HOMEWARD BOUND. 6g 



and a dozen pigs, besides quantities of provisions laid in 

 by the different messes. 



As night approached a fresh gale from the N.N.W. 

 overtook us which necessitated lying to, but before the 

 gale became too heavy we sounded in 637 fathoms. 



When discussing the subject of deep-sea soundings 

 with some of the inhabitants of Wellington, I was led to 

 expect that a plateau existed between New Zealand and 

 the Chatham Islands upon which shallow water might 

 be found. Tradition states that once upon a time a 

 fisherman had anchored between the two groups well 

 out of sight of land. We found a plateau, as will be 

 seen further on, and it is very possible that the tradition 

 is true. Considering the route taken, the season of the 

 year in which the line of soundings was run, and the 

 fact that the Enterprise was the Jirs^ vessel to sound the 

 depths of this part of the Pacific, I have thought it best 

 to quote freely from my private journal and the ship's 

 log-book. As stated in the Introduction, the latest 

 charts (1892) do not record a single deep-sea cast south 

 of this line between New Zealand and Cape Horn, a 

 distance of one hundred and fifty degrees of longitude, 

 although nearly seven years have elapsed since the 

 Enterprise visited those waters. Moreover, a detailed 

 account will give a better idea of the work required of 

 the crew in taking these casts, and it should also be re- 

 membered that the terms of enlistment of many of the 

 men had expired, and that nearly every officer had been 

 away from his home three years or more. 



