114 ON THE WAY TO THE SOUTH 



tired out. On the approach of darkness we were able 

 to get hold of them without difficulty. Their numbers 

 and marks were noted, and after they had been taken 

 care of for a couple of days and had recovered their 

 strength, we let them go. They circled once or twice 

 round the mast-heads, and then made for the English 

 coast. 



I think this episode led to our taking a few 

 carrier pigeons with us when we left Christiansand ; 

 Lieutenant Nilsen, as a former owner of pigeons, was 

 to take charge of them. Then a nice house was made 

 for them, and the pigeons lived happily in their new 

 abode on the top of the whale-boat amidships. Now, 

 in some way or other the second in command found 

 out that the circulation of air in the pigeon-house was 

 faulty; to remedy this defect, he one day set the door 

 a little ajar. Air certainly got into the house, but the 

 pigeons came out. A joker, on discovering that the 

 birds had flown, wrote up " To Let " in big letters on 

 the wall of the pigeon-house. The second in command 

 was not in a very gentle frame of mind that day. 



As far as I know, this escape took place in the 

 Channel. The pigeons found their way home to 

 Norway. 



The Bay of Biscay has a bad name among seamen, 

 and it fully deserves it; that tempestuous corner of the 

 sea conceals for ever in its depths so many a stout ship 

 and her crew. We for our part, however, had good 



