FROM EDINBURGH TO THE ANTARCTIC 
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down to the N.E. of Joinville Land, where the Active met 
us. Almost any land would be interesting to us now, 
but we fail to enthuse over this flat, snow-covered, uninter- 
esting country. The only features are a few dark rocks 
that show above the glacier covering. 
We hailed our friend Dr. Donald on the Active and 
photographed him, and he took us. The doctor took his 
photographic apparatus up to the crow's-nest and photo- 
graphed the ice-scape with the Active in the foreground. 
It ought to make a very old-world-looking picture. The 
hull of the Active reminds one of the ships of the time of 
James VI. — low in the bow and high in the stern, but 
comfortable and homely-looking. The crew on deck 
seemed anxious about the doctor's bodily safety, not to 
speak of the camera, and speculated as to what would 
happen to their blanked heads if the blanked camera was 
to drop on them. 
At night the wind went into the N.W. and blew like 
blazes. 
. . . Tuesday. — A still, warm day of subdued sunlight 
of exquisite beauty — the sky a greeny blue, striped with 
grey white ribbons — on all sides white silky bergs, in the 
distance faintly tinted with lilac — sea smooth as glass, with 
a surface of bronze — black tashes, the five vessels steaming 
through the white labyrinth of bergs, and some whales 
trailing fan-shaped wakes of dark purple across the calm 
reflections. The smoke from the other vessels is almost 
beautiful to-night ; it hangs in level whisps of rusty brown 
in the middle of the sheen of the bergs and reflections 
