FROM EDINBURGH TO THE ANTARCTIC 
95 
are right on the top of the engine-room, we feel that the 
heat is greater than any we are likely to experience here, 
or hereafter. The two engineers are simply cooked alive, 
and gasp and drink tepid water in bucketfuls. 
To-day Petrie the bo'sun was seen stropping a gigantic 
razor, presumably Neptune's, so half the crew are in a great 
flutter, hairy old Arctic veterans who have never sailed to 
the South Sjsas, and downy boys on their first long voyage, 
are equally anxious. We aft have grown what now may 
fairly be called beards ; but off they must come, so Nep- 
tune says. Bribed he will not be, for where is the grog to 
bribe him with ? We discuss the question of asking the 
skipper for a couple of bottles of his rum for his Majesty 
and crew, but decide on the whole it was wiser not to. 
At breakfast to-day the subject of sailors' superstitions 
was brought on to the tapis, and I expected to hear much 
of interest ; but 
the only result 
was a yarn from 
one of our party 
on the compar- 
atively modern 
Calvinistic form 
of fire-worship 
and the fire 
demon. So I 
put the direct 
question to one of our engineers, Did he believe in second 
sight ? ' Oh, ay, I div that/ he said, ' and in mair than 
second-sicht forbye. There was ma mither's grandmither, 
