22 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 
and, considering that the birds had been lying out in the 
tropics for twenty-four hours soaked with sea-water and 
es ge 
had been finally capsized in the overturned boat, the result — 
was not so disappointing as was expected. But the eggs 
and many other articles were lost. Since the black-breasted 
and white-breasted petrels were seen flying and nesting 
paired together, itis reasonable to suppose that their former 
classification as two separate species will have to be revised. 
Soon after leaving South Trinidad we picked up our first 
big long swell, logged at 8, and began to learn that the Terra 
Nova can roll as few ships can. This was followed by a 
stiff gale on our port beam, and we took over our first green 
seas. Bowers wrote home as follows : 
August 7th, Sunday. 
‘““All chances of going to Tristan are over, and we are 
at last booming along with strong Westerlies with the 
enormous Southern rollers lifting us like a cork on their 
crests. We have had a stiff gale and a very high sea, which 
is now over, though it is still blowing a moderate gale, and 
the usual crowd of Albatross, Mollymawks, Cape Hens, 
Cape Pigeons, etc., are following us. These will be our 
companions down to the South. Wilson’s idea is that, as 
the prevailing winds round the forties are Westerlies, these 
birds simply fly round and round the world—via Cape 
Horn, New Zealandand the Cape of Good Hope. We have 
had a really good opportunity now of testing the ship’s 
behaviour, having been becalmed with a huge beam swell 
rolling 35° each way, and having stood out a heavy gale 
with a high sea. In both she has turned up trumps, and 
really I think a better little sea boat never floated. Com- — 
pared to the Loch Torridon—which was always awash in 
bad weather—we are as dry as a cork, and never once 
shipped a really heavy sea. Of course a wooden ship has 
some buoyancy of herself, and we are no exception. We 
are certainly an exception for general seaworthiness—if 
not for speed—and a safer, sounder ship there could not 
be. The weather is now cool too—cold, some people call 
it. Iam still comfortable in cotton shirts and whites, while 
some are wearing Shetland gear. Nearly everybody is pro- 
