THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



sodden blankets, reached down his hand, and in a plain- 

 tive voice asked for something to fill the yawning cavern 

 that existed in his interior. Professor David was given 

 Dr. Michell's cabin, the latter taking up his abode in 

 Oyster Alley. The cabin measured about 5 ft. 10 in. 

 by 3 ft., and as the Professor had nearly a quarter 

 of a ton of scientific instruments, books and cam- 

 eras, one can imagine that he had not much room 

 for himself. The wardroom of the Nimrod was about 

 12 ft. long and 9 ft. broad, and as there were twenty- 

 two mouths to feed there three times a day, difficulties 

 were present from the beginning of the voyage. Dunlop's 

 cabin came into service as the largest overflow dining- 

 room, for it accommodated three people. Davis and 

 Mackintosh each found room for another hungry ex- 

 plorer in his cabin. When the food arrived it was passed 

 along to the outside dining-rooms first. Then people 

 in the main room were served. All went well that 

 first night out, for there was comparatively little 

 movement, but later on the story of an ordinary meal 

 became a record of adventure. I took up my quarters 

 in the captain's cabin, and fluctuated between the bunk 

 and the settee for a resting-place, until the carpenter 

 made me a plank bed about four inches off the deck. We 

 did not know that we were not to take our clothes off 

 for the next two weeks, but were to live in a constant 

 state of wetness, wakefulness, and watchfulness until the 

 Nimrod arrived in the neighbourhood of the winter 

 quarters. 



Bad weather was not long delayed. As the night of 

 January 1 wore on, the wind began to freshen from the 

 south-west, and the following morning the two vessels 

 were pitching somewhat heavily and steering wildly. The 

 Koonya signalled us to veer, that is, to slack out thirty 

 more fathoms on each of our two cables, and with great 



44 



