298 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [July 



I had originally intended to round Cape Horn on our 

 homeward voyage, but as we approached this longitude we 

 were driven to the northward by S.E. winds, and consequently 

 altered our plans to pass through the Magellan Strait. We 

 entered this beautiful channel on the evening of July 6, and 

 on the following night anchored off Puntas Arenas ; the 9th 

 found us racing out through the Eastern Narrows on the 

 strong ebb tide, and three days later we anchored in Port 

 Stanley (Falkland Islands). Here we replenished our stock of 

 coal and took the last series of magnetic observations in con- 

 nection with our Southern Survey. 



On the 20th we put to sea and turned our head to the 

 north, to face the last long stage of our journey ; and now 

 for the first time we found our life on board contained the 

 elements of monotony. Our work was done— nothing re- 

 mained but to hasten homeward — and we realised how poor a 

 show of haste the ' Discovery ' was capable of displaying. We 

 would willingly have spirited our good ship from the southern 

 to the northern hemisphere, and chafed at the long weeks at 

 sea which resulted from our slow progress. 



And so our passage to the north was somewhat wearisome, 

 but slowly and surely the miles were traversed, and we passed 

 from the wild and stormy seas of the Westerlies to the mild 

 regions of the gentle S.E. trade wind, and from this to the 

 sweltering heat of the Doldrums. 



On August 13 we recrossed the line, and a week later 

 struggled slowly through the N.E. trade towards the Azores ; 

 here I decided to take in a small stock of coal, and on the 

 last day of the month we anchored off Punta Delgada, in the 

 island of San Miguel. 



On September 2 we put to sea for the last time, and now, 

 with favouring breezes, made comparatively rapid progress 

 towards the Channel. 



Early on the morning of the 9th we sighted the home- 

 land once more, after an interval of three years and one 

 month, and as we slowly steamed up the Channel it can be 

 imagined there were not many eyes that did not gaze long- 



