THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



Chapter flDne 



THE INCEPTION AND PREPARATION 

 OF THE EXPEDITION 



TV/I" EN go out into the void spaces of the world 

 for various reasons. Some are actuated simply by 

 a love of adventure, some have the keen thirst for 

 scientific knowledge, and others again are drawn away 

 from the trodden paths by the " lure of little voices," the 

 mysterious fascination of the unknown. I think that 

 in my own case it was a combination of these factors 

 that determined me to try my fortune once again in 

 the frozen south. I had been invalided home before 

 the conclusion of the Discovery expedition, and I had 

 a very keen desire to see more of the vast continent 

 that lies amid the Antarctic snows and glaciers. In- 

 deed the stark polar lands grip the hearts of the men 

 who have lived on them in a manner that can hardly 

 be understood by the people who have never got out- 

 side the pale of civilisation. I was convinced, moreover, 

 that an expedition on the lines I had in view could 

 justify itself by the results of its scientific work. The 

 Discovery expedition had brought back a great store 

 of information, and had performed splendid service in 

 several important branches of science. I believed that 

 a second expedition could carry the work still further. 

 The Discovery expedition had gained knowledge of the 

 great chain of mountains running in a north and south 



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