﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  421 
  

  

  A 
  SEA-ELEPHANT 
  SWINGING 
  COMPLETELY 
  AROUND 
  AFTER 
  BEING 
  AROUSED 
  FROM 
  SLEEP 
  

   The 
  animal 
  has 
  faced 
  the 
  sailor 
  who 
  stepped 
  on 
  his 
  hind 
  flippers. 
  

  

  island 
  was 
  formerly 
  completely 
  buried 
  by 
  

   an 
  ice-cap. 
  The 
  high 
  ground 
  of 
  the 
  in- 
  

   terior 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  an 
  everlasting 
  

   neve, 
  which 
  consolidates 
  at 
  the 
  sources 
  

   of 
  all 
  the 
  valleys 
  to 
  form 
  tongues 
  of 
  ice, 
  

   most 
  of 
  which 
  extend 
  clear 
  into 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   ending 
  in 
  abrupt 
  walls. 
  

  

  The 
  one 
  incomprehensible 
  statement 
  in 
  

   Captain 
  Cook's 
  account 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia 
  

   is 
  his 
  emphatic 
  testimony 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  no 
  

   brook 
  or 
  stream 
  along 
  the 
  whole 
  coast. 
  

   Certainly 
  in 
  our 
  time 
  the 
  rushing 
  torrents 
  

   are 
  a 
  great 
  impediment 
  to 
  progress 
  on 
  

   land, 
  and 
  during 
  January 
  thaws 
  gleam- 
  

   ing 
  cascades, 
  visible 
  from 
  far 
  at 
  sea, 
  pour 
  

   from 
  the 
  ledges 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  hills. 
  

  

  IT 
  RAINS 
  OR 
  SNOWS 
  FIVE 
  DAYS 
  OUT 
  OF 
  

   EVERY 
  SIX 
  

  

  The 
  climate 
  of 
  South 
  Georgia 
  varies 
  

   relatively 
  little 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  The 
  

   mean 
  annual 
  temperature 
  is 
  very 
  close 
  to 
  

   the 
  freezing 
  point, 
  and 
  the 
  sky 
  is 
  pre- 
  

   vailingly 
  overclouded. 
  February 
  is 
  the 
  

   warmest 
  month. 
  Snow, 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  hard, 
  globular 
  particles, 
  which 
  

   sting 
  the 
  skin 
  like 
  hail, 
  falls 
  in 
  every 
  

   month, 
  and 
  rain 
  and 
  sleet 
  storms 
  are 
  

  

  both 
  frequent 
  and 
  prolonged 
  during 
  the 
  

   summer. 
  Either 
  rain 
  or 
  snow 
  falls 
  on 
  

   about 
  five-sixths 
  of 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  

   year. 
  

  

  The 
  greatest 
  proportion 
  of 
  clear 
  days 
  

   is 
  in 
  winter; 
  but 
  November 
  and 
  Decem- 
  

   ber, 
  the 
  springtime 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  world, 
  

   are 
  often 
  made 
  memorable 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  suc- 
  

   cessive 
  days 
  of 
  sunshine, 
  while 
  on 
  rare 
  

   midsummer 
  afternoons 
  of 
  January 
  and 
  

   February 
  the 
  jealous 
  Ice 
  King 
  is 
  some- 
  

   times 
  lulled 
  to 
  sleep, 
  the 
  thermometer 
  

   rises 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  68° 
  F., 
  and 
  South 
  Georgia 
  

   basks 
  in 
  a 
  sparkling 
  calm. 
  Only 
  on 
  such 
  

   fleeting 
  occasions 
  is 
  the 
  subtle 
  feeling 
  of 
  

   the 
  glaciers 
  absent 
  from 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  sea. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  but 
  one 
  hard 
  frost 
  at 
  sea- 
  

   level 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  my 
  visit, 
  this 
  

   being 
  at 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Isles 
  on 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  

   January 
  13, 
  when 
  a 
  half 
  inch 
  of 
  ice 
  

   formed 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  fresh-water 
  ponds. 
  

  

  VIOLENT 
  GALES 
  ARISE 
  UNEXPECTEDLY 
  AND 
  

   SERIOUSLY 
  MENACE 
  NAVIGATION 
  

  

  The 
  prevailing 
  winds 
  are 
  westerly 
  and 
  

   southwesterly, 
  and 
  since 
  tremendous 
  ba- 
  

   rometric 
  changes 
  take 
  place 
  very 
  quickly 
  

   at 
  South 
  Georgia, 
  there 
  is 
  probably 
  no 
  

  

  