26o FROM EDINBURGH TO THE ANTARCTIC 
we had a great function on board. All the way out there 
has been a talk of burning some one's effigy, but nothing 
came of it till to-night. 
We, the doctor and I and the skipper's son, were 
luxuriating before the cabin-stove, reading and brewing 
coffee, enjoying a well-earned repose, when two men came 
aft, and asked me in a mysterious way if I would come 
down the 'tween-decks, and bring my sketch-book and 
bagpipes ; they wanted to have a portrait taken. I 
followed them down the main-hatch into the dusk of the 
'tween-decks, and there I saw a ghastly spectacle. A 
man's figure hung by the neck from one of the beams. 
His eyes were real seal's eyes, pinned on to a canvas face, 
his nose was made of wood, and he wore spectacles, and a 
goatee beard. Some one had supplied a very ancient 
dungaree suit, and this was stuffed with shavings and 
rope-ends. The whole figure bore a ghastly resemblance 
to one of our company. Braidy supported him on one 
side, for his legs were weak, whilst Harvey added a few 
finishing touches to his face with the ship's paint. When 
they had finished him and made him as hideous as they 
possibly could, I was asked to draw his portrait. I have 
served my time at that trade, and have drawn many 
types ; but, bar one, this was the ugliest of all my sitters, 
and, though I say it as shouldn't, my representation of 
their handiwork gave the greatest satisfaction. After the 
portrait was done, a procession was formed, Braidy led it, 
and played a. wheezy march on the melodeon, the cook 
played the pipes, and Mason and Harvey supported the 
figure. All the rest of the crew followed in couples arm- 
