128 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb. 



of health. But we cannot afford to lose officers, and Colbeck 

 has already kindly consented to replace Shackleton by his 

 Naval sub-lieutenant, Mulock, and the latter is most anxious 

 to join us.' 



''February 26. — We have 84 tons of coal left in the 

 " Discovery." This will be enough for more than one winter, 

 but will not be sufficient to allow us to do any further 

 exploration if, as I hope, we get out of the ice ; so I asked 

 Colbeck to leave 20 tons on the Erebus glacier tongue. He 

 came on board to-night with Skelton and Davidson to say that 

 this was done yesterday. It appears that they had a great 

 excitement last night, for as they came back to the ice-edge, 

 for the first time they found a northerly swell rolling into the 

 strait, and the ice was breaking up with extraordinary rapidity. 

 In little more than half an hour nearly a mile and a quarter 

 went out, and bets were being freely made that they would be 

 up to Hut Point in the morning ; but, alas ! the swell lasted 

 little beyond the half-hour, and after that all was quiet again.' 



* February 28. — Colbeck has spent the last few days with 

 us ; he goes back to-morrow early, and with him go those of 

 our party who are homeward bound. Then in the evening we 

 are invited to a last feast before our gallant Uttle relief ship 

 turns her bows to the north.' 



* March 2. — . . . Yesterday early our guests left us, and 

 our returning members soon followed with their baggage. In 

 the afternoon all our company, except two or three men and 

 Wilson, set forth for the " Morning," there to be entertained 

 for the last time by our good friends ; there was much revelry 

 on the small mess-deck forward, and at the eight-o'clock 

 dinner aft seats had to be found for no fewer than sixteen ; as 

 the utmost seating capacity of the wardroom table was eight, 

 the overflow had to be accommodated in the tiny cabins at the 

 side, but this in no way detracted from the excellence of the 

 dinner or the merriment of the evening. After a most satisfy- 

 ing meal we all gathered about the piano, the air became thick 

 with tobacco smoke, and for the last time we raised our voices 

 in the now familiar choruses. It was well into the small hours 



