Sir Edgeworth David 73 



others less wet. It was cold and raw, with frequent rain- 

 storms, and the light clothing which the scientists had 

 worn when leaving the tropical heat of New Zealand at 

 midsummer had to serve until it went to pieces on their 

 bodies. Worst trial of all was the lack of sleep. For ten 

 days these scientists, straight from the luxuries of 

 civilized life, endured sea-sickness, cold, wet, and sleep- 

 less fatigue in a small ship of two hundred tons which 

 often rolled at an angle of fifty degrees. And they did it, 

 not for adventure, as the others on board, but because 

 they wanted to solve some of the secrets which awaited 

 them in the Great White South beyond the storms. 



None stood the battering better than Edgeworth David, 

 despite his fifty years, and when on January 15th the first 

 ice was sighted, and the sun came out, he was still fit 

 and encouraging the others. As one of his companions 

 on that voyage told the authors : " Despite the gruelling, 

 the Professor was an incurable optimist. His super- 

 human energy put fresh heart into some of the younger 

 men. I have seen him at the pumps for hours on end, 

 wet through. And when his spell came to an end, he 

 would sit down in his soaking clothing and write out the 

 meteorological report as carefully and precisely as though 

 he were in his study in Australia/ ' 



Thirty-eight days after entering the ice the Nimrod 

 reached the spot chosen by Shackleton for his winter 

 quarters, and the shore-party was landed at Cape Royds. 

 According to plan Professor David should have returned 

 to New Zealand with the ship, but the fascination of the 

 Southland was too much for him, and there was jubilation 

 among the members of the expedition when Shackleton 

 announced that Professor David had decided to remain 

 and assist with the scientific work before them. 



The Professor had not been long ashore before he 

 decided upon his first task. He would measure a moun- 

 tain, one which had never been accurately surveyed. He 



