igoi] DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND 67 



interests, expanding horizons ; but who at such times must not 

 think sorely of the wives and mothers condemned to think of 

 the past, and hope in silent patience for the future, through 

 years of suspense and anxiety ? 



Early on the 7th the Start was still in sight, but gradually 

 it shaded from green to blue, till towards noon it vanished in 

 the distance, and with it our last view of the Old Country. 



At this time we had much to learn about the ' Discovery.' 

 Great as may be the advantage of having a new ship, it can 

 be readily understood that there are also serious drawbacks. 

 In addition to our want of familiarity with the details of such 

 a vessel, her construction, her engines, and so forth, we were 

 ignorant of her capacity of performance under steam or sail, 

 and we could not predict with any degree of certainty the 

 length of time which would be necessary for our long voyage 

 to New Zealand. 



As we steered our course across the Bay of Biscay with 

 varying baffling winds, it soon became evident that the ' Dis- 

 covery ' did not possess a turn of speed under any conditions ; 

 that with favourable winds we could hope for little more than 

 seven or eight knots, whereas a very moderate head-wind might 

 reduce her to a fraction of this speed. 



Under these conditions our voyage to New Zealand pro- 

 mised to occupy a very long time, and it became obvious that 

 we could not stop by the way longer than was absolutely 

 necessary, since delay in the date of our arrival was limited 

 by the desire to take full advantage of the Southern summer 

 of 1901-2 for our first exploration in the ice. 



This proved a most serious drawback, as I had confidently 

 looked for ample opportunities to make trial of our various 

 devices for sounding and dredging in the deep sea whilst we 

 remained in temperate climates. Some of these devices were 

 new, and with all we were unfamiliar ; and the fact that we 

 were unable to practise with them during our outward voyage 

 was severely felt when they came to be used afterwards in 

 the Antarctic Regions. 



On August 14 we sighted the island of Madeira, and late 



