386 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
sealer of about 250 tons, known as the Patria, and ap- 
propriately enough re-named the Belgica. 
The nucleus of a scientific staff was brought together, 
and these assisted heroically in the necessary but often 
nearly hopeless task of endeavouring to raise funds ; the 
departure of the ship was delayed for a year in conse- 
quence of the difficulty of getting money. Gerlache was 
fortunate in securing the cooperation at an early date 
of Henryk Argtowski, a Russian Pole, whose ardour in 
the pursuit of the sciences of chemistry, geology and 
meteorology made him eager to seize the opportunity of 
entering an absolutely virgin field. A Rumanian naturalist, 
Emile Racovitza, of equal enthusiasm in his own depart- 
ment, was also enlisted, and others were gradually added, 
for the intention was to make the Belgica a purely scien- 
tific expedition. In the summer of 1897 a desperate effort 
to raise additional funds by holding a sort of exhibition 
and fancy fair was at last successful, thanks mainly to 
the cooperation of Mme. Osterrieth who acquired thereby 
the friendly title of Mother Antarctica. After all only 
£12,000 had been obtained from start to finish, and on 
that grotesquely inadequate sum the whole of the equip- 
ment and work of the Belgica was carried out. 
On August 16th, 1897, the ship left Antwerp, and on 
the 24th finally departed from Ostend. M. de Gerlache 
was in command of the expedition, with Lieutenant Le- 
cointe, also a Belgian, as second in command and Roald 
Amundsen, a Norwegian, as mate. The scientific staff 
consisted of Lieutenant Emile Danco, a Belgian, as mag- 
netic observer, Emile Racovitza, the Rumanian naturalist, 
Henryk Arqtowski and his assistant, Antoine Dobrowol- 
ski, both Poles ; but the surgeon had given up his post at 
the last moment and the ship sailed without one. The 
