blocked the entry to our cove since we
left it.

It is 6 a.m., and the appearance of the heavens is now
threatening. But during the whole of this excursion we have
enjoyed the best weather imaginable, and never for an instant
havo we ceased to see at once with great clearness Alexander
I Land, the whole of the coast with the cape which we look
on as the southern extremity of Fallieres Land, and Adelaide
Land, whose two magnificent peaks rise up in the air in pointed
spires on the top of domes of Byzantine style. Such weather
is almost indispensable for the navigation of this reef- and
iceberg-infested region, and I confess that I do not very
well see how one would survive a gale and thick weather.

We are now already in a position to take back precise
information concerning the lands south of Adelaide Island,
where the present maps are blank, and concerning Alexander
I Land, which up to now has only been seen at very great
distances and always from the same side and has seemed rather
like a land of legend.

Bellingshausen, coming from the east on January 21,
1821, discovered Peter I Island and coasting along the pack-
ice saw at a distance of about 40 miles, surrounded by ' impas-
sable ' ice, a great land stretching far toward the south-west,
to which he gave the name of Alexander I and of which he
published an excellent coast- view. He was then obliged
by the ice to turn north-west.

When later, thanks to Biscoe, Graham Land could be
vaguely outlined as far as Adelaide Island, the geographers
considered it one of the important Antarctic problems to
ascertain whether the land discovered by Bellingshausen was
or was not a prolongation of this Graham Land. The three
glimpses of Alexander I Land from Bellingshausen's time

107

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

to that of the Pourquoi-Pas ? Expedition added no information
to supplement the Russian navigator's description, which
still remained much the most complete.

The Norwegian sealing captain Evensen, on November
20, 1893, reached latitude 69° 10' S. by longitude 76° 12'
west of Greenwich. The following days, especially November
22, as he sailed north, he sighted Alexander I Land surrounded
by impassable ice. Unfortunately, though the estimable
and kindly Evensen is a daring and skilful captain, geo-
graphical questions seem to interest him very little, for he
gave no details of his voyage, and when I went to see him at
Sandefjord all that I could get out of him about Alexander
I Land was : ' Very high and fine mountains, plenty of ice-
bergs ! '

On February 16, 1898, the Belgica Expedition (apparently
unaware of Evensen's voyage) saw Alexander I Land for a
few hours, but the various members are not agreed in their
accounts. De Gerlache contents himself with writing that
on February 16 at 4 o'clock this land ' looked superb with
its mighty glaciers scarcely divided from one another by a
few darker peaks, standing out yellowish-white against the
deep blue of the sky.' x

Lecointe says : ' We only sight Alexander I Land at a
great distance, without being able to form even an approximate
idea of what the distance is ' 2 — which does not prevent him,
however, from publishing a view of the coast of this land and
a map, in which are clearly traced the contours of the coasts,
mountains, and valleys. I must hasten to add that view
and map alike agree as little with the descriptions of Arc-

1 Do Gorlueho, Quinze Mois dans V Antarctique, p. 162.

1 Lccointo, Rapport scicntifiquc de la ' Belgica.' Travaux hydrographiquet,
p. 98. In his narrative, Au pays des Manchots, p. 1SH, t lie sumo author says :
'On February l(i, we sighted Alexander Land, discovered in 1821 by Bellings-
hausen. We are no far away that we cannot even judgo the distance. 1 A viow
of the cos i and a map are reproduced in the two works quoted and also among
Urn map "f the llrlijica Expedition.

108

TIIE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

towski, a member of the Expedition, and of Bellingshausen
as with that which we are in a position to write.

The Bclgicd's doctor, F. A. Cook, for his part, docs not
hesitate to give, with a lavish display of figures and measure-
ments, a detailed description (totally different from Lecointe's)
of what he called the ' Alexander Islands.' But herein he
is tripped up by his comrade Arctowski, who gives a fourth
varying description while confessing that ' we took no measure-
ment and have little to add to Bellingshausen's description.' •
What Arctowski says on the subject, moreover, (I will quote
it later) is so correct as to accord ill with the pubbshed
statements of his two colleagues. Congratulations are due
to this savant for having been the only one to give information
of any value, refusing to stray outside the bounds of honest
observation.

On board the Frangais on January 11 and 13, 1905, we
ourselves sighted Alexander I Land at a distance of over 60
miles. Solid pack-ice made our efforts to approach it unavail-
ing. We promised ourselves we would not rest there, and
we have kept our word ; for three years later we have reached
a point which no one succeeded in attaining before, after
crossing ice always described by the same epithet ' impassable.'

Until the arrival of the Pourquoi-Pas ? in 1909, therefore,
there had been no advance made since 1821, and as we have
got to so favourable a spot we must do our best to profit by
it. Accordingly I should like to find a place where the ship
will be in comparative safety, and where we may perhaps
winter, or at least stay a while, without burning coal as we
are doing now. So much am I exercised over this question
that scarcely are we moored alongside the ice when — though
it is 48 hours since I last slept — I take my skis and, leaving
every one on board slumbering except the man on watch,

1 Henryk Arctowski, Antarctic Manual, 1901. ' Exploration of Antarctic
Lands,' pp. 495-6.

IOC)

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

cross the strip of pack-ice which rests on the island and divides
the gulf in two. Arriving on the other side, I put off my
skis and take a long walk round the island, now over a beach
with pebbly slopes, now amid debris of fantastic shape, now
over snow-banks. Unfortunately my observations are not
of a reassuring character. On this side also the ice presents
a big concavity, which is much less sheltered and stretches
wider than the cove in which lies the Pourquoi-Pas ? The
bottom is rocky and dangerous along the island ; and finally
the bay is full of icebergs. The island itself provides no cove
in which to shelter from icebergs, nor any reefs to which to
moor. This discovery worries me much, but I do not wish
to abandon hope before searching and sounding afresh all
round the ship.

There are plenty of seals on the ice, both Crabbing and
Weddell's. A few megalestrides make for me shrieking, as
if I were planning to injure their nestlings ; and, lastly, four
or five Adelie Penguins, destitute of all fear, come up to me
and chatter away. I ask the penguins where their rookery is,
but the rascals pretend not to understand, and it is no use
my hunting for it, I cannot discover it. But we part none
the less good friends.

In the afternoon every one is busy with his own work.
The men go to collect ice from the bergs, which we convert
into water for the boiler. Gourdon, Senouque and Gain
proceed over the ice to explore the black cone to the north-
east of our cove. Deceived as to the distance (as constantly
happens here), they do not return until late in the evening.

The north-west wind has sprung up strong. Most for-
tunately we are no longer in the pack-ice about Alexander I
Land nor among the reel's. We are, or at least I imagine so,
in comparative safety and are binning the minimum amount
of coal necessary to keep up steam Eor half an hour,
whether Eor working the ropes by winch or for starling
the engine in ease we should go adrift or an iceberg should
HO

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

bear down on us — winch is scarcely to be feared with the
wind now blowing.

Next day the north-westerly to northerly wind is still
strong, but the ice seems to hold good, and we have four
hawsers out, three in front, with the anchor of one of them 100
metres away, and the fourth astern.

We fit up one of our motor-sledges, and in the evening
we are able to try it. The motor at first gives us some diffi-
culty, then it starts away and succeeds in carrying its five
passengers gaily enough ; but it must undergo some modifica-
tion of detail before anything serious can be attempted with
it. I realize that the whole will not be in working order until
after numerous trials and changes, which will be made during
our winter season. Besides, I look on these automobile
sledges in the light of a first experiment for future expeditions,
and I only really depend on the hand-sledges.

January 19. — The wind has been very strong all night
and has increased still more this morning. The pack around
us is breaking away in great slabs. An ice-anchor is carried
still further than the others ; but the rifts multiply. I give
orders to put back on board all our material that is lying about,
to dismantle the motor sledge, and to make up the fires.
With the wind from the northern quarter we have evidently
nothing to fear from the sea, but without the engine being
under steam, if our ice-anchors should fail or, worse still, if
a huge fragment of the pack should break away, carrying us
with it, we should be ashore in a few minutes.

About 11 o'clock the motor sledge was in danger, a big rift
having opened close by it ; but happily it was not completely
dismantled and the motor was persuaded to start off at once,
so it made good its own escape, coming back gaily with its
chauffeur. With the help of the windlass and some ice-
anchors we were able to bring together two sections of the
pack over which it passed and to hoist it on board again without
mishap.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

At 2 o'clock we must needs set off to look for a better
shelter and some firmer ice at the end of the north-westerly cove.

A cable's length from an ice-cliff and quite close to a
superb glacier, with a frontage all chaotic and slashed with
crevasses, we are somewhat sheltered from the wind and do
not feel any chop. One or 2 miles from us rises the half-
rocky, half-snowy cone, goal of one of yesterday's excursions,
surrounded by the pack-ice, which joins on to the glacier
and whose bounds are marked by a line of hummocks and
crevasses. Two soundings, taken not far apart, give 66 and
97 metres, with a bottom of liquid green mud. So there is
no anchorage, and we must keep our fires alight and content
ourselves with ice-anchors.

The clear weather allows us to see distinctly Alexander I
Land and the end-region of Fallieres Land.

The wind is strong, but it is curious to notice that we
have not yet experienced one of those great north-easterly
gales which made our two summer campaigns of 1904 and
1905 so unpleasant and difficult, not to say dangerous. Except
at Wandel, where the wind, however, blew with comparatively
little force and where for one day there was a drizzle of snow,
the winds of this region have not been really violent and
have been accompanied always by clear weather. Either
we are enjoying an exceptional summer or previously we
experienced two very bad ones.

The sunset this evening has been very fine, touching up
with a fairy pink the crenellated tops of our glacier. Quite
close to us an iceberg of tabular shape is stranded, barely
detached from the cliff. The place can be seen which it occu-
pied evidently but a short while ago. It is interesting for
glaciological examination, and Gourdon begins at once to
measure it and lake soundings at its foot. If it were to go
adrift we should see for the first time a table-berg as com-
paratively small as this coming from an ice-cliff. Up to now,
indeed, all the many cliffs near which wo have stayed have
in

THE SUMMER OF 1908-19 09

been cleft, thus launching on the sea large quantities of frag-
ments of small dimensions or giving birth to ice-blocks danger-
ous to the ship but tiny compared with the icebergs to be
met in such numbers, which must come from formations after
the style of the great Ross Barrier.

January 20. — The wind having grown much milder, the
barometer showing a tendency to rise, and the weather being
char, we set off with the intention of following the coast and
in the vague hope of finding winter quarters. We get away
from the pack-ice without difficulty, for a southerly current
prevails which seems permanent. We stop abreast of Jenny
Tsland, where Senouque goes to fetch the stand of his theo-
dolite, which he left behind. Meanwhile, we make a long
• hedge, which promises work for Liouville and Gain.

But the snow begins to fall heavily and the wind strengthens
again. As we have no reason for hazarding ourselves in the
midst of rocks in this weather, we return to our mooring-
place and eat, to console ourselves, an excellent dinner con-
sisting of soup made from Brussel sprouts, of seal a la Saint-
Hubert, and of pur^e of peas. This menu was much appre-
ciated. On the other hand, six Antarctic prawns, which
the zoologists had handed over to the cook, were not at all
a success.

At 10 p.m. it is still snowing, and the entrance of the bay,
the neighbouring peaks, and Jenny Island are completely
blotted out, while, curiously enough, through the falling
snow can be seen the much more distant Fallieres Land lighted
up very clearly.

I have a fit of the blues, not so much on account of the
delay caused to our plans by the bad weather as because of
my anxiety concerning winter quarters, which I should so
much have liked to find here ; and also because of the report
presented to me on the coal supply. Evidently our daily
consumption, when we are moored, is small, but when day
is added to day, in the end the total is considerable.

8 113

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

At 11 p.m. I am distracted from my sombre reflections
"by an occurrence which convinces me of the danger of our
present situation. We were, as before, 300 or 400 metres
from the iceberg detached from the cliff, which Gourdon
had been examining at intervals. I was writing in my cabin
when a noise like a big explosion of fireworks, accompanied
and followed by a loud rumbling, brought me in a few strides
on deck just in time to see the magnificent spectacle of the
iceberg splitting open and capsizing. Enormous spurs of
glaucous hue jump out of the water, and even rocks are
uplifted as if by a submarine mine ; the sea boils fiercely
and in a few seconds its surface far and wide is covered by
ddbris of all sizes. The iceberg has lost a good third of its
bulk. The sea was at its height at the time of the occurrence,
and it is probable that the mass of ice, being almost afloat,
first rolled, then slipped on the ledge where it was resting,
and finally lost its balance. This seems to prove once mote
that table-bergs are very rarely, if ever, formed from these
high, narrow cliffs, whose base is bathed by comparatively
shallow waters.

We thought the spectacle at an end, when the same pheno-
menon was repeated a second and a third time. But we
see the largest fragment left, about 15 metres above the
water, come rolling straight toward us — fortunately driving
quantities of debris before it. By good luck the engine is
ready and we go astern at the first word, while we pay out
I lie hawsers to their fullest extent. The mass of debris, striking
our stern first, makes it swing, so that the iceberg, continuing
on its terrible way, finds the ship already on the move and,
instead of striking her full amidships or in the stern, touches
her comparatively lightly on the port side. Our poor dinghy,
which was on the port side, is crushed between the Pourquoi-
Pas ? and the berg and hurled on to the ice, as flat as a pancake.
Wo may think ourselves lucky to have escaped the same fate.

Gently we move away, without touching the remains of
114

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

the iceberg, for fear of upsetting its very doubtful stability,
which would be disastrous this time, and proceed to moor
ourselves further off. A huge block of ice from the berg
remains wedged between the bobstay and the stem, where it
will long be ; but wo have suffered no injury and have escaped
with the dinghy smashed and one hawser cut by the only man
who lost his head, using his knife instead of merely paying
out as I ordered.

Thanks to the ingenuity and skill of Libois, aided by
Chollet, by the end of a week the fragments of the dinghy
were built into a boat perhaps a little stronger than before the
accident.

January 21. — Although the wind is still blowing a little
from the north-east, I decide to go out, after taking a series
of soundings, and begin the search for an anchorage. Unfor-
innately we find nowhere good, and in spots close to Jenny
Island, which are sheltered a little from the winds of the open,
we get a depth of 97 metres, with a rocky bottom. At 1
o'clock we pass to the south of the island between it and the
t wo large rocky islets, looking in vain for a little cove.

Soon we are on the other side of the island, and although
we have behind us still the gusts of the north-easter, with
nothing to protect us from it, we cross a zone of complete
calm. We make for the opposite coast, and the breeze springs
up again freshly, but this time from the east-south-east,
bringing with it very clear weather and a blue sky. So we
steam southward along this magnificent coastline of high
mountains, some black, some red, with weird outlines, inter-
sected by glaciers and high peaks. Big fjords ran into it,
islands project from it. There would certainly be good winter
anchorages there, but unhappily an ice-belt a dozen miles
broad separates us from it and fills up all the inlets.

As I expected, with the prevailing wind some fairly big
slabs break away and drift seaward, leaving a channel through
which we can go full steam ahead. We skirt the edge of the

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

ice at a distance of a few metres, so that in spite of the growing
wind we have no sea. We stop frequently to survey, for the
weather is remarkably clear and we see not only Alexander
I Land but the whole coast as far as the terminal cape, which
seems to be on a big island. We are able to correct certain
errors made by ourselves on the previous days, and in this
way we recognize that what we took for a big island to the
east is part of the land itself, while, on the other hand, some
more small islands appear very far to the south. At each
stoppage for surveying Eouch takes a sounding.

About 7 p.m. the ice-pack curves to the west away from
the coast, and brings us upon a collection of icebegs. To
go farther becomes absolutely impossible. We moor our-
selves to the pack, which I have been examining from the
crow's-nest, and on which I am going to take a turn with
Gourdon. This pack is at least 5 or 6 metres thick, the lower
section being very hard, while the upper layer of snow is
melting and one sinks to the knees in the pickle. It is very
flat and has comparatively few icebergs toward the open
sea. Close to the land, on the other hand, it contains some
table-bergs of so vast a size that we mistook them at first for
an ice-terrace. These table-bergs, like some quite close to
us, have their walls hollowed out into cells separated by
kinds of pillars, which give them a curious aspect.

Will the pack-ice break entirely loose 1 his winter? At
the moment the pieces coming away are insignificant in size,
and not a crack nor a stretch of water betrays that disintegra-
tion is in progress. Only a few big blue patches show that the
heat of the sun is melting the upper layer of snow. Moreover,
the considerable quantity of ice driven by the prevailing wind
down the little channel in which we are will come back at the
fust change of the wind and prevent a strong swell, the chief
agent in a breakup, from having its effect. These reflect ions
wnii v me, for I am thinking of nothing but our winter quarters.

Before starting off again we dredge for about 200 metres.
n6

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

Unfortunately the windlass gets damaged, whieh makes it
a long task bringing back the net. This injury is tiresome,
for until it is completely repaired the windlass will be no
use for our cables, and little even for our hawsers.

During the night, after making all possible observations
and assuring ourselves that we could not get any farther,
we go back the same way we came, so as not to get blocked in
our channel. Arriving next morning south of Jenny Island
we rind the wind blowing again very strongly from the north-
east, but as the weather is clear I decide to return to Alexander
I Land and to go close up to it if, as I hope, yesterday's wind
has scattered the ice a little ; if not, to examine it from the
south-west side.

We go ahead full steam, with the wind behind, heading
due south-west. The ice does not trouble us ; but at the
end of 2 hours we are in the midst of a jumble of rocks, through
which we pass untouched, I don't know how. Only 4 hours
later do we meet the dense pack-ice, into which we plunge
straightway, beginning afresh the old struggle to make a few
miles to the south ; but Alexander I Land is before us, in all
its mass, and the toil which we are inflicting on oiu'selves is
worth while.

Slowly and with difficulty we approach, the big icebergs
taking their part in the affair to bar our way and force us to
make many detours. We push aside the floes, one by one,
winning our way hardly ; but we do advance, and from the
crow's-nest it looks as if a fairly big stretch of open water
bathed the foot of the ice-cliff. At last we get there and
cross this kind of big lake, sounding frequently and finding
bottom varying considerably between 66 and 180 metres.
Less than 2 miles from the cliff we are stopped by some
enormous coastal ice-floes standing 1 metre 60 above the
water, separated from one another by large crevasses, but so
closely packed that the ship cannot get through them. The
floes are too big for us to push aside, and join on to a coastal

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

ice-belt which stops at the cliff-foot. Dragging a Norwegian
boat along with us and jumping or crossing from floe to floe,
we could certainly get there, but the risks to be run and the
time which would be taken, with the ship meanwhile in a
position which might at any moment become dangerous,
would not be compensated for by the interest of the trip.
We can see very distinctly the configuration of this ice-cliff ;
once we got there we should require a regular expedition,
and perhaps even then might not end by surmounting the
perpendicular wall, full of crevasses and 30 metres high.
Should we succeed in this climb, we should still have to cross
an enormous ice-cap of 15 or 16 miles, covered by thick glacier
snow, to reach the perpendicular mountain-walls rising above
it, whose details we can see admirably from here. There
would be no use in all this unless we could leave the ship for
several days, or rather several weeks. At the foot of the cliff
we cannot see even a rock ; only, just in front of us, two
little islands stand out, scarcely higher than the cliff, and like
it covered by a thick and even layer of ice. So I shall not
run after the vain glory of actually touching the cliff of a land
which we have had the fortune of being the first to reach,
when we should learn nothing more by doing so. By taking
advantage of the fine weather which we continue to enjoy
we shall be able to accomplish some much more useful work.
The north-east wind has given place, as it did yesterday,
to a nice south-east breeze, bringing an absolutely clear sky,
which allows us to get all our guiding-points from the extremity
of the continental land to the peaks of Adelaide Land, whoso
snows arc magnificently tinted by the sun a dull old gold.
All the cameras on board are at work incessantly, while Bon-
grain gets through a long and thorough piece of surveying
work. When this is finished it is time for us to be off, for the
big lines have treacherously surrounded us, and it is with
difficulty that we get clear enough to make a dredge of 180
metres. Apart from zoological specimens, we secure thus a
n8

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

bucketful of small and medium-sized stones, some of which
are generously given by our geologist to the crew, anxious to
have souvenirs of this land of which they have been talking
so long.

From hero we see Alexander I Land almost from the same
quarter as before ; but, being so near, we easily supplement
our previous information and can confirm what we noted
previously. To the north this island is composed of an enor-
mous ice-cap, like that on Adelaide Land, but much bigger
and more irregular in contour. Some high scarped and clear-
cut mountains, with jagged summits, make a range running
east and west, with the same general characteristics as the
Adelaide Land mountains. The aspect of the country must
be most repulsive and inhospitable.

As usual, there is very little animal life. A very few seals
are asleep on the floes, and there are two snowy petrels, two
megalestrides, and five or six Adelie Penguins. As for whales
it is long since we have seen any.

After making the circuit of our little lake (which is narrow-
ing every minute), and vainly seeking a ready way out, we
plunge boldly into the pack, steering at first north-west to
take advantage of the south-east breeze, which helps us along
well. At 9.30 p.m. we are clear and are skirting the drift on
the edge of the pack-ice, trying to approach Alexander I Land
from the west. The drift compels us to steer roughly west-
ward at first, and then south-west. We keep our eyes on the
land, and still see the mountains rising out of the ice-cap,
which looks like a segment of a circle. Soon we espy a new
range, this time running north and south, but rising, like the
other, out of the cap. Apparently only the western end of
the range descends straight into the sea, or at least stands
upon a very thin portion of the cap. We soon recognize what
Bellingshausen drew with such care ; but he must still have
been further away than he imagined. Of Lecointe's plan,
although he drew it so boldly, we can recognize nothing, in

119

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

spite of the best of wills. But Arctowski's description atones
for this. 1

At 10.30 p.m. the ice permits us to steer S. 20° W., true,
which takes us into a great indentation in the pack, of which
we cannot yet see the end. There is a good deal of drift-ice
and some ice-blocks ; but this does not prevent us from going
full steam ahead.

The portion of the pack we are leaving to port, whose
direction is west-north-west, is marked out by ten big table-
bergs, very close together and almost identical in shape and
dimensions, looking like a string of gigantic railway carriages
painted with Bipolin. Through a mist one might easily take
this line of icebergs for an ice-wall. Numerous very big table-
bergs are to be seen everywhere, evenly scattered ; and,
although I have no right to affirm this, I feel convinced that
there must be an ice- wall, perhaps south of Alexander I Land.
The solid eastern part of the pack, after some 20 miles, runs
into the coastal ice starting from the foot of the cliffs of Alexan-
der I Land. The scene is magnificently lighted up by the
sun, which all but touches the horizon.

The night — if one may use this term at the present season
— is lovely and calm. We now see the east coast, and it is
possible to plot out the whole island as follows, it seems to
me. Upon a great segment of a sphere in snow there rests a
letter T formed by two mountain ranges, the shorter running
east and west, the larger practically north and south. The
former is the higher, with a very steep northern face. The
latter, whose face nearest to us is quite mild, after its junction

1 It seems interesting to quote the procisor pussages of Arctowski's descrip-
tion (Rapports scientifiquca de la ' Bclgica.' (Ivoloyie, p. 4'2) : ' Alexandor Land,
which lies to the smith lias somo very liigh peaks rising majestically abovou moun-
tainous mass Stretching in the direction north to south and fading away dimly
on the horizon. In front of ua is a cape, the extremity of a rango running from
east to west, making the northern coast "f this land. . . . Further tot lie south
the mountains appear to docreaso in importance, and their outline is gentle. . . .
It is to ho noted that here, too, thoro is vory plainly marked an ice-plain sloping
very gently toward (he Bea, and in this plain the numerous glaciers coming down
from the mountains lose themselves.'
120

THE SUMMEE OF 1908-1909

■with the short range decreases in height gradually toward
the south. Several little spurs run out from this range, and
almost at its southern extremity (which looks to us like a
cone) appear two little mounds rising up from a black-hued
plateau.

A sounding gives a depth of 326 metres. Half an hour
later, at a distance of only 12 miles from the shore, we get
674 metres, with a bottom of mud and small stones ; so that
here as everywhere else in this region the depths are very
varying. At midnight, when we have reached the most
southerly angle of the big indentation in the pack, we are
stopped by the ice. From the crow's-nest I perceive with
regret that this pack, which is made up of thick floes all but
soldered on to one another, is practically impassable, and
that we should consume all the rest of our coal in struggling
on a few miles, without learning much more ; for in this clear
weather (which cannot last for ever) we can see to a very
considerable distance.

After what we must look upon as the terminal cape there
is no more land to be seen ; everywhere the pack-ice stretches
to the horizon under a very clear sky. Alas ! why cannot
we push further south ? And yet, have we the right to com-
plain when we have attained a point not attained before, and
seen what no one has seen previously ?

While we are surveying the north-western arm of the pack
closes slowly up toward us. We must make haste to be off,
or we are in danger of being caught in the same fix as the
Belgica or of being crushed against the coastal belt by the
first westerly gale. So we set off again ; but we have been
on our way an hour when a mirage deceives me into thinking
that a channel has just opened to the south. We put about
immediately and return on our tracks to discover my error,
after almost running into an iceberg and meeting with some
hard knocks against the floes, which awaken my companions,
to whom I had promised a quiet passage. It w T as time to

121

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

leave our bay, for the ice was drifting rapidly from the west,
and the row of ten table-bergs approaching the eastern pack-
ice left us but a narrow channel, which must have closed up
soon after we got away.

The pack extends out of sight north-west and west. If
we tried to turn that way we should certainly risk being
obliged to go far northward and, even if we could make south
again within sight of Alexander I Land, we might see it at
such a distance that we could add nothing to Bellingshausen's
description. I therefore prefer to return to Marguerite Bay
to find out what is happening there, and to decide whether it
is possible to winter there or whether we may hope, after the
break-up of the pack, to seek favourable quarters elsewhere.

The weather continues very clear, and enables us to see all
our country distinctly ; but the wind has risen very fresh and
strong in the south-east. We take surveys and soundings
and, after nearly grazing a rock flush with the water, of which
the only warning is a lucky eddy seen a few moments before
we are on it, we take our usual channel. At 10 o'clock we are
moored to the pack-ice under Jenny Island. The weather is
truly unparalleled in its clearness and purity of atmosphere,
and the sky is without a cloud. The wind has fallen, and tin*
sun's heat is considerable. One is reminded of a very fine
winter's day at Nice.

It is settled that Bongrain, Gain and Boland shall start
to-morrow night on a two days' trip in the north-east fjord, to
try to discover whether Adelaide Land is an island or joins
on to the mainland.

January 24. — Although to-day is Sunday, as the wind
coming from the south and south-west is not likely to bother
us, I dismount the windlass for repairs without loss of time.
It is a difficult job, but is carried through successfully, and in
two days' time the windlass will again be fit for work.

At 8.30 p.m., in calm and delightful weather, Bongrain,
• lain and Boland set off. I have advised them to travel for

122

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

choice at night, to avoid snow-blindness and also to benefit
by the freezing of the snow ; for by noon the sun causes one
to sink in up to the knees. They take with them five days'
food. The wheel of an old bicycle, which I forgot to put
ashore when we started, fitted to the back of the sledge is
converted into an excellent cyclometer.

January 25. — It is calm and a little foggy, and a small
fine rain — a very rare thing in these latitudes — is falling un-
iv.isingly. We are all working on board with the utmost
zeal. The windlass is almost in its place again, the picket
boat is repaired and the dinghy in the process of repair. The
excellent fresh water procurable in abundance on shore is
collected in all our boats and thus we fill up our boiler and
water-casks without any expenditure of fuel.

Great slabs of our ice-pack, which were broken off by the
swell from the recent gale, are drifting away on the southerly
current, and thus the strip dividing us from the eastern side of
the bay, full of icebergs, is growing rapidly thinner — which is
rather alarming.

At last we have seen two more whales, one in the west, the
other in the east of the bay. Moreover, Herv6 found yesterday
in the north of the island, among some debris 8 metres above
water-level, a huge fragment of whale-bone. We have found
no more, but this practically suffices to prove a comparatively
recent upheaval of the ground.

Gourdon has come across an Antarctic Penguin. We have
seen none since Wandel Island, and I think they must be rare
so far south. Lastly, 18 fine fish have been caught in the
trammel-net.

January 26. — I awake to find the ship dressed, the crew
having wished to celebrate the anniversary of my wedding.
They have made a mistake of two days, but I do not unde-
ceive the good fellows, for I am touched by this spontaneous
attention on their part.

Starting out early on skis, I was anxious to assure myself

123

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

as to the condition of the pack. The narrow strip which
separates us from the eastern part of the bay and protects us
against the icebergs collected there and those enclosed in the
strip itself is in a parlous state. Undermined by the swell at-
tacking it on both sides, it shows big rifts and big pools of water.
Many seals are sleeping on the ice. I amuse myself by approach-
ing them without disturbing them, and then striking my skis
with my staff. In every case the sleeper opens one eye with
a blink, then the other, and looks without the least astonish-
ment on the strange apparition which I must present. If I
do not move, it stretches itself out, seeks a comfortable position,
and goes off to sleep again. At the side of a large mother
seal, however, there is a young one asleep. I begin my game
again, whereon the mother shows the utmost indifference ;
but her little one, on the other hand, is terribly scared and
tries to escape, showing its teeth and snorting. I noticed
that this young seal had three great scars in the caudal region,
one of them almost circular and like those found, one might
almost say invariably, on adults. The cause is disputed, some
attributing the wounds to the struggles among the seals at
the courting season. In that case the young one now before
me must be extremely precocious. It is very probable that
there are various reasons for these wounds, some evidently
being from the attacks of thrashers and even of sea-leopards.
A tine rain never ceases falling, like what they call the
crachin at Brest ; and this goes on until 3 in the afternoon.
At this moment the sun comes out, but almost simultaneously
a tempest of wind springs up from the north-west. I had
hoped that , owing to the narrowness of the bay, wind coming
from the western regions could not stir up a dangerous sea
here. But I was strangely deceived, for in a very short time
it is so high that the deck is covered with spray. Great pieces
of the pack break off and dash violently against our stern and
rudder, threatening us with most serious damage. Every one
sets to work with polos and oars to push off the blocks of
124

THE SUMMEE OF 1908-1909

ice, and after 2 hours' struggle wo succeed in guiding past us
the most dangerous pieces.

The ship, however, continues to pound heavily against the
pack until the debris of floes and bergs, accumulating little
by Little around us, make a barrier of some 40 metres, which
completely checks the swell. The ship only moves now under
the influence of the heavy blasts. Our usual enemy, the ice,
has once again become our protecting friend. It was high
time, for our strength was beginning to fail.

The sea breaks violently on the edge of this barrier, and
the spectacle is magnificent. It must be fearful outside.
The whole entrance of the bay is covered by a great black
shroud, and the high mountains facing us are as though
wrapped in a thick layer of grey wool. This shroud has
formed very rapidly, for the sky was quite blue when the
storm began. From time to time scraps of cloud break away
from it and scud off with startling speed. At the end of the
fjord, on the other hand, to the north-east the weather is
admirably clear.

A huge ice-block, some 10 metres high, has just broken
through the ice athwart us ; but fortunately has been stopped
about 15 metres off us by some big floes, which I trust it can-
not shift. But the future is not at all promising. I really
do not see how we can hope to wait here until the sea calms
down around us. Not to speak of other possibilities, it is
certain that if what has just happened had taken place at a
season when there were some hours of night, however short,
it would have been impossible for us to protect our ship and
its stern would have been shattered.

At 11 p.m. the wind's violence increases, the mist invades
our bay, and behind the peaks of Jenny Island huge clouds
roll, looking like great solid masses. The mountains to the
north-east, east, and south-east can still be seen, but are as
though enveloped in a weird and terrible steel-blue atmo-
sphere. The whole sea is tinged with yellow from the di-

125

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

atoms which covered the rocks and ice, but have now been
washed off and broken up by the storm.

At last, toward midnight, the barometer, which had fallen
considerably, goes up a little, while the wind only blows in
great gusts interspersed with periods of complete calm. Then
the gusts steadily decrease in intensity, and toward 2 o'clock
the high wind gives place to a mild breeze.

At 3 a.m. the man on watch announces to me that
Bongrain, Gain and Boland are to be seen on the pack. I give
orders for supper to be prepared for them, and go to meet
them with Godfroy. They have got on very well, without any
mishap, and are much astonished to hear that we have ex-
perienced bad weather, having themselves had only fine and
calm. This does not surprise me much. Indeed, it is very
common in the fjord regions, and I have noticed it myself in
Iceland and the Faroes.

Helped by a good smooth ice surface for the sledge, especi-
ally on the journey out, they travelled about 60 kilometres.
Gain and Boland climbed to the summit of a little island in
a narrow fjord full of icebergs, which they said seemed from
their rounded shapes to have been there several years. They
are certain that it was a strait in front of them, but they
would have required several more days to settle the question
outright. Still, thanks to the surveys, and sketches of the
coast which they made, it was possible for us later to recognize
from Matha Bay that their supposition was well based. Ade-
laide Land is therefore an island still, but is very close to the
mainland and is of a size of which there was no suspicion up
to now.

There being a complete calm to-day, the floating ice carried
by the southerly current is going out of our bay. The weather
is grey and soft, and almost all the mountains aro enveloped
in low clouds, which hide them from our sight. Our situation
here worries me extremely, and, although I have no exag-
gerated fears for the safety of the ship as long as we have our
126

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

tires up and continual daylight, I think it necessary to take all
precautions for a possible rapid abandonment of her. I make
out accordingly lists of clothing to be put in every man's bag,
while I map out for each one his special post and duty, so
that in case of accident we may still have not only the prime
necessities but also the means of carrying on some scientific
work and of either trying to get back to Deception Island or
waiting rescue in some place more easy of access than where
we are to an expedition in search of us. But I do not want
to make these desperate preparations so soon after our recent
alarm, for fear they should have a demoralizing influence on
the spirits of some of the crew, and I keep in reserve the task
of breaking the news to them in fine weather and almost in a
joking way.

Bongrain came to me this evening to communicate to me
his anxiety about the situation we were in, and to ask me if I
did not think we ought to be off quickly. I answered him
that, alas ! I only too fully shared his apprehensions, but
that I wished to hold on here as long as possible, so that the
ice might perhaps unblock for us a place on the coast where
we could find shelter. Moreover, to go out in heavy and
threatening weather, as now, would not be desirable. We
could not risk leaving before ascertaining the route to be
taken by climbing to the summit of the island in clear weather.
I was still hoping against hope, I must confess, to see one of
the coast fjords unlock so that we might winter in it. I
should be content with very little, if it were only a deep cleft
in the coastal pack-ice to shelter us from the icebergs and
allow us to be frozen in.

During the night the wind has begun to blow again from
the same direction, not with great strength, but bringing along
some huge ice-blocks, some of which by their size almost
deserve the name of bergs. One of them which alarms me
particularly gets stranded in a shallow close to the western
point of the island. There is no lack of dangerous neighbours,

127

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

and their number cannot grow less, for just opposite to us is
the factory for ice-blocks and at the foot of the glaciers a big
reserve seems to be only waiting for a favourable opportunity
to bear down upon us.

I spend the greater part of the night upon deck, which
enables me to espy a rat which, the reverse of timid, is calmly
wandering astern, generally in the neighbourhood of the
laboratory, where there are some birds waiting to be stuffed.
The poor little beast is pretty, but still I must give orders for
its destruction, for another of its kind has been seen, and as
they may be of different sexes the ship might quickly be popu-
lated and our provisions, nets, and furs damaged in the same
way as happened on the Franqais. But if I must have rats
exterminated, I set myself absolutely against the totally
unnecessary destruction of the megalestrides, which come in
great numbers to feed on the remains of the seals left on the
ice. My defence of them brings down on me the wrath of
the sportsmen, but I do not give way ; for, apart from all
other considerations, in our present circumstances it is certain
that if any accident forced us to abandon the ship we should
be very glad to use as food these same birds, whose bodies at
present are left to rot on the ice. We must kill what is neces-
sary for our collections and our kitchen, but I will always
oppose killing for the mere pleasure of destruction.

There is a lot of ice around us, but a big floe, about a kilo-
metre and a half in length, lies parallel with the ship, so that
we are protected to seaward, and the fairly strong south-west,
wind which is blowing does not alarm me. The weather is
heavy and especially black to the south. It is snowing fast.

All spend the day in work, the staff continuing their obser-
vations. Advantage is taken of the lull to take the engine to
pieces quickly, and the crew finish both the repair of tho
dinghy and the putting together of a number of sledges, so as
to be prepared for every emergency.

While Bongrain was returning from Ins observations with
128

TIIE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

Boland, an Allelic Penguin jumped on the iee, holding in its
beak a very big fish. Boland seized on it, and the fish, of a
kind new to OS, is now in a bottle ; but the easily comprehen-
sible anger of the poor penguin was comic. In a perfect fury
it accompanied the robber right back to the ship, protesting
energetically.

I have examined afresh the strip of pack-ice to which we
are moored. It is rapidly diminishing in extent, which does
not tend to ease my fears.

January '29. — At 3 a.m. the man on watch comes to
tell me that an iceberg is bearing down on us. Happily he
is exaggerating ; but nevertheless it is with great difficulty
that the whole of the crew succeeds in sheering off and turning
:>-tern a very big ice-block. Half an hour later the wind
begins to blow very hard from the south-west, unfortunately
driving toward the end of the bay all the small ice and the
floes which served to protect us.

At 1 p.m. a real iceberg this time, which I thought firmly
stranded some distance away from us, begins to move. To
>;dve my conscience, I have the fires made up ; but, with our
bows wedged in an indentation in the pack, we could have
made but a little way astern, even if the wind allowed us.
We get ready with all the poles and thick planks on board,
not so much to try to sheer off the enormous mass as to seek
at least to break the shock. With majestic menace the berg
bears down on us slowly, slanting across our stern, and thus
blocking our one chance of manoeuvring. All the poles are
waiting when, about 10 metres away from us, as if in pity it
gently changes its course and contents itself with crashing
into the ice a little astern of us. So we excavate in the pack
a little basin, which we close with big floes moored by ice-
anchors in order to protect our rudder and screw. While
this work is in progress I search for a better place for the ship
nearer to land. I come back with my mind made up, at the
first lull, to draw closer to the island, and put the ship into

9 129

THE VOYAGE OP THE 'WHY NOT'

an opening in the ice where it should be better sheltered. At
5 in the afternoon the wind drops almost of a sudden ; but
an hour later, when we are about to start moving it begins to
blow harder than ever, veering to the north-west, raising up
immediately a stormy sea, which makes us bang violently
against the thick pack-ice. The berg which frightened us so
much this morning during the Little lull had gone seaward,
but again it bears down on us, and with anxious hearts we
get ready to receive it. The same providential intervention,
however, causes it to make a manoeuvre identical with that
of this morning, but in the contrary direction, and after coming
still nearer to us it passes this time ahead of us and ranges up
to the pack at the very place where I had decided to moor the
Pourquoi-Pas ? The crew now ask me to moor the berg itself
with ice-anchors to prevent it coming back, and although this
device may be puerile with such a mass I let them adopt it,
in order to encourage their inventive zeal. Shortly after the
monster capsized and broke up, covering a vast area with ice-
blocks in the course of a few moments. This was the end of
its career, after warning us of the danger of our position.

The whole day is spent in watching the ice-blocks and
pushing off those that approach us. The blows we receive
are formidable, and their frequency makes them dangerous
even for so stout a vessel as ours. My cabin writing-desk,
which is fixed to a beam, receives such jars that everything in
it is upset and I can write no longer. Still, what I most fear
is a collision.

Except that the mountains of Adelaide Land are wrapped
in a pall of heavy clouds, the weather is very clear, especially
in the east and north-east. In the offing, that is to say, to
the south, the sky is black, bordered on the horizon with a
Luminous band of gold, probably due to ice-blink.

January 30. — At midnight the wind suddenly dropped.
The thermometer recorded 2° below zero and went down to
6° below, to rise again by noon to + 8°, thus giving us on the
130

THE SUMMER OF 1908-1909

same day the minimum and maximum readings of our present
visit to the Antarctic. At 10 a.m. the weather was fine and
clear, and I took advantage of it to climb with Gourdon to
the summit of the island. What we saw was not cheerful.
While the little strip separating our vessel from the bay full of
icebergs is rapidly diminishing and is even on the point of
vanishing, on the other hand the coastal pack does not seem
to have changed since we first saw it, and still stretches some
8 or 10 miles.

The situation therefore is most grave, and the moment is
one of those when the responsibility of the head of an expedi-
tion is truly agonizing. If our expedition were merely one of
adventure, aiming simply at beating the record or accom-
plishing a sporting feat, I would gladly take the risk (although
the result would almost certainly, and very quickly, be a win-
tering on land and a retreat full of incident, like that of the
Tegethoff Expedition) and would stay here, burning the last
ton of coal. But I must not forget the pecuniary sacrifices
made by my country at the request of the Acad^mie des
Sciences, and that what is expected of us above all is scientific
discoveries. Our equipment of instruments is very fine, and
to make use of it we require safe and serviceable winter quar-
ters. Now here we have no anchorage and no chance of
mooring ourselves to the shore, against which the first gale of
wind would infallibly dash us. As the strip of pack-ice which
protects us from bad weather from the eastern quarter and
the numerous big icebergs is on the point of breaking up, even
if we escape from the latter we shoidd be obliged to skirt the
edge of the pack, thus going further and further away from the
island on which alone we could establish observatories ; and
I have every reason to believe that we could not long keep up
the struggle necessary for the security of our vessel. The
bad weather we have encountered is nothing in comparison
with what we shall have to encounter in the coming months.
Yet these few hours of continual toil and struggle have already

131

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

wearied out a hardy and enthusiastic crew, and I know by
experience that gales of from fifteen days to a month in dura-
tion are not exceptional here. Lastly, it is still possible to
struggle by daylight, but at night this becomes an absolute
impossibility, and we have already seen our first two stars,
which herald the coming of the night hours. On the other
hand, our stock of coal is gradually being exhausted. Now
we must reckon on two months at least, perhaps three, either
before the coast unlocks to allow us to seek for possible shelter
or before we can hope to be shut in by the ice. I believe that
every serious explorer would decide with me that, under our
present conditions, my duty is not to risk an adventure with
the majority of chances in favour of the loss of the ship and,
in any case, of our having to winter in such a situation that
we should lose all the profit of our labours.

It was a great, almost a desperate, blow to me to have to
leave this region where, with more luck, we might have accom-
plished such interesting work, and where I hoped to make
important sledging excursions. It was with anguish of heart
that I made up my mind ; but really I did not think I had the
right to cause the Expedition to run such big risks any longer.
I thought it best, however, to call together my companions on
the staff, and, explaining the position to them, I asked their
advice. They answered that we must start as soon as possi-
ble to look for winter quarters in Matha Bay and, if we cannot
find them there, return to Port Circumcision.

I hesitated also about leaving a station on shore ; but,
apart from the fact tlmt we had not the necessary installation,
in view of the difficulty of landing to do so, I would not have
ventured to undertake the responsibility without joining the
party myself — and, on the other hand, I did not think I ought
to quit the ship.

I decided therefore to leave as soon as possible. From
the lop of the island we had seen the oiling full of ice. At all
costs it was necessary to escape being frozen up at sen, and
132

THE SUMMER OF 1908-19 9

risking a winter which would have to be spent like the Bel-
gian's in an almost identical region. Our summer campaign
had been more fruitful than we could have hoped, since we
had surveyed a considerable extent of new coast south of
Adelaide Land, reached Alexander I Land, corrected the
charts, and discovered a big bay north of Adelaide Land while
making during our voyage numerous soundings, drags, and
observations of all kinds. It was absolutely necessary now,
if we were to make sure of our winter's work, to run no danger,
by attempting too much, of cutting off our retreat and com-
promising the future of the Expedition, compelling ourselves
to renounce all ideas of -winter quarters and return to Cape
Horn — which would be disastrous. After wintering we could
still hope, with the coal we should have left, to have a profitable
campaign on the high sea, more adventurous in character and
freer from anxiety about finding a favourable spot for winter
quarters and the prosecution of the important work entrusted
to us.

We leave on the terrace of Jenny Island a cairn with a
message in it, and at 10.30 p.m. we get under weigh. It is
with a heavy heart that I depart ; and yet I ought to rejoice
at the fine weather which allows the Expedition to escape
from this dangerous spot.

A very small breeze from the south-south-west is blowing,
and a few big floes coming from the bay force us to make
detours. At midnight we begin to round the cap of Adelaide
Land, keeping a good distance away to escape the reefs at the
southern end, which stretch out very far, marked at the
present moment by numerous big icebergs.

The weather is very clear, and all the lands are in sight,
standing out against a magnificent orange sky. Only the
high peaks of Adelaide Land are wrapped in light woolly clouds.
Toward 1 a.m. we reach the edge of the pack-ice, which is
very thick to the south, loose enough to the west, but thicker
again along the land. There is just a channel for us, but we

133

THE VOYAGE OP THE 'WHY NOT'

still have to pick our way to escape the thick and frequently
big floes. With the ice in this condition we should have had
the greatest difficulty in making Marguerite Bay when we
first arrived, and I do not think we could have reached Alexan-
der I Land. I continue to believe, therefore, that we had the
benefit of a rather exceptional state of things.

A little before 3 o'clock the sun rises, and the light effects
become wonderful. Some of the icebergs are purple in hue,
others violet, others look like masses of molten iron, while
some are blue or a dazzling silvery white. The whole pack
is tinted pink, and it is difficult to imagine anything at once
more beautiful and more fantastic. We soon came upon a
great collection of icebergs stretching out in a line as far as
the big black rock we noticed when we came, which breaks
the monotony of the cap. There are over 240 icy monsters,
and in the middle of them, more than 15 miles in the offing,
can be seen numerous reefs. The pack-ice forces us to steam
between land and reefs, skirting the line of icebergs, but
happily without any mishap to our keel.

The wind, without altering in strength, veers from south-
south-west to south-west, and then to west-south-west. The
sea becomes clear and we pursue our journey to Matha Bay,
taking soundings every four hours. At 6 p.m. we notice the
double row of monstrous icebergs which seem always to mark
out on either side the entrance to Matha Bay, one row resting
<tn the shallows of Adelaide Land, the other on those of the
Biscoe Islands. We recognize some by their strange shapes
as having been seen by us, almost in the same places, on our
first attempt to penetrate into the bay.

This bay now seems very generally free of ice and we head
for the end, toward the Itig promontory which we called on
aeeoiint of its form the Lion, behind which we hope to find a
large inlet.

Accordingly wc leave on our right the big comma-shaped
channel, formed by the. ice-cap and a large mountainous islet,
134

THE SUMMEE OF 1908-1909

•which wo resolve to explore later. It is dull and grey and a
strong east-south-east wind is rising, while in the north-cast
and east the sky is overcast and threatening. The floes, ice-
blocks, and debris of the latter are becoming close-packed,
and we make our way slowly ; but at last we double the Lion
and penetrate into a big bay of clear water leading us right
up to the coastal pack-ice, which tills up a fjord of large extent .
We moor ourselves firmly to the pack, which divides us from
a picturesque crevassed glacier.

The night is windy, but we are well sheltered from the
present direction of the wind and from the sea, and toward
9 a.m. a calm returns and the day declares itself magnificently
clear. Every one starts energetically to work, and it is not
until about 3 o'clock, after a good dredge, that we are ready
to start again.

The coast is wonderful with its fine tall mountains of weird
aspect, but all the inlets are choked with the thick pack-ice,
and at one single point stands an island ending in a rocky
promontory, in place of the everlasting ice-cliff. A little
beyond this promontory there is a low rocky island, for which
we head in the hope of finding there a cove in which we can
anchor for the winter.

We embark in the Norwegian boat, and find on the reef
an imposing rookery of Adelie Penguins and some magnificent
striated rocks, but absolutely nothing of service to our ship ;
no cove, no anchorage, considerable depths of water, which
allow the already approaching icebergs to come close to the
islet, and not even a shelter against the swell of the open sea,
which we feel a tittle in spite of the calm weather following
the land breezes.

We cross the bay and, after making sure that the pack-
ice closes up all the windings on both sides alike, we enter the
channel behind the cap of Adelaide Land. Big icebergs,
enormous floes more than 2 metres above water-level, and
ice promontories w r hich look as if freshly broken away from

135

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

the coast, block our way, proving to us once more how inhos-
pitable is this region and how unfavourable to a stay of any
kind.

Gain and Boland recognize at the end of the channel we
are threading some peaks which they saw during their excur-
sion on the other side. So Adelaide Land is really an island,
though the strait which separates it from the land we named
after President Loubet is always very narrow and grows
smaller as it goes on.

After a few stops for surveying, we are brought up at mid-
night by the pack which surrounds part of Adelaide Land,
the islet opposite it, and two conical black islets which appear
to the south. This pack joins straight on to that which we
found all round Matha Bay.

The swell makes itself felt pretty strongly, the sky is over-
cast from the north-west to the north-east, and icebergs and
thick floes are making their way into our channel. Unfortu-
nately we have nothing to do here, and to idle about would
be unwise, to say nothing of the useless expenditure of coal.
Between the Biscoe Islands and the land the scene is literally
choked with ice. We must make up our minds, therefore, to
return to Petermann Island ; and, this being the only decision
to which Ave can come, the sooner we are there to commence
our observations and economize our coal, the better. Further,
there is already a certain amount of night, and experience has
taught me only too well the great difficulties which may befall
one on this coast through the sudden movements of the ice,
the gales, and the reefs. I cannot lose time and risk spending
long days on the high sea without an opportunity of attaining
our object, to finish lip perhaps by missing it altogether. The
line of reefs separating us from Petermann Island cannot be
crossed from the sea side except in broad daylight, and in
weather that is at least moderately good. On the Fran^ais
we were kept over a week at sea partly by a gale, partly by
fog, and it was only by a rather risky decision that wo were
136

THE S U M M B E OF 1908-1909

able to regain Wandel, taking advantage of a few hours of
moonlight.

At 4 a.m. we come out of Matha Bay, rival swells from the
south-west, north-west, and north-east setting up a most
unpleasant cross-chop, and causing the ship to pitch and toss
wildly. The wind blows fairly strong from the north-east,
accompanied by a hurricane of snow crystals, painful to the
eyes and obstructive to the view, which is so much wanted in
the midst of a sea strewn with fragments of icebergs. Hap-
pily this state of affairs does not last long, and I confess that
I am agreeably surprised ; for never on my previous campaign
did we experience north-east winds which did not end in gales
and blow generally for several days, at least for a dozen hours.

From noon onward the weather turns quite fine, the sky
only remaining a little overcast in the north. All day long we
coast the Biscoe Islands, which form, as it were, an uninter-
rupted line of big, little, and medium-sized caps, all monoton-
ously alike and overlapping one another. They can scarcely
be counted, and it would be a tedious task to attempt to do
si i ; but it may be said that they begin with Victor Hugo
Island and end with Adelaide Land.

Biscoe discovered these islands after Adelaide Land, and
tins is how he speaks of them in his diary : ' On the 17th and
18th [of February] passed several small islands of exactly the
Bame appearance as Adelaide Island. This range lays west-
south-west and east-north-east, and had no mountains on
their tops, but a complete field of snow and ice perfectly
smooth except their edges. I could plainly see a tier of
very high mountains in the background, which had a grand
appearance.

' February 19. — At 4 p.m. I sent the boat to an island,
which appeared to join the mainland, and some naked rocks
lying off the mouth of a considerable entrance. I had great
hopes of finding seal in them. At 10 a.m. the boat returned,
not having found anything alive on the island, but having

137

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

pulled quite round what Mr. White informed me was an excel-
lent harbour for shelter, although a rocky bottom. I have
named this Pitt's Island, from the great likeness of an iceberg
to that statesman in a sitting posture, and which for some
time I took to be a rock. This island has many bays in it ;
the centre part of the west side, latitude 65° 20' S., longitude
66° 38' W., by good sights [and] chronometers.' 1

Biscoe says nothing more about these islands, and I con-
fess that I do not understand why the Engbsh Admiralty
chart places Pitt Island in 65° 40' W. instead of 66° 38' W.,
and why it adorns it with three mountainous peaks standing
in a triangle, about which Biscoe has not a word.

Before our time these islands were not mentioned again
except by Evensen, who coasted along them going south, and
in running back passed between the two most northerly, that
is to say, very probably south of Victor Hugo Island, as we did
on several occasions.

As for the Belgica, she saw none of them, and De Gerlache
writes : 2 ' We pass, without seeing them, the position of the
Biscoe Islands as marked on the Admiralty chart. It is true
that the weather is rather overcast, and that we may have
left them a few miles to one side or the other of our course.'

On the Fran<?ais we vainly sought for Pitt Island at the
place indicated by Biscoe, and in despair Ave gave this name
to a big cap-shaped island in 65° 28' S. latitude and 66° W.
longitude (Greenwich) ; but in spite of all our efforts it was
impossible for us to get through the ice, which always cut
us off, and to rediscover the bay which Lieutenant White
entered.

At 6 p.m. we are abreast of Victor nngo Island, but shortly
before midnight the lack of light forces us to stop. The ship
is in a fairly dense pack, in (he midst of icebergs. About 2.30
we start again with the greatest precautions, as the reefs are

1 Antarctic Manual, p. 332.

1 Quinte moil dans VAntarctique, p. 168,

138

THE SUMMEK OP 1908-1909

hidden by floes ; but at last we recognize our former bearings,
and at 5 o'clock we enter Port Circumcision. When the ship
is barely moored, I have stretched provisionally across the
entrance three double iron-wire hawsers to prevent the intru-
sion of ice-blocks.

139

PART II

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

IT is here, therefore, that we must winter, and I confess
that it is a genuine disappointment to me. In spite of
having tried to persuade myself that there was small chance
of finding a shelter elsewhere, I had still nourished hopes ; and
our discovery of Marguerite Bay and the apparently favour-
able situation of Jenny Island seemed at first to be a realiza-
tion of these hopes. But if it is difficult to console oneself
for not wintering further south, at least one must admit the
advantages of our present situation.

The ship appears to be safe, the shape of the island is
favourable to the establishment of our observatories, and the
neighbourhood of Wandel will permit us, by comparison with
the observations of four years ago, to form some precise ideas
of the physical and biological conditions of this region. Very
often during our winter stay at Wandel we asked ourselves
whether, exposed as we were at the opening of the vast passage
formed by De Gerlache Strait, this local influence did not
cause some modifications of the general conditions. Here it
will be easy for us to find this out.

From another point of view it seemed to us also in 1904
that the. difficulty of exploration, caused by the frequent
shifting of the pack-ice, ceased with Petermann (Lund) Island.
We are justified, therefore, in hoping to be able to make ex-
cursions along the coast, and the configuration of the glacier
situated right in front of our haven seems favourable to our
penetration even on to the mainland.
140

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

Lastly, and this consideration must not be despised, there
is on Petermann Island a well populated penguin rookery,
which promises us in the autumn and spring material both
for study and for food ; not only fresh meat but also eggs,
when it pleases these good birds to provide them for us. And
there is also the amusement to be derived from them.

Our kingdom is about 2 kilometres at its greatest length,
and the island is divided into two sections united by an isth-
mus of a little more than 200 metres broad, which separates
two picturesque fjords with generally steep cliffs. The north-
ern section is a big ice-cap, 127 metres high, with scarped walls,
terminating to the north-west in an outcrop of huge rocks.
The only possible passage by land between the north and
south sections is a very steep slope, tiring to climb whether
covered with soft snow or when the latter is blown off by the
wind and leaves uncovered a frozen surface.

We are on the southern section, which is also composed of
an ice-cap, about 50 metres in height, with fairly gentle slopes
descending to the shore on the south-east, north, and south-
east. In the last-named quarter are fine, picturesque rocks,
crowned by penguin rookeries. Port Circumcision is a notch
in the south-east coast, and its generally flat surroundings are
favourable to our winter establishment. The whole is domi-
nated by a clump of rocks 35 metres high on ' Megalestris
Hill.' Lastly, there is a group of little islands to the south-
west.

The influence of the persistent north-east winds makes
itself felt in the configuration of the two masses of Petermann
Island as in all the neighbouring region. The rocks to the
north-east are swept by the wind, which accumulates more
and more snow on the south-west side, where the coast is
formed by the sheer wall of a high ice-cliff with a snow-cornice
towering over it. Port Circumcision, the entrance to which
is made rather difficult for a ship as big as ours by huge lumpy
rocks, is a cove running north and south. The end of the

141

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

cove and its eastern face are precipitous walls of ice, 7 or 8
metres nigh, rising on a base of rock. On the east the rocky
face is rather lower. The depth increases rather abruptly
toward the sea end, so that, as was the case with the FranQais
at Wandel, I deem it necessary to turn the stern toward the
entrance, in deeper water, in order to prevent pounding due
to the swell damaging the screw and rudder, the ' Achilles'
heels ' of all Polar vessels. If we turned the ship the other
way, our draught of water astern would not allow us to force
her sufficiently into the cove for her to be well protected and
well moored.

We begin to establish ourselves immediately, which is no
light task ; for, apart from the scientific programme (the
carrying out of which necessitates a rather complicated organi-
zation), if we wish to take full advantage of our excellent
position, we must also provide for the safety of the ship, and
render as comfortable as possible the life of the thirty men
who make up the Expedition.

Our observations will gain a lot by beginning as soon as
possible. So we set on foot simultaneously all the organizing
work, and our little corner becomes like a veritable ant-hill
in its activity. The building material is carried to the chosen
spots either by sledge or by boat. Senouque erects on flat
ground at a good distance from all other buildings, so as to
withdraw his magnetic needles from the influence of iron and
steel, a wooden hut with double walls, covered with tarred
canvas, in which to instal his apparatus for the registration of
terrestrial magnetism.

Eouch builds a little hut of planks to contain his apparatus
for the study of atmospheric electricity. Close to the ship
and on an elevation of 35 metres, which for some reason or
other has been christened ' Megalestris Hill ' he puts up a
shelter for the meteorological instruments, using as supports
the iron network uprights presented by the Prince of Monaco.

Bongrain requires two huts, one for the seismograph, the
142

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

other for the transit instrument and its accessories. The
first hut is quickly run up. It is a small portable affair of
4 Venesta,' i.e. of panels of specially prepared wood fibre, the
lightness and strength of which make them of the greatest
use in Polar exploration. The other hut is made of planks
covered with tarred canvas.

In all these buildings the great difficulty is to level the
ground by removing or fetching rocks, and the task is particu-
larly laborious through these being almost always soldered
together by a thick layer of ice. Then it is necessary to con-
solidate the whole affair by heaping still more rocks round
the base and stretching solid iron-wire shrouds over the roof ;
for our huts must withstand the violent and continual attacks
of Antarctic tempests.

In turning up the ground for the foundations of the future
magnetic hut we found some seal bones, some of which showed
curious pathological deformities.

While the little village springs up in this hitherto desert
place, there is the greatest activity on board. First the ship
has to be suitably moored, with a wealth of precautions which
is all the greater because, safe as our haven appears, we do
not yet know what might happen with strong winds coming
from various points of the compass. The entrance is 85
metres across. Here we set up two barriers of steel wire to
prevent the ice-blocks from coming in, and with ten hawsers
we fix the ship in its place. Hawsers to act as barriers are
secured to land with ice-anchors firmly driven into the ice,
or, better still, into interstices of the rocks where the conforma-
tion of the ground permits of this. Last of all, I decide to
twist the ship's two anchor-chains round suitably situated
rocks. On the port side this is comparatively simple, for the
rock which must serve as a bitt is right ahead and almost flush
with the water ; but the rock to starboard is about 40 metres
off and 10 metres high. To accomplish the job it is necessary
to plan out a whole system of tackle and coils ; and yet in

143

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

half a day the two 'heavy chains are in their places, to all
appearance firmly laced about their rocks. The firmness of
the starboard chain is of particular importance, for it will
hare to bear the brunt of the north-east blasts, which are the
most frequent and violent in this region.

The top-gallant yards are unrigged, lowered, and then
placed parallel to one another and fastened together with
planks, thus making a broad gangway between the ship and
the land. To facilitate communications, a path is cut in
the rock cornice at the end of this gangway.

By means of bamboos serving as telegraph poles, we carry
wires to the various observatories, which are then lighted by
the electric installation on board ; and this is certainly one of
our most useful and pleasing innovations. It will be easy at
any time to have a good light by which to read the instru-
ments, a luxury impossible to appreciate too highly. During
the wintering of the Frangais one of our greatest preoccupa-
tions and greatest troubles was precisely this question of
illumination. We used to set out, equipped with what we
considered our best lantern, protecting it with care against
the wind ; and just as we were about to use it, a gust would
blow it out. As it was no use thinking of taking matches in
the storm and snow, we must needs return on board to relight
the lantern, and before accomplishing our object we often
had to make the journey three or four times over. Also, by
means of a microphonic communication Bongrain (whose
practical turn of mind knows how to apply itself to such
installations) is able to transmit the time on board to the
transit instrument without carrying the chronometers across.

While the sailors un reeve I lie ropes, and dry and unbend the
sails, the engineers and stokers look to the boiler and take
(lie engine to pieces for the winter. Then the ship is covered
fore and aft with huge awnings held in place by a solid frame-
work. In this way the whole after-deck makes an enclosed
saloon, lighted by day through windows pierced in the awning,
Ml

One of the Meteorological Shelters in Autumn.

The same Shelter in Sprint;.

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

and at night by two electric lamps. On the starboard side this
saloon forms an annexe to the biological laboratory, on the
port side and aft avast workshop in which are set up various
benches, the lathe, the drill, etc., etc. Here, too, are erected
the two washing machines, in which once a week ice is to be
melted for washing our linen, using seal's fat as fuel. Fore-
ward the awning also makes a big saloon adjoining the crew's
berths ; a roofing of planks covered with tarred canvas forms
a lateral prolongation of the roof of the cook's galley. Only
the central poop remains uncovered, and for this I get the
sailmakers to construct a little tent to protect the ward-room
skylight, easy to put on and off according to the weather.

All the boats are hauled up on shore, ready to be launched
when required, except the picket-boat, which we keep tem-
porarily afloat, firmly moored in a little cove where she seems
safe. In one of the dories hauled ashore on a headland away
from the ship and covered up, we put the explosives.

Our 10 tons of spirit are disembarked in their turn, and
sheltered under canvas. It is with great relief that I see the
ship for a time cleared of its dangerous cargo.

Finally Gourdon, who has done me the very great service
of undertaking the important but thankless job of commissariat
officer, with the care which he devotes to everything super-
intends the getting on shore of the cases of provisions, which
he has put under an imposing building, with a roof formed of
oars supporting a tent. Against this provision store we place
skis and sledges, spare oars, etc.

Beside these arrangements, which require time and labour,
a whole series of minor operations are in progress. Godfroy
has set working his two tide registers, and puts up a gauge
with marks easy to read from the ship. Rouch with runners
from the sledges constructs a Uttle erection of tropical appear-
ance, singularly out of harmony with the snow, over the ground
thermometers, which are buried in the ice. Gourdon, Gain
and Liouville help me to set up on the summit of the island a

10 145

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY X O T '

cairn with a weathercock, which can be read from on board
with the aid of field glasses. Thus the island bristles with odd-
looking buildings, whose upkeep, alteration and improvement
are our perpetual occupation.

All this setting in order of our winter quarters has taken
nearly a month. I have thought it necessary to describe the
general scheme for the better comprehension of what is to
follow, before resuming my personal journal of daily events.
The latter, I hope, will give the reader who wishes to realize
our life of alternate activity and monotony a better picture
than he could gather from long dissertations of our existence
in winter quarters, with the illusions and disillusions, the
achievements and mistakes which are the lot of Polar ex-
plorers whose one anxiety is to accomplish the task which
they have undertaken.

The weather during this period has been characterized by
strong gales, generally from the north-east, by snow, and by
overcast skies. We cannot, therefore, but be glad that we
are already in winter quarters and have commenced our series
of observations.

On board the Frangais we kept afloat until March 5 in
weather pretty much like this, and the experience left me, as
well as my comrades of the period, the memory of a brave but
very laborious struggle, rendered still more unpleasant by the
long nights spent amid icebergs and reefs. We have had the
luck this time of escaping this by arriving early in the Antarc-
tic, and we have nothing to regret, for we could have done no
useful work at sea.

Since our arrival here, up to the end of the month, we
have had only four fine days, and, as will be seen afterwards,
we took full advantage of them.

February 7. — Last night the weather was calm and won-
derful, with some splendid effects of soft light, tinting the
scenery in the tenderest of hues. Nearly all of us went out
after dinner to indulge in tobogganing or ski-ing, and we
146

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

spent a good hour amusing ourselves with a penguin which
refused to leave us. We stuck on his head now a cap, now a
mitten, and nothing could have been funnier than this gro-
tesquely muffled creature running along the snow and trying
to free himself from his cumbrous head-dress. What was
most curious, he seemed himself to be delighted with the game,
coming back to us, stretching out his head, and evincing great
satisfaction.

To-day it is still fine, and the sun is so bright that I took
the opportunity of having a bath on deck.

The island is becoming quite picturesque with its little
houses of various shapes. The seismograph hut (which re-
minds me of my garden at Neuilly, where I set it up experi-
mentally) is especially pretty, leaning against a rock, with its
little pointed roof and the telegraph posts joining it to the
ship. The atmospheric electricity hut is less graceful in shape,
but has its note of gaiety, nevertheless, for to strengthen its
walls we have covered them with the zinc signs of the kindly
purveyors who gave them to us with their goods ; and these
familiar pictures recall memories of all the corners of France
in which our eyes have looked at them.

February 8. — Jabet, whose duty it is every morning to
inform me of the weather, announces to me to-day : ' Calm,
no clouds.' We launch a whale-boat at once, and Gourdon,
Godfroy, Gain, three of the crew, and myself set off. The
weather is like yesterday's, fine and cloudless. It is so warm
that, even sitting still at the tiller, I cannot stand my coat,
while the rowers are in a perspiration with only their shirts
on. Passing close to icebergs of strange and graceful shape,
we reach without difficulty the first of the Argentine Islands,
and after climbing to its summit we proceed to that which
lies most to the south.

This very picturesque group of islands is composed of
rocks of various colours, grey, red, or black, sometimes even
green through the thick covering of moss upon them. Our

147

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

excursion is also enlivened by the fairly abundant animal life
we came across. There are a lot of gulls and niegalestrides,
perhaps more than we have ever seen together before. On
the floes the penguins gaze at us gravely, while the terns with
their deafening cries pass overhead, and a cormorant cuts
through air with its heavy flight, making straight for its object
without a pause.

On the last island we find what we were looking for, a
fine view over Cape Trois-Perez. It looks as if this cape were
the end of a mountain range isolated from those in the back-
ground. But is it a deep fjord lying south of it, a strait mak-
ing one more island, or a mere valley choked by a glacier, as
is so often the case ? It is only by making the long excursion
later that we can solve this question.

We lunch merrily, like canoeists on a holiday, close to a
little cascade of fresh water ; but just as we are leaving we
find that our rudder has disappeared, and we shall never
know either how or where it went. We replace it easily
enough with a plank nailed to a boat-hook.

Scarcely an hour later, thanks to the free water, we are
back on board, although during the Franpais Expedition the
same journey took thirty hours of hard work. It is true that
all that time we had to drag this same whale-boat over the ice.

In the harbour we see the ship moving alternately ahead and
astern. The underset has become formidable in this nook,
securely closed in though it seems to be. One of the iron-wire
hawsers from the stern has broken in consequence of the sudden
strains caused by this perpetual movement. I try, with a
certain amount of success, to set things right by hanging here
and there by ropes from the new hawsers ballasted buckets
reaching into the water, which stop too sharp pulls by the
elastic resistance they afford.

Next day, as the weather continues fine, I take the whale-
boat with three men to Wandcl, where I wish to deposit a
message telUng where we are. We find on our way a lot of
148

The Huts for the Transit Instrument and the Seismograph.

Sending up i M t :orologi< al Balloon.

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPBING,1909

icebergs and some masses of accumulated ice, which are often
tiresome to get through.

A whale in some shallows is engaged in an interesting
operation. It is evidently trying to discover whether there
is enough water for it, and for over five minutes it feels its
way, sinking a little, coming up again, and finally, finding
what it wants, makes its usual plunge.

Having reached the headland east of Hovgard, we rest
for a few minutes at this spot where we used to camp four
years ago. It gives me great pleasure to recognize these
little corners connected with the memories of the hard but
cheerfully endured struggle of our former Expedition. At
Wandel we moor at ' Whaleboat Point,' which used to serve
us as a landing-place, and I proceed to take my message to
the magnetic hut. Thanks to the astonishingly fine and warm
weather, the rocks are more uncovered than they ever used
to be, and the ice-cliffs are crumbling away noisily, covering
the sea with their debris.

I cannot get used to the idea that Wandel is uninhabited.
In spite of myself, I look for the familiar outline of the masts
of the little Frangais, and I should be in no way astonished
to see a human being coming toward me. I put down the
indifferent, and as it seems to me affected, air of the penguins
to their having been accustomed to see me before. It is
certain, at least as far as I am concerned that, if ' every separa-
tion, even the most looked-forward- to, has its grief,' a
coming back, on the other hand, has its sweetness. This
impression of a persistence of life at our old winter quarters
is so strong that their nearness to Petermann robs this station
of its feeling of isolation for me, and I am very frequently
obliged to make an effort to convince myself that we are really
all alone in the Antarctic.

On our way back we land at Hovgard, in a big hollow
where a considerable fall of the ice-cliffs has left bare the rocks
covered with enormous barnacles. The delighted men paddle

149

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

about laughing in the icy water, picking these up and filling
the boat with them.

A great black pall rises to seaward, with a north-west
breeze, and in the evening the sky is completely covered
except in the south-east, where a big blue gash lighte up the
mountain-tops fantastically. An enormous iceberg has come
to a stop at the northern point of our haven. It is 65 metres
high, more than double our mast. If such monsters, however,
are dangerous neighbours when they capsize, the slight depth
in which we are and the narrowness of the pass remove all
fears of a collision. Our barrier appears to hold good and
up to now only ice-blocks of a small size, and consequently
harmless, have succeeded in getting past them.

February 16. — During these last few days the weather
has been bad, the wind blowing more or less strongly from
between north and east-north-east. It is dull and grey,
with a fine snow and sometimes even rain, which was unknown
to us on the first expedition. From time to time the wind
drops for several hours, and the snow falls in big silent flakes.
The temperature keeps generally above zero, and it is difficult
to imagine anything more disagreeable than this muggy,
humid weather, which seems likely to last, for the barometer
has fallen this morning to 723 mm.

This does not prevent us from busying ourselves with the
work and observations already started, and continuing our
installations, which is the most important duty of the moment.
But we must not think of excursions, and I watch the days
growing shorter with regret.

Eouch having no hut suitable for them has had to content
himself with fixing up the registering vane and anemometer
on board ; but the ship is too sheltered and the information
given is necessarily inadequate. So I decide to go to Wandel
Island as soon as I can, to take down Ihe house we left there
four years ago. Put together again here, it will make a
magnificent observatory.
150

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

In any case, the bad weather has been turned to profit,
since I have had the excursion tents put up to test their
strength. The experiment has been a perfect success, for
these frail-looking structures have victoriously resisted the
assaults of wind and snow. I had them made of green silk
to avoid eye-strain, from which we suffered so much on our
previous expedition during our summer excursions in perpetual
daylight. This colour of theirs shows up pleasantly against
the white snow. The arrangement I have adopted seems a
good one. The tent is in the shape of a gendarme's cap, big
enough for three persons. The uprights are simply made of
four long ski-poles, joined two and two at their top-ends and
passed through a big hem in the silk. This spreads out on
all sides and stretches horizontally over the ground in such
a way that it can be covered over with snow, which not only
keeps the tent in place by its weight, but also prevents the
air from penetrating into the interior. The poles, which go
but a little way into the snow, being stopped by a ring bound
round with thread, are fastened by cords to two ice-axes driven
firmly in, and the opening is formed of a canvas bag, which
can be tied up either inside or out with a cord. In an intense
cold such as we expected these tents, which are the lightest
and least cumbersome one could imagine, when once folded
up, would leave nothing to be desired, I believe ; but in this
half-melted snow it would be better perhaps to replace the
silk with some thicker material, such as Burberry.

Chollet and two of the crew have taken a boat round the
island. He found very few seals, and this discovery is annoy-
ing, for we want fat to economize the coal, with which I am
very miserly, and I wished to lay up before the winter a good
stock of meat. The poor penguins will be the first to suffer
for this, since we must sacrifice some hundreds of them. I
detest these massacres, however indispensable they are in
our position, and they grieve me all the more because the birds
here are so gentle and inoffensive.

151

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

The penguins, if a subject of most absorbing study to Gain,
are a perpetual distraction for us. There is, on a rock rising
out of the snow a few metres from the ship, a colony of country-
folk (for this is the name I give to a few couples living separate
and isolated from the big rookeries) which gives us special
delight. It is composed of three couples with their young
and a mad penguin, which indulges in extraordinary contor-
tions and on which the others look with a kind of indulgent
pity. The men always call him the ' loony.' He often acts
as nurse to the little ones when the parents are away looking
for food. The young have as yet no down except on their
heads, where it forms a little cap which gives them a comic
appearance. They rather rouse our pity, these little birds,
so lacking in gaiety, and already as grave and dignified ae
their parents.

Many other young penguins belonging to the big rookery
have already lost their down, which has been replaced by
fine blue-black feathers ; but they have as yet no white circle
round the iris. This and their size and the bluish colour of
their plumage are all that distinguish them from their elders.
The latter take them to their bath, but the underset is strong
around the rocks on account of the bad weather, and the sea
breaks with considerable force, so that they have great diffi-
culty in entering the water and coming out again. Some
of the old ones even have had rough shocks in trying to be too
clever, and it is a wonder that they come through their adven-
tures without being injured. We spend hours watching
these birds with 1 heir human ways. The other day I witnessed
a scene which has often been repeated since. A mamma
penguin coming back from fishing was assailed by her two
starving youngsters ; but, probably in order to make them
take exercise, she tried to avoid them, forcing them to run
and stopping from time to time to disgorge a beakful for
them. Then she would start off again, holding out her beak
to the little ones without opening it, making feints, but always
152

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

finishing up by distributing her doles between the two witli
the greatest fairness.

Toward noon to-day the wind changes and blows smartly
from the south-west, bringing clear weather with it. I take
advantage of this to be off at once in the picket-boat with
Gain and four men to Wandel, where we arrive without diffi-
culty, after meeting innumerable icebergs but seeing no marine
ice.

As we discovered on our recent visits, the house which I
had had built of small panels, each one metre long, to facilitate
transport, is, except for the roof having been blown off, in
perfect condition, in spite of the attacks of the wind and the
pressure of the snow. It is easy to take the upper section
to pieces, the screws coming apart readily. But a complicated
task awaits us over the completely buried lower section, for
we have to cut into the ice to get the panels out, and soon
we get down to the water. The only way to get rid of this
is to dig a long channel, a tedious job ; still, before the end
of the day a good part of the house is already taken down and
put on board the picket-boat. Before we start back I climb
as far as the cairn, where I find four penguins in process of
moulting. At this period of their existence these poor birds,
separating into little groups and apparently hiding themselves
away, have a curious, suffering look about them, probably
due to the fact that, as they do not go into the sea during the
moult, they deprive themselves of food. They seem so
ashamed at being surprised by me in their retirement that I
am tempted to apologise to them for my indiscreet visit.

During my absence Gourdon and Senouque have been
in the Norwegian boat as far as the glacier on Danco Land,
opposite our anchorage, and they bring back the good news
that it is easy to land there.

Rouch is upset, and we torment him unmercifully, for
he has just discovered, in setting the sunlight-register to
work for the first time, that the instrument, which he bought

153

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

at the last moment, is for the northern hemisphere. We
are clever enough on board to alter the apparatus as wanted
and to make use of it. But evidently the big instrument
makers are not yet accustomed to South Polar expeditions.

February 17. — The weather is magnificent, like yesterday's,
but the wind is blowing fresh from the north-east, and we
must make haste, for this bodes no good. I set off, therefore,
for Wandel with Liouville in the morning. We worked hard
taking the house to pieces, under a sun so hot that we stripped
to our shirts and turned up our sleeves.

Water bothers us more and more, but this time more
than two-thirds of the building is taken down and put on
board. As we gradually cleared the interior of ice, we dis-
covered all that we left there four years ago, most of it
in good condition. The barrel containing 160 litres of alcohol,
5° below proof, which will be very useful to our naturalists,
is got out, and we find in the middle of a pile of rubbish,
boxes of preserved food and milk, some glass-ware, a bread-
basket, and finally, the little Simpson-Strickland engine of
the picket-boat which we had to abandon. This engine is
now encased in a huge block of ice. Later on, on board,
when the ice was melted, this engine was in perfect condition ;
so much so that as we were dissatisfied with the electric motor
which worked the Lucas sounder, we fitted some piping to
communicate with the boiler, and practically without the
necessity of repairs, this engine enabled us to take soundings
of great depth during the whole of the rest of our campaign.

Just as Gain did yesterday, Liouville brings back from
his trip an interesting harvest. On our way back we land
on a big floe to kill a sea-leopard, more than three metres long.
The poor brute defends itself bravely, but the revolver soon
accounts for it. It is a magnificent specimen for the. Museum
that we tow back, but its death leaves a painful impression
on my mind. It is strange that the men of the crew, who are
brave fellows, kind and good to the animals which they keep
154

A Crabbing Seal.

\ Sea Leopard.

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPEING,1909

on board, take pleasure in these slaughters and get excited
over them. It is true that the sportsmen who kill without
necessity, purely for pleasure, give a bad example to the
lower classes. Moreover, no amount of reasoning succeeds
in subduing this instinct, a relic of barbarism, which makes
men, even the best of them in their ordinary lives, believe
that by taking part in this useless exercise they are proving
their courage. Bongrain, for his part, has succeeded in killing
a WeddelPs Seal, so that we are provided with fat and meat
for some time, and our collection is getting gradually richer
We now only need a Boss's Seal to complete the series of
Antarctic Seals ; but we can scarcely hope to get one of these
until the summer campaign on the southern ice-pack.

There are four kinds of Antarctic seals, and, without giving
a detailed description, which belongs to the Natural History
department, I may mention some of their particularly dis-
tinctive characteristics.

Weddell's Seal (LeptonycJiotes Weddelli), or false sea-
leopard, is spotted sometimes with white, sometimes with
yellow, on a yellowish or grey ground. It is slenderer than
the Crabbing Seal, generally larger in size, and with its head
proportionately smaller. The teeth are of medium size and
the dentition is simple.

The Sea-leopard (Hydrurga Leptonyx) is the king of Ant-
arctic seals. It is dark grey, flecked with yellow spots of a
very large size. Its head, which is distinctly separated from
the body and at the end of a slender neck, is long, and the
powerful jaw is remarkable for its large teeth, of which the
molars have a peculiar arrangement as regards their points.
They are three in number, placed in a line parallel to the
elongated axis of the jaw, the tops of the two small lateral
points curving in towards the central one, which is large and
very sharp. The animal, as a whole, gives a fine impression
of supple force and strength.

The Crabbing Seal, or Dumont d'Urville's Seal (Lobodon

155

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Carcinophaga), has fur varying from olive-brown to silvery-
white, sprinkled sometimes with large patches of a yellowish
colour. Its size and proportions are intermediate between
those of Weddell's and Ross's Seals. It is more heavy and
thick-set than the former, and less than the latter. The
molars are characteristic, small compared with those of the
sea-leopard ; they consist of a central point, a smaller point
in front, and two or three others behind. The principal point
has a bidbous crown, and all have a tendency to curve back-
ward.

As for Ross's Seal (OmmatopTioca Rossi), the coloration
is generally olive in the dorsal region, shading off gradually
to dark olive in the abdominal region, with places that are
lighter and yellowish on the neck and breast. The body is
like a spindle-shaped bag, with very small limbs. The neck
is thick, shaped like a large round purse under the chin.
The head is short and big, the eyes prominent, and the flippers
are considerably smaller than is the case with other seals.
The dentition is very feeble.

All these animals are harmless to man, from whom they
do not fly, not having learned to know him. However, I
think it would be better not to trust too much in the sea-
leopard, which is of the right size and disposition to defend
itself in case of necessity. The most numerous seals around
us in our winter quarters are the Crabbing and Weddoll's
Seals, sometimes in single specimens, sometimes collected in
groups, even of more than one species. We have seen a fair
number of sea-leopards, but always by themselves. As for
Fur Seals, which used formerly to exist in abundance, at least
in the South Shetlands, the great commercial value of their
skins has caused their probably complete extinction. In any
case, we have never met any, and the whalers of Deception
Island, who are well placed for seeing and meeting them,
have never come across any.

February 21. — Except for a short, sudden gale from the
156

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING,1909

south-west, which only lasted for a few hours, the wind blows
persistently from the north-east, with the usual concomitants
of a drizzle of snow, or even rain, and a high temperature.
The thermometer has risen to +8°, and the thaw is so strong
that one hears as it were the noise of a regular torrent all over
our island, while on the mountain there are great crashes
and rumblings of avalanches. The snow is everywhere coloured
green and red by diatoms, and one might almost say that
white snow is the exception. Usually it is pink, but in conse-
quence of the abundance of unicellular algae in places it turns
to scarlet ; as for the greeu snow, its colour is so intense that
it gives the impression, at a distance, of regular prairies.
Some rocks, which certainly have not seen daylight for many
years, are uncovered, and if in the neighbourhood of the coast
icebergs are numerous, they are very few in the offing, and
not a fragment of marine ice is to be seen.

We have descended, by way of a snow-ravine, on to some
rocks which enable one to see the end of the southern fjord.
On the ice-cliff, which has been laid bare by the thaw, we
can see numerous streaky layers, looking like carpet flower-
beds. The diatoms cause this brilliant coloration of red,
green, and brown.

The sea must be very heavy in the open, for the swell
makes itself felt everywhere, and the Poarquoi-Pas f is rocked
in its haven in such a way as to make me fear for its moorings
and for t he gangway. Evidently this is an exceptional autumn,
and I do not know whether we ought to feel confident or
anxious about the future. For the present, the weather is
eminently disagreeable, and the sea's freedom from ice is of
no value to us, since with the persistent storms and the con-
tinual snow or fog we cannot take advantage of it, and we
should all prefer dry cold and the view of a good ice-pack.

February 22. — Godfroy, Gain and Liouville, with five
men, set off in the picket-boat, towing the dinghy, to fetch
what remains of the portable house. They return at 6.30,

157

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

bringing back all that I had left. The day's fine weather has
not stopped the thaw, and our island becomes dirtier and
dirtier. All that has been thrown overboard appears again
on the surface, giving an ugly appearance to the picture.
There are whales about us in considerable number, and the
sound of their powerful blowing is heard on the air every
moment. As the whalers very rightly suppose, they go
southward at the end of February.

February 23, Shrove Tuesday. — Without troubling about
the Carnival, the men have been at work since morning, and
under the direction of Gourdon, are stacking on land the cases
of provisions. At lunchtime Liouville appears with his
beard shaved off, wearing Austrian whiskers, with his nose
painted red and his head covered with a tropical helmet.
Then Gourdon and Gain disguise themselves in their turn,
showing a strong preference for white clothes and tropical
head-gear. The mess steward turns out in a most extra-
ordinary garb, and the cook is disguised as the chef in
a big hotel. This is the signal for a general masquerade,
very merry, though simple. The crew are content with
turning up their trouser-legs and displaying superb red under-
clothing, which, with their blue knitted vests and sealers'
boots and caps, makes a lovely uniform. Bongrain adds
to his already respectable height by adorning his head-dress
with the only feather on board, and carries in his hand an
enormous pole. Then every one gets hold of a gun and the
troop goes through evolutions on the island, while Liouville
uses a clarionet as a bugle and Lerebourg accompanies him
on a tin box as a drum, and Gourdon, harnessed to a sledge,
represents the ambulance service. The greatest merriment
prevails, and the rest of the day is treated as a holiday. In
spite of the north-east wind, we have been spared snow in
the afternoon, but in the evening it begins to fall again, so
that we do not lack confetti, fortunately clean. Dinner in-
cludes pancakes, well washed down, and Gourdon brings
158

Shrove Tuesday Masquerade.

Shrove Tuesday Parade.

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPEING, 1909

out of the hold a tin box, labelled ' For Shrove Tuesday,' con-
taining some excellent honey, which a member of his family
kindly presented before we started from home.

February 28. — The weather is worse than it has ever been.
Yesterday rain was coming down in torrents ; to-day the wind
blows from the north-east, with formidable gusts from
the east-north-east, which lift up regular whirlwinds of spray
in the channel. Through the violence of these gusts, which
catch her broadside on, the ship moves from her moorings.
However, we are protected here by the ice-cliff, which is
almo8l as high as our tops. If this were not so, where should
we be ? One of our hawsers breaks, and the day is spent in
attending to them and increasing them. Those to starboard
astern are made threefold, supplementary tackle is fastened
about the rock, and the forward chain is hauled taut.

In spite of all these precautions, the ship from time to
t ime meets with more shocks against the rock to port. Happily
we know she is stout, but nevertheless we could do without
these continual blows ; for one calm day, when the water
was particularly transparent, we were able to see that the
■uimmer campaign had not only brought the serious injury
to the stem, but had also left numerous traces on the sheathing
and also on the hull itself.

Off Berthelot Island, there is a very pretty effect of light.
The land stands out brilliantly illuminated, so that the smallest
details can be made out, in an atmosphere of metallic blue,
whilst elsewhere everything is wrapped in mist and fog.

Our first month in winter quarters is at an end, and no
one has wasted his time. Not only have we established our-
selves, but every one's work is well under way and organized
in a fashion that seems satisfactory. Boland is attached
to Bongrain, Nozal to Bouch, Dufreche to the naturalists.
Thomas is at the disposal of Senouque whenever he has need
of him, and Aveline at Godfroy's. The meteorological work,
after which Bouch looks during the day, is done at night by

159

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Nozal, Boland and Jabet. In this way, all is going on, and
should go on, as well as we can hope. The engineers' and
carpenters' workshop is kept busy, the sailors are working
well, and good health is general.

March 1. — In the evening the barometer, which had gone
down to 720 mm., goes up a little, while the blasts are weaker
and at greater intervals. In expectation of the wind jumping
to the south-west, I have had put out on the port side astern a
big tow-rope, fastened to an ice anchor wedged in some rocks.
The task of stacking the cases of provisions is going on and
we have begun to set up on Megalestris Hill the house from
Wandel Island.

March 3. — The weather is better, but the thermometer
is still below zero. The house is now in its place, and it
only remains to construct a roof to replace that which was
carried away. This sort of building is very practical, and
no one could have told that it had stood four years in this
rigorous climate. Eight on the top of the rock, standing out
against the blue sky, it looks very well, adding to the pic-
turesque effect of our improvised village ; and further, it
would be difficult to have, in these regions, a better meteoro-
logical observatory. The view from the interior, through
the little windows, is magnificent. On the one side, the grand
Lemaire Channel, with the fine mountains which make its
two banks ; on the other, the high ground behind Cape
Tuxen, which rises pale against the blue sky ; and lastly
below, the whole of our picturesque encampment, with the
Pourquoi-Pas f in its haven, surrounded by our little buildings
of weird and varied shapes, teeming with active life.

Four Megalcstrides have been killed for the kitchen, and,
unhappily for themselves, their flesh has been found excellent.
We must be economical with them, however, for, like the
big petrels, they help the naturalists by skinning the skeletons
of the seals for them.

In the south fjord, exactly below the house, a fair number
160

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1900

of whales have been plunging, and from this height it is easy
to observe their evolutions in the deep, transparent waters.
March 5. — At last the weather has turned magnificent y
calm and with beautiful sunshine. This afternoon, a few
banks of mist have passed, hiding the base of the mountains
but leaving their summits uncovered but they rapidly
dispersed and this evening all is clear, while each summit is
adorned with a little white fleecy cloud, which looks like a
plume on its top. Yesterday I went round the island in the
pick-etboat. We came across a magnificent arch in a much-
broken iceberg, through which I amused myself by passing.
It is difficult to imagine anything more agreeably impressive ;
one can never grow tired of this Antarctic architecture, it is
so varied and unexpected, now graceful and now grand.

The meteorological hut is quite finished. Its roof has
been cleverly and ingeniously made by Libois with scraps of
old tin boxes, and the whole structure is kept up by a network
of iron-wire and shrouds.

Roueh has installed there a registering wind-vane and
his hackwatch, a Fortin barometer and a registering one as
well. Just outside is the meteorological shelter which we
put up when we arrived.

The naturalists have found and brought back two seals.
These animals are now fairly numerous, and we do not require
any more.

March 7. — We have been away and come back. The pro-
jected excursion to Beascocheia Bay was completely successful,
and carried out more rapidly than I could have hoped. By
way of precaution, and also to enable us to separate, if it
should prove necessary to do so, I decided to tow the big
canoe with us. We took tents, bed-sacks and provisions.
Gourdon, Godfroy, Gain, Besnard and Denais were in the big
canoe ; Bongrain, Nozal, Frachat and myself in the picket-boat.

At 10.15 a.m. we reached Cape Tuxen, and while Bon-
grain was surveying, we raised a cairn to serve as a hydro-

ii 161

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

graphic signal. An hour later, we started off for Cape Trois-
Perez. The sea was completely free of ice-floes, and had
only scattered over it a few icebergs and their remains, which
we easily avoided. Between Tuxen and Cape Trois-Perez
there juts out an enormous glacier, the biggest I have seen
in the Antarctic. It receives numerous tributaries, and at
its end is dominated by a sheer granite wall, topped by a
layer of snow, which must be nearly 60 metres thick. We
are destined to find this imposing and unsurmountable wall
everywhere, seeming to forbid any attempt to penetrate into
the interior of the mainland. The glacier's face, especially
in the centre, is very high and disgorges enormous ice-blocks,
which dot the sea.

We coast along Darboux Island, whose vertical cliffs are
unfavourable to landing, and after threading masses of ice-
bergs, and cutting through a stretch of new ice, which our
picket-boat easily breaks, though its planks are scratched
as though by glass, we double Cape Trois-Perez, when a
magnificent spectacle is presented to our eyes.

Seen from the north, the Cape is already strange, with
its enormous slanting menhir rising up from the principal
mass, in front of two other peaks. On the southern side, as
is the case with Cape Tuxen, cliffs of more than 500 metres
in height rise up precipitously, majestic and sinister ; but
instead of being, as Tuxen is, tinted green with diorite, they
are composed of veins of pink granite, wonderful in colour
and arrangement. The picture is at once strange and beau-
tiful. At its very extremity, the Cape forms a little bay
open to the south-west, at the end of which is a wall with a
jagged top. To the right, a grotto opens out, and a little
beach of fine gravel runs down to the sea from a promontory
full of little coves. Certainly when we, in the past, gave the
name of three brothers whoso memory is dear to us, it was
to a place worthy of them and of our friendship.

We continue on our way towards the south-east, thus
162

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

getting; into :i large and deep fjord, bounded on one side by
the precipitous and rugged mountain which joins on to Cape
Trois-Perez, and on the other by the comparatively low range
which continues Cape Lahille and beyond which rises a lofty
range, evidently separated from the first by another fjord
parallel to that in which we are. Cape Lahille itself is on a
fairly long island, cut off by a narrow channel which runs into
the fjord whose existence we presume.

We are progressing at a speed of about 5 knots an hour,
and for a long time we have reason to hope that we shall reach
a strait or at least that we shall find an opening ; but to my
great vexation there is nothing of the kind. Beascocheia
Bay ends in a precipice and a big glacier full of ice crystals
and crevasses, over which towers that vertical granite wall
which turns up everywhere, unsurmountable and covered
with a thin crust of ice. This is perhaps the upper plateau of
Graham Land, but in any case it is impossible to reach it from
this side. The end of the fjord is choked with big icebergs,
their remains, new ice, and floes extending 2 or 3 metres be-
neath the water, which have evidently been detached from
the glacier-faces or from the coast. It is very probable that,
for some years, this bay has not been unfrozen, and that it is
only thanks to the exceptional autumn that we have been
able to get into it.

New ice, in this calm spot, forms about us with great
rapidity, and by staying here any time with our little boats
we should run a serious risk of finding ourselves blocked in.
The weather, which was superb up to 1 o'clock, is clouding
over, threatening from the direction of the offing snow and
fog ; but we keep on all the same, and I make up my mind
not to go about until 4 o'clock to return to Cape Trois-Perez.
A fine sea-leopard, swimming majestically along, has been
following us for a long time at some metres' distance, raising
itself out of the water to look into the boat with its big, round,
imposing eyes.

163

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

On reaching the cape our two boats separate, and while
Bongrain, aided by Boland, Nozal, does some surveying, the
others assist Gourdon in his geological searches. In the little
bay in the cape three Crabbing Seals are moving about in the
transparent water around the boat, playing about and snorting,,
and not even taking fright when we touch them with the oars.
In this shut-in place we might believe ourselves in the Zoolo-
gical Gardens, or in at Hagenbeck's famous Hamburg collection.

It is 8 p.m. when we think of returning. Night has come
on quickly and threatens to be black, so that I hesitate for a
moment whether to give the order to camp where we are ;
but I fear bad weather. Besides, our programme is complete,,
and I take a little pride in accomplishing this long round in
one day, and in overcoming difficulties of navigation by night.

Snow sets in, increasing the darkness, and we can see
neither icebergs nor rocks until we are quite close on them.
We progress by guesswork, and, although our look-out is very
sharp, we get some heavy blows. In spite of the tension of
our minds, or because of it, this is an impressive journey
amongst the great icebergs which suddenly rise up before us,.
ice-blocks which we scarcely see in time to escape by a sudden
turn of the tiller, and the reef black as night, whose presence
we only discover by the noise of the surf. At last, after
several detours, we recognize Deliverance Point, where we made
so disagreeable a stay some months ago, and following the
coast, which we know from this point, Ave double Cape Tuxcn.
By way of precaution, I had given orders for the searchlight
on board to be started at 10 o'clock, and we now discern its
light faintly through the mist. Half an hour before we get
back the motor stops in the middle of an accumulation of
ice-blocks, an accident having happened to the pump. We
do not wait to try and repair this ; the big canoe goes to the
front, to the great joy of its frozen crew, and, becoming the
tower instead of the towed, brings us back triumphantly to
our harbour amidst the jeers of the crew, addressed to Frachafc,
164

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

who is in despair over the breakdown of his beloved boat.
He can console himself, however, for we have done 50 miles
this day, often breaking through obstacles, and once again
motor and hull alike have given the utmost satisfaction. The
misfortune, as usual, comes about through the carelessness of
the firm to which was out rusted the work of putting the boat
together.

During our absence an iceberg, breaking up or turning
over, had roused a great wave which lifted the ship up, gave
a violent tug to the port chain, and precipitated into the cove
the apparently solid rock to which it was laced. The chain,
however, remains fastened round the rock, and I secure it
there still more strongly by gripes. We are still firmly moored,
but we shall perhaps have some difficulty in getting back our
chain when we want to leave, even if we do not find it necessary
to sacrifice one end of it.

March 9. — Gourdon, Gain, Godfroy and Senouque started
out yesterday for the glacier in front of our anchorage. In
spite of the great desire I had to accompany them and my
love of climbing, I thought it better to leave them to go this
excursion without me. I wish to encourage the utmost ini-
tiative in every one, to direct operations, as it were, from the
rear, and above all, to show that I do not try to monopolize
things. I believe, in this way, that the ultimate results will
be the greater. I am convinced that all are animated by
the best of spirits ; but the French character is such that the
interest in the common cause gives place very quickly to the
desire to act more on one's own behalf, and the leader who
has in view only the object for which he sets out must, I
bebeve, rule in accordance with the natures of those who are
under him.

My colleagues came back the same night very delighted,
having made a quick and easy ascent, but a very interesting
one, which holds out some hope of a path leading inland.
They had no difficulty in climbing the glacier, which comes

165

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT"

down to the water-level in a small point. They were also
able to hoist the Norwegian boat on to the ice, thus leaving
it in safety until their return.

This night, at 4 a.m., we felt on board a violent shock,
and the ship pitched and tossed for some minutes in an alarm-
ing way. This phenomenon, which repeats itself fairly fre-
quently more or less strongly, is evidently due to the breaking
up or capsizing of icebergs. To-day particularly, a very big
one, stationed at the entry of the cove, has suddenly changed
its shape. It is probable that icebergs, driven by the strong
current from south to north, get stranded in the shallows
which obstruct the entry to the little bay, and that the acci-
dent happens when, as the sea goes down, they touch bottom
or lose their equilibrium. Whatever it may be, this is a source
of real danger to the ship, for it is with difficulty that we keep
her away from the rock to port, and the hull, in spite of its
strength, runs the risk of serious harm from these shocks if
they are frequently repeated ; also our cables might all break
at once with a sudden strain, and the ship would then ground
violently ahead. Two hawsers have broken to-night, and I
am beginning to be really anxious. If this frightful weather
continues long and we are not soon firmly frozen in, we shall
never have enough hawsers to last out to the end. The number
of ice-blocks and icebergs which are moving about in the
channel is really extraordinary, and is certainly largely due
to the exceptional weather this autumn. The loss caused to
the glaciers by the heat is very great, and the production of
ice-blocks is constant. Also (as we can readily show by com-
parison with the same season of 1904 in these regions) some
usually frozen-up bays are now unlocked, setting at liberty
not only the big ice-floes which cover them, but also the shore
ice and the enormous masses from the glaciers which up to
now they have held prisoners. Every moment huge frag-
ments charge our boom, which I am in constant fear of seeing
give way. Certainly even in this nook, where it seems as if
166

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 190 9

wo must bo so well sheltered, our safety is only comparative.
March 10. — The same party as the other day has set out
for the glacier, approaching it from the other side. The face
of this glacier, which is close to Petermann Island, almost
opposite our anchorage, extends from Duseberg Rock to Cape
Rasmussen, but it is cut in two by Mount Rude, of which
Middle Mountain is a prolongation. The whole of the central
portion of these two glaciers is composed of a magnificent,
crevassed chaos, absolutely unapproachable, and it is only on
the sides of the rocky masses which bound them that the ice
is passable, being comparatively smooth and seamed by few
crevasses, easy to get round or cross. The last time my col-
leagues landed near Duseberg Rock, which enabled them to
explore east and north-east. This time they land at Cape
Rasmussen to turn their attention to the south-east. I ac-
companied them off at 4 a.m., accompanied by Liouville in
the big canoe, manned by Denais, Boland, Nozal and Herve\
An hour and a half after, making our way through a great
quantity of broken-up ice, we reach Rasmussen and land
without difficulty on a rocky point, on which the glacier rests.
The place is very picturesque, for the cape is formed of a great
cliff of black rock, split in two by a large rift, which makes a
cove. Although the party is to return the same evening, in
consequence of the distance we are from the boat, I have
insisted on their leaving a camp and provisions on the cape,
and while our men are putting the material on shore, I go a
short way with the others on to the glacier. The ground is
excellent, being formed of hard ice, on which one can walk
without fatigue, covered by a layer of snow just sufficient to
prevent slipping. The weather is superb and very mild ;
indeed, mildness is the characteristic of this morning. The
sun, scarcely up yet, tints with a pale pink, alternating with
the bright or faint blue of the portions which are in the shade,
the tremendous and indescribable chaos of the glacier which
we are crossing, thus for an instant softening away the habitu-

167

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

ally sinister appearance of this piece of savage nature. After
having agreed on a signal for the recall of the boat, Liouvillo
and I return on board with regrets.

I get back just in time to inflict a vigorous whipping on
Polaire. We are trying, with great difficulty, to teach this
dog not to pursue and frighten the penguins. The latter
defend themselves very well when she attacks them in front ;
but whenever she can, and we are not there, she attacks them
in the rear. To-day she set upon some megalestrides, and
one of them is dragging itself along miserably over the island
wounded. Evil befel Polaire, however, for another of these
courageous birds, coming to the help of its comrade, gave her
a sharp blow with its beak, and I for my part gave her a lesson
which she will remember. We are obliged to kill for our
collection, as also for our food ; but I do not allow useless
cruelty, either on the part of the men or of the animals.

At 7.30 I go back to look for my colleagues at Easmussen.
They have walked for 13 hours, climbing to a height of 1,000
metres, and thus penetrating behind the big glacier situated
between Tuxen and Cape Trois-Perez. The weather remain-
ing very fine until this evening, when snow is beginning to fall
again, has given them a chance of enjoying a magnificent view
and of bringing back some interesting details about the neigh-
bourhood. But there is scarcely any chance, they say, of
penetrating into the interior on this side. I regret it, for Cape
Rasmussen, although very far from our ship, offers a good
basis for operations. The lie of the rocks not only gives an
opportunity for the establishment of a camp (for one must
always look out for sudden and prolonged interruptions of
•communications), but also provides a permanent place of
disembarkation, whereas (lie other glacier, having no founda-
tion supporting its end, might at any moment present an
insurmountable wall to us.

Navigation amongst the ice has very much cut up the
planks of the picket -boat and the big canoe. To avoid this
1 68

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

•dangerous wear and tear in future, I have nailed to the
waterlinc of these two boats a sheathing made of the metal
of old flour-tins.

March 15. — For the last few days the weather has been
bad, sometimes horrible, the wind blowing from the east and
east -north-east, accompanied by snowfalls and drifts of great
persistence; still there have been a few jumps to the west
and the south-west, setting up in our cove an even stronger
swell, and giving us fresh trouble with our cables. An anemo-
meter placed on the summit of the island has been broken by
the wind, and the cook, whose duty it is every day to go and
verify the number of turns, has come back with the instrument
in a sad state. Fortunately our engineers are clever, and
under the guidance of Rosselin they have quickly repaired it
and even made a spare one. The gangway, also, has almost
been smashed against the rocks which support it, during the
movements of the ship, which from time to time have gone
near to causing serious damage on board. Chollet, with
great ingenuity, has installed a stronger tackle purchase, which
allows the gangway to be raised and lowered like a drawbridge.
At the end we have put a rope ladder, and when the swell is
on going ashore and coming on board necessitate an amusing
little gymnastic feat.

A fairly large ice-block has succeeded in passing the boom,
and has just come astern of us ; but I have had it pushed off
at once to one side by aid of the picket-boat, and moored in
such a way that it cannot do us any damage.

March 19. — Gourdon, Godfroy, Gain and Senouque have
visited and returned from the glacier, where they have planted
a line of stakes, which serve to measure the distance covered.
With an additional crew of four men I accompanied them on
the morning of the 17th to land their stores and run up the
tent. At 9 o'clock we had soon hoisted the heavy sledge, and
the camp was installed in a hollow formed by the eddying
wind at the foot of a rocky crest which we call the Edge. It

169

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

is from the summit of this crest that Godfroy will verify the
alignment of the stakes and take their bearings.

From this altitude the view is magnificent over the Biscoe
Islands, and stretches well beyond Victor Hugo Island. The
sea is absolutely free ; perhaps I should say desperately free,
for we are all urgently praying for cold and good solid ice.
About the same time four years ago we were frozen in at
Wandel.

At the side of the glacier there are some large tracts, almost
level, sprinkled with very few crevasses, and some seductive
valleys seem to invite us to push forward into the interior of
the land. Two of them have been explored, but offer no way
through ; I hope that the third will not similarly disappoint
us.

We lunched gaily altogether ; then I and my crew descended,
leaving the others to their work. I was able to follow their
movements from on board with the refracting telescope, and
in the absence of marine ice to block them in there is no reason
to fear about their return.

The next day was also fine and favourable to their work,
but yesterday the north-easterly started to blow again with
snow and sleet, and I saw the party from the glacier come
down, leaving the camp, as we agreed should be done in case
of bad weather. I went to meet them in a boat, and I had
the satisfaction of learning that all appreciated the stores for
the trip which I had so carefully prepared before they started.
They even told me that they had no criticisms to offer. The
contents of the excursion boxes in particular were a great
success, the soup which formed part of them being really
excellent ; and yet the weight was no greater than that of the
rations carried by other expeditions. But as Gourdon had
completely forgotten to take the petroleum they had to be
content with an improvised alcohol lamp, and they cannot tell
me if the little modifications which I made in the Nanseu
kitchens were successful.
170

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPRING, 1909

This afternoon a seal played a joke upon us. One of my
colleagues came to tell me that a Crabbing Seal, stranded on
the beach, was in death agonies. It might have been of the
greatest interest to the naturalists to examine one of these
animals dying a natural death ; and in order that the sea
might not carry it away, we hosted it carefully on to the snow.
The seal calmly allowed us to do this, and then, when we
thought it safely fixed up, it slipped rapidly and with the
greatest assurance between our legs and returned to the water,
where it indulged in joyful frolics, which proved at once its
good health and good temper.

Mid-Lent, postponed for a day to allow the trippers to take
part in it, has been spent joyfully with the help of a wonderful
preserved goose, which my devoted friend, Ch. Eabot, had
given me for Christmas. In the jumble of our store-room, it
was in vain that we looked for it at Christmas ; but the faith-
ful Jabet during the last re-arrangement brought it to us
triumphantly a few days ago, and we are glad now that we
were obliged to keep it until this date.

A big hole has been dug in the ice, some sets of shelves
have been erected in it, two of the dories have been placed
over them as a roof, and in this way, in scarcely 2 hours' time,
we have an excellent pantry, in which we put our stock of
penguin and seal meat.

March 24. — We are again in the midst of a tempest. The
temperature, which during the few fine days (if one can call by
this name such grey and gloomy weather) had gone down to
— 1° or — 2°, rises to -f 5°, and the horrible thaw commences
again. Alternating with snow and sleet, rain falls abundantly,
just as it does at Brest and Cherbourg, which seems ridiculous
in these regions. I always find that one of the greatest comforts
of this part of the world is precisely the absence of rain and
the confidence with which one can go out without one's um-
brella ! Now it is absolutely necessary for those of us who
possess such things to show our respect for local colour and

171

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

refrain from opening them, a proceeding which would entail
the risk of seeing them carried away by the wind.

The swell is making itself more and more strongly felt.
We are having perpetual trouble with our cables, especially
through the fragments of ice. The east-north-east wind sends
the latter towards the southern point of the entrance to our
cove, and as soon as there is a calm the heavy swell drives
them inward. A very large piece has balanced itself on the
boom and finishes by breaking it, thus giving free entry to
the others. We cannot dream of repairing the boom in this
weather and shutting in the enemy with us, so we have to be
content with clapping hawsers on the ice-blocks, either by tak-
ing advantage of their irregularities or by means of ice-anchors,
and with removing them from the ship. But we are at the
mercy of a break in one of the hawsers, and I pass anxious
nights listening to the dull crashes to be heard alongside the
ship. For a whole morning, amid snow and wind, we had to
wrestle with an ice-block as big as the ship itself, which threat-
ened to strike our stern, and would have smashed it up com-
pletely in a few seconds. We divided into two groups, one
lot pushing the ice-block away, the other swinging on with
the tackle, while the picket-boat strove to turn it aside. We
only succeeded in removing it a bare metre away, and since
then it has been hanging over our stern like the sword of
Damocles.

The poor old cat which we took on board at Buenos Aires,
and which presented us with six kittens, is dead. She was
an affectionate creature, very touching in her maternal love.

March 25. — Yesterday evening, about 7 o'clock, the wind
fell and immediately the barometer started to rise, tracing an
almost perpendicular line. After a heavy snow-drift, mixed
with rain, the wind started again from the west, blowing in
threat gusts.

The ship and I lie ice-block have exchanged some heavy
blows, then suddenly the latter has capsized, by a miracle
172

AUTUMN, SPRING, AND WINTER, 1909

causing us no injury. The weather is grey this morning, but
calm, and I have decided to clear our harbour of our terrible
neighbours. We vainly try to blow up the biggest with a
charge of gun-cotton. It capsizes again, all but sending into
the water Bongrain and Lerebourg ; and at this moment our
attention is called elsewhere. The news is brought to me,
indeed, that the absolutely indispensable starboard chain
threatens to come off the huge rock around which it is laced.
The smooth walls of this somewhat conical rock offer no
projections to stop slipping, and the very weight of the
chain, on which I counted, is insufficient to withstand the
abrupt pulls upon it.

With sledgehammers, chisels and pickaxes, and all the
tools we can find, the men take it in turns for hours making
notches in the hard granite. They succeed after a fashion,
and finally fix some iron stakes in the clefts ; and the chain
is now kept firmly in its place with strong tackle added as an
additional security. We shall examine it every day.

March 27. — We have visited the glacier again. What I
expected has unfortunately happened. At the spot where
we usually landed a fall has left a vertical wall, impossible to
chmb, and we must look for another point more to the south.
But this new way is difficult ; we have to cut steps and walk
roped together along narrow tracks between deep crevasses,
where a slip would be fatal. Nevertheless, it is by this route
that we bring down the sledge and the greater part of the
stores, leaving for future trips the tent, some bed-sacks, and
provisions on the top of the glacier. This task recalls to me
the time when in the Alps I enthusiastically aided the artillery-
men to bring down their mountain guns, which went a long
way to give me a taste for such adventures.

The difficulty in reaching the glacier leaves me somewhat
anxious. The least landslip at any moment may cut off the
road ; and, apart from the danger there would be for a party
isolated from the ship, without the slightest chance of getting

*73

THE VOYAGE OP THE 'WHY NOT'

provisions except those they had taken with them, we might
be totally prevented from continuing our excursions into the
interior.

March 30. — The ice-blocks which were unwilling to leave
our harbour have finished by wearing through two of our
hawsers, which we had to fasten together as well as possible
this morning. We absolutely must get rid of them at all
costs. It is calm, and the usual current running north is very
strong ; but at the point of our cove there is a back-wash to
be dealt with. Also, the icebergs' draught of water obliges
us to steer them round the shallows at the entrance. Hawsers
are clapped round the masses of ice, and part of the crew
hauls on to these on shore. Others in the big canoe try to
tow them, while the picket-boat tows and pushes alternately.
A Crabbing Seal in the water looks on at our work with a
mocking air. I throw a snowball full in its face, and with an
air of offended dignity it snorts its thorough disapproval of
the Uberty that I have dared to take. Finally, after more
than 7 hours' work, we have succeeded in clearing our harbour.
With six bights of iron-wire hawser we re-establish a boom,
which we have every reason to believe firm.

Liouville has been out in the Norwegian boat, but the bad
weather has forced him to abandon it on an islet, and we seek
in vain to find it.

April 1. —

" Avril vient do naitro
Et par la fenetre,
Le soleil joyous
Nous fait les doux yeux."

This refrain, gaily chanted by a man on deck woke me up
this morning ; and, as a matter of fact, yesterday's bad
weather has given place to calm, and a ray of sunlight brightens
up my scuttle. But in the afternoon the sky clouds over and
it snows abundantly, with a feeble breeze from the south-east,
nowever, the thermometer is below zero and the island is at
174

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

last covered with a fine, clean, white sheet, which pleases me
very much.

April 9. — The commencement of the month is calm, with
occasional elear-ups. Bongrain has been able to spend a day
on the Argentine Islands surveying, and he has come back
with 150 penguins, whose flesh garnishes the shelves of our
meat department. In the course of this trip, Frachat and
Boland were poisoned under the tent covering the picket-boat
by carbonic oxide, the blast pipe having been badly fitted.
Fortunately it is easy to put this to rights, while suitable
treatment soon set the two victims on their feet again.

Thanks to a temperature of — 6°, some new ice is forming
round the ship, and the slopes of the island are becoming very
favourable for tobogganing. We give ourselves up to this
sport furiously, and the toboggans which I had brought from
Norway go up and down incessantly. The inequalities of the
ground and the rapid slope cause a few accidents, but none
are serious. Gain has a contusion of the leg, Gourdon skins
his nose, and I myself . sprain my two heels fairly badly, which
keeps me on my back for several days. This stupid accident
prevents me from re-visiting the glacier. As for Godfroy, he
gets a blister which stops him from wearing heavy boots. So
our colleagues, to make up the party, take with them the
cook, Modaine, who has been suffering from nerves for some
time and will be benefited by this climb. In his absence
Chollet, Jabet and J. Gu^guen take charge of the cook's galley,
putting on the symbolical apron, and like all good sailors they
acquit themselves admirably. They start their important
duties with a master-stroke, serving up a formidable pie of
seal and penguin, seasoned with blubber, the composition of
which, it seems, they have been thinking of for several weeks.

The excursionists come back the next day but one. They
were stopped on their way by thick snow, into which they
sank half way up the thigh, and they have not been able to
discover whether the neck on which we build our hopes termi-

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

nates in a practicable glacier or not. The bringing down
of the stores was very difficult. While Godfroy, with a re-
inforcement of four men to aid them, climbed on to the glacier,
I, incapacitated by my sprains, steer the picket-boat away
from the glacier-face, which is perpetually crumbUng, and a
short time before, during a land slide, very nearly crushed
our boats or at least swamped them in the huge waves which
were stirred up. After having crossed crevasses and bridges
of ice, our men succeed in letting down the sledge gradually
on the end of a grapnel rope, and fortunately all goes off
without an accident.

The navigation of the channel is now rather difficult, for
it is choked with ice soldered together, with icebergs and
their debris. Nevertheless, by making from pool to pool
through winding ways, I succeed in getting on board, but it
is clear that we must not count too much on navigating this
autumn. Our island is gradually being deserted by its birds.
All have already left their nests and many have gone away.
The penguins come and go in groups, almost all the young
ones being able now to go into the sea, and rest on the island
after their fishing. The Giant Petrels and the Megalestrides
are still here in fairly big numbers, attracted by the bodies
of the seals, and so are some Sheath-bills. The pretty little
Snowy Petrels (Pagodroma Nirca), arrived in bands at tho
same time as the ice coining from the south.

The men are building some snow-houses very skilfully.
The veterans of the Francais are teaching the new-comers to
cut out. with narrow spades big rectangular blocks of ice and
to pile them up in domes. One of these houses has to serve
as a supplementary larder, and when it is finished, its summit
is adorned with a Hag. On the other the (lag is replaced by
a small broom sufficiently indicating its purpose.

April 11, Easter Sunday. — I bring out of (lie reserve store
of parcels which are only to be opened on fete-days a mag-
nilicent cardboard egg, which bears the label of a Guernsey
176

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPKING, 1909

tirm, and makes me think, of the frightful tempest which,
just after wo had left Cherbourg, forced us after two days of
struggle to put into the pretty and hospitable little harbour
of St. Pierre. In France the Pourquoi-Pas t had been given
up as lost, as so many other ships were during this gale, but
almost at the very start-off our stout ship showed herself
capable of facing the worst of seas.

The barometer has started to go down again, the ther-
mometer has risen to +6°, and the north-easter is blowing.

April 13. — The wind veers abruptly to the south-west,
bringing down the temperature to — 7°. Up to the present
we have agreed, in order to save our coal for the summer cam-
paign, to have no fires. So we have never had in the ward-
room more than 6°, and sometimes only 2° or even 1°. In
my cabin, I have even had a few degrees below zero. But
it is rather the dreadful dampness of which we complain.
We are almost all of us suffering abominably from chilblains,
which poison our existence. I have never before been attacked
by this malady, but I now understand the tears which they
used to cause my little comrades at school. I had decided
to light the stove to-day, and as I was slow in fulfilling my
promise, Gain, in imitation of the old farce, surreptitiously
put a candle inside, which gave a bright light through the
sheet of mica covering the opening. Several of us on coming
into the ward-room rubbed our hands, rejoicing over the plea-
sant warmth, and one even went so far as to complain that
it was excessive !

At last we actually light the stove, and this important
step makes me uneasy, for I am as much afraid of excessive
consumption of fuel as of insufficient warmth. Happily
my fears are not justified. The kind of stove we have does
its work admirably, and with less than 20 kilogrammes of
coal in the 24 hours it burns night and day while the arrange-
ment of the rooms allows for an even temperature of 12° and
13° being kept up in all of them. Only in my cabin, further

12 177

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

removed from the ward-room I have in great frosts a rather
low temperature. What a difference now and on board the
Franfais, where a wretched kind of stove, bought like all else
at the lowest price, gave us so much trouble, sometimes
getting red-hot with an unbearable temperature of + 25°,
sometimes smoking so badly that the sky-light had to be
opened, which brought the thermometer down to — 10°,
if its absolute refusal to burn did not produce the same
horrible result.

On the mess deck, a stove of the same kind as our own burns
just as well as ours, and I feel reassured for the winter.

In the interests of health, it is decided that henceforward
for a quarter of an hour every morning, a strong current of
fresh air shall be let into the ward-room.

April 21. — The temperature remains low. The ther-
mometer has even gone down to — 17°, and the crew are
already talking of the 50° below zero which they hope to
have in order to be able to tell their friends in France about
it later. However this may be, the dry cold weather is
more agreeable and bearable than what we have been suffering
from previously. Since we have had fires, whether it is from
the absence of humidity, the warmth, or some other reason,
we are suffering no more from chilblains, except one of us
whose complaint is stubborn. This is a real consolation.

On the 14th, ' pancake ' ice formed round the ship. This
name is applied to round slabs of ice with their edges slightly
turned up by the action of the gentle swell. But soon (lie
slabs are soldered together, and a few falls of snow u'ives them
an uniform aspect. Godfroy has been able with care to
reach over this ice his tide-gauge, which is set up against the
rock at some distance from the ship.

A sea-leopard succeeds easily in breaking through the
ire with its head, and looks at us curiously through the hole
which it has made. This is the usual practice with seals for
breathing when the sea is covered with pack-ice.
178

AUTUMN, WINTEK, AND SPEING, 1909

The channel is completely filled with stationary ice,
which seems soldered together and stretches out of sight to
the south. In the offing the sea is frozen over a fairly large
expanse, and I seem to see on the horizon also some pack-
ice. Nevertheless, in the passage which we took this summer
on our way out between Petermann and the Argentine Islands
there is still a large oblique rift, which stretches from the
open sea to Tuxen.

The fairly abundant snow-falls make necessary a good
deal of sweeping. The disembarkation of our stores was
carried out in a full thaw, and to find again now what we
want, which is being buried deeper and deeper under a thick,
unmelting covering, we have to institute regular searches.
The boats which are pulled up on shore need special care ;
we have to prevent them from being covered up by snow,
which, as it hardens, would encase them in regular blocks of
ice, where they would stand the risk of being crushed, and
from which we could not take them out without serious
injury. To keep them safe, we dig round them deep trenches,
which will at least stop the snow-drift. The picket-boat,
which has become useless, is resting for the winter. Its motor
has been taken out, and it is hoisted up under the bowsprit.

Toboggans and skis are our great distraction. Everybody
is now more or less able to keep up on these latter, and some
have even become very skilful. We have made a track to
practise ourselves in jumping.

I heard that the 15th was Libois's birthday. Like Chollet,
Jabet and J. Gueguen, he has been in my service for long years,
all four having accompanied me to the Jan Mayen Land on
my last expedition. He is a good fireman, carpenter and
handy man, and a hard worker, eager to please one, never
finding anything impossible, and gifted with an excellent din-
position, which gives him a very good influence over his
comrades. So I take the opportunity of celebrating the half
century which he has attained.

179

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

The barometer went down on the 18th, to 718, and the
thermometer rose to — 1° 3 ; but the north-easter only blew
for a very little, and the wind has come round to the south-
west, blowing fairly strongly, with a temperature of — 13°.

April 26. — I have been to the summit of the island to
observe the state of the ice. This climb, which is always
monotonous, was made irksome and tiring by the crumbling
snow, into which I sank half-way up my legs. From my
observatory I see the pack-ice stretching very far over the
high sea, almost up to the horizon, except to the north, where
it is still free. On the channel side there is an accumulation
of pack-ice, composed of new ice, bergs and big, thick floes,
probably coming from the end of the bay ; but, on the other
hand, big stretches of water separate the masses, and half
Girard Bay, as well as the part of Lemaire Channel between
VVandel and the coast, are completely free.

It will be some time before all is sufficiently firm to allow
us to venture on this ice, but I do not wish to be found
unprovided and I have made ready for trial a dory mounted
on one of our sledges. These flat-bottomed boats, which
are used by the Newfoundlanders, seem to me very practical
for Polar expeditions. They can hold a lot of stores, carry
a large number of men, and are yet so light that two of us
were easily able to push one on the sledge over the ice. We
also possess, besides two Berthons, a little Williamson boat
of canvas with a flat bottom ; this excellent vessel, placed
on a small sledge, might also be very useful for short excur-
sions.

The ship's rat, the only one since his companion committed
suicide by falling through one of the scuppers, after having
given no signs of life for two months has again given proof of
his existence by eating two birds prepared by Gain. It is sad
that he is spoiling o\ir collections thus, for the cats seem to
trouble very little about him, and we too could easily have
put up with him. I had even a scheme for taming him. How
180

Hauling the Norwegian Boat over the Glacier.

The Argentine Islands.

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPEING, 1909

this poor solitary rat must be bored, and how much he
must regret his choice of a ship !

On the 25th, about 1 a.m., we saw a Southern Aurora,
so faint that several denied its existence. That it was there,
however, was proved by Senouque's magnetometers, which
registered a strong disturbance.

April 30. — On the 27th, the barometer dropped almost
vertically to 720, but in spite of my fears of a gale this fall
was only followed by overcast and foggy weather, a calm,
a little snow, and a brief rise in the temperature. But there
must have been bad weather some way off, for we hear the
noise of the sea and the swell makes itself felt fairly strongly,
in spite of the fortunate resistance of the ice.

We can venture out a little on the ice of our harbour, and
Gourdon has begun to cut pieces out of it to measure its
thickness and study it. Gain has been fishing for plankton
at the entrance of the channel.

The ward-room skylight is covered with flowers, frost-
flowers on the outside, and inside some superb hyacinths,
which Gain and Gourdon are growing with the greatest care.
There is even a regular horticultural battle on between them,
and if Gourdon, who has some very fine blooms, is amused
at seeing Gain's onions running to leaf, Gain on his side,
proud of his cress, which takes very kindly to Antarctic
soil, never ceases to sneer at his colleague's useless crops.

May 1. — Since yesterday the wind has been blowing again
in a tempest from the east-north-east. The ice in the channel
is entirely broken up and afloat with the wind. In our cove,
great cracks have opened and the separate slabs thus pro-
duced, wearing themselves away against each other, crash
against our hull more and more heavily as they get freer
Play-
There have been several hours of calm, during which the
continual whistling of the wind among the masts and the
sound of the rattling ropes and the flapping canvas of the

181

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

awnings are followed by a great dull rumbling, which can be
heard in the far distance, grand and awe-inspiring. The
causes are the breaking of the sea against the shores and the
icebergs and the movements of the ice. After this temporary
pause the wind has sprung up more strongly than ever.

May 20. — For twenty-one days the tempest has continued
without respite. We live amid snow, mist, and blinding
drift. It is almost a torture to go out during the few hours
of daylight, if one must give this name to the gloomy and
foggy atmosphere which envelopes us.

The registering anemometer in the meteorological hut
has been broken, but fortunately the engine-room men have
succeeded in constructing another with a stronger axis.

Some of the men on May 4 remembered that it was St.
Monica's Day, my little daughter's birthday, and J. Gueguen
brings me what he calls ' a little boat in a little bottle for
little Monica.' The men take great pleasure in constructing
model boats of various sizes, but the present fashion is for
boats inside bottles. Chollet is the great artist, and he gave
us the other day a demonstration of the clever manner in
which, in a very short time, he gets through the narrow neck
of the bottle the compressed hull and rigging of the ship,
and then with the aid of a little hook spreads it all out. To
puzzle him, we gave him a small flask, but on the next day
In' gave it back to us with a full-rigged ship inside it. Liou-
ville then gave him a tiny medicine-bottle, and Collet gravely,
but triumphantly, brought it back containing a whaler manned
by four oars.

On St. Monica's Day we dined with flowers on the table,
ic:il (lowers coming from Gourdon's nursery, while a magni-
ficent cake, a present Erom the cook, \\:t^ pul on at dessert.

The ice in our cove, broken up into small fragments, has
been for a long time only kept in place by the hawsers, and at
last all has got free and once more the Ship is surrounded by
open water. It requires both our absorption in work and
182

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

our firmness of will not to let ourselves be downcast and
thoroughly demoralized by these untoward changes of climate.

Day by day our observations continue their normal course.
The whole staff works with its usual enthusiasm, without
relaxing for a moment, happy at being able to collect in-
teresting specimens or facts or to suggest alterations likely to
be of service on board. Being convinced that with serious
workers, who have made up their minds from the start to do
t heir duty thoroughly, the maximum of results will be attained
by such a method and such a display of confidence, I leave
to each one the direction of, and absolute responsibility for,
his work, restricting myself to asking for a monthly report ;
and I do my very best to make easy every one's labour, and
to assure to all the utmost possible comfort.

I must say (and I do so with a certain pride, since it is
mainly due to the organization of the Expedition) that this
comfort is real, and that it is already giving the results which
I had a right to expect. Few expeditions, I think, have
been so well apportioned from the point of view of scientific
work. Every member of the staff has his own private cabin,
where he can shut himself up and work. The biological and
physical science laboratories, although small, are separate
and comfortable ; the photographic laboratory is huge and
well lilted. A nice warmth prevails all over the ship, and
we are lighted everywhere by electricity, a luxury beyond
value. Food is abundant, and one can have as much water
as one wants to wash in, which is rare on Polar expeditions.
We really lack for nothing, in some cases we have more than
we want. The crew is sufficiently large to relieve us for most
of the time of all fatiguing labour, and every worker has all
the assistance he requires. Under the able direction of
Rosselin, the engine-room men labour incessantly, not only
at the ship's duties but also to repair, improve and
construct scientific instruments and to increase the well-
being of all. Poste, Monzimat, and Frachat are in particular

183

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

very clever workmen. Libois is the excellent carpenter of
whom I have already spoken, and the whole crew, with Chollet,
Jabet and Besnard at their head, show the skill and ingenuity
of sailors, animated by the best intentions, and do the greatest
services to the common weal, making our task very much
easier. Nozal and Boland, our young cadets from the Mer-
chant Marine, are clever, hard-working and amiable, and
assist in the labours of Bongrain and Bouch, to whom they
are specially attached. Ah-eady the advantages of our
comfort and organization make themselves felt, for, as the
observations are taken, many of their results are immediately
made clear and tabulated. In this way Bongrain has already
been able to present us with a very satisfactory map of the
discoveries of our summer campaign. I have every right
to expect that, as soon as we get back to civilization, we shall
be able to send to the Academic des Sciences a graphic sketch
of our achievements. In our winter quarters we are bike a
set of working monks, who enjoy all the comparative well-
being that can be expected in such isolation. I must, how-
ever, add that if this comfort is much to be appreciated with
a view to the principal end of our mission, it has also its draw-
backs. Naturally, those who have not taken part in any
expedition, or who have not sailed except in the luxury of
big ships, become exacting. For instance, if the electric
light is temporarily stopped by a small mishap, even though
it be replaced by a petroleum-lamp in each cabin, one sees
long faces. If a dish be too salt or not salt enough, it is re-
jected with disgust ; and so on through a whole series of
things. Of course, this is very excusable. It is the case
with all people, whose necessities increase with their good
fortune. But I am convinced that those who complain the
most would be the first to give a good example in case of
accident. On board the little Fran^ais, where we had to
Be1 our bands to everything, to help the crew and protect
the lives of the community, where we worked all crowded
184

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

into a common saloon, where we bad to economize food,
clothing and light, while suffering from the cold, every small
luxury and every slight improvement, for the most part
introduced by our own ingenuity, was welcomed with the
greatest joy. We should have considered then as an impos-
sible dream the solid comfort which we have enjoyed during
the second Expedition, which we owe to the experience we
acquired and to the funds which I had at my disposal.

Since May 1, the winter programme has been organized.
The rules of health, the same which were in force on board
the Franfais, where they gave such good results, have been
applied on the mess deck, and everything goes as well as
possible. Open air exercise is one of the necessities to which
I attach the most importance, and the men do not need
much driving to this. In the morning, there is the task of
getting the ice for the manufacture of fresh water, which
necessitates a fairly long trip, followed by some active toil
in cutting, gathering, and bringing back on the sledges, the
blocks of fine clear ice. The diatoms which stain the snow,
and still more the contamination of the latter by the detritus
from the penguin rookeries, do not allow us to get our water
in the neighbourhood of the ship. Sometimes the work is
much simplified by the presence of a fine ice-block in the entry
to our harbour, and we are pleased to be able then to take
advantage of the delicious water which we get from it. Once
the ice is on board, it is heaped up on deck, and thrown as
we require it into a big butt holding 250 btres, which I have
had placed for this purpose on the roof over the furnace of
the cook's galley. Thus we have, with no additional com-
bustion of fuel, abundant water, and there is no need to melt
in small quantities, in buckets over stoves, the ice necessary
for our drinking water, which was one of the long and tedious
duties of our preceding expedition.

After this the crew devote themselves to various routine
works, either on board or in our erections on shore. The

i85

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

snow has to be swept away from over our observatory, stores
and boats. Meat has to be fetched from the larder, and
sometimes the bodies of seals have to be brought from a
considerable distance and cut up. The pumps have to be
attended to, for we are still letting in water. The sledges
have to be put together, which we brought with us in pieces
to prevent their taking too much room. And there are a
thousand other little jobs arising out of the needs of the
moment, etc. After lunch the great joy is to have an hour
or two ski-ing, and the whole station rings with merry cries
and laughter over the falls and failures. Seeing these good
spirits, I certainly do not regret having brought a plentiful
stock of skis, which allows me to give each man a pair for
himself and to replace from time to time those which have
been broken. Work begins again immediately, and the days
are thus well spent. An important part of our daily duty
is concerned with keeping everything clean, and I spend
much time in grumbling about this. I should like to see
the boat as neat as a yacht. I recognize that this is rather
difficult with the numerous different works in which all are
engaged and amid the conditions in which we live. But
recently I was reading in one of the books of Admiral Jurien
de la Graviere, the following passage, which I marked for
use : — ' For my part I have always had a horror of a badly
washed deck. In the midst of litter lying about, sang-froid
is apt to evaporate. Before Sebastopol, General Pelissier
was able to make cleanliness into a force and a virtue.'

Since the commencement of the month, we have organized
optional classes for the crew after dinner, and the tasks set
to the men attending them occupy the hours when they
cannot work out of doors. Gourdon, Gain, Godfroy and
myself are the teachers of arithmetic, grammar, geography,
navigation and English, and once a week Liouville gives a
Lecture, which is closely followed and much appreciated, on
the dressing of wounds and first-aid.
1 86

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

Saturday is given up to the washing of our linen. A
great quantity of ice is brought onboard the evening before,
and dining the night is melted in the washing-machines,
the water being heated by burning seal's fat. The difficulty
is to dry the linen, which when hung in the open has a dis-
astrous habit of freezing and becoming as hard as a board.
We succeed, however, by exposing it in small lots to the
hit of the stove. In the ward-room, each one of us has
a man who washes his linen once a week.

Sunday is a day of rest. The flag is hoisted at the end
of the gaff, and if weather permits the day is spent in ski-ing,
or in excursions over the island. If it is too unpleasant to

■ nit we stay on board leading or having ' music,' when
frightful things happen ! My cabin is so placed that I am
bel ween the mess deck, the junior ward-room and our own
ward-room. So it frequently happens that one gramaphone
is going on the mess deck and another in the ward-room,
ami the Chief Engineer is playing his mandoline desperately
and disphiiingly, accompanying himself, it may be, to the
song, ' O Paquita, how I love thee ! ' Speaking for myself,
I should say : ' How I have learnt to detest thee ! '

Whenever the opportunity offers in the course of a week,
the hag is hoisted and the day is declared a fete-day. The
work goes on as usual, but the menu is augmented. Thus,
on the 10th, we celebrated Gourdon's birthday, which allowed
me, in drinking his health, to assure him once more of my
affection and tell how much I thought of this faithful comrade,
so even in temper, so amiable, and so ready for everything,
a perfect type of explorer, with his quiet and gentle manner
hiding a rare energy and a strong will.

Finally I founded the Antarctic Sporting Club, and the
first meeting, for which the crew prepared a long time in
advance, took place with great success on the 9th. After
the pistol-shooting, which members of the staff practise every
Sunday, the crew assembled on the snow to the sound of

187

THE VOYAGE OP THE 'WHY NOT'

the fog-horn. The course was marked out with ski-staffs
decorated with gaily coloured flags, the gramaphone was
playing its best pieces, and when the thirty members of the
Expedition were assembled, it had all the air of a merry
village fete. The programme included for the ski-ers a flat
race, a race down the big slope, a test of graceful carriage ;
and finally a fairly long race in which one might go as one
pleased. This last race was much the most popular and
the most interesting, for the course went up a pretty stiff
ascent, over a fairly long flat surface, and finally down a
rapid descent. Some were warm partisans of the ski, others
of snow-shoes, while some claimed that good boots were the
best of all. The skis had a big triumph, and the winners,
who all used them, came in in the following order : — J. Gu6-
guen, 1 ; Thomas, 2 ; and Frachat, 3. In the evening I
distributed the gold and silver medals, cut out of preserved
food boxes, and the cardboard medal. Lastly, on the unani-
mous recommendation of the jury, the consolation prize,
consisting of two brooms crossed, was awarded to Modaine,
who took part in all the races and was always amongst the
three last. Every fortnight the Antarctic Sporting Club
is to have a similar meeting.

In the ward-room, apart from the work which takes up
the greater part of our time, every one finds some occupation
to his taste. Cards happily are never seen, the games in
favour being dominoes or chess, and we are perhaps the
only civilized community which does not play bridge. Eouch
S1 riving hard to win a bet, provides us with an unexpected
and much appreciated distraction by reading to us every
evening a few chapters of a great serial novel which he finds
the means of writing daily, entitled, • The Typist's Lover ' !

On the 16th, the barometer goes down to 713 mm. The
thermometer, for its part, has constantly wavered between
+ 2° and — 14° ; for the last few days, however, it has
stopped at about — 10°, and the ice is forming again around
1 88

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

us. The channel is blocked, but the sea, on the other hand,
is still free to the west and the north and in consequence we
are at the mercy of the swell. I am always looking at the
map of our discoveries this summer, and I never cease deplor-
ing that we could not winter further south. Queen Mary
of England, when she lost Calais, said that after her death
the name of that town would be found written on her heart.
I believe that there will be found written on mine the name
of Marguerite Bay, which cannot but be flattering to my wife.
Still what is the good of regretting the impossible ? This
frightful weather must be raging there as well, and if we had
stayed on, exposed with no anchorage to the moving ice,
our boat would long ago have ceased to exist.

May 23. — This is our first fine day since April 27. The
thermometer, 5° below zero in the morning, goes down to
12° below at night. The weather is very clear, and the sun,
during the very brief time that we can see him between Hov-
gard and the summit of our island, appears low on the horizon
with a very sharply defined disc. We had come to believe
t hat he had vanished for ever. For a few moments he gilds
the mountain tops, which soon turn to a fine bright red.
Joy beyond measure, it is absolutely calm !

The Antarctic Sporting Club has had its second meeting,
with the same success as before.

May 24.— It is still fine ! To-night at 12.30, the ship
gave a great leap. She had been lifted up by a great roiling
wave, which was heralded by a dull and awe-inspiring sound,
caused by the breaking up of masses of ice. The same danger-
ous experience befel us on the night of the 17th about the
same hour, breaking two of our hawsers and causing the ship
to ground heavily. What is so curious is that the event
happens always and only at the same hour, having been
experienced by us four years ago at Wandel, at identical
hours and dates. If the tide-register had marked a rather
sharp curve, I should have thought that there had been a

189

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

tidal wave, held in check by the accumulated ice, and suddenly
bursting out ; but all that was registered was a movement
of the swell. On the other hand, the seismograph has recorded
nothing. It is, therefore, very probable that it is by mere
chance that the hours and dates are the same and that this
wave is caused by either the ' calving ' or the capsizing of
an iceberg. One of these, a particularly huge one, has
stranded at the entrance to our cove, and it is quite possible
that fragments of it broke away this night.

The tide-gauge, which Godfroy had fixed to a rock, is no
longer of any use owing to the ice and snow which cover it,
so he sets up one to-day on a new model, copied from that
used by the Discovery. It consists simply of a large trivet,
4-50 metres in height, supporting the tide-gauge. Along
the latter there slides a weight, with an index-finger on it.
The weight is supported by an iron wire, passing through a
pulley fixed to the end of the trivet, and attached at the
other end to a kentledge anchored to the bottom. The ice
going up and down with the tide carries the trivet and gauge
with it, and the index-finger on the latter, being motionless
at the end of its wire, indicates the height of the tide. In
order that the wire may not adhere to the ice and be frozen
hard, it plays within a long tube filled with petroleum, which
only freezes at 70° below zero.

J. Gu^guen, while skylarking to-day on the mess deck
with his friend Herv6, has fractured his fibula. This is an
annoying accident when one lliinks of all the chances there
are here of breaking one's limbs off the ship. Liouville puts
the leg in plaster. Gu^guen had a hard time on the last
Expedition and I hesitated to take him with me this time,
but he begged mo so hard and he is so fine and interesting a
character, that I had not the courage to refuse him. He
lias never been better in his life than since his return to the
Antarctic, provided that the forced confinement to his bunk
now does not damage his general health.
190

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPEING, 1909

May 25. — We seem to be always having fete-days. Yes-
terday it was "Roach's birthday, the 18th was the anniversary
of the launching of the Pourquoi-Pas f, to-day it is the Argen-
tine Republic's national festival. On the 18th wo drank
to the health of the god-mother and god-father of the Pourquoi-
Pas t, my wife and M. Doumer. Both of them are now think-
ing of their god-child and watching from afar over those on
board. The Expedition owes its very existence to both of
them. I need not insist on the part played by my dear wife.
Not only did she allow me to go away again, but subduing her
sorrow at the coming separation, she assisted, advised, and
sustained me in the arduous work of preparation, and was
successful in raising my spirits during my very excusable
moments of discouragement. I overheard lately a remark
of one of my companions, who probably did not know how
truly he was speaking : ' For the Commandant, his wife is
his conscience.'

As for M. Doumer, J hardly knew him when chance gave
me the opportunity of telling him of my schemes. He under-
stood that my only object was to labour on behalf of my
country, he considered the work useful, and (as always when
it is a question of adding to the glory of France, the sole passion
of his life) he made a point of rendering my schemes possible ;
and he succeeded beyond my hopes. The organization of the
Expedition became possible through him. Out of what was
at first ordinary interest there sprang into being a personal
liking, which is to me a source of pride. But also there has
arisen a debt which I wish to repay, and which is always in my
mind ; for men who, like M. Doumer, devote themselves
entirely to a noble task have the right to be exacting toward
others.

The Pourquoi-Pas t could not have two better god-parents.
Both of them in their own way set examples to the men and
women of France and are incarnations of the motto which
we have up on our poop-deck, ' Honour and Country.'

191

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Nor have I forgotten, on this birthday of our ship, its
over-modest builder, Pere Gautier, the veteran of his profession,
who threw all his heart and brains into the work, and who
succeeded in proving, first with the Franfais and then with
the Pourquoi-Pas ?, that our building-yards can strive success-
fully with those of other nations that are more accustomed
to this kind of construction. With no help from luck, his
one idea was to do his work well, and he succeeded to the full.
Festivals bike that of to-day are festivals of gratitude. This is
a sentiment which I find no burden, and to which I attach
the greatest importance.

This morning Gain came up to my cabin, bringing the
gramaphone, which played the Argentine Anthem. The
mere sound of the instrument made me catch up an avenging
slipper, but on hearing the air which it played, I gave my
approval to the feeUngs of gratitude by which Gain was act-
uated. We dressed ship with the flag of Argentina (the same
which we had on board the Fran^ais) at the main, and it
was with real emotion that at the little banquet in the evening
I raised my glass to the prosperity and the increasing and
well-merited greatness of this fine country. Its very real
generosity with regard to my expeditions is all I need recall.

There was a superb sunset to-day. Some low, light streaks
of mist threw veils of pearl-grey across the red, pink and
mauve which tinted the mountain-tops.

May 30. — A somewhat low temperature has prevailed
during the last days of the month, favouring the formation of
the pack-ice, and yesterday we were able, for the first time,
to venture some distance over the ice of the channel.. Taking
the precaution of putting on skis, I set out with Besnard and
Lerebourg. The ice was firm, but unfortunately its surface
was formed by the soldering together of all the ddbris of
icebergs and floes which have choked the channel for the last
few months. All the rough edges were joined by hard and
slippery ice, and the resulting surface was so lumpy that a
192

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y.i ) I'll i> ^

i »i

' : ' '■ I > r « ;

S i& 'it I

'i '■

AUTUMN, WIN TEE, AND SPRING, 1909

sledge would have been knocked to pieces on it very rapidly.
At the foot of the great iceberg, whose smooth and shining
wall towered above us, thirteen Crabbing Seals were sleeping.
One of them was scored with innumerable bleeding gashes,
from which few of these animals are free. At the entry to the
cove there were two or three great frozen waves, evidently
formed by the pressure when the ice was still very plastic.

Quite close to our haven a large strip of smooth black ice
delights Gain and Godfroy, who have seized the opportunity
of bringing out their skates and have been able to use
them over a track as good as they could possibly imagine.
This is a curiosity, for marine ice is generally rough, soft, and
holding. No doubt what has occurred is this : the channel
was choked with icebergs and their debris, all formed from
land ice, of course. During the thaw the water produced by
the melting of these, reinforced by that from the glaciers and
the coastal snow, covered the sheltered parts of the channel
with a sheet of fresh water of less density than the sea-water.
Then, thanks to the fall in the temperature it froze, and thus
its surface has all the characteristics of that of a lake of fresh
water.

From the top of the island I have been able to discover that
from west to north the sea is still open, so that our ice is at
the mercy of the least spell of bad weather. I have never seen
the sea so free, even during the summer of 1904-5. In the
south-west and south the pack-ice stretches out of sight,
uneven and divided up by big dark expanses, which are
probably formed from ice like that on which our skaters are
busy.

June 2. — With a nice little breeze from the south-east,
and a temperature of — 15°, I set off early this morning with
Gourdon, Gain and Godfroy on skis to cross the channel. My
object was to discover if the glacier fronting us is again ap-
proachable, for my secret hope is still to be able to climb the
inland ice and make a long circuit into the interor of Graham

13 193

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Land. The pack-ice is rough, but the heavy fall of snow yester-
day and the day before has levelled it a little. But, like all
snow falling freshly upon marine ice in a thin covering, it
turns under pressure into a sort of pickle, which sticks to the
skis, stopping all glissading and making them so heavy that
one can no longer move one's legs. Nevertheless, in spite of
this, we certainly progressed faster with their aid and they
also permit us to pass safely over brittle ice.

The glacier-face, at the place where we climbed it the first
time, has altered, changing into a fairly high and very much
crevassed cliff ; but further to the north the glacier is lower.
It will be easy to climb, the only difficulty to be overcome being
that of crossing a little expanse of water formed by the move-
ments of the tide between the glacier and the pack-ice. On
our way back the still hidden sun gilds the mountain tops,
then the dazzling light touches the big icebergs, and finally
comes down on to the pack-ice, where all shadows lengthen
out indefinitely and increase the fantastic appearance of the
whole scene. But this is of short duration, for before our
arrival on board the orb is again below the horizon. Thanks
to the pack-ice, Bouch and Nozal, carrying the little sounding
machine on a sledge, have been able to take a whole series of
soundings and to get samples of water at different depths ;
while Gain, with a trunnion also mounted on a sledge, has been
able to fish for plankton at different depths.

June 10. — We are again in the midst of wind, snow, mist
and damp. On the 3rd a total eclipse of the moon was pre-
dicted, and as on the evening before the sky was absolutely
clear, we were rejoicing, some over the observations which
would be possible, others over anew distraction. But, justas
if we had been in a fine observatory in the neighbourhood of
Paris, the sky clouded over completely, and it was only on the
strength of the calendars that we could guess anything about
the moon.

We meet with the usual mishaps in the Antarctic as much
194

AUTUMN, WINTE R], AND SPRING, 1909

as in France. Monmizet made Liouville as fine a pair of skates
as any turned out by a big manufacturer, Godfrey completely
spoilt some quite new town boots by fixing his on to them,
and a great skating carnival was announced. Immediately
after this, as after the notices of the Skating Club in the Bois
de Boulogne, the ice cracked and became covered with water,
and all skating was impossible. I very much fear that the
smooth ice will not return and that the fine new skates will
have no other use but to augment the collection of objects
manufactured on board.

The day before yesterday was particularly disagreeable.
In a few minutes the thermometer went up from — 13° to
— 7° and then to + 0°3, to go down with the same rapidity
to — 5° and up again to + 2°. The north-easter blows in a
regular tempest.

Four years ago to-day our first expedition returned to
Paris ; and Gourdon, without saying anything about it,
had organized in concert with the men a little display in my
honour on the mess deck. Gourdon and Rosselin gave the
toasts. My brave and faithful follower, Chollet, companion
on my journeys for twenty-five years, pushed forward by
Gourdon, tried to speak in his turn, but he was very agitated
and after a few stammering words, he thought of something
better, for he shook my hand in such a way that I understood
the affectionate devotion with which he was overflowing.
I was extremely touched by this manifestation, the respon-
sibility for which Gourdon and the crew laid on one another.
The veterans had already shown me their affection and con-
fidence by asking to join the new expedition, and I have every
reason to believe that their sentiments towards me are shared
by the new-comers. We drank champagne, ate plum pudding,
and chattered gaily.

June 12. — Overcast, but south-south-west wind fairly strong.
Still, there is a little change. About 2 o'clock, there were
some very fine light effects caused by the twilight. Although

195

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

in the latitude where we are wintering the sun never remains
constantly below the horizon, yet, even if the nearly always
overcast sky allowed us, we should not see it more than a short
time, for it is so low that it remains hidden by Hovgard and
the high parts of our island.

Many of us are suffering from rheumatic pains, evidently
caused by the continuance of this frightful weather. Chollet
has a stiff neck, and with a sealer's cap on his head, a huge
pair of brown goggles on his nose, his neck rigid and wrapped
in a dirty stocking — for it seems that, to do any good, the
stocking must be dirty — he looks like a Dutch doll.

Most of the birds have left Petermann. From time to
time we are visited by a few penguins, which come to fish in
the neighbourhood and rest on the island. A large number
of Snowy Petrels, charming and elegant little birds, white as
the snow from which they take their name, live around the
boat still, feeding on the scraps thrown away from the kitchen.
Only the beak and eyes of these birds are black, and when they
fly over the snow their bodies are lost against it, and three
tiny black points seem to be crossing through space. These
birds have taken the place of the Sheathbills which lived in the
same away around the Franeais, and which are rather scarce
this year. We have had to kill a few of the petrels for our
collection, but we leave the others in peace, and they let us
come near them without fear.

Gain has found some interesting parasites on their heads.
And one of them which was killed had a congenital anomaly
in the shape of only one claw ; we have seen several others in
a like case. One of these birds made his way into the cook's
galley, and the cook soon tamed him. He was feeding him
on rice ! This is certainly an unexpected diet for an Antarc-
tic petrel. Unfortunately, at the end of a few days, the poor
little bird burnt his wings cruelly, and we had to kill him to
put him out of his suffering.

June 16. — The vile weather from the north-east has come
196

AUTUMN, WIN TEE, AND SPEING, 1909

back worse than ever, and yesterday the barometer went
down to 712 mm., while a blinding and stifling snowdrift
covered onr island. All the ice in the cove has gone, and the
ship rolls from side to side. The ice which supported the
trivet for the tide-gauge has gone like the rest, but fortunately
t he apparatus has been fished up without great damage. One
of our Norwegian boats, which we had intentionally stranded
tlose to a little cove where the seals sometimes come, was in
danger through the abrupt departure of the ice. We were
able to save it, but it took a regular little expedition to do so.
It would have been a pity to lose one of these boats, which
acre of the greatest service to us. They are so very light
that two men can draw them up on shore or launch them.
Thanks to their raised bows, one can readily land on the ice
from them ; and lastly the two skates fixed to each side of the
keel allow them to be dragged without much difficulty.

June 17. — This day has been terrible. The north-easter
raged through the whole night. Owing to the strength of the
wind, the starboard chains and hawsers have slackened, and the
ship has been dashed against the rock to port with great
shocks, followed by ominous sounds. Further, a counter-
current set up at the entrance of the harbour and two big
ice-blocks came through, breaking down the boom, which was
already much damaged. Before we could even try to in-
terfere one of the ice-blocks struck our stern violently, and a
great piece of wood, which was rapidly borne away by the wind,
proved to us only too clearly that an important part of our
rudder had been torn away. For the moment it is im-
possible to discover whether the injury is serious or slight ;
but there is cause for anxiety, since our scheme of summer
navigation may perhaps be ruined by what has happened, and
the ice-block threatens us with fresh injuries. After four hours'
continuous effort, we succeed in mooring one block in such a
way that it wards off the others a little, but we are dependent
on the strength of a rope. Without loss of time, taking all

197

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

advantage we can of the few hours of twilight, we fix up on
the other side three fish-tackles, which keep us off the rock.

June 18. — A slight calm and the transparency of the water
enable us to see that almost two-thirds of our rudder has
been carried away, and that at least two of the braces are
broken. In order to be able to steer, it will be absolutely
necessary to take off the rudder and repair it as best we can,
but the fid is lying at a depth of 2 or 3 feet below the surface,
and I fear that we shall have great difficulty in getting it up.

I am anxious, indeed very anxious, for the future. Now
that the channel is again free, and our boom, which it is im-
possible to think of repairing for the moment, is broken, fresh
ice may come in and cause irreparable damage, and even
bring about an inglorious end to the expedition through the
loss of the ship before we have accomplished more than an
insignificant portion of our task. Eesponsibility weighs more
heavily on me than ever, and to distract and encourage myself,
I re-read my diary on the Francais, written during a period
quite as agonizing as this. I light on a passage where I assert
that, if ever I return to France, I will embark no more on
such adventures. A few weeks after my return, I was thinking
of nothing but the organization of a new Expedition, and
three years later, I started off again ! Is this my reward
for my persistent efforts ? Obstacles seem to arise everywhere
in my path. After the summer campaign (which, it is truej
was very fruitful) we found ourselves prevented from wintering
where we wished, and we have to put up with a most detest-
able and troublesome of winters. Certainly our work is pro-
gressing well, but the trips on which I counted so much seem
spoilt by the perpetual changes in the state of the ice. The
passage of time does not bring us deliverance, as to so many
expeditions, but merely the necessity of commencing the
struggle afresh for the honour of our enterprise and our coun-
try ; and with tins object in view, irreparable injuries are the
last thing we want. Perhaps others could content themselves
198

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

with tho work already done ; I cannot do so. I have to
combat the possiblo demoralization of my companions and to
watch over their stato of mind. So my discouragement lasts
but little. Besides, Shakespeare, my faithful friend, fore-
seeing everything, comes to my aid : —

' When good will is showed, though it comes too short,
The actor may plead pardon.'

June 21. — This is tho official start of winter. It is also the
date when the sun begins to climb up the heavens again and
tho days to get longer. Tho south-easter has been blowing
for some hours. Does it herald at last the true winter, which we
desire so much ? I should have liked to have entered upon
this new period cheerfully, but alas ! it is with anxiety and
apprehension only too well founded that I see it opening.
The torments of these last days have been nothing (for material
damage can be repaired) compared with what occurs to-day.
The so-called ' Polar anaemia ' — or perhaps it is scurvy,
which is just as much to be feared — has made its appearance
on board.

For a fortnight past, I noticed that Godfroy was growing
pale, and that he, so enthusiastic, so vigorous, so ready always
to diffuse his cheerful personality, so eager for the success of
the Expedition, which he had made his own, was entirely losing
his good spirits. Now his legs are very much swollen and he
complains of violent pains. For my own part, I notice in
myself a shortness of breath without any cause, and a per-
manent pain in front of the heart. To-night my legs also are
swollen. Need I say through what alarms I go, what re-
proaches I heap on myself, how hard I strive to find the reason
of this misfortune ? I never believed in ' Polar anaemia,'
which is a meaningless expression, but I had been obliged to
acknowledge the Polar myocarditis of which Matha had so bad
an attack on board the Francais and from which he recovered
by a miracle. I myself felt a few trivial symptoms, which I
overcame, as I believed, by physical exercise, almost by over-

190.

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

fatiguing myself. On other expeditions there had been deaths,
and now two of us are attacked in the same way as Matha.
Liouville also has a little oedema. I anxiously await the
examination of the whole personnel of the ship to-night. If
others are attacked, it is probably scurvy to which we have
fallen victims.

The examination has taken place, and certainly we are
the only two attacked, which is a good thing. I have no inten-
tion of allowing myself to be downcast, and if I take certain
precautions in case of anything happening to me, it is be-
cause my role of leader of the Expedition impels me to do
so.

June 27. — After getting worse, the condition of myself and
Godfroy remains stationary. His legs are more swollen and
more painful than mine, but on the other hand, his heart is
sound, while I am suffering from pronounced myocarditis.
We are still the only two invalids on board, and in these cir-
cumstances I abandon the idea of scurvy to fall back upon
Polar myocarditis, the origin of which is as yet unexplained.
We have nothing wrong with our gums, none of the classical
symptoms of scurvy. However, the treatment which we are
following is that which would be applied to this malady. With
great kindness, the crew has spontaneously gone in all
directions to look for seals and for penguins and other birds.
Dufreche has even nearly drowned himself while setting hoop-
nets for fish on the edge of the pack-ice, which has formed
again in the cove. We are taking considerable quantities
of citric acid, and I get as much exercise as my miserable
condition allows me.

To-day, as we could not walk, to take advantage of the fine
weather, Godfroy and myself established ourselves on deck
in our bed-sacks. What weighs most heavily upon me is this
physical weakness. I have always been so strong and able to
endure everything, and have never allowed anything to stop
me.
200

Gourdon.

Rouch.

Liouville.

i .h ircot

Bongrain.

Gain.

Godfroy.

The Staff in Jui y, 1909.

Senouque.

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

June 29. — This uight, about 2 a.m., there were two or three
great heavy rollers, followed by violent shocks, and this after-
noon, also about 2 o'clock, the same phenomenon occurred.
The tide-register indicated a wave of 1*16 metres. These
tide-waves are difficult to explain, for Ave have neither heard
nor seen any iceberg breaking up. Perhaps there has been
a big slide of ice-cliff, but if so it was at a considerable distance
from us. All the ice in the cove has been smashed up, and
those of us who were on shore had the water up to our knees.
The hawsers held good, but they have been subjected to a
great strain, and this must not happen too often.

July 7. — A few days of fine calm and cold weather have
allowed the ice to re-form around us. The thermometer marks
— 18° ; at Wandel, on the same date in 1904 we had — 34° !
Our state of health is a little better, and I take advantage of
this to get as much exercise as possible ; but the irregularity
of my heart is marked and on the same day my pulse has given
22 beats and 124 ! The cedema of the legs comes on and goes
off without reason, and I often have more in the morning
in spite of a night of complete repose. The same is the case
with Godfroy.

I have recently turned out from a locker complete files
of the Matin and the Figaro for two years before our departure,
kindly presented to us by their Editors. Every day I put on
the ward-room table the numbers corresponding to the present
date, and personally I have never read the papers so attentively
or thoroughly. If I must confess it, the news, now so ancient,
the scandals, the affaires, interest me just as much as if I had
never heard of them. I had forgotten them nearly all and I
await the next day's issue with impatience. I am now much
better acquainted with my country's politics and the world's
happenings in 1907 than I have ever been, and probably than
I shall ever be again.

With the help of some shanks of iron skilfully turned out by
Eosselin the key of the rudder has been fixed up, and we are only

201

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

waiting now for a fine day and a favourable state of the ice to
unship the rudder itself.

July 14. — Overcast weather, fine snow up to 3 p.m. Wind
from south-west and south-east, temperature — 16°. From
8 o'clock the ward-room gramaphone has been playing the
' Marseillaise.' Three shots from our little cannon, brought up
on deck for this occasion, are fired, at 9, 12, and 6. This same
cannon, which was constructed for the first trials with melinite,
has saluted July 14 at Jan Mayen in the North and on two
different occasions in the Antarctic.

Gourdon, who is housekeeper on board, has decorated the
wardroom with a profusion of little paper flags and the National
colours. The Ponrquoi-Pas ? has hoisted her ensign, and the
island is covered with all that we possess in the way of foreign
nations' flags and with rows of signals on ski-staffs. When
the snow is good enough to stop, the effect produced by all
these brilliant colours against the white background is really
charming.

In the afternoon, the Antarctic Sporting Club had a shoot-
ing competition. The prizes were solemnly distributed in
the evening as follows : — Poste, 1 ; Nozal, 2 ; Jabet, 3 ;.
Lhostis, 4 ; Eosselin, 5 ; Modaine, 6 ; Frachat, 7. As for all
the rest, to console them, they were given a bottle of grog,
which was very well received. At dinner in the evening, most
of us appear in full dress or in any old clothes of the civilized
world that we can find in our cabins. The menus, written by
Paumelle, the mess steward, on ral-white-and-blue paper,
were as follows : —

Dejeuner.
Hors-d'oeuvre, saucisson, divers.
Potage aux tomates.
Vol au vent a l'Australo.
Tete de veau en tortuo.
Petits pois a la Frnnoaiso.
Chaussons de Pommes a la Normando.

VlNS FINS.

Chateau-Cambusard a discretion.
202

AUTUMN, WIN TEE, AND SPRING, 1909

Diner.

Potago jardiniere.
Homard vinaigrette.
Poulet a la gelee.
Filet de bceuf champignons.
Fonds d'Artichauts.
Plum- Pudding.
Compote do fruits.
Vins fins — Champagne.

At 6 o'clock, there is a torchlight-tattoo, with all the crew
carrying preserved-food boxes filled with tow soaked in petro-
leum. Then we had a display of fireworks got up by Gain,
consisting of crackers of his own composition, which went off
well, of Bengal lights made by the same manufacturer, which
did not burn or which, as Chollet put it, ' gave a black light,*
of set-pieces of iron-wire wrapped in tow, soaked in spirit and
powdered with magnesium, which we happily knew were sup-
posed to represent trees, suns, and an interrogation-mark,
and lastly, a huge feu-de-joie, composed of penguin-fat and
the body of a seal, all abundantly soaked in spirit, which con-
tinued to blaze, illuminating the island in fantastic fashion,
until 5 a.m.

About 11 o'clock, Liouville, Gain, Godfroy, Gourdon and
myself went on to the mess deck, where the greatest gaiety
was in full swing. Dufreche was playing the accordion for
the others to dance to, and my colleagues joined in the dances
with the crew. On the smoky mess deck, divided up by the
solid wooden ribs of the ship, the crew, with their energetic
faces and their picturesque clothing, patched up according to
taste, with knives at their waists, and their hair and beards
flowing loose, leapt about and shouted loud challenges to one
another. One might have thought oneself carried back a cen-
tury to the 'tween-decks of a piratical ship rejoicing over a
fine prize and careless of to-morrow's combats. And are not
our men, in reality, the sons of those corsairs, from whom they
have inherited the taste for adventure, the character like a

203

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

big child's, the courage and the feeling of honour f These
few minutes spent among them with their free but always res-
pectful gaiety, drinking their half -pints with them and smoking
the tobacco which they cordially offered us, have done more to
raise my spirits than any amount of reasoning could have
done.

July 15. — The weather is very fine. A little breeze from the
south-east first scatters and then brings back a slight mist.
A white frost covers the ship with its elegant flowers, which
attach themselves to the smallest cord. Once more our flags
decorate the island as they flutter in the breeze ; but this
time it is not by my orders. It is known that I am forty-two
to-day, and with one accord it has been decided that this shall
be a fete-day.

Chollet is the first to come and shake hands, then Libois
as the eldest on board brings me an address signed by the
whole crew. It is one of the documents which I prize most
dearly.

' Dear Commandant,' it runs, —

' On the occasion of your birthday, I, as the eldest of the
crew, am given the task of offering you the best wishes and
compliments of the crew of the Pourquoi-Pas f, begging you
to believe in our entire devotion and our confidence in the
success of the Expedition which you are leading with such con-
fidence and singleness of purpose, and above all, we are happy
to notice the apparent restoration of your health and hope
(hat it is permanent.'

Poste brings me a panel of copper on wood, very artistic-
ally designed and executed by himself, representing an es-
cutcheon with the arms of the ship, supported by two heraldic
lions, and another very charming panel, which he has executed
after Liouville's design, to serve as a background for the little
old figure of the Virgin which adorns t he ward-room.

The menus have again been remarkable, the cook having
204

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

surpassed himself by putting before us a set-piece of nougat
and spun sugar. Owing to these successive fete-days the
good fellow has only slept four hours in two days. For my
part, the dinner was washed down with some of the fine wine
coming from the special cellar which my mother-in-law fitted
up for me before we left, but which, following my invariable
principle, I have never touched without the others joining me.
After dinner the hour of the great surprise arrived. As a
matter of fact, it was not altogether a surprise, since for over a
month (though I concealed my knowledge in order not to
spoil their pleasure) I have been aware to some extent that
rehearsals were going on, directed by Gain in secret in the
engine-room, in spite of the great cold.

The table was quickly removed and also some of the doors,
and when the crew had entered the ward-room, singing a special
chorus, the affair began This was the official programme —

PART I.

recited by Patjmelle.
sung by Avelene.
Paumelle.
Libois.
Paumelle.
Paumeixe.

MODAINE.

Aveixne.
recited by Modaine.
„ Modaine.

' L'Epave,' by Francois Coppee
' Le Parjure,' ballad
1 Maman La Bataille '
' H fait soleil,' ballad
' L' Automobile du Colon,' comic song
' J'viens d'etre enleve '
' Lettre a Columbine,' song
' R6ponse de Colombine '
' La tringle ' comic monologue .
' L'O dans le Q ' .
' La Lecon d'anglais,' Burlesque and Critical Fantasia, by M

LiouvrrxE.
Played by F. Lifois and J. Jabet, alias ' Le Bosco.'

PART II.
VrVE L'ARMEE.
(Comedy in one Act, by Pierre Wolff.)
Mile. Bouboule (aged 26) ... Paumeixe.

Cabocho (dealer in sugar) . . . Rosselin.

Pied (lst-class trooper in the 1st Cuirassiers) Lerebourg.
The scene is laid in Paris.

Scenery and costumes by MM. Gain, Liouville and Gourdon.
Stage Manager, M. Gain.

205

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

PART III.

Artistic Living Pictures of the Journey of the Pourquoi-Pas t by M. A.

Senouque.

The success was complete, the actors playing their parts to
perfection, in most unexpected costumes. Lerebourg's helmet
and cuirass, in particular, were absolute marvels, and made
one forget that the cuirassier's sword was only a naval officer's
sabre wrapped in silver paper.

We came out of the theatre at 1.30 a.m., without any dis-
order in the cloak-room, and only then did we notice that
the — 23° and the calm of the afternoon had been followed
by the usual gale from the north-east, which whistled through
the masts of the Pourquoi-Pas f.

July 24. — Still, still bad weather. The ice has been
broken up and dispersed by the wind, and we have been able
to go out in the dinghy and land on the glacier facing us. In
the channel, icebergs and ice-blocks innumerable go slowly
south before the wind and come back again during the too
infrequent calms, driven by the current. We know nearly all
the large bergs, which pass and repass us in the same order like
the supers in a ballet.

Our hawsers are always breaking and we repair them rapidly,
as best we can. The picket-boat, being in a dangerous posi-
tion as she hangs under the bow of the ship, has been put
ashore. We spend our time in taking counsel, watching, and
strengthening our position, but we cannot foresee the chances,
and the boom, which we restored yesterday with the greatest
care, has been broken during the night.

The evening of July 15 has whetted the men's appetites,
and they have come to ask my permission to found a Musical
Society to meet on the mess deck every Sunday. Then from
bags and lockers arc brought forth all the song-books, a hap-
hazard Nndl<\ of old ballads, sailors' choruses, sentimental songs
and music-hall trivialities. Every Sunday the programme is
brought to me, whereon every one is down for his little con-
206

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

tribution,which he sings lustily or chaffingly, as the case may be.
We pass an hour together, and we are amused, which is the
principal thing.

July 31. — The bad weather continues, more intense than
ever, and we have a perpetual tempest about us. One of the
anemometers has been broken again ; happily we have a spare
one, and we have replaced it at once. On the 25th, during a
fine spell, we succeeded in unshipping the rudder. For a
long time all had been prepared for this operation, Avhich is
difficult to carry out afloat, and in an hour and a half it is
on the deck. The injury is even more serious than we feared,
and if we had had to navigate under such conditions, we should
have exposed the ship to grave danger, even apart from the
fact that in the Polar regions the steering must be quick and
sure. Two of the pintles have been broken off in the gudgeons.
We succeed in getting them out with a curved iron shank, but
we shall have to make fresh rudder-irons, and this is a hard
piece of blacksmith's work. We have no wood strong enough
for the repair of the check-piece, so we shall have to give
Libois one of our two spare spars, which can be cut in pieces
to make just what is required. The same is the case with
the irons. I had an idea of cutting a piece off the beam of the
waist anchor in order to forge them from it, but in the end we
find a spare bolt for the thrust-block of the engine, which
may serve our turn. To protect the gudgeons and the stern-
post against shocks from the ice now that the rudder is un-
shipped, I join together three thick stakes and pass them
through the rudder-hole, keeping them in place by tightly
drawn braces. I regret that I did not, at the beginning, think
of unshipping the rudder and taking this precaution.

Polaire has again given birth to two puppies, of which -we
decide to keep one. This four-footed son of the Antarctic,
who is to be called by the strange name of Gugumus, is going
to live with his brother Bibi, his mother Polaire, and his father
Kiki, on the most intimate and friendly terms with the three

207

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

kittens born at Buenos Aires and the cat taken on board at
Cherbourg.

The thermometer has risen to + 3° 5 this evening. For-
tunately I have had the starboard stern hawsers tripled, and all
the hawsers we have are now in use. A large quantity of ice,
composed principally of the debris of bergs, has invaded our
cove, and chokes the entrance for a considerable distance. A
string of colossal icebergs, the biggest which we have yet seen
in this region, have stranded to the north, close up to the island,
and another of these ice monsters has stranded to the south.
Unhappily this dyke does not prevent the swell from being
felt very violently between 10 and 5 o'clock, and it is a wonder
that no cable has broken. The struggle with the ice-blocks
begins again. We cannot shut our eyes to the fact that the
ship is in danger. Should a hawser break and an ice-block
charge us violently, we might go to the bottom very quickly.
Also the neighbourhood of these enormous icebergs is a per-
petual menace, for if one of them breaks up or capsizes, the
wave may drive lis I know not where. To prepare for such an
emergency, therefore, I have had taken ashore and put in
our provision-store all our bed-sacks, the matches which we
brought in soldered boxes, and a certain stock of clothing.

As soon as these precautions have been taken, however,
the ship grows more at her ease again, still rolling a little and
reeling under the violence of the gusts, but not putting too
great a strain upon her cables.

A new boom, which I have had constructed with the greatest
care, has resisted the ice well. Abandoning the actual entrance
to our harbour, where all the others were so soon broken, I
have had this one stretched obliquely across the centre of the
cove, in the direction of the prevailing wind, so as to allow the
ice-blocks to slide along it. Lastly, I have had the sis lengths
of steel wire protected with old preserved-food tins, to prevent
wear and tear, while half a dozen empty hogsheads support the
win ile affair.
208

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPRING, 1900

August 2. — The swell has completely ceased, despite the
continuance of the wind, and I discover the explanation of
this unaccustomed calm by climbing to the top of the island.
The whole offing, as far as can be seen, has been suddenly in-
vaded by dense pack-ice coining from I kuow not where, but
never at any time, even on board the Fran^ais, have we seen
as much.

There is only a little circle of free water, starting from near
Darboux Island, passing by the Myre de Vilers Islets, to touch
Wandel in the north. Lemaire Channel, apart from the ice-
bergs, is free, and thus makes a large lake.

Our life on board goes on, at once busy and monotonous ;
and if the months pass quickly, the hours are long. So true
is the saying that ' the hour which one watches stands still.*
Of course, in spite of all our efforts to make distractions, these
are few. We know every inch of the island where we are so
closely confined, and the bad weather does not usually make
walks agreeable.

We have fortunately an extremely well-furnished library
with about 1,500 volumes of scientific works, travel-books,
novels, plays, and artistic and classical literature, to distract,
instruct, or help us in our work. The crew has the right of
dipping into these to a great extent, but I have thought it
best to strike off the catalogue for their use a whole series of
volumes that seemed to me harmful, or at least useless, to most
of these good fellows, who are happily still very much children
of nature. The volumes which circulate most in the ward-room
are undoubtedly those of the Dictionaire Larousse, which,
apart from the instruction which it gives us in our isolation
from the rest of the world, cuts short if it does not completely
check, discussions which would otherwise threaten to be inter-
minable. Whether or not Larousse provides the solution, in
a life like ours discussions are inevitable. They are one of the
occupations, often one of the plagues, of Polar expeditions, and
I well understand why, during a celebrated English Ant-

14 209

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

arctic expedition, they should have been punished by fines
•when they overran the comparatively short hours when they
were permitted. I must hasten to add that on our ship they
seldom turned bitter, and the clouds which they may have
raised quickly dispersed.

Further, most of us are watching one another, trying (to
use the expression of one of my colleagues) to ' study the
psychology of the restricted community.' Much has been
said about cafard poJaire (though it is too frequently invoked
as an excuse), and it is certain that this life in common, with no
possibility of finding distraction from temporary failure of
nerves, with no hop e of being able to take a meal alone or in
other company, has its painful moments. Our arrangements
on board at least allowed every one to find solitude in his own
cabin, contrary to the rule of most expeditions, where two
and sometimes three lived in the same room. This is one of
the reasons why I advocate that even the crew should have a
place to shut themselves in.

As a moralist has said, in a maxim of which I can only
recollect the sense, ' It is often more difficult to bear the
daily pin-pricks than the great griefs.' An innocent crotchet,
a mere mannerism in sitting down, blowing one's nose, or
helping oneself to food, which in ordinary life would not even
be remarked, becomes the cause of annoyance and may even
assume the proportions of a grievance ; but all that is wanted
is a little education and self-control to counteract this evil
tendency. My small experience of two winter seasons with
different companions allows me to assert that cafard polaire
does not create new defects. A good fellow remains a good
fellow, and a man distinguished for his manners remains dis-
tinguished. What happens is that characters are made to
show themselves as they really are, with their weaknesses or
defects no longer under the mask by which, either designedly
or of necessity, one hides them in ordinary social life. But
here, as elsewhere, education plays the chief r61e, and a man
210

AUTUMN, WINTEK, AND SPEING, 1909

■who has been well brought-up will always avoid being a
nuisance in the wardroom, oven in the Antarctic, or rendering
his presence insupportable to his comrades. My companions,
in the course of these long months, were able to avoid the
annoying tendency to form antagonistic cliques.

Meals play a groat part in these expeditions. This is the
Gratia! moment when all are collected together, when dis-
cussions arise, and tempers have free play. On the other hand
also, it is the moment when feelings are appeased and recon-
ciliations are made. The food itself has an unsuspected im-
portance. It is very difficult to satisfy eight persons of differ-
ent tastes, often inclined, in an access of bad temper, to find
everything bad in advance — especially as, whatever the care
that has been devoted to the choice of provisions, culinary
resources are necessarily limited. We must all, and I more
than the others, be grateful to Gourdon, who accepted the
thankless and difficult job of commissariat officer, for his un-
wearying patience and the tact and devotion with which he
carried out his additional duties to the very end. I am sure
that Gourdon, for his part, will be glad for me to record with
what devotion Quartermaster Jabet, who was in charge of
the provision room, seconded his labours, invariably good-
humoured, content, and prepared for all.

August 23. — I read in to-day's (?) Matin that Casablanca
had just been taken by our Marines. Now one of our men,
Thomas, was in the company that landed. I take the oppor-
tunity of going on to the mess deck, and after a few explanatory
words to his comrades, giving him a special packet of tobacco.

We have had for a few days a breakdown of the electric
light. The bearings of the motor had worn out, and we had
no spare ones. Bongrain searches in vain for a piece of bronze
which he can turn to replace what is wanting. At last it
occurs to me to give him the old screw of the picket-boat.
After considerable difficulty he succeeds in casting it in a
satisfactory fashion, and once again our fine electric light re-

211

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

places the petroleum-lamp. From every point of view I am
not sorry for this. Good temper returns, and above all, we
are not wasting more of a combustible of which our stock
is, through an error in my calculations, rather limited.

Whether it is through the seal's meat — seals of the Weddell
species having appeared in great numbers last month — or for
some other reason, the improvement in the health of Godfroy
and myself increases daily. I enthusiastically prepare for
the trips which I wish to undertake in September.

On the glacier which we shall have to cross, the motor
sledges will probably be useless, and our first attempt will
have to be purely a trial trip. I decide that six of us shall go
— Gourdon, Godfroy, Gain, Senouque, a sailor and myself,
divided into two parties, each with their own sledge, tent, and
separate stores. I have loaded the sledges with the weights
winch we shall have to carry, and for some hours every day we
practise ourselves in dragging them over the most difficult parts
of the island. I am studying also the question of foot-wear,
which is one of my great preoccupations, and I make some
slight alterations in the frost-nails, which we have had made
like those of the Discovery, which Captain Scott, with good
cause, praised to me very highly. I wish to leave nothing
to chance, while the particular conditions of climate under
\\ hich we live oblige us to take additional precautions. We
have not only to struggle against cold, but also against abrupt
and considerable changes of temperature, against incessant
snow and persistent wind.

Our excursion-provisions are unanimously admitted to be
excellent and their stowage in little boxes for three men each
day is practical, fn this way meals can be prepared in the
minimum of time and food-depots easily fixed up. Before our
departure, 1 arranged everything with the utmost care; but
t he final disposit ions can only be made on the spot. We have
now but to wail for circumstances favourable to our setting
out.
212

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

August 29. — Alas ! I cried ' Victory ! ' too soon. Godfroy
lias fallen ill again, and I very soon did the same in my turn.
Our condition is worse than ever, but I will not give way, and
so, panting and my heart beating like a clock, I force myself
every day, whatever the weather, to climb to the summit of
the island and to take long walks. Oh, these 200-metre climbs,
most of the time in solitude, so that there may be no witnesses
to my weakness ! I have to take 350steps to reach the summit,
and out of breath and choking I count them, obliged to stop
every ten steps, my heart leaping as though it would break and
my swollen legs giving way under me. I am joyful when I
succeed in taking 50 steps without stopping. With frost-
nails on my boots, I drag myself along miserably every day,
sometimes in soft snow up to the knees, sometimes over the
frozen surface laid bare by the wind or through snowdrift.
How well I know all the corners of the island, all the rocks where
I can take shelter and behind which I fall beaten ! There
is in particular, on the north-east side of the island, a fine,
picturesque ravine, both narrow and deep, where in my solitary
walks I gladly sit down when tired out. Sometimes I push
on as far as a huge stray rock, oval in shape, split in two by
frost, and looking like a monstrous Easter egg. I halt in this
rift, pressing my hand to my breast, until the cold forces me to
move on again ; and my moral suffering is still worse than the
physical. To despair at my own weakness is added anxiety
over Godfroy's condition. If his heart is not affected like
mine, his legs are more swollen, he is pale and thin, and his
hands are covered with horrible ulcerations. He treats himself
by rest, puts up with all the regimens and all the drugs, very
rational in their way, which Liouville recommends to him ;
and I confess I cannot urge him to follow my example.

To-day's splendid weather is a relief after the long and
constantly bad days through which we have passed. To the
south there is a very remarkable mirage effect, which lasts
quite late in the day. In a region where I know very well that

213

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

nothing of the kind exists, there rises a high and magnificent
wall of ice, which starts from the coast and loses itself
in the horizon out to sea. We make out all the details of its
perpendicular face, and it is quite certain that a passing
explorer would affirm, with the best faith in the world, that
there is at this spot a barrier similar to Boss's.

September 5. — It is no good. My condition gets worse,
and Godfroy, who is following a regimen the reverse of mine,
is no better. I do not wish to confess it yet, but evidently I
cannot lead the excursion. I cannot walk, I crawl, and at the
end of a few hours I should be obliged to have myself carried
by the others.

To give the crew some useful exercise and to lighten the
upper part of the ship in view of the coming summer cam-
paign, I have the spare screw, which weighs 1,500 kilos, lowered
to the bottom of the hold.

Libois has done his work admirably, and the new rudder
is almost finished. Protected by sheets of iron, it will be
stronger than the other. Eosselin, for his part, has forged
some rudder-irons, which will last better than our former ones.
September 13. — Alas ! I am forced to abandon all idea
of a trip. In spite of all my efforts and all the will-power which
I use to drag myself along, I am beaten. My legs can no longer
carry me and my heart is very low. I suffer from palpitations,
or, on the other hand, from a slowing down of the action, and
from choking fits ; and at night there is a painful praecordial
affliction, which makes me think that I have a touch of
pericarditis. I can barely drag myself about on board.

Godfroy's heart is all right at present, but his legs are
even more weak than mine, and the ulceration of his hands
increases. Both of us have a few spot s of purpura. I have now
to lie on my back nearly the whole time. After thinking it
out, I have arrived at the conclusion that we are suffering
from scurvy, or more precisely, from preserved-food sickness.
I have decided to remove from our diet all preserved meat
214

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

and to eat only seal, penguin, garlic, sauerkraut, jams,
etc.

I am going therefore to entrust to Gourdon the command
of the excursion. It is heart-breaking for me, but I could not
put it in better hands. This excursion is, properly speaking,
a trial trip. If the regimen I have adopted succeeds, perhaps
I shall be able to join him later or start out with him again
on his return.

I attend with the greatest care to the preparations. These
excursions are a hobby of mine. I devote a lot of thought
beforehand to their organization, and I am anxious my com-
rades should lack nothing and find themselves in the best
possible position. With Gourdon will go Gain and Senouque,
accompanied by Besnard (who took part in our excursion in
1904), Herv^ and Aveline.

To-day Gourdon, Gain and a large party succeeded in
crossing the ice and hoisting on to the glacier a considerable
portion of their stores.

On board our regular life continues, and the ordinary work
is increased by extras. Bongrain seizes every opportunity to
go off with Boland surveying. Rouch succeeds one calm day
in inflating a balloon with one of our tubes of hydrogen and
sending it up to register atmospheric currents. We attach a
message to this balloon, without the slightest hope, of course,
that it will ever reach any destination.

One of our dogs, Bibi, has been away for 36 hours and we
feared that he had met with an accident, but this morning he
turned up again quietly, rather abashed and very hungry.
The crew say that he has passed all this time in a crevasse at
some distance from the ship, into which he must have fallen,
and they have indeed found a tuft of his hair. The poor
beast does not seem to have suffered very much from the 20°
below zero.

September 17. — Godfrey and I feel perhaps a Uttle better r
but we are still very weak.

215

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Yesterday was Chollet's fifty-second birthday. I got up a
little banquet on the mess deck and sent for our good skipper
to come to the ward-room and have a drink with me. He has
made himself loved and esteemed by the whole of the staff,
to whom his ingenuity and skill have been of the utmost
service.

There have been a few changes between fine and stormy,
but the weather is a little calmer than last month. The sky,
however, is always grey and overcast, and the falls of snow are
frequent and abundant.

September 18. — My companions have started on their trip.
While shaking their hands and wishing them good luck I felt
very sad. Except for Bouch, Godfroy, the cook, Eobert,
Chollet and myself, every one else on board accompanied
them to drag their sledges as far and as quickly as possible.

Our regimen has certainly had a good effect, and this morn-
ing I felt considerably better. The same is the case with God-
froy, and we were able to set off over the ice, like two cripples,
to meet the party which is coming back this evening. All went
off well. The stores are on the top of the glacier and our six
comrades well on their way, though unfortunately much troubled
by the thick snow. The weather is calm and overcast. May
they succeed in finding the much desired way into the interior !

September 23. — We are getting better and better. It was
certainly the preserved-food sickness from which we were
Buffering for more than three months, and it is evidently the
same thing which afflicted Matha in 1904. All the so-called
Polar anaemias turn out to be nothing but maladies allied to
scurvy. In the past, when crews lived almost entirely on salt
meat they were attacked by the well-known variety of scurvy,
with large black spot s, ulceral ion of the gums, etc. But every -
lliing changes, even diseases, and with the modern preserved-
food the classical scurvy has been replaced by the curious kind
from which we suffered, characterized especially by oedema
of the lower limbs ami myocarditis, without anything wrong
216

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

with the gums. Something of the kind, moreover, showed
itself in our Army during the Crimean War.

Seals, fortunately, are again abundant and we can kill
more than we require for our food supply. On board the Dis-
covery there was also a serious outbreak of scurvy, much more
classical in its nature than ours, which was rapidly and com-
pletely got rid of by using the flesh of these animals. This
meat, which it is difficult to compare with anything else,
and which is pleasant to my taste, is a precious resource for
Antarctic expeditions and furnishes us with a diet of which we
ili> not get tired. When cooked in steaks with a little butter
I have consumed great quantities of it with sauerkraut, of which
I laid in an ample stock.

The men, in their anxiety to see us cured, hunt for seals
on every side and even risk their lives to bring them in. So I
have to watch them and prevent them from being too rash.
To-day I am told that a fine seal is asleep on one of the little
islets to the south. I go to the place from which it can be seen
ami make out not one but two, the second appearing qiute
small. With some difficulty we get near them and find a
female Weddell's Seal, which has just given birth. With the
greatest precaution, in order not to frighten them, we
approached the interesting couple. The mother seemed in a
condition of considerable prostration. Nothing could have
been more touching in the midst of this gloomy scenery, so little
suggestive of life, than the little seal, disconcertingly human,
charming alike in physiognomy and size, beside its mother with
her massive and clumsy form. Covered with a thick, soft
fur, yellow spotted with black, it spent most of its time on its
back, amusing itself like a child, stretching out its flippers,
playing about and rubbing itself against its mother, with its
quaint little round face and fine large eyes full of astonish-
ment and roguery.

While we w r ere watching it, a male of the same species,
no doubt the father, appeared through a hole in the ice and

217

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

started to intone for the benefit of the others a curious, if not
particularly melodious, little song.

We photographed this Antarctic family group from all sides,
and then I drew close and took the little one in my arms. It
was delighted, showing no fear, but acting just like a baby,
and when I put the soft little body back on the ice again it came
crawling up to me, rubbing up against my legs and asking for
fresh caresses. Must I confess that the memory of a little
being which I left at home in France came to me so sharply
that there was a catch in my throat "? I felt ashamed before
the rest of the party, and I did not take into my arms again
the little seal which caused me so much emotion, though I
would have liked to fondle and embrace it. The mother seal
was a little anxious and snorted and protested loudly, trying
to frighten me, but she was immediately reassured when her
infant came back to her. He began to suck at once, so greedily
that the milk ran out of his nostrils.

There was no need for me to order that these animals'
lives be spared, for I very much suspect (and some words
I overheard confirmed my suspicions) that the men who
accompanied me, nearly all of them fathers of a family, had
felt the same emotions as myself.

To-day is the first day of spring. It is grey, gloomy and
windy. At midday on the 18th, the official hour of the
new season's commencement, we sounded the bell on board
full peal and the crew sang a few topical verses, scarcely
in harmony with the climate in which we still have long
months to live.

The weather has been particularly atrocious these last
few days, the barometer having even gone down to 703 !
We took advantage of the bad weather, which offers few
inducements to go out, and of the temporary thinning out of
the ward-room, to go through our cellar and make an inven-
fcory. Not only in France, but at our different .stopping-
places, too, presents of wine were made with the greatest
218

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

generosity, and we are more plentifully provided than we
could have ventured to hope when the Expedition was being
organized. Of course this is a luxury, but there is nothing
disagreeable about luxury, and it has not cost us a farthing.
We have the finest varieties of Madeira, and Argentine and
Chilian wines, side by side with the best known brands of
Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne. One of my old
school comrades, who became a wine merchant — the medical
career leads to all sorts of things, as I am myself a proof; —
kindly sent me on our departure a few hundreds of wonderful
bottles of Nuits, which we drink on fete-days with the respect
that is due to it. We do not make undue use of our cellar,
for good sense and economy alike forbid this. A second
winter may become necessary, and it is then that we shall
be glad of our superabundance.

I may say that the Vin Ordinaire on board, otherwise
called Chateau Cambusard, is excellent, and that our pur-
veyor showed himself a man of conscience. The French
sador is one of the best of fellows, but, unhappily, he must
have his regular ' rations,' without which he considers himself
lost. This was one of the troubles of storage on board, for
the number of hogsheads it was necessary to take occupied
a huge space, which I should consider better occupied by
other provisions. I got over the difficulty partly by bringing
wine very strong in alcohol, which we dilute with more than
the same quantity of just warm water before giving it out.
Thus a considerable space is saved. During the excursions
the men put up with the total absence of wine, though they
often speak of their half-pint waiting them on their return.
It is a sad thing that for the great majority of our country's
sailors all the comfort and joy of life seem to be concentrated
in a plentiful supply of wine or alcohol. Can we blame them
for this widespread notion, when we of the richer classes are
the first to manifest our joy and honour an occasion by open-
ing a bottle ? Still, we live soberly in the ward-room and

219

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

I have succeeded, without any difficulty, moreover, iu abolish-
ing the word ' aperitif ' altogether. Would that all our
fellow-citizens at home would follow our example !

For four days I have not been able to pay another visit
to the little seal, the ice being broken up and the gale allowing
no launching of boats. This evening, during a calm, I went
there again and found mother and child doing well. My
little friend was sleeping beside his mamma. At the noise
which I made he woke up and began once more to frisk about
quaintly. He had grown a little and had become a little
more active in his movements. I made a fuss of him again,
and I was allowed to do so ; but now, whether it was in play
or whether it was to show that he was a big child, he opened
his mouth threateningly and snorted like his father and
mother. Mrs. Seal, who was a little anxious about me at
the start, soon discovered that she has nothing to fear from
me. To give her confidence, I caressed her also, and after
this she allowed me to do as I liked with the little one. In
my presence she taught him to walk, getting him to pursue
her, showing him how he must sweep away the snow with
his head as all seals do when they advance ; although the
light covering of snow to-day made such a precaution unne-
cessary. It is very probable that the father comes to visit
his wife and child fairly frequently, for close at hand there
is a seal-hole with marks of recent use.

A flight of about 200 cormorants has passed over the
island, stopping at various spots as if looking for a favourable
place to establish themselves in. But apparently they did
not find what they wanted, for they have gone away. The
manoeuvres of these birds are the more curious because
quite unusual. We always sec them fly straight ahead without
a stop, like busy birds with a definite object in view. Almost
every day, about the same time, we have remarked a single
cormorant coming from the direction of Wamlell or Berthelot
Island. As there is a rookery, even in the winter, on both
220

AUTUMN, WINTEK, AND SPEING, 1909

of these islands, we look on this cormorant as the courier
of the two colonies.

Since we have been on an exclusive diet of seal's meat,
the ulcerations on Godfroy's hands, which looked so serious,
have totally disappeared with surprising rapidity, and he
seems completely restored to health. As for me, I have no
nunc oedema of the lower limbs, only my heart refusing to
grow regular again. Still, I find myself so well after these
months of sickness that I have made up my mind, if our
comrades do not return in five or six days, to go to meet
t hem on the glacier. I shall take with me Jabet and Thomas,
who are very excited at the prospect, and I have prepared
to this end a lightly loaded sledge, so as to be able to advance
rapidly. Our re-victualling will be done from the food-
depdts on the way.

October 2. — I have had to renounce my project again,
for at 11 o'clock I espied our six excursionists making the
pre-arranged signals on the glacier. The whole ice surface
of the channel has been broken up by the constant gales,
but fortunately there are a few passage-ways of open water
which we can use in going to meet them. But we must be
quick about it, for these passages may close up as rapidly
as they opened, and we should then risk being isolated from
one another for a very long time. In a few minutes, but
not without difficulty, in consequence of the lowness of the
tide and the amount of ice ddbris, the big canoe is launched,
and I start off with Godfroy and four men. To get out of
our cove we have to carry the boat over the ice, whereby I
get a bath almost from head to foot, and after a bit of a
struggle, we reach the glacier-foot. Eecent falls oblige us
to cut steps before we can get on shore. The ice is closing
up so quickly behind us that we have only just time to
shake our comrades' hands and find out that in spite of their
fatigue they look well, and then, putting in a safe place the
stores, which we Bhall come to fetch later, we re-embark

221

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

and get through the ice just in time before our retreat is
cut off.

As is shown by Gourdon's report, which sums up the
work of the party better than I could do it, if the object,
which was to discover a route to the supposed inland ice of
Graham Land, was not attained, the trip was in any case
interesting from many points of view and does great honour
to those who carried it out. They all come back delighted,
in a good humour, and satisfied with one another, which is
the best point in favour of them all. But I knew that this
would be so at the start. Gain's carefully taken meteoro-
logical observations will be most useful for comparison with
those taken at our station.

Eeport by E. Gotjrdon on an Excursion into Graham

Land

From September 18 to October 2, 1909.

On board the Pourquoi-Pas ?

Sunday, October 3, 1909.
Commandant, —

In reporting to you on the mission with which you en-
trusted me I must first of all call attention to the devotion,
endurance and good temper which my colleagues, MM. Gain
and Senouque, and the sailors, Besnard, Herv^ and Aveline,
displayed in pursuance of their duty. I am happy to bear
witness to this and to thank them before you. Our mission
was to ascend on to Middle Glacier to eastward, where an
elbow of the mountain noticed in the course of the spring
trips allowed us to suppose a passage into the interior of the
land. We were to verify the existence of this and then to
push a reconnaissance a few days beyond.

We managed to reach the point indicated and we have
ascertained that unfortunately there is not in this direction
any means of crossing the line of heights by way of a pass or

222

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

of reaching the upper part of the plateau by a glacier with
a gentle slope.

In spite of the negative result as far as the main object
is concerned, the trip has not proved useless, for profitable
glaciological, topographical and meteorological observations
have been brought back, and also the party has gained experi-
ence in sledging.

There were put at our disposition a month's food for
six persons, two tents with room for three each, and two
sledges. Moreover, a dep6t of fifteen days' provisions and
a tent were placed in reserve on the coast at Mount Diamond.
A cache containing three days' provisions for six persons
could, in case of need, be found at Edge Hill, situated to
the south of Middle Glacier. The two sledges with their full
loads had been brought on September 15 to Middle Glacier,
at a height of 350 metres, thus giving us a good start-off.

On September 18, at 8 a.m., we finally left the ship in
clear but somewhat overcast weather. Bongrain and Liou-
ville, with six sailors, accompanied us on the first day. We
put on our skis and had only to carry as far as the sledges
a cold lunch, our Thermos flasks, and our cameras.

From Petermann Island to the glacier the crossing of the
ice covering the channel was made rapidly, although the
melted snow stuck to our skis. At 11 o'clock we reached
the sledges and at once harnessed ourselves to them. We
pushed on till 3 p.m., with a half hour's stop for our cold meal
of sausage, tunny-fish, corned beef and jam. The soft snow
and rather steep slope only allowed us to make about three
metres, which brought us to 12 kilometres from the coast
and to a height of 500 metres.

At 3 o'clock our companions say good-bye to us, and
after many handshakes start back for the ship. We establish
our camp on the glacier, not far from the western spur of
Middle Mountain. The two tents are put up side by side.
According to your instructions, the party divides itself thus : —

223

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Tent No. 1, Gourdon, Senouque and Besnard ; Tent No. 2,
Gain, Herve" and Aveline. Senouqne examines the horizon
■with the theodolite. The apparatus is placed on a little
mound of beaten snow and firmly fixed. At the back of
sledge No. 1, with Besnard's aid, I fix a bicycle wheel fitted
with a register to measure the ground we cover. At 7 o'clock,
the food is cooked in the Nansen kitchens, and soon we have
some hot soup, washed down with half a pint of coffee. Then
everything is put in its place in front of the tents and the bed-
sacks laid out on the canvas matting which is to keep them
from contact with the snow. The thermometer registers
— 2 °7, the sky is overcast, and a little wind is rising in the
north-east. We make haste to slip into our reindeer skins
and at 8.45 I blow out the lantern.

It is not a particularly grand night for most of us. It
takes some time to get used to one's bed-sack. One finds
oneself squeezed up and stifled if one closes oneself up too
much, while there are draughts of air if one opens the bag
unduly. Violent gusts shook our tents, and the snowdrift
rattled down upon them.

In the morning this snowdrift and the exceedingly heavy
weather prevent us from starting. It is not until 11 o'clock
that we can get off. We have put on one sledge about 200
kilos of provisions and instruments. We shall take this as
far as possible and come back to sleep at the camp, which
we leave standing. So we push forward north-eastward,
all six harnessed to the sledge and shod with snow-shoos.
The surface of the glacier is smooth enough and without
crevasses, but the extreme sharpness of the slope in places
and still more the thick covering of soft snow make our advance
extremely slow and difficult. It is snowing and the wind
iskeen. We have to send one of the party on ahead in turns.
He takes a hundred steps, stamping down the snow, and
l hen conies back to harness himself to the sledge, which
advances along the path thus made. In this fashion our
224

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1900

journey is long. At 4 o'clock, we are about 750 metres up,
at the foot of Middle Mountain. A tablet of chocolate and
a half-pint of lemonade restore us a little, and then, leaving
our sledge behind and putting on our skis, we glide down the
slope on our way back to the camp. At this moment a break
in the weather restores calm to the elements and brings back
our good spirits. The soup is put on the fire and soon swal-
lowed, and then we sleep, while a little sleet, mingled with
rain, rattles on the tents.

Next day, September 20, we rise at 6 a.m. The weather
is calm and clear, despite some mist. At 8 o'clock, the sun
appears. The thermometer marks — 4°. Owing to the diffi-
culties of sledging, caused by the state of the snow and the
slope of the ground, I decide to leave here a portion of our
provisions, the place being well marked out by Senouque's
bearings. We leave, therefore, a depdt of eleven days' pro-
visions (for six persons), the two canteens of rum, and two
cans containing five litres of petroleum. We have with
us seventeen days' provisions, which gives us a freedom of
action quite sufficient for our reconnaissance. We set out
on our way in fine, even rather warm, sunshine, and about
1 o'clock we reach the sledge brought on in advance yesterday.
We employ the halt to dry the tents, eat a tablet of chocolate,
and load the sledges afresh. Meanwhile, Senouque examines
the horizon with the theodolite. The number of bearings
that can be taken is indeed considerable. Behind us, that
is to say, westward, the glacier descends in long undulations
towards the sea, whose horizon, in the far distance, is marked
out by pack-ice. On our left Mount Diamond, with its summit
on a level with the horizon, terminates the range which we
have skirted. White Hill, a huge snowy ridge, partly hides
from us the lofty mass of Glacier Mountain. Then comes
the jagged outline of Wandel Island, which loses itself behind
Cape Cloos, itself dominated by the high summit between
Girard and Deloncle Bays. A long crease of snow, in which

15 225

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

several crevasses appear, allows one to guess the presence
of these two bays, basins with a regular girdle of glaciers
about them. Between the high points can be seen to the
north Mount Francais. Finally in front of us are twin masses,
round and perfectly white ; to the right of these opens the
valley which should lead us into the interior, and above us
rises Middle Mountain, whose high rocky wall is clear grey
in colour, streaked with thin lines of darker hue. Unfor-
tunately no rocky point is accessible, and it is impossible
for me to collect a specimen.

Our observations being at an end, we start our journey
again, only towing a single sledge between six of us. About
3.30, just as we are reaching a region of crevasses, the fog
envelops us and forces us to stop. It is snowing, and we
go back to fetch the other sledge and put it with the first.
The camp is established and the lamps are lighted for the
evening meal. The fog is thick, it drizzles, and the thermometer
is 3° below zero. We get to bed very quickly, and after
examining my companions' legs and assuring myself that
they are in good condition, I blow out the light. It is
7.30.

Next day, when we awake, the fog still envelops us. It
has snowed abundantly in the night, and sleet is falling con-
tinuously. We can do nothing but shelter ourselves. Still
in the afternoon, with Gain and Senouque, I reconnoitre
the region in front of us, and, coming back to fetch the rest,
we go off on skis in the direction of the bearings we took
last evening, and advance cautiously with the help of a com-
pass for about a kilometre and a half. Then, planting our
skis in the snow, we return to the camp, stamping down the
ground to prepare the path which our sledges must take
to-morrow. We have an early meal and at 7 o'clock we are
in bed.

September 22, one of our best days. The weather is
clear and the sun even makes a momentary appearance,
226

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

lighting up in the west a magnificent sea of clouds, over
which we seem to float. The thermometer has gone down
a little to — 6°, driving away the damp which was so dis-
agreeable yesterday. To-day is Gain's birthday, so I run
up the National flag, and we congratulate him warmly. A
box of sweets kept in reserve will lend special 6clat to our
meal on the journey. We set off gaily with the first sledge
over the track prepared yesterday and then come back
for No. 2. Our second trip is finishing when suddenly a
thick fog envelops us. We have fortunately had time to
take our bearings and we can continue on our way with the
compass. But travelling becomes very slow and the freshly
fallen snow makes it very difficult. Starting off on skis,
one of us a hundred paces in advance, and guided by the
compass, we journey on some time ; then replacing the skis
by snow-shoes, we come back, stamping down the snow, an
irksome, discouraging and fatiguing task. We have turned
into regular fullers and weariness falls upon us amid the fog.
We make our way down with short steps, silent or cursing.
Now, harnessed to the sledge, we climb up again, encouraging
ourselves with loud cries. Then comes the descent once
more, with the breast-strap about us, the traces hanging,
and our feet enlarged by our snow-shoes until we look like
the heavy spare horses of the Paris omnibuses, coming slowly
back to find at the bottom of the hill another 'bus. This
comparison amuses us. Finally, the two sledges are together
again, and before us stretches the white and powdery surface
through which we shall have to dig our way, making the
same journey five times for every stage forward.

In the afternoon we were favoured by clear weather,
though the sky remained grey. The snow got better, or, I
should say, less bad. We resolved to make an extra effort
and take the two sledges at once. Besnard and Herv£, the
two best in the collar, harnessed themselves with me to the
front sledge, which was the more tiring job. Gain, Senouque

227

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

and Aveline followed immediately after us. This was a
success, with a record for pace, in spite of the often pretty
stiff slope. It was not until 6 p.m. that we camped, but we
were merry and good-tempered, being delighted with our
progress of 7 kilometres, which brought us to a height of 900
metres. The highest point reached in the spring has been
surpassed. In the evening, Gain provides us with some
excellent hot chocolate, which brings us all six rather close
together into his little tent. I produce some packets of
cigarettes, and this happy day ends most cheerfully. Out-
side the cold is keen enough at — 7° 1. The moon, with a,
halo about her, lights up the immense glacier, whose sparkling
whiteness gives the dead landscape the dazzling beauty of
marble.

The night was so cold that in the morning we found all
our footwear frozen, even those of us who took the precaution
of putting them beside us in the bed-sacks. Up to the present
we ^had journeyed in ski-shoes made of sealskin, covered
with the Alpine hunters' cloth socks. We had to replace
them by reindeer hide mocassins, and we found these so-
good that henceforward they were the only footwear used.
Their sole drawback is that they wear out rapidly.

The sun is shining, but the cold is keen at — 7°. We
start our march again under the same conditions as yester-
day. Behind us Middle Mountain, an imposing triangular
pyramid, cuts the surface of the glacier into two branches.
To the north lies that over which we have journeyed, to the
south an immense channel, split up by crevasses, which
descends to Cape Rasmussen. To our right the horizontal
crest of the Mounts of Ice stands out boldly, while to the
left the white dome of the Breasts stands out in a semi-circle,
and to the east a series of heights bar the road before us, and
at their meeting-point with the Mounts of Ice. make that
corner whose mystery we have to clear up.

About 3^0'clock the opening commences to widen, ami
228

AUTUMN, WIN TEE, AND SPEING, 1909

unfortunately the eastern (lank runs more and more behind
the Mounts of lee. If there is a way through, it must be
terribly narrow, and in the direction of the south. It is with
gradually tottering hopes that we push on, when suddenly
the fog descends and completely cuts off our view. We go
back to the sledges and put up our tents, for we must renounce
all hopes of reaching to-day the solution of our problem.

At 6 o'clock the snow began to fall. Without rest or
respite, the white flakes must have been falling down upon
us for 96 hours. Next day the wind rose and soon changed
into a furious hurricane. From the bottom of our half-
opened bed-sacks, we watched with fright the leaps of our
tent, desperately swollen out by the wind, which passed
through with a terrific roar, while the uprights quivered as
if they would break in the infernal dance of the gusts. We
remained 48 hours without communication with our neigh-
bours, though they were only a few feet away from us. The
snow piled up rapidly about the tents and worked its way
in at the sides, over the canvas, to such an extent that the
t wo outside bed-sacks were soon buried under a thick blanket
of snow, which at every movement of the sleeper pressed
more closely upon him. We had the horrible sensation of
being held in a vice which only just left us room to move
and forced us to sleep in the least comfortable position. One
night in Gain's tent, they could only sleep two at a time ;
in ours Senouque was obliged to get up at 3 in the morning
to sweep his place clear !

Otherwise we tried to kill time as best we could and endured
our ills patiently. We spent the morning in the warmth
of our bed-sacks. A cake of chocolate sufficed for breakfast,
and all the scraps of newspaper found in the parcels were
read and re-read. With the aid of my sketch-book, I manu-
factured a draught-board. In the afternoon the bed-sacks
were folded up at the back of the tent, the carpet was placed
over them, and installed on this improvised divan and some-

229

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

what wet with the water that leaked through the tent, we
devised no end of things while the food was cooking. Some-
times we added a cup of chocolate, and then invitation*
passed from one tent to the other. Next we swept around
the tent as well as possible and proceeded to get to bed, a
most complicated operation in so narrow a space.

At last on the evening of the 27th, there was a lull, which
permitted us to catch sight of a corner of the mountain.
With what joy we greeted it ! The snow stopped, and the
valley was bathed in wonderful moonlight. Mars and Venus
appeared in the sky. What a pleasure it was to go to sleep
peacefully without the rattling of the snow on the tent and
the howling of the wind.

On the 28th, we awoke in fog, and I thought for a moment
that our prison walls had closed upon us again. But at
5.30 a pink haze appears in the east, and so we are up and
away. The weather is calm and the thermometer registers
— 19°. The fog takes long to clear off, but we advance
carefully. The snow is good for our skis, our beards are
loaded with icicles, and the dry cold braces us up. From
time to time there is a crash of avalanches close at hand.
A half-break in the darkness allows us to double the spur of
the Mountains of Ice, and we make our way into the pass at
the end of which we hope to find a way through. Alas !
when the sun smiles upon us at last and lights up the moun-
tains which surround us, it is to reveal to us on every side
an insurmountable rampart. We are in a vast amphitheatre,
but in a cul-de-sac. In an apparently horizontal line, which
is perhaps the edge of a plateau — and this makes our
disappointment more galling than ever — there is a weltering
chaos of glaciers coming down in an irregular stairway. The
valley through which we are passing is choked with snow,
and at its end fearful avalanches have broken oil from the
flank of the mountain enormous masses of ice, which lie at
its base, all brokeu up, in long slopes of blocks and dust.
230

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

We call this place therefore the Amphitheatre of the Ava-
lanches. The mountain flank where it is laid bare reveals
rock ; unfortunately it is too abrupt for us to reach it and
amid the ice-d6bris I cannot find the smallest fragment of
rock to show me its character.

We take our time now contemplating the beauty of the
scene, and truly this ' end of the world ' is splendidly striking.
This chaos of ice, grooved in places by the raging torrent
of avalanches crashing down the slopes and spreading them-
selves out in a fan at the foot ; the sun multiplied six times
in a parhelion with its many- coloured circles, like some fairy
halo ; the air all sparkling with diamond dust, and the wisps
of white mist streaming from summit to summit, give us an
unforgettable moment which rewards us for our pains and
lessens our disappointment.

On our return to camp we prepare to depart. Our tents
have disappeared at the bottom of a ditch, surrounded by a
wall in which we have to cut a stairway. To unbury our
sledge we have to sweep away a depth of 2 metres of snow.
It does us good to handle the spade in this dry cold, which
at 6 o'clock reaches — 23° 5, and we have all the enthusiasm
of captives set at Liberty. A fine sunset favours us with ita
golden rays.

On September 29, we strike our camp under a fine sun
and with the thermometer at — 12°. In the distance on each
side of Middle Mountain, the sea, covered with pack-ice as-
far as the horizon, shows itself over the slope of the glaciers.
The ground, whose softness we have been fearing on account
of the great quantity of freshly fallen snow just now, has
hardened again in the very keen frost, and having the slope
now in our favour we make an attempt to drag the sledges
on our skis. The result is excellent, the only difficulty being
to keep the sledge upright. Remembering the good effect
of the arrangement which we tried before when dragging a
whale-boat over the pack-ice in our 1904 campaign, I lash

23*

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

firmly across the front part of the sledge, above the load,
two tent-uprights. Thus we get a firm rail by which to keep
the balance on either side, and Senouque and I, being well
matched in height and strength, push against these two
horizontal arms, while Besnard pulls. This arrangement
succeeds very well with sledge No. 1, but unfortunately our com-
rades with No. 2 cannot adopt it because of their greater height.

The caravan was getting along well and we were about
to reach the position of our camp of September 20, when
about 3 o'clock snow began to fall, accompanied by wind.
Up to 4, we were able to get along with the aid of the com-
pass, but the wind got steadily stronger, so we had hastily
to encamp and take refuge under our tents. In the evening
we went to sleep with the rattling of sleet on the canvas and
the groaning of the wind.

On the 30th we were back again in the worst phase of
our captivity. Rising at dawn to take advantage of the
first break of the weather, we were obliged to stay in our
tents by the violence of the gusts, the thickness of the fog,
and the abundance of the snow. Our draught-board and
a little English vocabulary, which Gain discovered, were
our only distractions.

Next day opened as unpleasantly, till at 11 a.m. the fog
broke up. We hasten to strike camp in spite of the still
very keen wind and the freshly fallen snow, into which our
sledges sink. Long waves of spoon-drift give the ground
the appearance of a frozen sea, and make our progress very
uneven. On the slopes, where we occasionally are carried
off our feet by the speed, the sledges rock like a launch, and
we have numerous falls, which are fortunately comical rather
than dangerous. The afternoon is clear. We make good
progress and at 4.30, we stop where we placed our depot on
September 19. Everything has disappeared and there is
not a trace in the thick mantle of snow. While Senouque
tries to find the place, first with the compass and then with
232

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

the theodolite, we put up our tents and prepare the meal.
The sky is clear and the thermometer registers — 16°. We
¥<> to sleep under a fine starry night, in the hope that to-
morrow it will be in our berths on the Pourquoi-Pas ? that
mc shall rest.

The 2nd of October starts with a rather thick mist, it is
true, but accompanied by wind. At 8 o'clock we have not
\ i ! had the slightest break, and it is impossible to go on

h our search for the dep6t. As I shall have to come
back here sometime to complete my measurements of the
pace of [the glacier, we can collect our stores on the same
occasion. It is useless to waste time, so we pack up traps
and start. The snow is in good condition, in spite of the
high waves caused by the drift, and as the slope increases
our speed becomes fast. At 11 the fog clears off, and the
pack-ice comes in sight, looking very bad, full of crevasses
and broken up. Shall we be able to cross it, or shall we be
condemned to stop in quarantine in sight of port ? But
there is Petermann again, with the masts of the Pourquoi-
I 'as f We hoist our flags and almost immediately we are
answered on board. As was agreed, we keep only one flag
flying, signifying ' Send to fetch us.' It is with some anxiety
that we await the answer. A signal runs up at the mizzen-
gaff, another at the main. This means that the opera-
tion will be difficult. A third would show that it is impos-
sible, but happily it does not appear, and hope returns. An
hour later Ave have reached the first depdt. With the aid
of field-glasses we see a boat leaving the harbour in the middle
of the ice. Beneath our feet, to reassure us, the glacier was
bathed by an ice-free sea, and indeed before we could get
down, your greetings reached us ; a few minutes later we
had the pleasure of shaking hands with you, Commandant,
coming off personally to meet us, with Godfroy, our old
comrade on the spring excursions, and also with the sailors
who accompanied you.

233

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

In the course of this fifteen days' trip, which took us to
a height of nearly 1,000 metres and to a distance of some 25
kilometres from the ship, the state of health of our little
party always remained perfect, in spite of the very unfavour-
able atmospheric conditions with which we had to put up.
Good spirits and cheerfulness prevailed throughout, to which
contributed very much the excellent choice of provisions
due to your care. Our equipment would certainly have
given equal satisfaction had we not met with humidity very
contrary to what one expects in these regions.

The meteorological observations, summed up herewith,
were taken regularly by Gain. The route, recorded by Senou-
que, was traced out by means of three stations of the theo-
dolite and seven of the compass, in the course of which 64
points were taken. Middle Glacier, which we climbed to
its source, is remarkable for an almost complete absence of
crevasses, those which we noticed in the spring being at this
season hidden by snow-bridges. Only the lower part of the
glacier, for about a kilometre before one reaches the sea, is
seamed by large cracks, Que to a rapid clearing away of the
snow. Before it reaches Middle Mountain, the glacial stream
forks and sends out to the south-west an arm, unlike the
other, very full of crevasses, which embraces Middle Mountain,
Mount Kude, and the Edge, whose mass is thus nothing more
than an immense nunatak. This arm rejoins Middle Glacier
again, so as to present a single front to the sea. At the level
of Girard Bay another part of the ice leaves the principal
current to fall in cascades into that kind of funnel which
breaches its right flank. This glacier is fed comparatively
poorly and from one source only. It does not appear that
any considerable masses fall from the crests of the Mountains
of Ice, as would be the case if they were the waste-pipe for
the regions inland. The quantity of snow which falls locally
is sufficient to explain how it is that glaciers of such importance
can be without a feeding-basin of any size ; for in four days
234

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

— it is true we were specially favoured — we saw the level of
the ground rise more than 2 metres.

As for the nature of the regions inland, this important
problem remains unsolved. Undoubtedly the long horizontal
ridge of the Mountains of Ice suggests the edge of a plateau,
particularly when one remembers the frequency of this hori-
zontal contour at other places on the coast, in De Gerlache
Strait, at the end of Beascocheia Bay, and at the end of
Mat ha Bay ; but this is only an hypothesis. Likewise we
have discovered no indication of ^he presence of an iidand
ice-plain. Perhaps we shall have the opportunity later of
making a new reconnaissance at another point.

I came across no rock which I could reach, but from the
similarity of aspect presented by those I could see at a distance
to the specimens picked up at the Edge and at Cape Ras-
mussen, I may conclude in favour of a stereoscopic formation.
I took myself about sixty snapshots.

I finish, Commandant, by thanking you for the honour
you have done me in entrusting me with this mission and
by assuring you once more of my entire devotion.

E. Goukdon.

October 8. — Gourdon and Godfroy came to tell me in turn
on the 4th that they had oedema of the legs. This did not
alarm me beyond measure, for I knew the treatment now
and I was convinced that, by taking the malady at the start,
all would be right in a few days. I put them, therefore, on
an exclusive diet of seal's meat. Surely enough, at the end
of three days, every symptom has disappeared. I have not
ceased to reflect upon the cause of this scorbutic disorder.
What proves completely that it is provoked by the preserved-
foods and not by the absence of fresh meat is that the symp-
toms disappear, not by adding fresh meat to the diet, but
by the total suppression of preserved-food.

On the other hand, not all preserves can be to blame,

235

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

since, fore and aft alike, we are eating identically the same
products, coming not only from the same purveyor but even
from the same boxes, and the crew have been totally immune,
only the ward-room suffering. Now in the ward-room, at
: lie beginning of the Expedition, there were certain protests
to the effect that the menus ought to be a little different,
and although I should have preferred to continue with one
menu for all, as on board the Fran^ais, I had to allow there
were certain advantages and very few drawbacks in making
some differences. These consisted almost exclusively of
hors-d'oeuvres, coming not from the stores chosen by myself
with great care for the trip, but from various presents, over
■which, of course, we had exercised no supervision. The
facts force me to conclude that the cause of ill must lie in
tltese boxes of hors-d'oeuvres. But the treatment is so
simple and easy, especially since with the spring the seals
have become abundant, that I am no longer anxious about
the matter.

The ice still stretches out of sight to seaward, and it
seems that we are completely encircled. De Gerlache Strait,
however, and Lemaire Channel, between Wandel and the
coast, having always been free during our first winter, I hope
that the same will be the case this year and that we shall
be able to get out easily when the plug which is at the mouth
<>f this channel shall be removed. I should like to be ready
to start on November 15 ; for, since we can no longer hope
for an important excursion into the interior, I think it would
be more interesting to commence our sea-Avork very early
and to put in some productive labour in the South Shetland*
before turning south again. Therefore I have commenced
preparations; for the persistent bad weather, which stops
all work for days at a time, my keen desire to leave under
the most favourable conditions, and the trouble Ave have
over the indispensable swooping away of the snoAV, which
takes us several hours a day, make this necessary noA\ T .
236

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1009

The ice accumulated around the boat bothers us a lot.
For one thing, it prevents us from putting the rudder back
in its place, and for another, it surrounds the cables, threatening
to break them and subjecting them to heavy strains. I no
longer dare slacken them, since the gusts of wind and the
movements of the swell are so sudden here that the ice might
be broken up in a few seconds and a mishap overtake the
ship before we had time to haul them taut again.

The crew cheerfully work at breaking up the ice and we
lend a hand, looking for weak points, increasing the cracks
and splitting up the large blocks with improvised levers.
As soon as enough has been cleared away, we attempt to put
the rudder in its place, taking advantage of the transparency
of the water, but we have to hoist it on land again to make
a small alteration in one of the irons.

A couple of cormorants have returned and taken their
place again on a point of rock. In the autumn, Gain had
fastened about their legs a band of coloured celluloid, as he
had done with a large number of penguins. In this way
he was able to ascertain that they are the same ones which
have returned.

I have just learnt that the stock of nads on board is ex-
hausted, which is not very astonishing, seeing how large a
quantity has been used in the construction of the observa-
tories and for the numerous cases enclosing the naturalists'
collections. We want nads, but I am not very worried about
this, for I have promised a glass of anisette to every man
who brings me a hundred. Immediately ad the pincers
on board are requisitioned to pidl them out of old boxes, and if
this goes on, we shall have more than we had at the start.

October 15. — The outfitting and repair of the ship is being
pushed ahead very actively. The roofs of the cook's galley
and the laboratories having been much affected by the tempera-
tures to which they have been exposed, I have them re-covered
with painted sad-cloth. In various places the deck has been

237

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

re-caulked as best we can. The spirit store-room has been
looked to and the lead which lines it has been re-soldered
wherever there is a crack. We have still almost 6 tons of
spirit to carry with us. Herein there is considerable danger.
Thanks to the precautions which we took, all accidents were
avoided during our first campaign, and I have every reason
to believe that these precautions will continue sufficient, pro-
vided we look after the lining of the room and the ventilator.

The rudder was shipped without difficulty, in such a
way that if there is a fresh mishap its unshipping will be
comparatively easy.

All the sails, after the sail-makers had examined and
repaired them, have been bent. I have had a supplementary
crow's-nest of canvas set upon the top-mast 'cross-trees. More
accessible than that at the top of the mainmast, its height
is quite sufficient for the ordinary conditions of navigation
amongst ice. The Lucas sounding apparatus, whose electric
motor is not strong enough, has been brought from the stern
to the port-side forward. After a series of attempts, Kosselin
succeeded in connecting it with the little engine of the picket-
boat brought back from Wandel, and its working seems as
if it ought to be quite satisfactory henceforward. At Rouch's
orders, Nozal has installed astern a hand-trunnion, which
allows the rapid taking of water at various depths during
deep soundings.

All these operations on board have no effect on our scien-
tific work, which continues with the greatest regularity
throughout the winter.

One solitary penguin has come back, apparently to examine
the rookery ; perhaps sent by the rest to report on the
situation. From my notes I see that the same time four
years ago there were twelve penguins back at Wandel, but
there was then much more free water about the island.

The general health is satisfactory, and there are no new
cases of scurvy. But Poste and Modaine have been prostrated
238

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

with violent neuralgia for several days. Liouville too, who,
entrusted by me at the start with the medical superintendence
of the ship, has devoted the utmost care and attention to
his duties, has himself been in bed for some days suffering
from stomach or liver, but he now seems quite recovered.

On the 12th a black ice-block ran aground close to the
island. Gourdon and I have examined it and, as we expected,
find its colour due to the abundant sediment imprisoned in
the ice before it got afloat. It is very common to find bergs
or blocks thus freighted with various geological specimens,
but we have rarely seen one so big or so full of mud and
gravel. Meeting one like it at sea, even at close quarters, one
would be excused for marking down a rock on the chart.

October 19. — If the ice is constantly broken up by the wind
in the direction of the channel, to seaward the pack extends
out of sight. Beyond the Le-Myre-de-Vilers Islands it is
fragmentary, and so also to the south ; but along Petermann,
Hovgard and Wandel Islands it forms, under a very thick
covering of snow, a fine, smooth surface, over which we
venture frequently, both for work and for exercise.

Yesterday, while Bongrain took Boland surveying to the
Le-Myre-de-Vilers Islands and Gourdon was geologizing on
Hovgard, I decided to go with Gain as far as Wandel to dis-
cover the condition of the ice in Bismarck Strait. We set off
on skis at 10 a.m. The pack-ice was excellent ; a little soft
and uneven in places, very dense to all appearance, but almost
entirely composed of a thick layer of snow through which our
staffs pierced easily. Although the thermometer stood at
— 16° and we were very lightly clad we really felt the heat of
the glorious sunshine to which we had become unaccustomed.
The reflection was very strong, and we dared not leave off
our glasses for fear of the very painful snow-ophthalmia.
Thanks to our yellow glasses, recommended by a surgeon-
major of the Alpine Eifles, none of us has been troubled with
his eyes in the present expedition, whereas in 1904 ophthalmia

239

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

was the curse of our existence. Apart from their excellent
qualities, yellow glasses have this great advantage over
smoked ones, that they impart a more agreeable and cheerful
hue to the scene, which means a good deal to those who cannot
do without glasses. People vary a lot in this respect, for I
have seen some attacked by ophthalmia after taking off their
glasses for a ridiculously short time, while others have never
felt the need of them.

This was the first time since my four months' illness that
I had taken part in a trip of any duration, and I started off
as gaily as a schoolboy on his holiday, rejoicing in the ap-
parent total recovery of health. Alas ! I presumed too much
on my strength, and I had a day of physical and moral suffer-
ing such as I had never experienced before. After two
hours' journey my heart began to trouble me. Palpitations
and irregularity were followed by violent agony, accompanied
by shootings in the shoulders and arms. But I resolved to
go on and tell nothing to my companion, who must have
found my conversation singularly spasmodic.

We reached the headland of Hovgard without difficulty,
and came across a female Weddell's seal with her young one,
her head all powdered with fine snow. In spite of our re-
assuring words, the poor mother displayed a fear which is
unusual in these animals. We crossed the headland and
found more good pack-ice leading to another cape, where we
rested and ate a tablet of chocolate. Next we went on to a
small cap-shaped island north-west of Hovgard, whence we
saw Saipetriere Bay covered by the same thick pack, sprinkled
with numerous big icebergs. The seals were very plentiful,
including six Weddells with their young and a whole family
of Crabbers. My heart grew worse and worse, causing me
horrible pain. For all my energy and pride, I was forced to
stop every hundred steps and lean on my staffs. I was eager
to keep up to the end, but the thought of return caused me
{Treat anxiety.
240 ^

AUTUMN, WINTEE, AND SPEING, 1909

About 3 p.m. we reached Wandel. The magnetic hut was
half buried in the snow and it would have been impossible to
open the door without protracted labour. So I was obliged
to rest in a hollow of snow formed by the wind. Stretching
myself on my back with my arms above my head, I succeeded
in easing my pain a little, but the cold, which made itself felt
as soon as I stopped walking, prevented me from keeping still
long. While Gain went on a visit to the cormorant-rookery,
which was inhabited all the year round, I managed with the
greatest difficulty to get to the cairn, awful cramps suddenly
attacking my legs and being only got rid of by rubbing and
violent slaps.

The whole of Wandel was buried under a thick layer of
snow such as I had never seen before, and the pack-ice
stretched out of sight everywhere. Even in the haven of
Port Charcot there were imposing ice-blocks, and it is certain
that a ship wishing to winter here in this exceptional year,
with its ice-free sea right into August, would have been in a
very awkward position and would probably have been shat-
tered against the rocks or crushed by the ice-blocks.

The discovery of this condition of the ice made me very
anxious, for how and when could the Pourquoi-Pas ? make
her way out ? My patience has been sorely tried. For the
greater part of the winter we were much troubled by the
bad weather and open state of the sea, but we hoped at least
to get away early and to find but little ice on our route. Un-
fortunately the contrary is the case, for we have never seen
so much ice at any time ! But we are only in the middle of
October, after all, and happily a great deal may happen in a
month.

On our way back to Petermann the sun was hidden and a-
fresh south-west breeze made travelling a little less painful.
It was necessary to get back before nightfall, and in spite of
the condition of my heart and my fear of more cramp I made
every endeavour to push on as fast as possible. At last we

16 241

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

reached the foot of the island and had to climb up about
150 metres before descending to our quarters. I was at the
end of my strength. A false step caused me to pitch into
the soft snow and I should not have been able to pick myself
up without help. Gain, however, proved the best possible
of companions. He was both patient and energetic and
uttered no word of complaint at having to drag me behind
him all the way. He showed clearly his greatness of heart,
not only cheerfully lending me his aid but also successfully
soothing the shame which I felt at showing my weakness
before him.

Gourdon, being somewhat anxious, had come to meet us
on the summit of the island, and at 11 p.m. we were back
on board. I had walked for thirteen hours, covering more
than 35 kilometres, in spite of my myocarditis. For the
first effort of one recovering from four months' illness this
was not bad !

October 31. — The fitting up of the ship goes on apace, and
the stores are piling up in the holds. The picket-boat has been
carefully repaired and fitted with a well-made and apparently
very useful hood, and to-day she has been launched. The
task is a delicate one, owing to the extent of the sheet of ice
projecting over the sea, and the whole of the crew has to take
part in the operation of getting her afloat.

The birds are coming back to Petermann Island. They
herald the end of our troublesome winter and furnish us all
with a distraction, while to Gain they mean a fresh start of
his interesting studies.

November 1. — All Saints' Day, Todos los Santos ! There-
fore it is the birthday of Madame Santos Perez, the wife of
my dearest friend at Buenos Aires, Dr. Perez, to whom the
Expedition owes so much, for he it was who influenced public
opinion and interested the Government of his country in
my two enterprises. So we drink the health of this charming
lady, who can have no idea that at the end of the world the
242

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPEING, 1909

thirty members of the Expedition are making the icebergs
ring in her honour.

November 12. — The temperature is higher, varying gener-
ally between — 5° and + 4°, but the weather is still as des-
perately bad, and the gales of wind are followed by heavy
falls of snow, which do not make our work easier. Often
after these big falls there is, in a very short space of time,
a series of thaws and frosts, which cover all the tackle with
solid ice, outlining their shape and giving the ship a most
picturesque appearance. But when the temperature goes
up again there is much danger in stopping on deck, for the
ici detaches itself and falls in heavy masses from the masts,
or in long swords from the rigging. There are a few accidents,
fortunately not serious ; but Jabet has had a narrow escape
from being killed by a block which fell beside him.

The tarpaulins have been taken off fore and aft, the deck has
been cleared and cleaned, the funnel replaced, and the ship has
resumed an appearance of active life which is pleasing to see.

On the 7th, after a strong gale of wind, the channel was
completely unblocked for several hours and we were able
to go hurriedly and recover the sledges which we had had to
leave on the glacier the previous month. Since October 2
it has been totally impossible for us to go there, and if by a
mischance we had not succeeded in fetching our comrades
off that day, they would have stopped in their tents facing
the ship for more than a month without being able to com-
municate with us. The sledges and all that belonged to
them were buried under a thick covering of snow, the only
indication of where they were being a few tent-poles. We
were able to bring back all except one tent and a depdt of
provisions, which we abandoned at the top of the glacier.

While the picket-boat was alongside the ship, Frachat,
who was in charge of the motor, set fire to the spirit ; imme-
diately a long flame shot out and he had only just time to save
himself. Happily a Minimax extinguisher was within reach,

243

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

and in a few seconds the blaze was put out. This probably
enabled us to save our precious picket-boat without serious
damage, although its reservoir at the moment contained
more than 30 litres of essence.

Two other cormorants have returned, also with their rings
about their legs, so that all those of last spring have come
back to their old home. The penguins for their part are
extremely numerous and afford us, as was the case on the
Francais, one of our principal distractions.

The two couples of cormorants have established their
nests on a little point dominating the noisy and ill-kept rook-
eries of the AdeUe penguins. With their cleanliness, dignity,
and calm elegance, they make a contrast to the dirty chattering
crowd of penguins, who are quarrelling and rushing about
just as if they were mere human beings. A great number of
these penguins have the rings which Gain put on their legs
in the spring. It is proved that we are only seeing the adults
back again, not one of the nestlings hatched on the island
the previous year having returned. It even seems that these
penguins come back to the same places in their rookery.
The little family which used to live in a cavity in the rock is
back again, but the ' loony ' is missing ; perhaps they have
had to shut him up in an asylum.

On (lie 9th the first egg was laid. Access to one portion
of the rookery was henceforward totally cut off, so that Gain
might continue his embryological researches under the best
possible conditions. I lent him my bacteriological stove,
which is transformed into an incubator for hatching out the
eggs of various species of birds.

The seals on the ice are also in great number, and we have
counted as many as fifty individuals in a group.

Lerebourg has replaced Dufreche as assistant in (ho
laboratory.

November 14. — One of our great anxieties for the moment
is to find how we can fill our boiler and our casks with fresh
244

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

water. If necessary, we could use sea-water for the first,
but it has been kept in such good order hitherto that I shall
only risk this as the last extremity. To-day Gueguen, helped
by sonic of his comrades, is busy digging trenches to try to
catch the water which the thaw sets running under the glacier
covering the island. In spite of all his efforts the quantity
■which he gets is still insufficient. Gueguen, however, does
not despair, and night and day we see him wandering about
witli a bucket, a spade, and a length of hose. He is a sworn
foe to the ice and makes violent attacks on it. When we
have to get some off an ice-block or to break or moor one of
the blocks, Gueguen is always to the fore, and the usually
gentle fellow becomes violent, hitting out wrathfully and
insulting his enemy under his breath. He was like this on
the first Expedition and has become remarkably clever at
his work. He knows the ice and all that can be done with it,
and if he cannot find water no one can.

Jabet has come to tell me of some curious black marks
on the high cliff of the glacier in front of us. With the tele-
scope I discover, to my great astonishment, that these black
marks are nothing else than thirty penguins. The glacier
shows traces of the road which they traversed ; they climbed
up at the spot wdiere we landed ourselves, mounted right up
on to the top of the glacier, and then, probably thinking that
they were returning to the water, let themselves slide down
a slope which they could not climb again, thus finding them-
selves about 40 metres above sea-level on the cornice of the
steep cliff. The poor birds were in great danger of dying of
starvation. We saw them for three days in their evil plight,
but on the fourth they had disappeared. Perhaps they
ended by jumping into the sea.

November 17. — Guegen's ingenuity has only succeeded
in getting 6 tons of water for the boiler, and we want about
18. As I am determined at all costs to fill it with fresh water,
I have had a small fire lighted up in the furnaces with a few

245

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

briquettes and some old boxes, so as to melt gradually the
snow which we shall throw in. To get this snow I lay
out a line between the ship and the summit of the ice-
cliff to starboard. On this line runs our biggest washing-
bucket. A party on shore fills the bucket with snow and
lets it run to the ship, where another party empties it into
the boiler ; then it is again sent back to the cliff. I have
calculated that it will take one hundred journeys to finish our
task. We all work at it hard, and by dint of urging on the
men with a stop-watch, the bucket's full journey is completed
in 45 seconds. At 5 p.m. not only is the boiler full, but we
have provision of water for two days more. We have been
able to light the boiler and as soon as we have a little steam
up, the auxiliary gear is successfully tested. Then Rosselin
increases the pressure to 7 kilos and, to let me know that the
engines are ready, sets the whistle to work. This unwonted
sound, which we had forgotten for so long, is at once strange
and pleasant. Three-quarters of an hour the engine has been
working in a satisfactory manner, and I feel real emotion at
hearing the heart of the Pourquoi- Pas f beating once more.

With the engine working it becomes quite easy by means
of the pipe for this purpose to melt the ice rapidly and to
pump the water into the casks. In a few hours all is finished,
Gueguen giving himself the pleasure of destroying a whole
ice-block to supply the necessary ice.

We are ready to start, therefore. The only operation re-
maining to be carried out is to take up the chains and hawsers.
These latter, in spite of all our precautions and the clearing
work we have done at various times during the winter, are
buried under a thick covering of ice and snow, and the men
have already begun to dig trenches more than 2 metres deep.
I fear that we shall also have some dilliculty with the chains,
especially with the port chain round the rock which fell at
the beginning of our winter season. It is not until the very
day of our departure, however, that I shall venture to cast
246

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1900

them off entirely and take them on board, for oven yesterday
a laiLT*.' piece of the cornice camo down, stirring up a wave
which gave the ship a violent shock, scraping our starboard
chain and breaking three hawsers, including the big tow-line.

The state of the ice is so far satisfactory. From time
to time there is a certain loosening in tront of our haven,
which allows us to make some interesting dredges and to take
bearings and soundings, but the pack-ice in the offing scarcely
alters at all. South of the channel it is quite compact, and
in the north, between Wandel and the land, the accumulated
ice-blocks appear to present an absolute barrier. A large
iceberg seems actually buttressed at its two extremities to
the two shores and by its own mass to block the whole of the
narrow passage.

I am very anxious about Chollet's health. He has fallen
a victim in his turn, but to a much more ordinary form of
scurvy. He has great black spots on his thighs and can no
longer keep on his feet. He is the only man on board who
feels towards seal's flesh a repugnance which no amount of
effort can overcome. Fortunately the penguins are abundant,
and also they are beginning to give us eggs in fairly large
quantities. Yesterday we were able to eat our first omelette,
which all declared excellent.

Every morning, under the leadership of Gain, some trust-
worthy men go to gather the eggs, but I am obliged to watch
carefully and to show my anger frequently. Some of the
crew, at other times most docile, go completely mad where
there is a question of eggs, which they try to crack and swallow
raw, to the loss of their more obedient comrades.

On the 15th we celebrated the national fete-day of Brazil
with the flag of that fine country at our masthead, and I may
assert that the wishes we expressed for the prosperity of this
generous nation were sincere and came from the bottom of
our hearts.

November 23. — Some considerable loosenings of the ice

247

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

have occurred, and the iceberg in Lemaire Channel seems
to have shifted a little.

I had insisted that the observation huts should remain
to the last moment for the carrying out of our work, but now
I give the order for their demolition and the putting on board
of their contents. I have decided to leave nothing here.
We have before us a long campaign in the unknown and these
buildings may be of great service to us. The gangway is lifted
up and the topgallant yards lashed together and stowed away.
The explosives and the spirit are shipped in their turn, and
lastly, on the site of the movable house on Megalestris Hill we
build a cairn, surmounted by a signal and supporting a large
leaden tablet on which are engraved the names of those taking
part in the Expedition.

November 25. — The weather is grey but calm. It seems
to me from the summit of the island that a very narrow passage
will allow us to enter the portion of Lemaire Channel which
is hidden by the mountains and which I suppose at least to
be free. I have decided to leave to-day, before midnight.
The work done during the day is formidable. We all take
part in it, toiling like navvies.

The port-chain, caught under its rock, is fortunately
freed by a sharp tug of the steam windlass, and then, with
a party of ten men armed with pickaxes and levers, I go
down into the trench dug down to the starboard-chain, which,
not without considerable difficulty, we succeed in releasing
from its covering of ice. We bring it neatly on board without
mishap. Meanwhile, the picket-boat and other boats are
hoisted and secured.

We free the last hawsers and wc arc even obliged to cut
some of t hem. The ice-anchors are brought on board. Finally
we destroy the boom which has resisted so well for three
months, and nothing remains on shore except three men
whose duty it is to loosen the hawsers which prevent us
from swinging.
248

^%-%'t

v^^^^

An Argument !

J^M^- J<

/**

i mi for 9 Walk.

AUTUMN, WINTER, AND SPRING, 1909

At 9 o'clock we get under way, the manoeuvre being diffi-
cult owing to the accumulation of ice; but Godfrey, who
made the plan of our harbour with great care, knows every
detail thoroughly, and at 10.30 we are outside. The men
left on shore return in the dinghy. The three cairns and a
heap of empty preserve-boxes are the only indications at a
distance that the island has been inhabited.

Farewell, Petermann ! Here for more than nine months,
amid snow and fog, we have lived through the tiresome mono-
tony of an almost continual gale, and have been through
hardships and sufferings, but we have accomplished our task
without quailing. The wind will continue to sweep your
hills, snow and fog will always envelop you, but man has been
able to safeguard his life in your unfriendly neighbourhood
and to struggle victoriously against the forces which protect
you, and which, as in the stories, have in the end spared him
and revealed to him their secrets.

Full of enthusiasm and hope, after this long stop, we set
out again to continue our work.

249

PART III

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

BEFOEE we are able to draw up a definite programme
of our summer campaign we must go to Deception
Island, where I have every reason to believe we shall find some
coal. We have succeeded in saving about 80 tons of our stock,
and if the whalers can let us have another hundred we
shall have an unhoped-for opportunity of carrying on the
Expedition.

Our short previous stay at this island showed us how
much profitable work remained to be done, and at all events
we must continue some of our studies there. Our observa-
tions, and our collections still more, would be the more valuable
for a rather prolonged visit.

November 26. — Our voyage has begun again. We progress
slowly, pushing with difficulty through the big floes which
block the channel. The current, which is usually so strong
in the direction we are going, is hardly to be felt amid the
ice, which confirms what I notice from the crow's-nest as we
gradually approach Wandel Island. It seems, in fact, that
the channel at this spot is hermetically closed. Soon the
marine ice is succeeded by a great stretch entirely covered
by the hard ice of glacier-debris, and these fragments, small
though I hey are in size, are so heaped together that we can
scarcely cut a way for ourselves. Then wo get into a perfect
maze of icebergs, some of whose summits tower far above
our masts. After advancing slowly and steering with the
greatest difficulty to avoid dangerous collisions we find our-
350

THE 8 U M M E B OF 1909-1910

selves irremediably checked. The big flat iceberg which I
saw from the top of Petcrmann Island completely shuts up
the narrow channel and others have come up too to assist
in the work. There is in this place an unparalleled accumula-
tion, extending over a wide space. We needs must put about
and try to make De Gerlache Strait by way of Salpetriere
Bay. This manoeuvre is not easy in the narrow passages
between the icebergs, full of huge blocks which restrict the
effective action of the rudder. Shocks are frequent, and the
silence of this calm night is broken by the noise of the ice,
which we are displacing, the tinkling of the engine-room
telegraph, and the repeated commands, ' Starboard,' ' Port ! '
' Helm amidships ! ' But we make our way between Wandel
and Hovgard.

I have often been over the course we are trying to take,
but only in a small boat, and if I know its principal dangers
many shallows and rocks may have escaped my notice. A
great strip of pack-ice blocks our way. We hurl ourselves
forward at full speed. The ship, being lighter than formerly,
climbs up, but she is too broad, and in spite of our repeated
efforts we cannot break through. There is a passage about
20 metres wide just open along the coast of Wandel. There
is a chance of getting aground, but we have to make up our
minds to run the risk if we do not want to go back to Peter-
mann. Uneasily and slowly we make our way into it and
get through, thus entering Salpetriere Bay. This is sprinkled
with icebergs, but by unforeseen luck quite free from marine
ice. Through the narrow Ballier-du-Baty Channel, where
Matha fortunately took some soundings four years ago, we
steam past our old anchorage. I should have liked to stop
a few minutes at Port Charcot, but the whole bay is filled
with solid pack-ice and the north-easter is beginning to blow.
Farewell once more, Wandel, shall I ever set eyes on you
again ! The big cairn seems to me to stand out sadly
on the top of its hill, but I cannot get rid of the idea that

251

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

some day this station will be again inhabited, an outpost of
■civilization established by us. 1

Scarcely have we emerged from Ballier-du-Baty Channel
when once more the pack-ice stretches before us, completely
filling Tip Bismarck Strait as far as the eye can see. It is
extremely dense, being composed of slabs of moderate size
made very thick by the snow and cemented together by a
freezing pulp. The ship progresses with great difficulty
through this stuff, the floes will not budge, and our stem
cuts into them without shattering them. We go forward
therefore desperately slowly. At last in the evening Eoosen
and Peltier Channels come in sight, completely free of ice.
We thread the latter channel and arrive before Port Lockroy.
Tliis harbour is entirely filled with very thick pack-ice, and
consequently we must abandon the idea of entering.

While our naturalists go ashore in a boat to visit the
rookeries, on board we have a good dredge and survey. When
our colleagues come back we continue our voyage. Passing
Casabianca Islet, Gourdon lands to deposit a new message
in the cairn. This polar letter-box has been regularly cleared
for some time past, but up to the present we have been the
only postmen.

November 27. — In Eoosen Channel we meet nothing but
bergs, ice-blocks, and delms, and the case is the same in De
Gerlache Strait. The ice-blocks most to be feared are those
of rounded shape, of a size quite sufficient to make them
dangerous, but with so small a portion rising out of the sea
t l;.it t hey may be mistaken for an insignificant lump of ice.
An error of this sort, abreast of Two Hummocks Islet, has
let us in for a violent shock, happily without serious
consequences.

About 10 a.m. we enter Bransficld Strait, where our ship

1 Siiirc (lie I'rinirain Rxpctlit ii >n the Aiyrnlinr* l.Vpulilic has rhfriHlied the

gcliorneof sotting up on Wandel bland a permanent observatory similar to that
which ii huH maintained in the Smith Orkneys wince 1904.

25-

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

begins to dance, and at 12.30 the north-easter sets in strong.
Deception Island grows up on the horizon and platonic wagers
are being made as to whether the whale-men have arrived
yet, when the discussion is abruptly cut short by the appear-
ance of one of the little whale-boats coming full speed toward
us. She passes close and salutes us with her flag, while the
caps of her crew wave in the air ; but the sea is already
rough enough to cut off all communications, and after her
courteous greeting she puts about to continue the chase.
These brave fellows are the first we have seen for a very long
time.

This whale-boat is the Almirante Valenzuela, of the Magellan
Winding Company. So we know that the factory-ship Gober-
nador Bories is at Deception ; and she promised last year to
bring us our mail. Our mail ! The words are the cause at
once of delight and of dread, since for nearly a year we have
been cut off from all and whatever the news which awaits
us, we must go back into the unknown again for many long
months.

We advance through the narrow channel, with grave faces
and with but few, forced jests on our lips. The Gobernador
Bories is at her usual anchorage. Parallel with her lies another
ship, the Orn, and in the middle of the roadstead is a steamer
of strange appearance, which we learn later is the Telefon.
Already plentiful carcasses of whales prove that the work
has begun. When the high cliff no longer hides us, the Chilian
and Norwegian flags run up at the mastheads and the decks
are covered with people. We moor in a depth of 60 metres
and at once I have a boat manned to take me on board the
Gobernador Bories.

I find in the clean and well-kept ward-room, with its
decoration of flowers, M. and Mine. Andresen, still accompanied
by their- parrot and their Angora cat. They give me a charm-
ing welcome, cordial and affectionate. My first question is
about what is most important to the Expedition — coal —

253-

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

and M. Andresen tells me that lie can give us 100 tons. So
my mind is at rest about our remaining work. During our
short conversation on this subject, Mme. Andresen, guessing
my thoughts before I speak, with the tact characteristic of
sailors' wives, has been to fetch a big packet of letters and
sets me in front of a table, bidding me attend to my mail.
Alas ! as far as I am concerned, Deception Island this time
has earned its name. Probably in consequence of a mistake,
or rather through anxiety not to forget them and the conse-
quently excessive care taken of them at Punta Arenas, there
are no letters for me from my family, so I know and shall
know nothing about what has happened at home ; and the
same is the case with several of us. In the impossibility of
receiving news it is easy to imagine that all is going well,
which explains the saying, ' No news is good news ; ' but
now, with letters in our hands dated a little more than a month
ago on board a ship arriving from the civilized world, it is
quite another matter. I am assailed by the blackest of
thoughts, suggesting to me in spite of all my efforts the most
foolish and gloomy ideas. Still, one must continue the
struggle, voyage on for days and days, and perhaps even risk
spending years of anxiety and uncertainty. It is the hardest
trial I have ever been called upon to go through ; but as
Dumont d'Urville wrote on the day of his departure, ' I have
filled the cup and I must drink it.'

Through my hosts, whoso good hearts are anguished at
not having been able to bring me happiness, I learn the most
interesting to us of the great events which have happened
in our absence, the discovery of the North Pole by the American
Peary and his controversy with Dr. Cook, the magnificent
exploit of the Englishman Shackleton, at which I rejoice
sincerely, and lastly the crossing of the Channel by our com-
patriot Ble>iot. Unfortunately there are no newspapers,
and all these tidings are necessarily given to us briefly and
without details.
254

TIIE SUMMEK OF 1909-1910

I hear also the history of the Telefon, the vessel lying in
the roadstead, which aroused our curiosity. On December
27, 1908, that is to say two days after we left, news reached
Deception by one of the little whale-boats returning from
the chase that a ship bringing a fresh stock of coal for the
whalers was s( landed on the rocks at the entrance to Admiralty
Bay and had been abandoned by her crew, who were able to
reach the station in boats.

Immediately all the little whale-boats at Deception Island,
belonging to the various companies, set out for the scene of
the wreck, and a desperate race began. The Almirante
Valcnzucla made a late start, but she was the fastest of the
squadron. They were all on the winning-post when she shot
ahead. Andresen leapt on board the Telefon and hoisted
his flag, and since the ship had been totally abandoned by
her crew she was considered his fair prize. With great diffi-
culty, seeing the limited means at his disposal, he got her off
the rocks on which she was stranded and brought her back
to Deception. There could be no idea of repairing her at
this moment, but Andresen had his scheme for the future
and he stranded his prize at the end of Deception Bay, opposite
Pendulum Cove, where he left her for the winter. At the
beginning of November, i.e. earlier than usual, so that the
rival companies might not on their return take possession of
the wreck, the Gobemador Bories reached Deception with a
captain and a crew of six for the Telefon, a little boiler and a
pump, a diver, some materials of all sorts and above all numer-
ous bags of cement. But the ice which we met in such abund-
ance during our short passage was here also, and a thick cover-
ing of it rilled the whole bay. Andresen had some sledges
made of planks, and twelve men set off to look for the Telefon.
She was entirely frozen in, bunkers, boiler, and engine being
all in one compact block. Norwegians, who are the best
sailors in the world, are not disheartened at so small a thing
as this, and with desperate labour, using the little boiler to

255

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

melt the ice, they lightened the ship sufficiently to get her
afloat after several attempts. The diver began his work.
Without any water-tight gloves — for the poor fellow did
not expect to find the sea so cold — he plunged into the water
at a tempera ture of — 8°, and after a few minutes of work
under these conditions he had hours of suffering. He went
on, nevertheless. The Telefon was afloat and, helped by a
temporary loosening of the ice, she was brought into Whalers'
Cove. The injuries to her hull are tremendous, but Andresen
is convinced that he will be able to patch them up sufficiently
with cement to take back his 4,000-ton prize to Punta Arenas
and even to Europe, where thorough repairs are more easily
carried out than in South America. ' She's a fine whale,'
he says to me with a smile. He is even sure that he will be
able to clear boiler and engine of all the ice which encases
them, and as the windlasses and other gear are in good con-
dition he cannot see why the engine should not be the same.
So he wishes her to make the voyage by her own efforts and
not under tow. 1

Already the empty hogsheads and the coal which constitute
the cargo have been unloaded ; and it is thanks to this addi-
tional stock of fuel that we are enabled to refill our bunkers.

Lastly Andresen gives me the excellent tidings that the
workman on whom Liouville operated in the December of
last year is completely restored to health.

All the evening on board comment never ceases on the
news I bring back, and the fresh and unexpected tidings give
such an impetus to conversation that both ward-room and
mess-deck are unusually animated.

November 28. — The north-easter, which began to blow

1 On our roturn to I'lintn Arenas wo s;iw tlio Trie/on arriving calmly from
Doeoption at a speed of 10 knots, her colours flying in tho wind, olean and re-
paiutoil, carrying on hoard not only Andresen, l>vit also Mine. Andresen, who
insisted on making Ihc pn igo with her husband. This was tho finest piece of
salvago-work imaginable.

256

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

yesterday before our arrival at Deception, continues and
even increases in strength. The thermometer is — 2°.

During the whole time we were in winter quarters, in fact
ever since she grounded in January, the ship has always
leaked a little ; but now Rosselin comes to warn me that
we are making as much as 2 tons an hour ! We seek in vain
to find how this water gets in, carefully examining the whole
of the interior of the hull. Is it a case, as some suppose,
of a weakening of the planks of the ship or, as I continue to
believe (although we see nothing coming from this quarter),
is it merely the injury to our bows, the full extent of which
indeed we do not know ? It must of course have got worse
during the summer campaign, and our struggle with the ice
in getting away from Petermann can but have increased it.
Or is it perhaps, on the other hand, a fresh injury arising
from the repeated and frequently violent shocks the ship
sustained in winter quarters ?

M. Andresen, whom I go to see in the afternoon and whom
I tell of our leak, very kindly offers to have his diver examine
our hull and insists that I shall accept.

When it grows a little calmer the Telefon is to go alongside
the Gobernador Bories to unload some cargo, and then we are
to take her place to embark our coal. M. Andresen tells me
that he insists on giving me this coal in exchange for a similar
quantity which he will take from our reserve at Punta Arenas.
To remove all my scruples about accepting, the best he can
find to say is that our arrival has saved him a great deal of
time and also of coal, since he had decided, had we been a
month later, to come to look for us with his whalers at least
as far as Wandel. I coidd not have expected such generosity,
for it would have been quite natural for him to make me pay
a big price for this coal, and in the condition in which we
are I expect that I should have complied with all demands.
He offers me also some petroleum, of which we are short, and
sends me in the afternoon a fine present of two sacks of pota-

17 257

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

toes. Mme. Andresen has found out that Chollet is suffering
from scurvy. The charming lady at once despatches to him
the whole of her own little stock of apples and oranges. She
sends to me, with these, some pots of flowers, which she culti-
vates with great care. How could I ever sufficiently thank
these excellent people ?

In the evening the wind drops and Gain goes with some
of the crew in the dinghy to look for eggs in a big Antarctic
penguin-rookery near the entrance. Further south we have
never come across this kind of penguin except one at a time.
Here they live in thousands. The seals are equally numerous,
and their steaks, with our new supply of potatoes, make a
regular treat for us.

November 29. — The north-east gale has started again more
strongly than ever, accompanied by snow. I have been
fearing all the morning lest we should drag, for one cannot
anchor here except in very deep water and the holding is
bad. The whalers, too, have warned me that we must keep
a look-out, for in spite of all the precautions with which they
surround themselves (which we cannot take for so short a
stay) they are frequently driven ashore, they say. Happily
the anchor has a good grip, and we are holding so well that
I am afraid it may be fouled by the chain of the Gobcmador
Bories. We cannot complain for the moment, but we may
perhaps have great difficulties in consequence when we want
to get under way.

The weather is still moderate this morning, and Bongrain
has succeeded in taking ashore tin* seismograpMc hut and
has begun to set up the instrument. Godfroy, for his part,
has been able to instal his tide-gauge. But in the afternoon
the weather becomes frightful. Although we are only two
cables' lengths from the shore, from which I lie wind is blowing,
the sea grows so heavy that we cannot put out a boat. The
dinghy has broken its painter and has drifted away. Fortu-
nately the wind must have carried it right into the basin,
258

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

but in this raging tempest of snow it is impossible to see
it.

At 6.30, in spite of the thick weather, the Svenfoyn, another
factory-ship, comes into the roadstead, accompanied by its
little whale-boats, and anchors near us. These Norwegians
are certainly famous Bailors, for all the whalers are out hunting.
One of them has even come in with two whales in tow and
gone out again without waiting.

X or ember 30. — There has been a slight calm, and I went
out with Godfrey in the picket-boat to look for the dinghy.
We saw it at last in the midst of the ice in the big basin.
With great difficulty we cut a way for ourselves up to it. It
was full of water, but has lost nothing except its rudder, and
as Libois made one for the Pourquoi-Pas f he can make one
for the dinghy. We had scarcely brought the truant back
when the weather again became bad. Nevertheless, Bon-
grain succeeded in fixing up the seismograph and setting the
apparatus to work. At 4 o'clock I went on board the Orn,
where Captain Paulsen received me very affably. I had
heard that he had the last edition of the English map of the
South Shetlands, brought up to date by the aid of our labours
on the Francais, Nordenskj old's, and the information given
by the whalers. He very kindly agreed to lend it to me to
have it copied. He gave me some interesting details about
his work here and told me that when the Telefon was wrecked
his young wife was on board, on her way to join him. She
had to spend six hours in a small boat, and this year he did
not allow her to accompany him.

December 1. — The gale still continues from the same
quarter. This morning a new ship has arrived, the Bombay,
which was expected by the others on this very date. She
belongs to the same company as the Orn. New Sandefiord
(it is thus that the whalers, in memory of the port at which
they fitted out in Norway, call the cove to which we give the
name of ' Whalers' Cove ') now shelters all the ships expected,

259

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

and the poor whales are in for it. The young Danish doctor
engaged for the season by the three companies should be on
board the Bombay.

The wind is strengthening so much this evening that I
have the fires made up to be ready for all emergencies.

December 2. — Wind fairly strong or moderate, varying
from north-east and north-west to west, and going back to
north in the evening. Temperature + 2°.

The ice from the end of the bay is entering the channel in
great masses and chokes the greater part of Whalers' Cove.
The little boats, therefore, enter and return with the greatest
difficulty. The captains tell me that they have never seen so
much ice in the four years they have been here. This evidence
agrees with what we ourselves found further south, and yet
the winter for us was exceptionally mild and the ice very
late.

I profit by the ice all around us to take in tow to the
picket-boat a big floe, which I have moored alongside us.
We cut it up in pieces, which are thrown into the boiler. The
water thus obtained is a little briny, but good enough for the
engines. Most of the members of our staff scatter over the
island. There is work for all, and I have reason to believe
that our stay here will be most profitable.

December 3. — Very fine weather, variable breezes, a clear
sky, and temperature + 4°. I have the fires made up early
and we start to weigh anchor at 6 o'clock, to go alongside
the Gobernador Bories and get our coal on board. Our anchor,
as we supposed, was fouled by the chain of the other ship,
but by heaving in to a short stay, going ahead gently, pay-
ing out cable a little, and shortening in again, wo succeed in
getting under her stem. The Gobernador Bories then hauls
taut her chain, sends ns a line, and we end by clear-
ing our anchor and getting ourselves alongside abreast of
the after hold, where is our coal. 1 hi luckily, while getting
under way, a regrettable accident happens. A length of
260

THE SUMMEE OF 1909-1910

the innumerable whale's intestines which are floating about
the cove having wrapped itself round the chain, Herve~ got
down into the bowsprit shrouds to take it off. The chain was
coming up at this moment and Herv6's foot was caught in
one of the links and pulled into the hawse-hole. Fortunately,
a very thick boot partly saved him, but he has a bad wound
on the joint, which will probably necessitate surgical aid.
I am all the more grieved because he is one of our best and
bravest sailors ; but the victim himself takes it very cheerfully.

At the moment we come alongside, several cats look
down on ours and one of them decides to pay a visit of courtesy.
Trying to jump on board, it miscalculates its distances and
falls between the two ships. Happily for it Denais saw it
and, risking getting crushed himself, he went overboard with
the agility of a monkey and saved the poor beast.

We axe now in the midst of cut-up whale corpses and
others being cut up. Everything is covered with oil, and
the odour is very unpleasant ; but one gets used to anything.

The whalers' doctor, by name Malver, has come to pay us
a visit. He is a very intelligent young man, but is making
his first voyage and is much astonished at the life he is living
and all he sees about him. He speaks French and English
fluently, and is enchanted when I talk to him about his
beautiful city of Copenhagen.

In the evening I am invited to dinner by M. and Mme.
Andresen. For the occasion I get into civilized garb, with
a linen shirt, a starched collar, cuffs, tie-pin, and all the rest.
I must confess, moreover, that I found myself immediately
at my ease and that I mechanically put into my pockets the
useless objects I had given up for so many months ; but it
was impossible to get into my town shoes and I had to be
content with substituting for my boots an enormous pair of
snow-shoes.

The dinner, at which Captain Stolhani was present, was
delightful, and the dishes excellent. Amongst other things

261

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

■we had chicken and some oranges ! Must I confess again,
at the risk of disillusionizing my readers on my return, that
I found chicken and oranges excellent, but they made no
more impression on me than if I had eaten them the night
before ! The parrot dined with us and took a most amiable
part in the conversation.

December 4. — The weather is overcast, with a calm or light
breezes. At 6 o'clock we began to put the coal on board.
The men work without stopping all day at the dirtiest job
possible ; for not only must they pass the coal into our own
bunkers but they have also to get it out of those of the Gober-
nador Bories. Moreover, our bunker-holes are necessarily
very small and the stowage is very difficult. After 12 hours
of this work an easily intelligible lassitude prevails, but with
kind words and encouragement I succeed in re-establishing
peace, and the work goes on till 7 p.m. By shutting the
ears to some grumbling on the part of our mercantile sailors,
by showing confidence in them and by appearing at least to
leave the initiative to them, one gets all one wants.

A serious question at Deception Island is that of fresh
water. The whalers have need of very large quantities for
their work, and to procure it they bring with them a whole
outfit of canvas hose, metal pipes, planks for making gutters,
and pierced hogsheads. With great ingenuity they catch
the water coming from the little cascades formed by the
melting of the snow on the top of the ice-cliffs, or else that
coming from the snow covering the beach. Sometimes
they go very far afield, as far as the fossil glacier extending
between Whalers' and Pendulum Coves. To bring back this
water they have astern boats towed by motor-canoes. Unfor-
tunately the temperature up to now has been rather low, and
the water only runs in small quantities ami during a few
hours of the day. The hot water springs are useless because
sulphurous. In spitcof the competition between the different
companies, the directors, captains ami crews make no attempt
262

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

to injure one another and give mutual help in all things,
especially in the matter of water. One and all work for the
OOmmOD service.

We benefit by this also, and M. Andresen with his usual
kindness saves us numerous journeys by sending us water
direct from his engine-pump.

We have been fortunate enough in our turn to render him
a little service. The lack of gloves prevented the diver from
working more than a few minutes under water. The captain
of the Telefon had very cleverly cut him out a leather pair,
but the seams nevertheless let in the water. We have found
on board some tubes of liquid rubber, which enables the
gloves to be made perfectly watertight, and this apparently
insignificant gift is of priceless value in our friend's work.

I have made the acquaintance of the captain of the Telefon,
a superb type of Norwegian, of uncommon vigour and shrewd-
ness. He has recently strained his foot seriously, which does
not prevent him from jumping a distance of 3 metres, without
turning a hair, to return my visit.

The harvests on shore continue to be rich. Gourdon
has brought back some fine mineralogical specimens, Gain
some Yellow-crested Penguins (catarrhactes chrysolophus),
and both have succeeded in making interesting observations
in their different departments. On the south-east coast,
which is bathed by Bransfield Stpit, there is a rookery of
50,000 Antarctic Penguins, and ik the middle of this is a
rookery of Crested Penguins numbering about 1,500. The
two species apparently five on very good terms. The sea
breaks with considerable force on the coast, and Gain brings
back some amusing photographs of penguins in the midst
of the breakers. On the west coast is another big rookery
of Antarctic penguins, numbering more than 50,000. These
birds generally lay two eggs in the nest.

December 5. — The north-easter begins to blow again.
While all the rest are still asleep, the ward-room has been

263

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

converted into an operating-theatre, and Liouville, Gourdon
and I have examined Herve^s wound under chloroform.
The articulation of the first joint is laid open, but we agree,
from the healthy appearance of the wound, that the amputation
which we dreaded is unnecessary, and we content ourselves
with some stitches. I have put Heive" to bed in the cabin
next mine, where he will be better off than in his own berth,
and I shall be able to watch over him by night. It would
be difficult to imagine a better patient, always cheerful,
content, and good-humoured. This gentle Breton giant,
since he has been on board, has never had a moment of bad
temper nor aught but a smile on his good-natured, intelligent
face.

M. Andresen has given me to understand that to-day
being Sunday he would prefer that no work should be done
on board his ship. For my part I am not vexed at giving
this well-earned day's rest to my crew, but of their own accord
this morning the men have gone down into the bunkers and
finished the stacking of the coal put on board yesterday.

In the evening we had M. and Mme. Andresen to dinner.
We did our best in their honour, our service with the arms
of the Pourquoi-Pas ? on it being brought out, while we got
together with great difficulty two unbroken tumblers and
five champagne glasses. We had some dozens of them when
we left Punta Arenas, but the mess-steward tells me that
the causes of their disappearance are firstly the rolling of the
ship and secondly the cold, and lastly, he adds, everybody
knows that glass is fragile ! As I do not wish to appear more
ignorant than ' everybody ' and as my scoldings would do
no good, I can only be resigned. We produced the best
from our stores and our cellar, and 1 must say that our guests
were good enough to appear to appreciate French cookery
and the generous wines of our country.

Ihcimhcr G. — In overcast and calm weal her, with the
thermometer hovering about zero, we continued our work on
264

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

the coal, flniahing al 2.30 and then giving np onr place to the
Telefon, which came alongside the Gobcmador Bories again.

This morning onr two naturalists, Liouville and Gain,
accompanied by Senouque with the cinematograph, went out
on the Almiromte Uribe for a whale-hunt, M. and Mine. Andre-
sen being of the party. It was an unique and unexpected
opportunity for them to study close at hand the two species
of balaenoptera (B. musculus and borealis) and the megaptera
(M. longimana) which are to be found in these regions. I
was convinced, before we came back here, that the whalers
encouraged such observations, and I was not wrong, for not
only was Liouville, who is particularly interested in these
cetaceans, invited on board all the whale-boats, but every
one was eager to give him all the information possible and to
bring him any portions worth notice ; and so especially our
own collection has been enriched by specimens of the parasites
of whales.

The Almirante Vribc came back at 9 p.m., bringing a
Blue Whale, and our colleagues are enchanted with their
day and the manner in which they have been treated on
board.

December 7. — To-day the weather happens to be supeib,
and M. and Mme. Andresen have the excellent idea of coming
to take us all out whale-hunting on the Almirante Valenzuela.
As on my first visit I am struck by the extreme cleanliness
of these little vessels, the very practical system in vogue
on them and the real comfort displayed in their fitting up.
This is one of the most up-to-date and possesses all the latest
improvements. For people really fond of the sea she would
make a wonderful little yacht.

I need not, I think, give another description either of the
boat or of a whale-hunt. 1 From noon until 2.30 a.m. we
were afloat, searching first along the coast of Livingstone Island
and then around Sail Eock. Several times we sighted and

1 See p. 41.

265

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

went in pursuit of whales, but they always succeeded in
escaping us or presented a poor target for the cannon. It
seems that a rather heavy sea is better for the chase, since
the body of the animal stands out better among the waves
and allows an easier shot. In spite of my desire to see our
hosts successful and to be present myself at the various phases
of the catch, I confess that I was not sorry each time one of
these magnificent, peaceful and amiable brutes managed
to escape, and that it was with joy that I saw fading farther
away the little black patch on the calm blue sea, with the
jet of noisily spouting vapour above it.

Nevertheless, after we had pursued a couple of Blue
Whales sailing along happily and unsuspiciously, a series of
very adroit manoeuvres brought one of them within the
right distance of our cannon. The captain fired calmly, and
the beast was hit, making the foam fly up around her and
disappearing with a tremendous leap. The cable is paid out
with wonderful rapidity and ab'eady the windlass is ready to
haul it in again, when suddenly the tension stops. It seems
that the harpoon has broken near its head and the prey is
lost. We look round on every side to see the wounded beast
reappear, but the captain says that she was killed on the spot.
This being so, she has sunk and will not rise to the surface
before three days are over. In the distance I see her poor
companion, now left all alone. No longer will they swim
together, in an intimacy which perhaps had its pleasures,
through the great green expanses and among the valleys
and the fairy grottoes beneath the icebergs which should
have protected them from the cruelty of man.

A few hours later we chased four Fin Whales manoeuvring
in line abreast wit h.OU.1 gaining or losing an inch on one another,
magnificently calm and ignorant of the danger threatening
them. They presented a poor target, it seems, and I am
not sorry. Certainly I could never be a sportsman.

The w haters, however, who are not working Eor the pleasure
266

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

of the thing, are upset, for hunting is bad this season. Per-
haps, they tell me, this is due to the absence of icebergs, which
are indeed very scarce about, us ; for it seems that these
animals like to haunt the neighbourhood of these masses of
ice. A naturalist would find interesting microscopic study
in the subject of whale-food — the infinitely small denizens
of the water — which must count for much in explaining the
routes the whales follow ; and science once again would
hereby render eminent services to commerce. The bad
weather which has lasted since the beginning of the summer
campaign, unparalleled both for persistence and violence,
troubles the fishermen a lot. 1

There is perhaps also another reason, more important
and serious for the whalers. Through dint of being over-
hunted in the one region, these animals are perhaps becoming
warier and instead of coming down south, as they used to do,
by way of Bransfield Strait, they may take a devious route,
away from Deception Island. Lastly, the reckless hecatombs
of four years, numbering sometimes over 2,000 whales a
season in this limited region (the whalers themselves are the
first to deplore them, without being able to remedy the matter)
must necessarily reduce their number and may even bring
about their extermination ; for a whale's period of gestation
is about a year, and as the pregnant mothers and young
whales are hunted with the rest there can be no restoration
of the balance.

At 3 a.m. we returned on board, while the Almirante
Yalenzuela took a little more coal and some provisions and
started off again. These boats indeed only rest once a week,
on Sundays, spending the remainder of their time out of
harbour in pursuit of their work. The men take watches

1 On our return to Punta Arenas we learnt that the fishery improved later,
but that the whalers had to go as far as the entrance of De Gerlache Strait to
find their prey. Nearly 1.500 whales were brought in during this season to the
five factory -ships.

267

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

as on board all ships, but as soon as a whale is sighted every one
must be on deck, even the men available for the engine, and
under these conditions they can rarely get four consecutive
hours of sleep. Far more frequently they pass 2i hours
without going to bed. The only moment of real rest, for the
captain as for the crew, is when several whales are being
towed back and there is no possibility of pursuing others
for a time. But all these men, though their fixed monthly
wage is small, make money when the catch is good, and they
forget the miseries of this arduous profession when they think
that the wife and children at home in Norway lack nothing
in the clean little cottage where they themselves may perhaps
one day enjoy their hardly earned repose.

December 8. — Yesterday's fine weather has not lasted,
and the east-north-east wind has begun again.

The diver, M. Michelson, an intelligent Norwegian, has been
down to-day to examine the hull of the Pourquoi-Pas ?. He
has been at work nearly three hours beneath the ship, examin-
ing minutely all the submerged portions. The low tempera-
ture of the water compels him to come up to the surface prac-
tically every ten minutes, and even then he remains a few
moments without power of speech. Before he began his
inspection I asked him, if he found anything serious, to tell
no one but me. His report on the hull, apart from the bows,
is satisfactory, and is given out aloud. He has discovered
a curious big hole on the port-side, extending a long way ; a
good deal of wood torn off where the hull struck the rock
several times at Petermann Island ; a few grazes almost
all over, caused by the ice ; and, finally, what we saw our-
selves, a fragment of the false keel torn off astern. Our
new irons on the rudder have held good. But when the diver
conies up after examining the bows he contents himself with
saying, in front of the crew, that there is evidently an injury,
though of small importance ; and he makes a sign to me that
he wants to speak to me in private. A few minutes later I
268

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

go to see him on board his own ship and, looking rather pale,
he tolls me that he has discovered a most serious injury.
The whole stem below water-line is torn away as well as
several metres of the keel, the wood being pulped right down
to the rabbet, and splinters sticking out on all sides. ' You
cannot, you must not navigate in such a state in the midst
of ice,' he says to me. ' Mere ordinary navigation is already
dangerous, and the slightest shock might send you to the
bottom.' 1

A few minutes later M. Andresen comes to look for
me and tells me that Michclson has begged him to speak to
me and explain to me the seriousness of the matter. I
thank them both, but in my turn beg them to let out nothing
of what they know. We must continue the task we have
undertaken, our honour and, still more important, that of
our country being at stake. Nothing will make me renounce
this summer campaign, bad weather and the observations
now in progress alone preventing me from starting at once.
These strenuous men understand me and shake my hand.
They would do the same in my place.

1 When the Pourquoi-Pas 1 went into dry dock at Montevideo in April we
were able to verify Michelson's statements. The big hole on the port side ex-
tended for 15 metres, cutting clean through the outer planking in places. We
could not make out either how or when it was made ; perhaps on January 8, 1909,
when we felt no shock but that curious rolling motion. In any case, it is certain
that it was caused by a rapid passage over the top of a rock. A few fractions of
an inch more and the ship would infallibly have gone to the bottom fast. As for
the damage to the bows, it was most serious and took a long time to repair.
The water which effected a lodgement on board came in there in floods, and with
my pocket-knife I was able to cut right through the wood and make new openings
in it. The wood was so pulped that the whole of the bows looked like an enor-
mous brush. Our hard struggle with the ice since we grounded, during both the
first andthe second summer campaigns, had considerably increased the damage and
had it continued must in the end have worn out what still held firm.

Our making two tons of water an hour was caused solely by this injury to the
bows. The rest of the hull was in admirable condition, proving its excellent con-
struction and solidity, and showed not the slightest trace of weakening or wearing
out. When once this injury had been repaired through the good offices of the
French Montevideo Co., the ship no longer made a drop of water, and hor hull
might be considered as good as new.

26c>

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

I think it right to tell at least a portion of the truth to my
colleagues on the staff, but it seems to me useless to alarm
the crew ; and yet I feel sure that if both parties had known
all, not one among them would have dreamt of an immediate
return home.

I try in vain to induce Michelson to accept some remunera-
tion for his examination of the ship. He answers with a laugh
that he did not come to Deception Island to dive around the
vessels of scientific expeditions, so that this has been a pleasant
distraction for him. I feel that by insisting I shall in the
end offend him, and I have to content myself with expressing
as best I can my gratitude and my admiration for his dis-
interestedness.

December 9. — The north-easter is blowing very hard and
soon turns into a gale. If we remain moored to the Telefon
it will be dangerous for both of us, so we must anchor in the
roadstead. I desire to take advantage of our move to sound
and dredge in the basin of Deception Island. Just as we
are starting we have a great shock, for news is brought us
that the engine-room, which was made dry an horn" before,
has over 40 tons of water in it. After yesterday's report we
have reason to believe that something serious has occurred
suddenly and surreptitiously. Happily after examination
we conclude that the valve of the pump must have accidentally
jammed ; and when the water has been exhausted it does
not come back more quickly than before — which was quite
enough.

The thermometer registers — 2°, and with the wind that
is blowing the weather is very cold. We go to the end of
the basin, sounding and dredging as we go, with very good
results. The ice, since our arrival, has gradually left Decep-
tion, and there is now but little, all of it to the south-west.
At 5 o'clock we anchor in Pendulum Cove, where the gusts
■Avi' as strong if not stronger than in Whalers' Cove, but the
holding is good at a moderate depth. I should have liked
270

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

to stop here during the continuance of this gale, for at the
other anchorage I am always afraid of driving or of losing our
anchors in the network of chains belonging to the whalers;
but Gourdon, who has gone on a trip in the picket-boat is to
rejoin as there, and his observations with the pendulum and
the seismograph are not yet finished. So we return and
try to moor as close to land as possible, in the hope of finding
bottom at less depth and with better holding. But all of a
sudden we drive and our anchor- shackle breaks and is lost.
Luckily I had taken the precaution of bringing five. The
weather is so bad that it is extremely difficult to manoeuvre
in the midst of all these vessels and we run dangerously near
the high cliff. Not till 9 o'clock are we able to moor again,
but we are now holding so well that I believe this time we are
caught in the chain of the Bombay.

December 18. — The weather has been so frightful these
last days that despite our close proximity to the land, off
which the wind is blowing, we have scarcely been able at
short intervals to communicate with the other vessels or leave
our ship. For three successive days it has been impossible
to launch a boat. The wdialers have been unable to go out
and those outside have quickly returned. Even to leeward
of the island the sea seems to have been tremendous.

We have nearly finished our labours, and I should like
to be once more on our way, but we cannot hope to do any-
thing at sea with these gales and the snow, which cuts off
the view. Here at least we are not burning coal and we are
not wasting our time, for there are always interesting pursuits
for us all. The soundings at the entrance to Whalers' Cove
are incomplete or erroneous ; and, since this place is now
frequented, as from its situation it deserves to be, both by
whalers and by scientific expeditions, it is right for us to try
to rectify and complete its charting. There is work therefore
for our officers, while the naturalists and geologist have plenty
to do for their part.

271

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

As I still believe that we are moored to the chain of the
Bombay and as it may in consequence take us a whole day to
get under way, I have made up my mind on the first lull
to attempt to get our anchor up and then to go and moor
in Pendulum Cove, whence we can start out whenever we
want and in a very short space of time.

I could have wished, before going south, to do a little
more work in the neighbourhood. We are sure of making
profitable researches here, and, in case our navigation into
the unknown turns out fruitless, we shall thus have made
certain of a good haul in the way of collections and observa-
tions. The programme which I have mapped out for myself
is to try to reach Esperauce Bay, where Duse and J. Gunnar
Andersson, of the Nbrdenskjold Expedition, wintered under
such dramatic conditions. Professor Nordenskjold gave me
in writing information to enable me to recover some fossils
which they were obliged to leave behind. Lastly the whale
men are very anxious to know whether there cannot be found
in the bays of Joinville Island some good anchorages, at
which they could carry on their work. It comes within the
scope of our duties to discover this for ourselves and to try
to bring the information back to them.

We have offered our hospitality to Captain Stolkani of
the Gobernador Bories and to Captain Eouvre of the Bombay.
Both are very interested in our Expedition, and are pleased
to see that we are paying attention to their labours. In
conversation with them we, on our side, pick up useful informa-
tion about these regions, and we tell them in return what we
can about Port Lockroy and De Gerlache Strait, which it
may be advantageous for them to know. But I am astonished
at the difficulty which we have in learning anything precise
about the weather conditions at Deception. We meet with
contradictions every moment from one and the same person.
So when the young Danish doctor on the station, Dr. Malver,
comes to dine with us I ask him whether he would care during
272

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

his stay to make some meteorological observations. Ho
has very little to occupy him and is delighted to oblige us
while doing something in the cause of science. I give him
therefore a little programme drawn up by Bouch and a sling
thermometer. 1

Captain Bonvre has given us a huge piece of whale-meat.
This meat, of which the whalers themselves are very fond,
is simply exquisite. It may be compared with the best veal.
Unfortunately it does not keep and must be cut from the
animal as soon as it is killed.

The fresh water problem still worries us and, in spite of
everybody's kindness, we can with difficulty keep our casks
full. Still, this will not keep me from starting, for I am
convinced that we can complete our watering at Pendulum
Cove.

December 20. — All our erections on land have been taken
to pieces, and as the weather was a little finer yesterday we
attempted to get under way; but our anchor is in fact
caught in the Bombay's chain, and we must take the greatest
care not to lose it and at the same time two links of chain.
We worked up to noon, but the wind rose again, and as wo
had to abandon the operation all has to be done over again.
This morning we recommenced our work in calm weather
and at 7 p.m. we were able to ship both anchor and chain.
A little whale-boat, the Svip, came back while we were at
work, with the fine catch of seven whales all on her own.

At last at 8 o'clock we anchor in several metres of water
in Pendulum Cove. Before leaving, in case we cannot return
to Deception, I hand to M. Andresen our mail and some reports
which he undertakes to transmit to the Acad^mie des Sciences
if he gets back to Punta Arenas before us.

Herve" is getting better and better, and has been able to

1 I have since received from Dr. Malver a very interesting series of observa-
tions, which he mado with the utmost care. It is most curious to compare them
with those which we made further south. I hope he will allow mo to offer him
here my aineerest thanks.

18 273

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

return to his bunk on the mess-deek. Chollet, thanks above
all to Mme. Andresen's fruit, is on the road to complete
recovery.

December 21. — It is exactly a year since we arrived here the
first time, in identically similar •weather, fine and warm.

In the morning we all scattered, Gourdon, Gain and Senouque
going out in the picket-boat on a trip to the other side of the
basin. Bongrain and Godfroy have been surveying, and Eouch
sounding. I myself go with the men to look for a watering-
place, and in the end I find some cascades which we tap by
means of our canvas hose. We have also to clean up the ship
and her boats as much as possible. In consequence of our
stop in Whalers' Cove, everything is simply covered with a
thick and disgusting coating of oil which we cannot get rid of.
In the evening, I go to look for Gourdon and his companions
at the spot where the Telefon passed the winter stranded.
In this part of the island there are a number af undoubted
smoke-vents, and Gourdon says that he found at the height
of about 100 metres, plain traces of volcanic activity.

December 22. — The weather remains good, and while
Gourdon and Senouque make the ascent of Mount Pound I
have everything got ready for our start and go to leave a
new message in the Uruguay'' s cairn.

At 4.15 we got under way, and half an hour later stopped
at Whalers' Cove, where I went on board the Gobernador
Bories to say goodbye — or au rcroir ! — to M. and Mme.
Andresen. Then we start off, saluted by the flags and whistles
of all the steamers. The weather is magnificent and the little
wind which is blowing is astern. At sea we meet the small
whalers and exchange salutes with them. Unfortunately,
at 6.30, Eosselin comes to tell me that the gear of the high-
pressure cylinder is broken and that there is an injury to
the air-pump. This repair will take four or six hours' work
and we are too close to Deception Island to hesitate to go back.
At 8 p.m. we are again in Pendulum Cove.
274

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

December 23. — Our repairs are finished about midnight
and we are off again at 7 a.m. The weather is superb, the
sky cloudless, the horizon clear, and the sea smooth. The
thermometer, at + 5° in the afternoon, goes down at night
to — 2°. Everything promises a fine voyage, and the coast
stands out clearly, tinted with that old-gold which is pe-
culiar' to Polar lands under strong sunshine. We mark out
on the map, as we recognize them one by one, the lands dis-
covered by Dumont d'Urville and surveyed by Lieutenant
Duse and Captain Larsen, who completed the study of this
region, one of the smallest but not least interesting portions
of the work of the Nordenskjold Expedition. We are already
anticipating all the pleasures of a landing in this neighbour-
hood, historical since their time through their dramatic winter-
ing there, when once more ' we find ourselves in the hands of
the gods like flies in those of naughty children.' Sixty miles
from land, apparently starting from Astrolabe Island, the
ice lies before us, composed of jagged but fairly big floes,
which are more and more closely packed as we make our way
in. In the distance, nearer to land, the ice even looks as if it
formed a dense pack ; on its border are great indentations,
but its general trend is towards the north-east. I search in
vain for a passage, for I am not thinking of breaking through
the ice to take the Antarctic's channel. To have any chances of
success we should have to expend upon this attempt, which
is only an extra in our programme, too much coal and per-
haps too much time. We should also have to run the risk,
not only of being reduced to inactivity for long weeks at the
mercy of the ice and thus of compromising the rest of our cam-
paign, but also of seeing the Pourquoi-Pas ? (in this case with-
out absolute necessity) finish her career in the same way as the
Antarctic did so gloriously. It will be remembered how this
vessel was lost after having vainly attempted, while trying
to pick up Nordenskjold and his companions wintering at
Snow Hiil, to pass through the ice-choked strait which bears

275

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

her name. Captain Larsen, who was in command of her,
succeeded in turning Joinville Land, but after landing Duse,
Gunnar Andersson and a sailor in Esperance Bay, the Ant-
arctic, crushed by the ice in spite of all the skill of her com-
mander, sank in sight of Paulet Island. The rescue of the
whole expedition thereafter makes one of the finest and most
extraordinary chapters of Polar history. Now that year the
ice in Bransficld Strait was in a condition very similar to what
we have come across ourselves. When the Antarctic was
there, the basin of Deception Island was choked by ice, as it
was for us during the greater part of November, and it was
almost in the same latitude, to seaward of Joinville Land,
that the Antarctic met it again. 1

I have therefore resolved to follow the line of the pack-ice,
pleased if I can find a way through, but with no intention
by trying to force one.

December 24. — Magnificent weather, with a light breeze
from the south-east, or calm. The pack-ice, in which the
floes are getting more and more gigantic, runs on still north-
eastward, leading us away from Louis Philippe and Joinville
Lands. At 4 a.m. Bridgmann Island is in sight. No expedi-
tion as far as I know, at any rate no scientific expedition, has
yet landed on these islands. Several reports from captains,
notably one from one of the whalers that we have just left, are
to the effect that Bridgmann Island is in full eruption, so that
it is interesting to try and land there. At 7.30 Gourdon, God-
frey and two men start off in the dinghy and succeed in getting
ashore on a little beach to the south-east, somewhat sheltered
from the swell prevailing at the moment. During this time we
take a sounding, which gives 328 fathoms. On the beach,
the only spot on the island where the shore does not rise up
in cliffs or in high steep rocks, Gourdon saw some thirty seals,

1 We have learnt since that, while at IVtormann wo hiul a troublesome hut
comparatively warm winter, in tho South Orkneys, on the contrary, the cold was
very severe.

276

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

a few Adelio and Papua penguins, some terns and sheathbills.
He did not discover the slightest trace of present volcanic
activity, but numerous proofs of comparatively recent ac-
tivity. We reached the same conclusion while making a cir-
cuit of the island as close as it is safe to go. It is clear,
as often happens, that the ' smoke ' and ' vapours ' men-
tioned as proof of volcanic activity, were nothing but piles of
dust raised by the wind, clouds clinging to the summit or even
snowdrifts. A few years ago, at Jan Mayen Island, we had to
penetrate right into a blown-out crater before we could per-
suade ourselves that it was really dust and not smoke that was
coming out of it. This rugged, barren and almost snowless
island is a curious sight as it rises in isolation from the midst
of the sea, tinted by the brick-red tufa and yellowish scoriae.
We take numerous photographs of it, of which one notably
proves not only the skill of the artist accompanying Dumont
d'Urville, whose picture is before our eyes, but also that there
has been no change of shape since the passage of the Astrolabe
and the Zilee.

Since Joinville Island is beyond our reach, I decide to turn
back to Admiralty Bay, the refuge of the old-time sealers,
which was of recent years, and may be again, a whaling station.
Apart from the physical and natural history observations we
shall be able to make there, it may be interesting to make a more
minute and exact survey than those engaged in these commer-
cial undertakings have yet succeeded in getting. In still
magnificent weather, which allows Bongrain to take bearings
of the land and outlines of the coast, we skirt the south of St.
George Island, and at 4.30 p.m. we reach Admiralty Bay.

The end of this huge bay, which is a kind of arm of the sea
open to the south-east, splits into two profound culs-de-sac,
clear-cut and picturesque, and walled in by glaciers and steep
mountains. The north-western branch is itself divided into
two narrow channels by a high island. At present, we pene-
trate into the north-eastern branch. The ice-blocks which

277

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

have come from the cliffs are rather numerous but give way
before us, driven by the north-east wind, which is beginning to
blow pretty strong. We look for an anchorage, and first of all,
at a distance of scarcely 50 metres from a big beach, the slope
of which we hoped to see stretching down gently toward the
sea, we sound and find 150 metres of water. At length at the
end of the cul-de-sac, in a very sheltered spot, we find at the
foot of the glacier a muddy bottom with good holding, vary-
ing in depth from 7 to 20 metres ; and we anchor over 10.

We can have our supper in peace, and our cardboard Christ-
mas tree, which has been in its box since last year, is brought
out again and decorated with all its little knick-knacks, to the
delight of the men.

December 25. — Christmas-Day, the season of memories,
of thoughts which go afar and strive to imagine what is happen-
ing beyond the seas. Here the north-easter has started again,
and the weather is grey and cloudy. We all of us land at
places which interest us, to go on with our usual work.

There is a curious sound to be heard, which is singularly
like the siren of a distant ship. We had already heard it at
Pendulum Cove, but although I am convinced that it is pro-
duced on board, Ave cannot discover its origin. So strong is
the illusion that the crew several times come to insist that
there is a slip in distress and ask me to go to her assistance.
No amount of reasoning can convince them of their error, and
in the end I send some of them on shore, and these, hearing
nothing, while the sound persists on board, finally return
converted.

December 26. — The weather has become line again, and
while Bongrain and Boland go from point to point in a Nor-
wegian boat surveying, I si ail out in the ship for the Bay,
properly so-called.

Gouidon and Senouque have landed on a beach on the east
coast, and Gain on the west coast, close to a rookery where he
found more than 20,000 Papua Penguins. We in the Pourqiioi-
278

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

Pas f make a series of soundings and a good dredge at a depth
of 400 metres. At the end of the day we take on board all our
comrades and return to our anchorage, after leaving the Christ-
mas tree on a point where it stands up proudly — waiting for
the wind to knock it over.

We have left the north-eastern cul-de-sac to go into the
north-western. The wind is at first very strong from the
north-west, but soon veers to the east-north-east, blowing in
very big gusts. This portion of Admiralty Bay is especially
picturesque, with lofty black-hued mountains, bare of snow
and standing between majestic glaciers. A big high island,
also almost totally devoid of snow, occupies as I have said
the centre of this branch of the bay, the bottom of which ends
in two rounded coves, bordered by high glaciers and separated
by a tall rocky promontory. The beaches are fairly numerous,
and the corpses of whales in large numbers bear witness that
whalers formerly worked there. We make a dredge over about
60 metres and the dynamometer shows from the start either
that the trawl-net is caught or that it contains a heavy weight.
Almost the whole day is spent in bringing it up. As soon as it
begins to come out of the water we see that the netting is full,
not only of animals, but of mud, gravel and rock. At all
costs, we wish to save the contents and, if it is possible, the
net itself.

We hoist it with difficulty, taking infinite precautions. To
diminish the enormous weight, we water it with the hose, thus
washing away a lot of the mud, and when with the help of a
series of slings we have got it a little way out of the sea, I send
under it the big canoe, into which the trawl-net is allowed to
fall. The boat almost sinks under the weight, but our fine
harvest is saved, and promises work for the laboratory.

We anchor 300 metres from the island in 25 metres of
water, and Gourdon, going out in the Norwegian boat, comes
back loaded with interesting mineralogical specimens and some
fine crystals.

279

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

December 30. — We have just had here a formidable gale
from the east-north-east. The water of the channel, uplifted
in powdery spray by the gusts, covered the ship. We dragged a
little, but the anchor held in the end, when the ship was over-
lapping the end of the island. Here the gusts attacked us
from both sides at once and the unfortunate ship could not tell
which shore to avoid. However, we could not complain much,
for the spot where we were was the best sheltered in this part
of Admiralty Bay, and moreover our chain seemed somewhat
eased by the current, which ran against the wind. We barely
managed, during the lulls, to save the precious contents of the
dredger, entrusted to the big canoe ; and we also made some
very fruitful trips, our geologist in particular being enchanted
with his sojourn.

At 1.30, as the weather had a better appearance, we got
under way, and at 2 o'clock we were en route for the sea,
making surveys and taking soundings as we steamed along.
At 5.30 we were outside the bay, feeling after we had turned
the rocks on which the Telefon was wrecked, a fairly strong
swell from the east, but no wind. During the evening, however,
the wind began to blow from the north-west, bringing a thick
fog. Still, we were able to ascertain, by passing very close
to its supposed site, that ' Middle Island ' no longer exists.
Already as we made our way toward Joinville Land, it seemed to
us that what might have been taken for an island was notliing
else than a promontory of Greenwich Island. Now we have
certain corroboration of the assertions of the Nordensfcjold
Expedition that this island must be finally erased from the
map. I do not know who was the first to mark it, but it is to
be found notably on George Powell's map, dated 1882, 1 while
Bellingshausen in 1821 did not put it on his.'- Dumont
d'Urville, Nordenskjiild also, and finally the whalers asserted
that it has no existence. In spite of these assertions, however,
it continued for some unkuown reason to figure enormously

1 Anlnrrliru. Joe. cit. p. !)<!. * Allan de Bellingthauten,

28()

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

large on the most recent edition of the English Admiralty
Chart.

December 31. — North-cast wind, fog and rain, which do not
prevent us from sounding. At length there is a slight break
which allows us to make the land at Deception Island and in
the evening to take up our anchorage at Pendulum Cove.

January 6, 1910. — Before our departure to the South
Shet lands M. Andresen led me to hope that he could give us,
if we called again, another 30 tons of coal. Unfortunately, in
taking stock of his bunkers, he found that he could not spare
them. This is rather a blow, but I cannot regret the ex-
penditure of these last few days, so fruitful have the results
of our last trip been.

The 1st of January has been celebrated in our various
ways, and the Norwegians, after having taken 24 hours of com-
plete rest, have never ceased firing their guns, whose sound
has echoed all over the island. We have been detained here
afresh by frightfully bad weather. This time the wind has
blown a little from all directions, varying from the south-west,
to the north-west, then to the north-east, to settle down at
last in the north-west. In spite of our two anchors we have
been blown outside Pendulum Cove, and we found ourselves
therefore dangerously near to the shore in a rather heavy sea.
We could only keep our place by having the engine at work.

This morning it was calm and in spite of the fog and an
abundant snowfall, we got under way. After giving a few casks
of spirit in passing to the Gobernador Bories, and embarking
ourselves a hogshead of oil, I shake hands for the last time
with these amiable people and at 10.30 we leave Deception
Island.

I consider that the possibility of taking a fresh stock of
coal at Deception Island was one of the principal causes of the
success of the expedition. We owe it to the extreme kindness
of Andresen and the great generosity of the Magellan Whaling
Company. Our fellow countrymen MM. Blanchard and DetaUle,

281

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

who live at Punta Arenas, and who are important shareholders
in this Company, managed to interest their colleagues in our
work. Let me assure them once more of my sincere and
profound gratitude.

The south-wester has arisen and blows pretty hard, rather
stopping our way, but it scatters the fog and snow, and we see
all the neighbouring islands at once, Smith, Low, Hoseason,
Brabant, Gand, etc We eat our ' Twelfth Xight ' cake, in
which for the bean we substitute a pebble picked up on
Alexander I Land.

January 7. — The wind continues to blow strongly from the
south-west, that is to say, straight ahead, but the weather is
clear, there being mist only on land. It has been a hard night,
not so much on account of the strength of the wind, but because
the choppy sea tosses the ship a lot. We scarcely make 9
knots. In the afternoon, to save coal, and spare the engine,
which is working hard without much profit, I set the sails and
lay the ship to. Gourdon and I were the only ones at lunch.

January 8. — About 11 o'clock last night, the wind fell
completely and then, after a little fog, the north-easter began
to blow, while the barometer went down. Snow fell, the
weather was thick and the thermometer marked +1°.
The sea rapidly became rough, the wind was behind us, and
we stood for the south-west with all the sail we could carry
and the engine at rest. By chance we found ourselves almost
at the same spot where the Franqais was the same day five
years ago, but the gale from the north-east was then much
stronger, and instead of flying before it we were struggling
hard against it.

A i •) o'clock the wind calmed down, and I stood in a litt le
more for the south and set the engine to work.

The sufferers are still rather numerous in the ward-room,
but nevertheless, after dinner, I had a game of dominoes with
Godfroy, Gain and Liouville. We had to go in for regular
gymnastics in order not to lose our dominoes.
282

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

January 9. — Fog and calm during the night, compelling U8
to go slow. In the morning the north-easter begins to blow
again with its usual accompaniment of mist and soon turns
to a gale. Rouch has nevertheless succeeded in taking good
soundings, but in bringing up the wire again in the very
heavy sea, we lost 1,200 metres of it, and we have also lost,
on the same day, two registering-logs.

We intentionally keep out well from the coast in order
not to travel over ground already covered. Around us are
flying numerous albatrosses, admiral-birds, mollymauks and
Cape-pigeons. We are again using sail alone, and the ship,
with a good list on, is rolling less.

January 10. — The north-easter still blows as hard, with
snow, fog, and drizzle. If one could see a little further in front
of one, I should consider the weather fine, since we are making
good progress, but we have to keep a most careful look-out.
At 3.30, I see to port through the fog, the bluish shape of an
iceberg against the grey sky, and then we meet a whole quan-
tity of brash-ice, and lastly, abundant drift-ice, followed by
apparently very dense pack. Unfortunately, we can see so
little in front of us that it is difficult to know what to do about
this ice, and for the present we must content ourselves with
skirting it. At 4 o'clock, finding ourselves in a kind of porridge
of ice, we stop and, taking a sounding, we find 455 metres.
We shoidd be in 69° S. Lat. ; another ten miles and we shall
have beaten Evensen's furthest latitude. In clear weather we
ought to have had an interesting view of Alexander I Land.

January ll. 1 — I am unwilling to leave this neighbourhood
without taking advantage of a break in the weather to have a
look about us, and I heave to the ship under light canvas.
I am expecting, indeed, after this north-east gale at least a
few hours of clear weather and I have told my colleagues,
who nevertheless look sceptical. We remain thus gently
balanced in the midst of the mass of small ice, under a never
ceasing snow-fall, which covers the ship with a pretty white

283

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

mantle but makes the deck dangerously slippery. Quite
close at hand, through the imposing silence of the night, I hear
the crashing collisions of the ice tossed by the swell, producing
a sound like the distant murmur of a great city at the bottom
of a valley. It is the voice of the Antarctic, -which, too, can be
sweet.

In the morning a few brief rifts which I was expecting
appear. From the height of the crow's-nest, I seem to see
something strange in the south-east. Is it an iceberg, or is
it something else which I cannot venture to describe ?
I say nothing about it to any one, so afraid am I of being
mistaken, and once again the horizon is hidden. Taking
advantage of the calm and to disguise my impatience, which is
getting actually painful, I have the dinghy manned and in
several trips she brings back about a ton of iceberg-debris,
which we ton into the boiler for making water. At last, at
noon, the weather completely clears up, and I examine the
horizon anxiously. Far off in the pack-ice there appears Alex-
ander I Land at a new angle, which allows Bongrain to com-
plete his map ; but nearer at hand, I find again what I saw in
the morning, and my conviction is complete. Nevertheless, I
will speak of it to no one before acquiring absolute and indis-
putable certainty. I restart the engine and to every one's great
astonishment, contrary to previous orders, I steer for the east.
I overhear even a few small criticisms, which might have been
well founded, though now they only make me smile. I hurry
over lunch in order not to excite any one's attention, and I climb
up into the crow's-nest again wit h my field-glasses. All doubts
are gone. Those are not icebergs which lift their pointed sum-
mits to the sky ; it is a land, a new land, a land to be seen clearly
with the naked eye, a land which belongs to us ! It is necessary
to have lived through these months of waiting and anxiety,
of fear of failure, of desire to do something, of eagerness to
take back to one's country something important, to under-
stand all that is conveyed by these two words, which 1 repeat
284

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

to myself under my breath, a New Land ! I call up Bongrain
to the topgallant mast and hand him my glasses, asking him
not to say aloud what he is going to see. He utters but one
word, ' Oh ! '

We go ahead and now I can announce my discovery, which
brings almost everybody with a bound on deck. We make
out two high mountainous masses, from which emerge the
black rocks and between them a smaller mass, just like Ade-
laide Island or Alexander I Land, springing from a large cap
of ice, which seems to extend very far east and west, though
sharply separated from Alexander I Land, south of which it
lies. It appears to me that there are some high peaks on the
horizon, passing behind Alexander I Land in the direction
of Fallieres Land ; but not being absolutely certain, I prefer
not to have them marked on the map.

My conviction therefore is that Fallieres Land continues
westward, either in the shape of land or at least as an archi-
pelago, and our soundings in addition to those of De Gerlache
(who did not see these lands, since he entered into the ice
field further west) might have caused this to be suspected.
The fine weather allows us to take observations and to place
our discovery in Long. 77° W. and Lat. 70° S.

We have little chance of being able to reach these lands,
but I cannot resist the desire of approaching them, and we
hurl ourselves into the pack-ice, once more forgetting the in-
jury to our bows. The pack is composed of such big and thick
floes, soldered together by an icy mixture, that we cannot
even shift them, and in spite of sail and steam combined, we
only make 20 metres in the hour. After four hours of this dis-
heartening progress, which wears the boat enormously, we
sight a Ross's Seal on the ice. This is a variety lacking in our
collection ; at all costs we must have it. Liouville, Godfroy
and Jabet, armed with guns, post themselves on the bow and
pour a volley at the poor beast at 30 metres. We go to fetch
it with a Norwegian boat, hauled over the ice to bring it in,

285

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

but we are obliged to abandon another seal of the same kind
•which is so far off that the ship, already solidly wedged in the
ice, cannot approach it.

It is useless to persist in our attempt to push forward. With
the greatest difficulty, still under sail and steam, while the
crew push with all their united strength to part the ice with
poles, we seek to regain the edge of the pack. At one moment,
while the ship is among huge icebergs, which roll in the swell,
she grounds on the base of a berg. We dare not use our
engine for fear of smashing our screw, and it is only after
an hour's work with our poles that we rescue ourselves from
our dangerous position.

At last we get into more open sea, and we follow westward
the edge of the pack-ice, while the mist again hides our
discovery from us. 1

1 On my return to France, in perusing an interesting work published during
my absence by the learned American geographer, Edwin Swift Buleh, T was dis-
agreeably surprised, I must confess, to find on the map of the Antarctic, to the
south-west of Alexander Land, a little island marked Smiley. Although this island
was notably further south than the land which we discovered, and although the
name Smiley was accompanied by a ?, I was justified in fearing that Mr. E. S.
Balch had, during our expedition, found a document bearing witness to this dis-
covery by the American whale-man, of which I was consequently ignorant. I
was quite ready to bow to facts, without a struggle, and I should have been con-
soled by confirming Smiley's discovery. I wrote to this effect to Mr. E. S. Balch,
who, with his accustomed kindness and perfect impartiality answered in a letter
from which T think I should, in view of the undisputed authority of the signatory,
quote the following passage, which sets things out clearly, and caused me to give
a sigh of relief : —

' There is not the smallest doubt that all your discoveries arc yours and yours
alone. Wo know next to nothing of Smiley, simply what is quoted by Wilkes
and Maurey, which 1 mentioned in my Antarctica. I found Smiley Island on a
globe " made " by Oilman Joslin at Boston and " edited " by Charles Copley at
Washington in 1852. I marked this name on my map, because this part of the
Antarctic was then unknown to US. There mi^-lit have been an island there. It
is clear that this is a mistake. If Smiley had been where you have been, there
would have been a roust marked, not an island. This mistake probably arose in
the following fashion. The cartographer must have had some vague information ;
hemust have heard something about Smiley, and must have put down this island
somewhat at haphazard. Very possibly Smiley saw Alexander Land. The old
sealors sometimes went very far afield in pursuil of their accursed work of des-
truetionnl the poor lui-seals. Therefore you certainly have the right to say that
you are the first to see Charcot Land. 1 should like this land to he called thus, anil
I Im.j)o that your companions have so christened the now discovery. In any case,

286

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

January 12. — We have followed the edge of the pack-ice
all night, bringing us south of the 70th degree, which is a little
record in latitude, in view of the longitude in which we are.
What is most interesting is that our route, while a little more to
the south, runs almost parallel to that of De Gerlache, so that
our soundings thus add their value to his. We are also south of
the course sailed by Bellingshausen. The pack-ice, at least
in this particular region, stretches less further north than
during the years 1821 and 1898.

The edge of the pack has some profound indentations, mak-
ing the whole look like an enormous saw, but its general direc-
tion at the present moment is west. Its configuration makes it
identically like what we found to seaward of Alexander I
Land, and of our new land, and it is strewn with icebergs and
ice-blocks which are also identical in number and character.
I am persuaded that if we had been favoured by clear weather
we should have seen still more lands. Unfortunately this is
far from being the case. The north-easter has been blowing
-.iuce morning, accompanied by snow squalls and fog, which
oblige us to go as slowly as possible. In the afternoon the
wind changes to north, moderate. Hoping for a rift, I stop,
but in vain. We take the opportunity, however, to sound and
to make two dredges, in which we succeed in bringing up,
amongst other things, a few specimens of rock.

Wind north-east in the morning, with fog and very violent
squalls of snow. We continue on our course, still following
the pack-ice, of which we distinguish the edge standing out
beneath the grey wall of fog like a vast kerb of white marble,
marked out by icebergs rising up like superb pillars of the same

1 shall write Charcot Land in all I may publish hereafter, and I have noticed that
when a geographer has right in his favour, in the end he prevails.'

Others having supported Mr. E. S. Balch, I thought fit to yield to their ami-
able insistence, and it is under the name of Charcot Land that this region figures
on the map accompanying this book ; but I wish it to be understood that it is
the name of ray father, Professor Charcot, who has done so much for French
science, that i3 thus honoured, and not mine.

287

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY SOT'

material. One or two detached bergs are floating out at sea.
We cross as rapidly as our means allow, this region where the
Belgica was a long time at sea, frozen up in the ice for the
winter. The great indentations still persist, but the general
direction is now north-west.

In the afternoon the wind blows feebly from the north-
north-east, the sun shows himself for a while, and the horizon
clears up in the offing, but the pack still remains enveloped in
fog. About 2 o'clock we stop and begin a sweep of the horizon
to adjust our compasses, but the sun hides himself again and
stops us from finishing the operation. In the evening, the
north-easter begins to blow again hard, and the sky grows
heavy. Up to now we have been sheltered from the sea by the
pack ; in fact we have hardly felt the swell, but now once
more we begin to roll.

January 14. — The north-east wind is fairly strong all the
morning and all day, accompanied by squalls of snow. It
is a worthy sequel to the detestable winter which has caused us
so much suffering. If it were not for the continuous daylight
we should certainly not be able to guess in what month we are.
We go on sounding as regularly as the circumstances of our
navigation permit, and to-night about 9 o'clock, in spite of the
swell and the wind, we have been able to pursue this operation
successfully by putting ourselves to windward of two big ice-
bergs. We found a depth of 3,030 metres, and in spite of the
bad conditions, we have only lost 15 metres of our wire, which
has, as unfortunately often happens, caught in the splintered
wood of our damaged bows.

This navigation through the fog along the pack-ice is
dreadfully monotonous. Birds, however, are fairly numerous,
and a few whales are plunging around us, but we do not see a
single Emperor Penguin, which is missing in our collection,
though the Belgica found it in abundance. The pack seems
to lead us now directly to the point where Bellingshausen placed
Peter I Island. We are between the route of this navigator,
288

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

which was considerably more to the north than ours, and the
drift of the Belgica, which brought her about 1£° to the south
of this island.

The icebergs are becoming more and more numerous.
There arc some superb ones, and as, in spite of the great quan-
tity we have been permitted to see since our arrival in the
Antarctic, we are not altogether blasd by their marvellous
architecture, I pass quite close to a few to enable us to photo-
graph them. The sea breaks on their bases with a dull roar,
sometimes sending up its spray to a prodigious height, at
other times invading their grottoes which re-echo and then
empty themselves with a rumble like a torrent.

The mighty sea and the monstrous icebergs are play-
ing their giant's games under the grey and lowering sky,
caressing or fighting, and in the midst of these marvellous
manifestations of nature, which are not made for man,
we feel that we are merely tolerated, although a kind of
intimacy may be created between us and our magnificent
hosts.

About 5 p.m. there comes in sight an indescribable welter
of these monsters of ice, some recumbent, others broken off as
though after a great battle ; and to seaward, on all sides, others
are grouped like spectators, or as though waiting their turn to
enter the lists. As we climb higher in the mast to enlarge our
view others and still others appear, surrounding us with a
barrier which seems impassable.

In the fog which melts away two or three miles from us
there appears suddenly an enormous black mass enveloped
in clouds. It is Peter I Island, which was discovered by
Bellingshausen and which we are the first to see since this
great navigator. It was on January 11, 1821, that this island
was discovered and for a number of years it and Alex-
ander I Land remained the most southerly lands known in
the Southern Hemisphere. Bellingshausen, who sighted it
when coming from the south-west, and could not get near

19 289

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

owing to the ice, assigned to it about nine miles in length,
four miles in breadth, and 4,000 ' feet ' in height. The
deplorable circumstances in which we found ourselves at the
end of the day did not allow us to add anything to Bellings-
hausen's description. We can only, while confirming his dis-
covery, admire the accuracy of the observations of this Eussian
Admiral at a period when navigating instruments were still so
inaccurate.

The distance which separates us from Peter I Island is
very slight and the drift ice very loose, but the icebergs on the
other hand are numerous and closely packed. We attempt,
nevertheless, to get nearer and push through the ice. Eouch
tries to take a sounding, but the pieces of ice, swept about
by the swell, cut his thread. Other soundings, taken later,
at a distance of about six miles, give 1,400 metres without
touching bottom, so that one can say, without exaggeration,
that the island rises up out of the ocean-bed, especially
as De Gerlache, 1\° south of it, found a depth of 1,148
metres.

The weather has become extremely threatening, the wind
blowing in a tempest from the south-east, accompanied by fog
and a storm of snow which hides everything. Our situation
is getting dangerous, and we are menaced on all sides by the
icebergs about us. We have not even the resource of lying to,
we must try to get away at all costs and to escape from the
ring which is closing in upon us.

We leave with heavy hearts, but in the imminent danger
we have not time to give way to regrets. To-night has
been frightful through the violence of the wind, the seas
are gigantic, the rollers are beaten back by the icebergs,
and the thick fog is made still worse by heavy squalls of
snow.

We stand away from the land at first, taking the wind
on the beam, and I lien as I lie sea becomes loo licavy wo lot
her go before the wind.
290

THE SUMMEE OF 1909-1910

Under bare poles, with full steam up, so as to be able to
steer quickly, we fly without even knowing where we are
going and with no thought but how to avoid collision.

At first things go fairly well, the icebergs which we come
across being large and far enough apart to give us time to
manoeuvre, but at the end of four hours icebergs and ice-blocks
stud the boiling sea on every side. The men have to take the
helm in turn at short intervals, so wearying is the constant
manoeuvring. I feel as if I was being hurried by an invisible
torrent into a black gulf of which I cannot see the end. With-
out leaving the speaking-tube T shout out contradictory orders.
We are steaming through a winding passage sown with huge
blocks, which we must avoid at all costs. Out of the fog,
as we gradually advance, there rise up icebergs and still more
icebergs, and all idea of a plan vanishes in this heavy atmo-
sphere, for we do not know even whether there will be a way
open before us. Our anxiety gives place to a kind of intox-
ication ; we take no further heed of danger and our course,
which the slightest shock or the slightest error of judgment
might bring to ruin, becomes a game. Shall we get through
or shall we not ? Ever the torrent leads us on. The high
icebergs, whose walls our yards seem to touch, tower over us
and the smaller ones dance in front of the ship. Like us and
with us, the hours fly on and our mad course through the un-
known continues. At this moment had the strangest of sights
risen up before my eyes it would not have astonished me, but
there is never anything except the white masses and walls
emerging from the black background, growing larger, hurling
the sea off in great waves, whose spray dashes over the ship,
and then vanishing behind us.

All of a sudden before me the black gulf turns brilliant
and golden, dazzling with light, adding to the fantastic
strangeness of the scene, but giving the impression of an entry
into paradise after leaving hell. This brightness is merely
produced by the iceblink from a large sheet of drift-ice, and

291

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

as soon as we penetrate amid the small ice the sea calms down,
and the dull roar of the ice is like a restful silence after the
crash of the waves breaking on the base of the icebergs.

We quickly get through this drift ice, and the storm still
rages ; but the weather is brightening and the icebergs become
fewer. I throw myself for a couple of hours on my berth, and
when I awake I ask myself whether this strange voyage was not
a dream.

January 15. — The wind still continues very strong and the
temperature is at zero. The seas are tremendous, and the
icebergs are still rather numerous but easy to avoid now the
weather is clear. The engine is stopped and we go ahead
with our sails only. In the evening we set the engine going
and forge ahead with wind and sail to the west-south-west and
then to the south-west.

January 16. — From midnight onward the wind has been
blowing moderately from the south-east and soon the weather
is radiantly clear. There are still a lot of icebergs, some of
them very fine and large, but they are comparatively far apart
and do not trouble us. We enjoy all these hours of sunshine
( he first for a long time, and we feel as if we had come out of a
vault.

At noon the pack-ice. lies before us, sprinkled with a large
number of bergs. We are in Lat. 69° 12'.

We swing ship to adjust our compasses and take a
sounding, which gives us a depth of 4,000 metres. The pack-
ice runs in a huge point towards the north, continued by a
collection of icebergs, and prolonged still further north by the
iceblink, which we now know so well and which augurs nothing
good.

At 4 p.m. a moderate wind rises from the north-east then
veers to the north-west, bringing a fog which thickens until it
prevents us from seeing furl her than 30 metres ahead. I
limit the number of revolutions of the engine in such a way as
to keep the ship stationary in the wind, merely steering her
292

r ~

THE SUMMEE OF 1909-1910

straight, and it is thus that we pass with the protection of
Providence through the midst of dangers. From time to time
a small block of ice appears suddenly before us, passes along-
side, and as rapidly disappears. Occasionally it is a huge mass,
one end of which is already hidden in the fog before we can
see the other, and the silence is so impressive in the midst of
tins damp pall that we ourselves speak low. At last at 3 a.m.
the curtain rises, and we discover that as we drifted we passed
the icebergs at the northern end of the pack. All the rigging
of the ship is encased in a shell of ice one or two centimetres
thick, and it is absolutely impossible to make the ropes run.

Libois is tired out, and we are obliged to order him to sleep.
Frachat very courageously offers to take his place in the stoke-
hole, but as he is little accustomed to this work he will not be
able to keep it up for long. Many of the crew are pale, for the
severe winter has rather damaged all our healths. Godfroy
especially begins to cause me anxiety again ; he looks dreadfully
bad and drags himself along rather than walks. He will not
complain but I know full well that he is attacked by scurvy
again. As far as I am concerned, since we left Petermann
my condition is always the same. I cannot make an effort
without suffering from a stifling feeling and palpitation, and in
climbing the mast, which I have to do more than twenty times
a day, I have to take frequent rests ; but things have gone
on like this up to now and since they are getting no worse,
there is no reason for me to feel anxious about them.

January 17. — Moderate wind from the north-east to north-
west, often very light. The thermometer at zero.

We are still skirting the edge of the pack-ice, which is very
compact, and through which it would be practically impossible
to navigate. Its contour causes several changes of route, but
keeps us several miles south of the 69th degree.

Banks of fog are very frequent and prevent us from seeing
the indentations in the pack, which is generally composed
of small loose blocks of ice which we could easily get through

293

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

and which would offer us some short cuts. The iceblink,
however, despite the fog, gives us useful warnings. Like last
night, for some hours we are enveloped in a thick fog, which is
increased by an abundant fall of snow in thick white flakes.
We are steaming through a fairly dense pack, without knowing
much where we are going.

January 18. — The weather is foggy this morning and the.
winds light, between north and north-west ; but soon the sun
shines out and the sky becomes very fine and clear to the south.
Our course has turned during the last few hours to the
south-west. In the same latitude of 70° we have passed the
longitude where Knox, captain of one of the ships in the Wilkes
Expedition, was stopped by the ice on March 22, 1839. He
narrated that he had seen, at this spot, a high impassable
barrier, which impression I suppose must be attributed to a
mirage. It was in the same longitude, but 50 miles further
south, that the Belgica escaped from the pack after her long
winter in 1899.

Frequently we' have to navigate amid ice, violently cutting
our way through. We are now in the longitude which the great
English navigator, Cook, reached on January 30, 1774, 106°
54' West of Greenwich, 71° 10' South latitude, which remained
the record for a long time. At the same place, we are stopped
by the pack-ice in 70° 30' South latitude. I think I may say
that it would have been easy for us, pushing straight forward
into the ice, to make some 60 miles, which would have allowed
us to say that we had beaten Cook's latitude, but this small
satisfaction would have cost us a lot of time and st ill more coal,
and just as Bellingshausen voluntarily took Cook's course,
judging it to be more profitable to science to continue east-
ward, so we in our turn voluntarily continued westward. It
is interesting, nevertheless, to note that we found at the same
spot as Cook a deep notch in the pack'; it •was certainly not an
ordinary indentation caused by the prevailing wind such as
one meets on all the edges of these fields. My impression that
394

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

land is not far off still continues, and I see another proof
of this in the accumulation of icebergs and ice-blocks.

We stop to go alongside a huge fragment of iceberg, which I
have moored to the ship. Some of the men get in the dinghy
to break off pieces, which we take on board, and put into the
pipe of the boiler for making fresh water. Finally, we let
down the Prince of Monaco's vertical net to a depth of 1,000
metres, with one of the best results of our whole campaign.
The table-bergs in the pack-ice are of colossal size, one of them
in particular being certainly the biggest I have ever seen. This
agrees well with Cook's description, for he was astonished at the
size of the icebergs which he came across at this spot.

January 19. — This night the barometer went down a lot,
the appearance of the weather grew bad, and the ship was
tossed by a great swell. The gale thus heralded was not slow
in making itself felt and began to blow immediately very
strongly from the north-east. We were in a bad plight,
for besides the very numerous icebergs to be looked out for,
the pack-ice lay to leeward, sloping toward the north-east,
far into the distance, as the iceblink only too plainly showed
us. In the prevailing state of the sea it would have been dis-
astrous to be driven into this moving pack-ice, composed of
big thick floes and the remains of icebergs, so, cost what
it might, we had to haul up. We succeeded in beating to
windward under steam, but we were obliged to force our
way through the heavy drift-ice and thus to encounter some
big shocks, which made me tremble for our badly damaged
bows, of which we are taking so little care. The presence of
drift-ice, even in small quantity, always stops the sea from
breaking, even during most violent storms, and makes big
zones of calm, but it does not in any way check the swell,
and the fragments which crash against one another are terrible
foes for the ship that finds itself amongst them.

It seems that the pack-ice is in process of closing up at the
entrance to the bay into which we succeed in penetrating, and

295

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

when we get through the narrow channel, we find ourselves
in free water but in the midst of a heavy and agitated sea.
Happily the ship is behaving admirably, though it is evident
that we cannot congratulate ourselves on being in a safe haven.

January 20. — The gale has gradually diminished in strength
during the night, veering to the south-east after a succession
of very short squalls of sleet. The barometer has gone up
immediately, the thermometer falling to — 2°. At 4 a.m.
I set all sail and steer for the west. We are in 68° 32' South
lattitude, and we are thus crossing, at a speed of 8 knots, a
region never yet explored. Cook indeed, to reach his high
latitude, starting from the 64th degree, followed a course due
south and then turned again straight north. Bellingshausen,
and then Biscoe, coming from the west, stopped by the ice,
were sailing, the first in 63° and 64° south latitude, the
second in 65°. We are therefore more than 3° farther south
than our predecessors, and soon we shall be able to go beyond
the 69th degree.

The sea is good, but the icebergs are innumerable and in-
crease in number as we gradually advance. For some days I
have tried, merely when on the watch, to count them, but I
have had to give it up after reaching, in 48 hours, the respect-
able figure of 5,000.

The coal question is beginning to worry me again. It is
impossible to dream for a moment of navigation by sail alone
in the midst of these icebergs, which are so thick that we are
obliged every minute to alter our course to avoid them, and
our stock is gradually giving out. Wc must keep a little, in
view of the very long passage we have before us to return to
civilization, and there is no possibility in this neighbourhood
of taking in ballast to replace the weight gradually growing less
as wc Inn ii l he coal. I have put into the bottom of the hold all
that I can, but I see nothing more to be moved. The general
health also worries me, Godfroy looking worse and worse,
though he persistently refrains from complaint and con-
296

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

tinues to discharge his duties, and many others having long
faces. We ought to have some fresh meat, but in spite of all
our efforts, we have not succeeded in capturing any of the seals
which we see on the ice. We ought to have rest also for the
invalids, and even among those who are in the best health
there are only too evident symptoms of weariness. Neverthe-
lees, I wish to push on, for we are in a totally unknown region
of the greatest interest.

January 21. — Light winds from the south-south-east
with a fine morning, a smooth sea, and a clear sky except on
the horizon. At noon foggy and overcast, and then again up to
6 o'clock, fairly clear weather with a moderate wind from the
south-south-east. The thermometer fell to — 3° at night, to
rise to + 3° during the day.

During the whole of the night we steered south-west, and
this morning from the crow's-nest, I see the pack-ice to star-
board stretching as far as K 10° E. Soon after it appears
in front of us. We steer south and pass the 70th degree,
being stopped again this time by the ice. We have therefore
penetrated into a huge bay formed by the pack-ice. We have
reached an unhoped-for latitude in this region and we push on.
At last in the afternoon, in 118° 50' West longitude, blocked
by The ice, we stop and moor ourselves to a huge ice-block
to get some fresh water in the usual way.

Meanwhile, Eouch sounds and finds only 1,040 metres,
with a rocky bottom. There is, therefore, a big chance of
land being not far from us, and perhaps in clearer weather we
should see it ! In any case, the pack-ice and icebergs are of
the same character throughout, and the water is of the same
colour. I have no doubt in my mind that land must be near,
and this sounding, confirming those of De Gerlache further east
and the discovery of our new land, seems to prove the junction
of Fallieres and Edward VII Lands. What would I not give to
be here with my bunkers full of coal, an undamaged boat, and
a healthy crew, at the beginning of a campaign !

297

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

At 6.15 we get under way, and not without some difficulty
and a few heavy shocks, succeed in extricating ourselves from
the ice which shuts us in the bay full of pack-ice.

January 22. — The weather is still fine and the wind
constantly in the south. At midnight the sky was super band
the sun set with half its disc above the horizon ; this is the
half-sun of midnight.

With all sail set, making 8 knots, we steer west and then a
little northward, following the general line of the pack. The
icebergs, so far from diminishing in number, seem on the
contrary as if they were increasing. At 2 o'clock I see from
the masthead, which I scarcely ever leave, a long strip
of drift-ice composed of extremely thick blocks and the pack-
ice on the horizon running north-west.

We wish to stop and heave to to leeward of the strip of drift-
ice, but the engine does not answer in time and the ship plunges
into the big floes, some of which rise 5 metres above the level
of the water, overhanging the sides of the ship. Fortunately
they are composed of soft ice and we get free with ease. While
Rouch takes a sounding of 2,310 metres without finding
bottom, we try to kill some seals which are asleep on the ice,
but our boats cannot push through the thick ice, and if we
shot them from on board it would be useless slaughter.

To my great regret we must turn north ; there are too
many arguments in favour of return. I had made up my mind
to continue westward until we met the ice, and now it bars my
way. I have long thought that if Bellingshausen and Biscoe
were stopped so much farther north than we, it was by a
floating ice-pack like that which must be crossed to reach Vic-
toria Land ; but the very great quantity of icebergs we are
meeting would argue in favour of one or two rather exceptional
winters in this neighbourhood, of which we have been able to
take advantage, and which, by dispersing a great portion of
I ho pack, have thus set at liberty the icebergs it imprisoned.
Nevertheless, if the first hypothesis were the true one, we should
298

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

have still to struggle with the ice and the small amount of
coal remaining to us would be indispensable for making our
way through it.

It would be no use, however, giving way to barren regrets.
During this second summer campaign, whose discoveries and
observations have supplemented those of the first campaign
and the winter season, we have reached 124° West longitude,
navigating nearly all the time between the 69th and 70th
degrees of latitude, sometimes even further south. In spite
of the very bad conditions under which we have done this,
there has been no accident, we have accomplished our pro-
gramme, and we have done our best.

January 25. — We are making a good trip to Terra de
Fuego. Since the 22nd we have been favoured by light winds,
veering from the south-west to the east-south-east, bringing
with them very fine clear weather, while the temperature re-
mains between zero and 2°. In Lat. 67° we have to cut
through a strip of rather thick pack-ice, extending east and
west. Is this the pack-ice coming still further north, which
must have stopped Bellingshausen ? The very closely crowded
icebergs to the south are now scattered. There is a very dis-
tinet dividing line here, beyond which they gradually grow
fewer and fewer. Since this morning we have not even seen
one. We are making 8 knots with our sails. The swell
is fairly strong, but the sun is shining and the whole crew is
busy making the ship's toilet. Our stout ship is surely in a
condition which may be called glorious, since it is the result
of the fights she has been through ; but when we get back
to civilization, I want her to be clean, so that it may be seen
that, so far from wishing to poseaspeoplewho have been through
much, we are striving to hide the traces of our struggles. All
the paint is off the hull and the wood is bare, but in this res-
pect we can do nothing for the moment. Within, the paint
on the bulwarks and roofs is in a sad state, and we begin to
scrape and clean it. Lastly we start to polish the little brass-

299

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

work we have on board and soon our panel ' Honour and
Country ' blazes under the rays of the sun.

In 66° 15' South latitude, and 118° West longitude, we
hove to and sounded, finding a depth of 5,100 metres. There
is, therefore, a profound depression here.

Now that we have definitely stood in for the north, God-
froy confesses to me what I suspected, that his legs have been
very swollen for some ten days.

January 26. — Gale between west-south-west and west-
north-west, with a sky now clear, now overcast, the tempera-
ture being + 5°. To tell the truth, it is the wind-gauge
which enables me to say that we are going through a gale,
for the ship carries herself so well that navigation is pleasant.
We are making our 9 knots with sails alone. We leave on our
starboard side an iceberg and some debris of ice. This is the
first berg we have seen since yesterday, and perhaps it is our
last. It is night now, 11 o'clock. The moon, which we have
not been able to see for so long in the twenty-four hours of
daylight, is now at her full and rises brilliant and superb, as
though to wish us a safe return to the inhabited world.

■January 29. — Since the 26th, we have certainly returned
to the zone of west winds. We have had a strong gale from
the west-south-west, with overcast weather and drizzle, which
drove us ahead rapidly. The wind then veered to south-west
by west, with some short clear-ups. To-day again the weather
is very fine, with a moderate west-south-west wind. The sea
is extremely heavy, but the Pourquoi-Pas ? troubles herself
little about it, lifting herself admirably on the swell and making
good progress. She seems to smell the stable !

Yesterday a shoal of dolphins accompanied the boat.
Liouville recognized them as belonging to a species up to now
not systematically described, but noticed, and very accurately
drawn, by Dr. Wilson, the Discovery's zoologist, who also
came across them in these southern seas.

The cleaning-up on board continues.
300

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

January 31. — The wind has calmed down for three days,
veering to the north-west, and we have had to turn somewhat
eastward, still making good progress under sail and steam.

The thermometer has gradually gone up to 8°. The bar-
ometer followed by going down, and we have come in for a
strong gale between north-north-west and north-west, accom-
panied by rain and fog. There is a heavy sea abeam, but the
ship still carries herself admirably, not taking on board a
single drop of water and beating 9 knots with all her sails set
except her topgallant. At this rate, we ought to enter
Magellan Straits to-morrow.

February 1. — During the night, in a full gale, with all our
sails set, we made our 10 knots, but unfortunately the wind
increases in violence, and rain is reinforced by fog. We can
no longer see further than 200 metres ahead. We reckon that
we ought at 11 a.m. to be on the Evangelists, a rocky islet at the
entrance to Magellan Straits, with a lighthouse on it. But at
10.30, the fog becomes so thick that it would be a folly to push
on, and we needs must put about and try to keep away from
the shore. The sea is tremendous, and our plight is very bad,
for if the wind veers to the west, we are in danger of being
hurled on to the coast. At 1 o'clock there is a break, and
Bongrain is able to take a position-line. Almost at the same
moment there appears through the fog the outline of a cliff,
which ought to be Cape Pillar, and the wind veers to the west-
north-west. Land is quite closeand thecurrent is rapidly driving
us on to it. At all costs we must double Cape Pillar, and that
is not easy in the sea and wind prevailing. I give orders for full
steam ahead and to prepare to chock the valves. At the same
time we set all possible sail, but a staysad is torn away as it
is being hoisted. The coast emerges from the mantle of fog
which envelops it and reveals itself close at hand, threatening
and terrible, with the sea breaking on the Apostle Eocks. But
the Pourquoi-Pas ? is a stout boat and little by little she gains
on the wind, and at 4.30, with a sigh of relief, I head her for

301

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

Magellan Straits. At 7 o'clock we enter them and anchor
in Tuesday Bay. As a matter of fact, to-day is Tuesday.

We have made a superb passage, taking ten days to come
from the ice-pack to here. To-night I at last undress and go
to bed. The second French Antarctic Expedition is at an end.
H we have invalids on board, still, thank Heaven, no one is
absent at the muster.

And now, in a few days time, what shall we hear at Punta
Arenas, where our letters are awaiting us ? At the other end
of the telegraph, which will put us in a few hours in communi-
cation with ourfamilies, what will bethe answer to my despatch?
I left my home and happiness of my own free will to do what I
considered my duty. What shall I find on my return ?

What I feel for myself, I feel also for the twenty-nine others
with me. And now that the great effort has been made I
ask myself if it was worth all the sorrow which accompanied
our absence, and if I had really a right and a call to cause such
sorrows. But my eyes turn to the motto on the poop-
deck which, although false shame would not let us confess it,
has spurred on and supported us all through this expedition,
and up to where, standing out against the sky and flapping
in the wind, our ship's ensign answers me, Pourquoi-Pas f
(Why not ?).

I decided, for the sake of the men's health, not to go to
Punta Arenasuntil we had rested and recovered ourselves a little
in Magellan Straits, where we could find a sufficiency of game and
fresh fish. Tuesday Bay seemed an excellent spot to me, but
the violence of the gusts, the great depth, and the bad holding
necessitated so many moves that I was obliged to go and moor
in the excellent little roadstead of Puerto Gallante. We found
there an Austrian and a Chilian, who barter goods with the
Fuegians and who were able to give us fresh meat, eggs and
salad.

On February 11 we reached Punta Arenas. The steam
launch Lauriia was awaiting us in the roadstead, bringing on
302

THE SUMMER OP 1909-1910

board all our friends who came, 14 months ago, to wish us good
voyage ; but one, alas ! was lacking, Pere Poivre, whose brave
life, so full of smiles and kindness, had come to an end.

In this Chilian town we had a charming welcome. Our con-
sul, M. Blanchard, whose friendship is a pleasure and an honour,
threw open his house to us and gave us a foretaste of home
life, justifying once more his reputation for kindness and gener-
osity. The Governor, M. Chaigneau, proved to us that a high
Chilian official's protestations of friendship are no mere words.
We spent some charming days there with our good friends,
MM. Detaille, Adriasola, Rocca, Beaulier, Bonvalot, Grossi,
Baylac and so many others. The little French colony feted
us as on our way out, vieing with the rest of the town to make
us feel at home. Punta Arenas will remain unforgettable in
all our hearts.

Telegrams of congratulation from all quarters of the world
showed us that our labours were appreciated and known.
Although I had thought that I had done no more than my
best, I had now to persuade myself that we had done well ;
but once more I refer the credit to my companions.

A few weeks later we reached Montevideo, where we were
obliged to make a long stay. We got such a welcome there
that we did not regret it. As we entered the harbour, the
English cruiser Amethyst, Captain Webb, signalled to us
' Congratulations and welcome,' and the compatriots of Cap-
tain Scott and Sir E. Shackleton proved to us that the entente
cordiale had lost nothing in our absence. Antonio Lussich
and his cousin, the directors of the great Lifeboat Society,
to whom humanity and the mercantile marine owe so much,
and whose acquaintance I had the pleasure of making seven years
ago, when the Francais was here, with Dr. Visca, a pupil of my
father's, received us with such generosity and cordiality that
an indissoluble tie of friendship and gratitude was formed.
The condition of the Pourquoi-Pas ? called for immediate
repairs, about which I worried myself needlessly ; for I had a

303

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

visit from M. A. Amiot, engineering director of the French
Montevideo Company, who put at our disposal the great
resources of his company — a company whose admirable work
does the greatest honour to our country, and especially to the
Director M. Sillard (since become a friend whom I cannot for-
get) and to the engineers, MM. Caubois, Plazonich, and Muller.
A few months later M. Amiot succumbed in the middle of his
work. His memory is ineffaceable ; well placed with his
colleagues in charge of this great French enterprise, he was a
type of intelligent energy, one who knew how to hide under an
affectation of brusqueness his enthusiasm and good heart.
He has gone, but his memory will remain with us.

Thanks to the generosity and activity of our fellow-country-
men of the French Montevideo Company, and of A. Lussich,
the Pourquoi-Pas ? left the harbour in good repair and as
smart as a yacht and made her way to Eio de Janeiro.

Already in Montevideo the reception we got from M. de
Lisboa, Brazilian Minister to Uruguay, gave us a foretaste of
the welcome awaiting us in the great South American republic,
but it surpassed all our expectations. Our friend, M. Boudet,
French Consul, and all the kindly French colony in Brazil,
received us with open arms. Captain Barros Cobra, from the
first an enthusiastic supporter of the Expedition, did his best,
together with the inhabitants and the government of this great
and generous country, to make us forget that we were being
awaited with impatience in France. At Pernambnco, the
authorities, our friend Sanpiao Feraz, and the port engineers,
MM. Barbiere, Beraud, Eouberol and Baudin took care that
our last stop in South America should not leave lis with the
least pleasant memory.

Our trip from this port to the Azores, along the sailing
vessels' route to Europe, was long and tedious, but at Punta
Deldada the reception prepared for ns by the Governor, M.
Luis Betteneonrt de Medeiros e Comara, Commandant Alfonso
Chaves, and our Vicc-cousnl, M. A. Ferin, quickly made us
304

THE SUMMER OP 1909-1910

forget it. Portugal, who reckons among her glories the
greatest explorers in the world, kindly welcomed, at their first
stop in an European port, the humble French explorers.

I could not forget the Hide port of St. Pierre, Guernsey,
thai refuge which we had had no cause to regret during the
tempesl w hich assailed u.s as we left Prance. So at this island,
where we were sure to find a hearty welcome, I wished to have
the Pourquoi-r«s ? cleaned and re-painted, that she might
reach Fiance after her arduous labours, trim and neat. After
about two years' absence, I met my family again and in a few
minutes t he toils and anxieties were effaced as though by magic.

June 4, 1910. — At 10 o'clock yesterday evening in Havre
roadstead, we exchanged the ordinary signals with the pilot,
who came on board at once, and at 11 we were anchored,
awaiting the tide. Our anchor, for the first time for two
years, Mas fixed in French soil. At 4 a.m. we get under way.
Chance has it that I am on the last sea watch of the Expedition.
It is grey weather and a small fine rain is fading. I see Trou-
ville, the charming coast of Vflerville, and then Honfieur, the
picturesque little old town with its grey houses where the
presence of a steamer seems an anachronism. The great grass
meadows over which the cattle are grazing spread themselves
out before me, and then the wooded hillsides with their restful
verdure, the chateaux, the villas, the coquettish farms. The
sun now drives away the rain and the bright patches of field
flowers and clumps of fruit-trees enamel the green plain, through
which the waters of the river cut a channel. We are penetrat-
ing into the heart of France. Nature herself is elegant, and
man's work in the erection of the humblest buildings has but
given an additional touch of charm to her grace. A bend
of the Seine hides from us the sea, our home for so many long
months. We push further and further through this ideal
countryside, the most beautiful in the world. It sets the
heart beating, not with that violence of anguish which extorts
a cry, but with a sigh of pure enjoyment of perfection.

20 305

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT :

My eyes have just ceased contemplating the noble and un-
forgettable spectacle of the Antarctic's dreaded pack-ice, the
cliffs and magnificently savage mountains of Magellan Straits,
the wonderful scenery of Rio Bay, the splendours of tropical
vegetation, the smiling Azores, but now it is really La doulce
France, our beautiful country ; and we are entering her by the
road which should naturally lead to great cities, the homes of
art and science, where courage is gay and labour smiles.

On this morning of our return, in my solitary watch on the
bridge of the Pourquoi-Pas ?, which has just crossed the whole
breadth of the world, I felt more than ever how beautiful is
our France, how she deserves to be loved and to be served at
the price even of the greatest sacrifices. With a smile she has
amply repaid me for all my toil.

8 o'clock. — The ensign rises slowly to the gaff. The sailor
who hoists it must feel like myself. The blue, white and red
unfold themselves and flap in the breeze, giving a finishing
touch to the wonderful scenery, which seems to light up with
a new gleam. Mechanically, standing all alone, I uncover my
head in honour of this emblem. To the devil with reasoning
and researches into the why of our feelings, and with the excuses
which false shame makes for our actions ! It is our country,
and that is enough !

We anchor at Duclair. Only the families of my companions
have been apprised of this stoppage, which I do not wish public,
so that, away from the crowd and official receptions, amid
the peace of this charming little corner of the world, they
may take to their arms those who have passed so many months
of anxiety and fear.

At last, on June 5, at 2 o'clock precisely, the Pourquoi-Pas f
escorted by two torpedo boats sent to meet her by Admiral
Boue de la Peyrere, Minister of Marine 1 (whom I can never
thank sufficiently for his benevolent interest), by numerous

1 Admiral Bono do la Peyrore, then in command of the Atlantic Fleot, had
been the first to welcome the Franfais on her return to Buenos Aires in 1905.

306

THE SUMMER OF 1909-1910

yachts and excursion-steamers, reached Rouen. In our
journey up the Seine every village, and every gaily decorated
house echoed with cries of welcome, but the magnificent
reception which Rouen reserved for us was unexpected,
and will never be forgotten by us. We felt the movement
of the hearts of the whole population of this beautiful and
famous town, which by its enthusiastic emotion proved that
it knew how to appreciate disinterested scientific work and to
reward the efforts of those engaged in it.

This fete, which touched us deeply, was organized by the
Norman Geographical Society. Let me here express my pro-
found gratitude to MM. Leblond and Monflier, President and
General Secretary of the Society.

The Government was represented by Admiral Fournier,
the Minister of Foreign Affairs by M. Pavie, the Minister of
Public Instruction by M. Rabot, the Minister of Marine by
Lieutenant Dumesnil, the'Museum by Professor Joubin, H.S.H.
the Prince of Monaco by Lieutenant Bounce, the Paris
Geographical Society by M. Margerie, and the Oceanographical
Institute by M. Meyer, who handed us a magnificent medal
in the name of the Institute. The very choice of these repre-
sentatives, teachers, savants and friends who worked so hard
for the organization of the expedition, proved to us once more
the sympathy which it was desired to show us. 1

M. Paul Doumer, the father of the Expedition, President
of its Committee of Organization, who was the last to wish me
a safe voyage as we left Havre, was the first to welcome me at
Rouen, and as he shook my hand he assured me that he did not
regret the interest that he had never ceased to take in us all
through. Admiral Fournier presented to the whole crew, on

1 I cannot bring this book to an ond without giving an assurance of my affec-
tionate gratitude to my mastors and friends, MM. Joubin and Rabot, who, near
and far alike, were, with M. G. Deschamps and C. Boyn, the illustrious supporters
of the Expedition and its leader, and who watohed over its interests in a spirit
of that precious friendship which I tiuve put to the test for so many years.

307

THE VOYAGE OF THE 'WHY NOT'

behalf of the Government, medals of honour, which deservedly
adorned the brave fellows' breasts.

The mission was received by M. Leblond, Deputy and
Mayor of Eouen, supported by the whole Municipality, at the
Hotel de Ville, and then at the Geographical Society, and lastly,
at a magnificent banquet in the Chamber of Commerce by
Senator Waddington, President of the Chamber, who pre-
sented to me a magnificent medal in memory of the day.

Next day, on its arrival in Paris, the mission was received
afresh at the station by M. Bayet, Superintendent of Higher
Education, representing the Minister of Public Instruction,
Professor Edmond Perrier, Member of the Institute and
Governor of the Museum, and H.I.H. Prince Boland Bon-
aparte, Member of the Institute and President of the Geograph-
ical Society.

And now the Pourquoi-Pas ? is resting at Eouen amid the
greenery of the pretty yacht-harbour, whose constructor, M.
Depeaux has kindly given her hospitality. Her hull is still
all covered with the glorious scars of the fight she carried
through to victory, but she is ready to take again her mark
of interrogation into the region of the unknown and to face
fatigues and dangers for the honour of French Science.

308

INDEX

Academy of Sciences, French, G,

131
Ail. laid.- Island, 84, 85, 88-94, 98-

101, 104, 107, 118, 119, 122,

126, 130, 133-137, 285
Adalie penguins, 110, 129, 244, 277
Admiralty Bay, 42, 45, 46, 277, 279,

280
Adriasola, 303
Alexander, Emperor, 36
Alexander I Land, 5, 90, 102-104,

107-110, 112, 116, 117, 119,

120, 122, 133, 134, 282-287,

289
Alexander Islands, 109
Almirante Uribe, 2C5
Almirantc Yalcnziiela, 253, 255, 205,

267
Amethyst, 303
Aini.it, A.. 304
Amphitheatre of the Avalanches,

231
Andersson, J. Gunnar, 272, 276
Andresen. 32, 33, 45-48, 50, 51,

253-257, 261, 263-265, 269,

273, 274, 281
Andresen, Madame, 45, 50, 253, 254,

266, 258, 261, 264, 265, 274
Anorak coat, lii
Antarctic, 275. 270
Antarctic penguin, 123
Antarctic polar cap, nature of, 2
Antarctic Sporting Club, 187-189
Antwerp Island, 52, 54
Apostle Rocks, 301
Arctoiv-ki. Henryk, 109, 120
Argentine Islands, 175, 179
Argentine Republic, its Antarctic

observatories, 3
Arromanche Mission, 30
Astrolabe, l'TT
Astrolabe Island, 275

Aurora, 1S1

Austral, 8, 96

Aveline, 23, 159, 205, 215, 222, 224,

228
Azores, 304

Balch, Edwin Swift, 34, 85, 286,

287
Balleny, 1
Banco Chico, 96
Barilari, Admiral, 26
Barnes, 17
Beagle Channel, 30
Beascocheia Bay, 161, 163, 235
Beaulier, 29, 303
Belgica, and its expedition, 2, 5, 32,

53, 54, 87, 91, 96, 108, 109,

121, 133, 138, 288, 289, 294;

see also De Gerlache
Bellingshausen, and his expedition,

1, 5, 37, 107-109, 119, 122,

280, 287-290, 294, 296, 298
Bellue, Admiral, 25
Berteaux, 6
Berthelot Island, 69, 70, 73, 75,

159, 220
Besnard, 23, 57, 77, 101, 184, 192,

215, 222, 224, 227, 282
Betbeder Islands, 82
Bibi, 207, 215
Biscoe Bay, 84
Biscoe Islands, 61, 83, 90-93, 134,

136-138, 169
Biscoe, John, 1, 54, 86-93, 95, 96,

99, 107, 137, 138, 296, 298
Bismarck Strait, 42, 47, 52, 53, 239,

252
Blanchard, 29, 33, 64, 281, 303
Boats of the expedition, 15
Boland, 23, 48, 77, 122, 126, 129,

136, 159, 100, 104, 167, 173,

184, 215, 239, 278

3°9

INDEX

Bombay, 259, 260, 271-273

Bonaparte, Prince Roland, 308

Bongrain, H., 14, 22, 43, 48, 58,
59, 78, 81, 118, 122, 12&-128,
142, 144, 155, 159, 161, 164,
173, 175, 184, 211, 215, 223, 239,
258, 259, 274, 277, 278, 284,
285, 301

Bongrain, Madame, 100

Booth Island, 53, 54

Boots of the expedition, 16

Borchgrevinck Expedition, 2, 4

Bossiere, 42

Bouvet, 54, 67

Boyd Strait, 31

Boyn, Charles, 8, 9, 307

Brabant Island, 54, 282

Bransfield, 34

Bransfield Strait, 252, 263, 267, 276

Breasts, The, 228

Brecknock Channel, 30

Briand, 6

Bridgmann Island, 276

Bruce, 2, 8

Buenos Aires, 26

' Burberry ' coat, 16, 151

' Cafard polaire,' 210

Cape Horn, 30

Cape Lahille, 163

Cape Marie, 84

Cape Pillar, 301

Cape Rasmussen, 167, 168, 228, 235

Cape Renard, 56, 58, 68

Cape Trois-Perez, 69, 148, 162, 163,
168

Cape Tuxen, 69, 71, 74-78, 160-
162, 164, 168, 179

Cape Waldeck-Rousseau, 84

Casabianca Islet, 44, 55, 56, 58

Chaigneau, 29, 303

Cfianticlcer, 37

Charcot, J. B., 22 ; his first expe-
dition to the Antarctic, 2 ;
Government approval of his
second expedition, 6 ; expense
of, 7; building anil plans of
Pourquoi-Pas?, 9-15; equip-
ment of expedition, 15-21
staff of expedition, 21-24
departure of expedition, 25
diary of expedition, 29-308

310

Charcot Land, 286, 287

Charcot, Madame, 10, 12, 27, 100

Charlat, 26

Cherbourg, 25

Chollet, E., 23, 65, 115, 151, 169,
175, 179, 181, 184, 195, 196,
203, 204, 216, 247, 258, 274

Christiania Island, 91

Coates Land, 2

Cobra, Captain Barres, 26, 304

Cockburn Channel, 29

Cook, Captain, 1, 54, 294-296

Cook, Doctor F. A., 109, 254

Copley, Charles, 286

Cormorants, 220

Coursier, 18

Crabbing Seals, 48, 155, 171, 193,
240

Dallmann Bay, 54

Dallmann, Captain, 1, 52—54

Danco Land, 91, 92, 153

Darboux Island, 162, 209

Davis, 26

Dayne, 56, 61

De Alencar, Admiral Alexandrino,
26

De Chabrennes La Palice, Comte, 13

De Dion-Bouton electric lamps, 14

De Dion-Bouton motor-boats, 15

De Dion-Bouton motor-sledges, 17,
111

De Gerlache, Commandant A., and
his expedition, 2, 8, 35, 51, 52,
69, 91, 108, 138, 285, 287, 290,
297. See also Belgica

De Gerlache Strait, 47, 51-54, 91,
140, 235, 236, 251, 252, 267, 272

De Ginbriant, Father, 13

IV la I '.use, IS

He Lisbon, 301

Deception Bay, 255

Deception Island, 31, 32, 34-38,
40-42, 44, 46, 47, 51, 79, 85,
127, 156, 250, 253-257, 262,
267, 270, 272, 274. 276, 281

Deliverance Point, 77, 164

Doloncle Bay, 225

Denais, 23, 161, 167, 261

Denian, lti

Depeaux, 308

Desehamps, G., 307

I.NDEX

Desprez, 26

Detaille, 29, 33, 281, 303

Discovery. 4, 15, 190, 212, 217, 300

Doumer Island, 54, 57, 59

Doumer, Paul, 6, 10, 101, 307

Du Baty, Rallier, 42

Du Baty, Rallior, Channel, 251, 252

Duclair, 306

Dufreche, 23, 77, 159, 200, 203, 244

Dunbar, Captain F., 35

Dupuy, J., 6

D'Urville, Dumont, 1, 34, 40, 254,

275, 277, 280
Duse, Lieutenant, 272, 275, 276
Duseberg Rock, 167

Edge Hill, 169, 223, 234, 235
Enderby Brothers, 87
Enderby Land, 87
Esperance Bay, 272, 276
Esprito Santo, 34, 35
Etienne, 6

Evangelists Island, 301
Evensen, 2, 83, 91, 108, 138, 283
Express, 35

Falkland Islands, 34

Falheres Land, 103-107, 112, 113,
285, 297

False Cape Horn, 30

False Cape Renard, 68

Fanning, E., 35, 37

Feraz, Sanpiao, 304

' Figaro, Le," 201

Food of the expedition, 18

Foster, 37-40, 48, 54

Fournier Bay, 84

Foyn, Swen, 41

Frachat, 14, 23, 57, 161, 164, 175,
183, 188. 202, 243, 293

Francois, and expedition, 2, 4, 8, 9,
23, 35, 38, 42, 44, 62-55, 57,
60, 62, 66, 79, 83, 84. 86, 88, 95,
96, 109, 128, 136, 138, 142, 144,
148, 178, 244, 252, 259, 282

Frederichsen, 1, 53

Frederick, 35

Free Gift, 35

Fur Seals, 156

Furies Reefs, 29

Gain, L., 22, 43, 48, 58, 78, 81, 102,
110, 113, 122, 126, 136, 145,
152-164, 157, 158, 161, 165,
169, 175, 180, 181, 186, 192-

194, 196, 203, 205, 212, 215,
222, 224, 226-229, 232, 234, 237,
239, 241, 242, 244, 247, 258,
263, 265, 274, 278, 282

Galindez, Isinaol F., 44

Gand Island, 282

Garcia, Admiral, 26

Gauss, 2

Gautier, ' Pere,' 9, 192

Geographical Society, London
Royal, 86

Geographical Society, Paris, 87

Girard Bay, 180, 225, 234

Glacier Mountain, 225

Gobernador Bories, 32, 45, 48, 253,
255, 257, 258, 260, 262, 265,
272, 281

Godfrey, R., 22, 43, 56-59, 65, 66,
69, 71, 74, 77, 82, 102, 126, 145,
157, 159, 161, 165, 169, 170,
175, 176, 178, 186, 190, 193,

195, 199-201, 203, 212-216, 221,
233, 235, 249, 258, 259, 274,
276, 282, 285, 293, 296, 300

Goetschy Islet, 69

Gordon-Bennett, 21

Goudier Islet, 58

Goupil, 38

Gourdon, E., 22, 43, 48, 55, 57-61,
65, 66, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 102,
103, 110, 112, 114, 123, 131,
145, 153, 158, 161, 164, 165,
169, 170, 175, 181, 186, 193,
195, 202, 203, 205, 211, 212,
215, 222-235, 239, 242, 252,
263, 264, 271, 274, 276, 278,
279, 282

Gourdon, Madame, 49

Graham Land, 2, 4, 35, 46, 53, 54,
90, 92, 104, 107, 163, 193, 222

Great Barrier, The, 4

Greenwich Island, 280

Greenland, 52, 53

Greenland, Cape, 53

Grossi, 29, 303

Gueguen, F., 23

Gueguen, J., 23, 64, 175, 179, 182,
188, 190, 245, 246

311

INDEX

Guernsey, 25, 177, 305
Gugurnus, 207

Hamburg Haven, 52

Havre, Le, 25, 305

Henkes, 29

Hero, 35, 36

Hersilia, 34

Hertha, 96

Herve, 23, 77, 123, 167, 190, 215,

222, 224, 227, 261, 264
Hoseason Island, 51, 54, 55, 282
Hovgard Island, 53, 66, 68, 149,

196, 239, 240, 251
Hughes Bay, 51

Icebergs, 93-95, 114, 129, 166, 172
Irizar, Captain, 2

Jabet, 23, 56, 160, 171, 175, 179,
184, 202, 205, 211, 221, 243, 285

Jallour Islets, 61, 66/77

Jallour, Lieutenant, 39

Jan Mayen Land, 56, 179, 202, 277

Jeanne height, 61

Jenny Island, 100, 101, 103, 106,
113, 115, 117, 122, 125, 133, 140

Johnson, Lieutenant, 37, 38, 40

Joinville Island, 272, 276, 277, 280

Joslin, Gilman, 286

Joubin, Professor, 6, 307

Kaiser Wilhelm Islands, 53
Kendall, Lieutenant, 37, 38
Kerguelen, 2, 42
Kiki. 64, 207

King Edward VII Land, 4, 5, 297
King George I. Land, 42, 45
Knox, Captain, 29 I
Krogmann Island, 53

Labuosse and Fouche, 9

Lahille, 26

Lainoz, 26

I. a I i.i i. la I ia\ . :;<>

Larsen, Captain, 2, 41, 42, 53, 275,

276
Laubeuf, 9
Laurita, 29, 302
' Lo Las' telephone, 13
Lecointe, G., 91, 108, 109, 119

312

Lemaire Channel, 68, 160, 180, 209,

236, 248
Le-Myre-de-Vilers Islands, 239
Lerebourg, 14, 23, 158, 173, 192,

205, 206, 244
Lhostis, 23, 202
Libaudiere and Mafra, 11
Libois, 23, 61, 65, 115. 161, 179, 184,

205, 207, 214, 259, 293
Liege Island, 54
Lignieres, Professor, 26
Linzeler, 13, 16
Lion Cape, 134
Liouville, J., 22, 43-45, 48, 5S, 65,

66, 78, 113, 145, 154, 157, 158,

167, 168, 174, 182, 186, 190,

195, 200, 203, 204, 213, 223,
256, 264, 265, 282, 285, 300

Lively, 87

Livingstone Island, 265
Loper, Mrs. R. Fanning, 34
Loubet Land, 83, 86, 87, 103, 136
Louis-de-Savoie, peak of. 56
Louis Philippe Land, 276
Low Island, 51, 282
Lucas sounding apparatus, 15
Lund (Petermann) Island, 53, 66,
80, 136, 140, 141, 149, 167, 179,

196, 223, 233, 239, 241, 242,
249, 251, 257, 268, 276, 293

Lussieh, Antonio, 303, 304

Madeira, 25

Magdalena Sound, 29

Magellan, 96

Magellan Straits, 29, 301, 302

Malver, Doctor, 261, 272, 273

Marguerite Bay, 93, 100, 101, 106,

122, 1 31. L40, 189
Matha Bav, 95, 126, 132, 134, 136,

137, 235
Matha, Lieutenant, 22, 54, 60, 86,

95, 199, 200, 216, 251
'Matin. Le,' 201
Matin, Le, Mountain, 82
Maurey, 286

Megalestris, 66, 7-', 128, 160
Megalestris Hill, 141, 142, 160, 248
Megaptera, 82
Michdet, 31
Miohelson, 268-270
Midtllo Island, 280

INDEX

Middle Mountain, 107, 222, 223, 225,

220, 228, 231, 23 1
Mill, H. K., 37, 90
Modaine, 23, 175, 202, 205, 238
Monaco, Prinoe of, 7, 8, 142, 205
Monica, 75
Moute Video, 80, 303
Monzimot, 23, 183, 106
Morrell, 1

Motor-slodgos, 17, 111
Mount Diamond, 223, 225
Mount Francais, 55, 226
Mount Pisgah Island, 31
Mount Pound, 274
Mount Rude, 167, 234
Mount William, 54
Mountains of Ico, The, 228, 221), 234,

235
Murray Channel, 30
Myocarditis, Polar, 109-200
Myre de Vilers Islets, 209

Nansen Island, 84

Nansen kitchens, 15, 170, 224

Neumayer Channel, 53

Nevy, Admiral, 10

Now Sandefiord, 259

Nordonskjold, Otto, and his expe-
dition, 2, 8, 38, 42, 54, 259, 272,
275, 280

Nozal, 23, 159-161, 164, 167, 184,
194, 202, 238

Nunez, Colonel, 26

Oranoe Bay, 30, 44
Orn, 253, 259

Palmer Archipelago, 35, 42, 52-

54, 90
Palmer, Captain Nathaniel Brown,

1, 34-37, 85
Palmer Land, 37, 52, 85
Papua penguins, 277, 278
Paul I reefs, 53
Paulet Island, 276
Paulsen, Captain, 259
Paumelle, 23, 205
Peltier Channel, 54, 57-59, 252
Pendleton Bay, 90
Pendleton, Captain B., 1, 35, 36, 85,

Pendulum Covo, 33, 37, 39, 40, 43,
256, 262, l'Vo. 272 27i,27.x, 281
Penguins, 81, 152, 244, 217, 283, 288
I'orchot, 16

Perez, Dr. Fernando, 26, 242
Perez, Manuel, 26
Pernambuco, 304
Peter I Island, 107, 288-200
Petormann, A., 53
Petermaim (Lund) Island, 53, 06,
130, 140, 141, 149, 107, 179,
100, 223, 233, 239, 241, 242,
249, 251, 257, 208, 276, 293
Petrels, 176, 196
Piequart, General, 18
Pinero, Doctor, 26
Pitt Island, 138
Pleneau, Enginoer P., 22, 60
Poineare, R., 6
Poivre, Pero, 29, 303
Pola, 56

Polaire, 64, 168, 207
Port Charcot, 47, 57, 60, 67, 241,

251
Port Circumcision, 67, 69, 75, 78, 80,

132, 139, 141
Port Edwards, 30
Port Foster, 35
Port Lockroy, 42, 47, 51, 54-56, 58,

00, 65, 272
Porto Grande, Saint Vincent, 25
Poste, 23, 183, 202, 204, 238
Potter, Captain, 34
I'ourquoi-Pas ? building and plans
of, 9-15; equipment of expe-
dition, 15-21 ; staff of expe-
dition, 21-24 ; doparturo of
expedition, 25 ; aground on
Cape Tuxon, 78-80 ; success
of equipment, 183-184; daily
programme of expedition dur-
ing winter, 185-189
Powell, George, 280
Puerto Gallante, 302
Puerto Madryn, 44
L'mitii An ,,;,,. Ti, 2'.t, 1'.), 254, 257,

273, 302, 303
Punta Doldada, 304
Py, 26

Queen Aloxandra Cape, 98

3'3

INDEX

Rabot, Ch., 6, 10, 171, 307

Rabot Island, 84

Rallier-du-Baty Channel, 251, 252

Rats, 128, ISO

Raun, 31-33, 46

Rey, 61

Reynolds, J. N., 85

Rio Branco, Baron, 26

Rio de Janeiro, 25, 304

Riou, Monseigneur, 10

Robert, 216

Rocca, 29, 303

Roosen Channel, 44, 53-55, 252

Rosetti, Chief Engineer Sumblad,
26

Ross Barrier, 17, 113, 214

Ross, James, 1, 3, 41, 54

Ross Land, 2

Ross Sea, 2

Ross's Seal, 156, 285

Rosselin, F., 23, 169, 183, 187, 195,
201, 202, 205, 214, 238, 246,
257, 274

Rouch, J., 22, 43, 48, 55, 58, 59, 77,
78, 116, 142, 145, 153, 159,
161, 184, 188, 191, 194, 215, 216,
238, 273, 274, 283, 290, 297, 298

Rouen, 307

Rouvre, Captain, 272, 273

Sail Rock, 265

St. George Channel, 277

Salpetriere Bay, 65, 240, 251

Scholaort Channel, 53-55

Scotia, 2

Scott, Captain, 2, 3, 8, 17, 212, 303

Sea GuU, 38

Sea-leopards, 124, 154, 155, 178

Seals, 124, 155

Senouque, A., 22, 43, 56, 59, 78,
102, 110, 113, 153, 159, 165,
169, 181, 206, 212, 215, 222,
224-227, 229, 232, 234, 205,
273, 278

Shackleton, Sir Ernest, 2-4, 8, 254,
303

Sheffield, Captain James P., 34, 35

Sillard, M., 304

Skelton, 17

Smiley, Captain W. H., 39, 52, 286

Smith Island, 31, 53, 282

Smith, W., 34, 37

314

Snow Hill, 275

Sobroan Harbour, 43

Sogen Island, 60, 64

Sola, Father, 26

Somerville, Crichton, 17, 50

South Orkney Islands, 3, 8, 46, 96,

252, 276
South Shetland Islands, 31, 34-37,

42, 46, 156, 230, 259, 281
Stolhani, Captain, 45, 261, 272
Svip, 273
Sydney Harbour, 37

Tegethoff expedition, 131

Telefon, 45, 253, 255-257, 259, 263,

265, 270, 274, 280
Terra de Fuego, 299
Thays, 26

' Thermos ' bottles, 17
Thiebault, 26

Thomas, 23, 159, 188, 211, 221
Thomson, G., 6
Thrashers, 124
Toby, 64

Trinity Island, 35, 52, 91
Tuesday Bay, 302
Tula, 87
Two Hummocks Island, 55, 91, 252

Uruguay, 34, 38, 39, 43, 44, 54, 274
Ushaia, 30, 44

Valdivia, 54

Van Aeken, 23

Van Drygalski, 2, 8

Villain Peak, 92

' Venesta ' cases, 20, 143

Victor Hugo Island, 82-84, 137,

138, 169
Victoria Land, 2-4, 298
Vimont, 16
Visca, Doctor, 303

Wandel Island, 8, 42, 47, 51, 53, 54,
50, 57, 60, 61, 63, 67, 112,
123, 137, 140, 142, 148-150, 153,
151, 160, 169, 180, 189, 209,
220, 225, 236, 238. 239, 241,
247, 250-252, 257

Webb, Captain, 303

Webster, Doctor, 37, 38, 40

Weddell, 1

INDEX

Weddcll » Wilkes, 1, 38, 52, 194

WeddeU Seals, 4S. ir.r.. J17, 220, 240 Williams, Captain E., 35

Whaleboal Point, 140 Wilson, Doctor, 300

Whaleboat Sound, 30 Wino in Antarctic regions, 219
Whalers' Oove, 266, 269, 2G0, 202,

u-, r 7 "' m 1 ',.. 1 ' 7 ^ ai jo Oft« or7 Yankee Harbour, 35, 36

«• ' w n »: ' ' ' ' Yaroslav Island, 37
W hlte Hill, 225

White, Lieutenant, 138

Wienoke Island, 44, 53, 58, 63 Zel6e, 38, 277

Butler and Tanner The Setzvoo.f Printing Works Promt and LendtVi

315

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