eal OUR ICE-YACHT 159 
Nunatakker—or Nunakoller as I prefer to term these smoothed 
rock outcrops, for tak means a peak. 
The next morning (22nd) we had to cross a bay about 
six miles wide. As we lugged our heavy sledge close to the 
numerous seals they would raise their heads and gaze super- 
ciliously at us, then roll over on the other side and go off to 
sleep again; no doubt much preferring their own lot in life. 
Returning from the first trip we felt a strong southerly wind. 
-I decided to try our sail as the wind was dead behind us and 
as there was no drift. 
Forde superintended the rigging of our ice-yacht. The mast 
consisted of four of the tent poles, the other two going across 
and forming yards. The leather ‘ bucket’ uniting the poles 
formed a sort of pulley over which the main halyard was 
passed. Two sheets to the poop (as I suppose the rear of the 
sledge yacht should be called) kept the sail steady. “These terms 
are probably not used in their strict nautical sense! 
We had a great job to start the two sledges—for as usual 
after waiting a short time the runners froze to the surface. 
However Debenham ‘broke her out,’ the sail filled, and when 
we once got going we found the half ton quite manageable. 
We felt we were progressing at racing speed when we accom- 
plished a mile in forty-five minutes with both sledges, which 
before had taken two hours. But needless to say we had to 
pull with all our strength at the same time, though the wind 
must have almost accounted for one of the sledges. The miles 
piled up and we did 6% geographical miles by 7 P.M., instead 
of 4% by 9 P.M. as heretofore. 
Between two bergs we had to cross a ‘working’ crack 
several feet wide. We were much amused at the efforts of a 
young seal which was baaing loudly and trying to climb a 
huge mountain eight inches high! 
We reached Dunlop Island at noon the next day helped by 
the wind and sail. There was a strait about quarter of a mile 
wide separating it from the mainland cape. ‘This strait con- 
sisted of blue glassy ice covered in narrow belts by thin wettish 
salty snow. ‘This next mile led to the worst language I think 
I heard on any sledge journey! My journal states: ‘ The wind 
drove the whole 1200 lbs. across the ice, while our combined 
efforts, almost bursting blood vessels, were needed to cross five 
