CHAPTER VII 

 South Africa and the Congo 



Arriving at Cape Town in the South African winter 

 of 1921, the waiter at my hotel presented me on the 

 first morning with penguins' eggs for breakfast. Often 

 as I had been to Africa, I had never seen the eggs of 

 these birds in that country. I had always believed 

 that nowhere but in the Antarctic could they be found. 



On making inquiries, I learnt that thousands were 

 collected from an island some thirty-five miles south 

 of Capetown, which belonged to the Union Govern- 

 ment, and that at certain seasons there were at least 

 five million penguins on it. There, I felt, was 

 something to see and photograph. Having pursued 

 my inquiries and obtained a permit to visit the island, 

 I went in search of a boat that fetched the eggs . 



The Government authorities directed me to one 

 that would be saiUng in a few days for a cargo of 

 penguins' eggs. I easily found the Barracuta, a tub 

 of a fishing-boat driven by a paraffin engine, manned 

 by a skipper, helmsman and a black boy. She was 



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