434 WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



Sometimes their large triangular tail fins showed, and once 

 or twice the huge torpedo head appeared above water. Our 

 harpoon gun was out of order, but they were too shy to let 

 us approach within striking distance. Each of these whales 

 was worth ^300, so that there was a small fortune in the 

 whole school. 



Monday^ April 1. — About 6 a.m. we approached Akaroa. 

 It was a bright morning as we entered the very fine harbour, 

 the Heads reminding me of those of Sydney. We could see 

 the friendly light of the lighthouse twinkling a greeting to us. 

 Then we saw ragged clumps of the first trees — two on the 

 skyline resembling a pair of roosters fighting, and sheep, like 

 rabbits, browsing on the steep hillsides. We lay about a mile 

 off the little town, while Pennell and Drake went off" in the 

 cutter and were met by a launch. All communication was 

 forbidden with the shore, but later two men in a small launch 

 hovered around us. As they pushed off they called out — 



" Why didn't you get back sooner ? Amundsen got the 

 Pole in a sardine tin on the 14th December." 



" Pennell returned about 1 1 a.m. and confirmed it. 

 Amundsen has done wonderfully. His risky hut-site was 

 not so bad as we expected. In place of howling blizzards 

 four days in each week, he seems to have had calm weather ! 

 But his bold dash up another glacier, his getting five men 

 there, and his nice behaviour after returning with regard to 

 Scott and his work have changed our opinion of him in toto. 



"Scott will have reached the Pole about January 16. 

 When he sees the tent and flag there he will get a most 

 unpleasant shock. Amundsen started eleven days before 

 Scott and was eighty miles nearer. He got there only thirty 

 days sooner, so that he didn't march much quicker. 



"In the west Gran and I agreed that he had a very good 

 chance, and Gran has written down in my sledge diary the 

 day he (Amundsen) would get there. I haven't looked at it, 

 but believe he was at the Pole at the day Gran said ! ' 



This prophecy has aroused some interest among psycho- 

 logists at home ! So I will explain the circumstances. Gran 

 woke up on December 20, 191 1, when we were camped 

 in the Punch Bowl and had been sledging over a month. He 

 declared that he knew that Amundsen was turning back. As 

 natural we pooh-poohed this. He said, " Well, I'll write it 



