THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



sounding of seventy-nine fathoms was obtained, and half 

 a mile further in the depth was forty-four fathoms. The 

 arming of the lead was covered with sponge spicules, 

 suggesting that this place would be a fine hunting-ground 

 for the biologist. Steaming slowly north along the coast 

 we saw across the bay a long, low snow-slope, connected 

 with the bare rock of Cape Royds, which appeared to 

 be a likely place for winter quarters. 



About eight o'clock, accompanied by Adams and 

 Wild in the whale boat, and taking the hand lead with 

 us, I left the ship and went in towards the shore. After 

 about ten minutes' pulling, with frequent stops for 

 soundings, we came up against fast ice. This covered 

 the whole of the small bay from the corner of Flagstaff 

 Point, as we afterwards named the seaward cliff at the 

 southern end of Cape Royds, to Cape Barne to the south- 

 ward. Close up to the Point the ice had broken out, 

 leaving a little natural dock. We ran the boat into this, 

 and Adams and I scrambled ashore, crossing a well- 

 defined tide-track and going up a smooth snow-slope 

 about fifteen yards wide, at the top of which was bare 

 rock. Hundreds of penguins were congregated on the 

 bay ice, and hundreds more on the top of the slope, and 

 directly we reached the bare land our nostrils were 

 greeted with the overbearing stench of the rookery where 

 were many hundreds of the Adelie penguins. These 

 were moving to and fro, and they greeted us with hoarse 

 squawks of excitement. Above them were flying many 

 of their natural enemies, the rapacious skua gulls. These 

 birds had young, for as we walked along, evidently 

 nearing the nestlings, they began to swoop down on us, 

 almost touching our heads* and the sharp whirr of their 

 rapidly moving wings told us how strongly they resented 

 our intrusion. 



A veiy brief examination of the vicinity of the 



94 



