146 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb. 



to make preparations for a balloon ascent to extend our know- 

 ledge of the surrounding region. 



It was Sir Joseph Hooker who first suggested the carriage 

 of a balloon for obtaining a view over the great southern ice- 

 wall, and when, after much difficulty, the necessary funds for 

 this equipment had been raised, we had decided that the best 

 thing for our purpose was one of the small captive balloons used 

 by the army for lifting a single observer. 



Thanks to the sympathy of the War Office we had been 

 enabled to purchase a complete equipment of this description, 

 consisting of two balloons, which, when neatly folded, occupied 

 very little space, and a quantity of hydrogen gas, carried in 

 steel cylinders at high pressure, which occupied a great deal. 

 Indeed, it had been a great problem where in our small ship 

 to stow these cylinders, of which there were more than fifty, 

 containing something over three fills for the balloon, and it 

 was only by placing them on top of the deck-houses and by 

 utilising every other spare space about the deck that we had 

 managed to solve it. 



And as it was of little use to carry such a costly oufit with- 

 out a knowledge of how to employ it, before leaving England 

 I had taken advantage of the kind suggestion of the chief of 

 the ballooning department at Aldershot, Colonel Templer, 

 R.E., and had sent two officers and three men to receive some 

 instruction at his hands. 



I now found that although officers and men had 

 regarded their short course as a most excellent diversion, 

 they had picked up most of the wrinkles and had learnt 

 to proceed about their work in the most business-like 

 manner. 



First a large sail-cloth was spread on the snow, and a 

 number of cylinders carried out and placed near by. Then 

 the balloon was taken out with tender care, laid on the sail- 

 cloth and connected to the cylinders with many small pipes. 

 As the gas gradually inflated the empty case the sticky folds 

 were carefully straightened out until the time came for the 

 process of ' crowning ' the balloon, when the gradually filling 



