THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



heart's content. We were soon all on the deck of the 

 Nimrod once more, and were immediately stood up in 

 a row to be photographed. As soon as the cameras 

 had worked their wicked will upon us, for we were a 

 sorry sight, our friends hurried us off for afternoon 

 tea. After our one hundred and twenty-two days of 

 hard toil over the sea ice of the coast and the great 

 snow desert of the hinterland, the little ship seemed 

 to us as luxurious as an ocean hner. To find oneself 

 seated once more in a comfortable chair, and to be served 

 with new-made bread, fresh butter, cake and tea, was 

 Elysium. 



We heard of the narrow escape of Armytage, Priestley 

 and Brocklehurst, when they were being carried out 

 to sea, with only two days' provisions, on a small 

 ice-floe surrounded by Killer whales; and how, just 

 after the momentary grounding of the floe, they were 

 all just able to leap ashore at a spot where they 

 were picked up later by the Nimrod. We also heard 

 of the extraordinary adventures and escapes of Mac- 

 kintosh and McGillan in their forced march overland, 

 without tent or sleeping-bag, from Mount Bird to Cape 

 Royds; of the departure of the supporting-party to 

 meet the Southern Party; and, in short, of all the 

 doings at Cape Royds and on the Nimrod since we had 

 last heard any news. Pleasantly the buzz of our friends' 

 voices blended itself with the gentle fizzing of steam from 

 the Nimrod' s boiler, and surely since the days of John 

 Gilpin " were never folk so glad " as were we three. 



Here it may not perhaps be out of place to quote 

 from Captain Evans' private log in reference to the 

 relief of our Northern Party by the Nimrod. After 

 hearing from the Western Party under Armitage that 

 we were long overdue at Butter Point, and after con- 

 sulting with Murray at Cape Royds, he decided to 



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