I902] HEAVY GALE 107 



appearances distant objects would assume. The matter is of 

 more than passing interest, because it shows that one must be 

 exceedingly cautious in beheving even what appears to be the 

 evidence of one's own eyes, and it largely helps to explain some 

 errors which we found had been made by former explorers, 

 and which we knew must have been made in all good faith. 



During the night of the 13th we lay under the shelter of 

 the high cliffs on the N.E. side of Coulman Island, over 

 which had now gathered a heavy storm cloud ; the wind had 

 risen to a full gale at sea, but only reached us in occasional 

 squalls which swept down from the high cliffs. To occupy 

 our time, a trawl-net was put over in about 100 fathoms of 

 water, and great was the delight of Mr. Hodgson when it was 

 found to be well filled with specimens. At such times our 

 biologist was in his element ; on one side of him would be 

 arrayed a number of glass jars, before him would lie in one 

 mass the mud, stones, and animals which the net had pro- 

 duced. And thus, surrounded by a circle of eager, curious 

 faces he would work with fingers and forceps, sorting fish, 

 sponges, crustaceans, and polyzoa into their proper receptacles. 

 It was as much as anyone's life was worth to approach without 

 invitation, but questions were allowed and would be answered, 

 generally with a string of lengthy scientific terms which left 

 the questioner about where he was before. 



By the morning of the 14th the wind had increased to a 

 furious gale, and the squalls now swept down over the cliffs 

 with such terrific violence that we were forced to exert all our 

 one-boiler power to keep the ship in her station, and even thus 

 we began to lose ground. The ship would not face the wind 

 directly, and we were obliged to carry it on the bow with the 

 yards braced sharp up ; in this position she would gradually 

 edge away sideways until it became necessary to bring the 

 wind on the other bow and edge back again. We had so little 

 control over her that we could not alter our course by ' tacking,' 

 but were obliged to set a head sail and so ' wear ' round with 

 our stern to the wind. In the afternoon the wind force, as 

 measured by the Robertson anemometer, was ninety miles an 



