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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



preservation. A few relics of the last 

 expedition were lying about, including 

 bags containing remnants of provisions 

 from various sledging parties. Among 

 these provisions was an open tin of tea, 

 and the following morning the party 

 made an excellent brew from the con- 

 tents. It speaks volumes for the dry- 

 ness of the climate that the tea should 

 retain its flavor after exposure to the air 

 for five years. 



A sledging tin of petroleum was also 

 used and was found to be in perfect 

 condition. The ice on the end of Hut 

 Point was cracked and crevassed, but in 

 all other respects things seemed to be the 

 same as when the Discovery steamed 

 away to the north in February, 1904. 

 The cross put up in memory of Vince, 

 who lost his life close by in a blizzard, 

 was still standing, and so were the mag- 

 netic huts. 



EXPERIENCES WITH THE PENGUINS 



One day we were pulling along at a 

 good rate, landing stores, when sud- 

 denly a heavy body shot out of the water, 

 struck the seaman who was pulling 

 stroke, and dropped with a thud into the 

 bottom of the boat. The arrival was an 

 Adelie penguin. It was hard to say who 

 was the most astonished — the penguin, at 

 the result of its leap on to what it had 

 doubtless thought was a rock, or we, who 

 so suddenly took on board this curious 

 passenger. The sailors in the boat 

 looked upon this incident as an omen of 

 good luck. There is a tradition among 

 seamen that the souls of old sailors, after 

 death, occupy the bodies of penguins, as 

 well as of albatrosses ; this idea, however, 

 does not prevent the mariners from mak- 

 ing a hearty meal off the breasts of the 

 penguins when opportunity offers. 



The penguins were round us in large 

 numbers. We had not had any time to 

 make observations of them, being so 

 busily employed discharging the ship, 

 but just at this particular time our atten- 

 tion was called to a couple of these birds 

 which suddenly made a spring from the 

 water and landed on their feet on the 



ice-edge, having cleared a vertical height - 

 of twelve feet. It seemed a marvelous 

 jump for these small creatures to have 

 made, and shows the rapidity with which 

 they must move through the water to 

 gain the impetus that enables them to 

 clear a distance in vertical height four 

 times greater than their own, and also 

 how unerring must be their judgment in 

 estimating the distance and height when 

 performing this feat. 



A blizzard interrupted the work of 

 landing our supplies and buried every- 

 thing under a thick mantle of snow. 



The next four or five days were spent 

 in using pick and shovel and iron crow- 

 bars on the envelope of ice that covered 

 our cases, corners of which only peeped 

 out from the mass. The whole had the 

 appearance of a piece of the sweet known 

 as almond rock, and there was as much 

 difficulty in getting the cases clear of the 

 ice as would be experienced if one tried 

 to separate almonds from that sticky 

 conglomerate without injury. Occasion- 

 ally the breaking out of a case would dis- 

 close another which could be easily ex- 

 tracted, but more often each case required 

 the pick or crowbars. A couple of ear- 

 nest miners might be seen delving and 

 hewing the ice off a case, of which only 

 the corner could be seen, and after ten 

 minutes' hard work it would be hauled 

 up, and the stenciled mark of its contents 

 exposed to view. 



Brocklehurst took great interest in the 

 recovery of the chocolate, and during 

 this work took charge of one particular 

 case which had been covered by the ice. 

 He carried it himself up to the hut so 

 as to be sure of its safetv, and he was 

 greeted with joy by the Professor, who 

 recognized in the load some of his scien- 

 tific instruments which were playing the 

 part of the cuckoo in an old chocolate 

 box. Needless to say Brocklehurst's joy 

 was not as heartfelt as the Professor's. 



THE WINTER HOUSE BROUGHT FROM 

 ENGLAND 



Our winter headquarters was not a 

 very spacious dwelling for the accommo- 



