76 WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



Seventh Land) goes Abbott, a naval man and a champion 

 wrestler. Several other members of the crew will join us in 

 Antarctica, so that the Terra Nova will seem very empty on 

 her return voyage. She will be under the command of 

 Lieutenant Pennell, who will be accompanied by Lieutenants 

 Rennick and Bruce, and by Mr. Drake. They will have the 

 wardroom — now occupied by twenty-four officers — to them- 

 selves, and are trying to impress nous autres with the comforts 

 combined with elegance which will characterise the after-deck 

 next March. 



On the 27th we were drifting aimlessly in thick pack, but 

 later in the day the floes seemed to open a little. It was 

 decided to raise steam and trust our luck — for sail power had 

 merely kept her nose to a big floe most of the time — though 

 the prospect did not look very hopeful. Towards evening we 

 met examples of over-ridden floes, two thin cakes being 

 recemented, and this seemed to indicate the effects of a recent 

 swell. 



Lieutenant Gran is a believer in a mild way in the powers 

 of white magic. That evening he saw the discarded Bridge 

 pack lying on the table, and said, " We'll see how many days 

 before we finish with this ice. If I draw out a black card it 

 will show us." So he straightway turned over a card, and it 

 was the two of spades. As you shall hear in forty-eight 

 hours we were once more entering on open water ! The next 

 day we were favoured with most beautiful weather. We 

 slowly pushed and broke our way through the floes which 

 occasionally shook the good ship to her centre, and hitting the 

 propeller caused a succession of shudders that would have 

 "shivered the timbers" of any less stout vessel. The sun 

 shone with almost a tropic heat — there was no wind and a 

 temperature of 37 brought all the afterguard out on the poop 

 to soak in the sunbeams. Every available square inch was 

 occupied by basking humanity, and this unusual phase of our 

 "strenuous life" formed the subject of several photographs. 



Until one has been blockaded for three weeks by some 

 such unexpected obstacle as this mighty width of pack, it is 

 difficult to realise how closely we scanned its texture for any 

 hint of its boundary. Towards the evening of the 29th we 

 began to hope that the pack was showing similar features to 

 those we met with on entering. Very beautiful were some of 



