THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



most sacred Penates and Lares, were lying in a hetero- 

 geneous mass on the poop deck, in order that they might 

 dry. A few of us ventured on baths, but it was chilly 

 work in the open air, with the temperature only two 

 degrees above freezing-point. 



Some of our party, who were old sailors, had not 

 much impedimenta to look after and to dry, the hard- 

 won experience of other days having taught them the 

 lesson that the fewer things you have to get wet, the 

 fewer you have to get dry. Adams in particular observed 

 this rule, for he wore the flannel trousers in which he came 

 on board the ship at Lyttleton through all this weather, 

 allowing them to dry on him after each successive wet- 

 ting. He fondly clung to them throughout the period 

 we were navigating in the ice, and whilst working the ship 

 at winter quarters, and would doubtless have worn them 

 on the ascent of Erebus if they had not practically come 

 to pieces. 



We were now keeping a sharp look-out for icebergs 

 and pack; we had been steering a little more to the east, 

 as I felt that our delay owing to bad weather would 

 give us little time for navigation if we had to pass 

 through much pack-ice, and a few degrees more easting 

 might perhaps give us a more open sea. The meeting 

 with the pack-ice was to terminate the Koonyas tow, and 

 that also meant our parting with Buckley, who had en- 

 deared himself to every man on board, from able seaman 

 upwards, and had been of the greatest assistance to us 

 in the matter of the ponies. It was due to his prompt 

 action on one occasion that the life of " Zulu " was saved. 

 We decided to give a farewell dinner to our friend that 

 night, and Marston designed special menu cards for the 

 occasion. At noon this day we were in latitude 61° 29' 

 South, longitude 179° 53' East. During the afternoon 



58 



