100 
CRUISE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 
The seals were landing in different spots, it being the pup- 
ping season, and we were able to procure nineteen ; the 
skins were afterwards sold, and we were not able to make 
any quantity of oil. Three sea-elephants were ashore on 
the north side when the men from Tristan landed, but they 
were not captured. Our first house failed to stand the rain, 
the pitch of the roof being too little. This necessitated its 
being pulled down, and we shifted our quarters a little 
nearer the waterfall, our water supply. Up to this time, 
although hard work was necessary, we had experienced no 
hardship ; but our supplies of rice, flour, and biscuits, were 
rapidly disappearing. Working on the beach every day we 
were unable to climb the cliff in search of pigs or goats, and 
thus supplement our first supply of provisions. The middle 
of January saw the end of the regular sealing season. In 
seal-hunting around the island our whale-boat, which was 
too heavy for two men to handle, was damaged in landing in 
the surf ; but was yet serviceable by aid of constant bailing. 
We had seen nothing of our neighbours; and only a few 
ships passed within sight of the island, without stopping. 
In the beginning of April 1872, the tussack by which we 
had ascended the cliff close to the house caught fire, whilst 
we were clearing the ground below by burning, and all the 
tussack on the north side was destroyed. Our means of 
reaching game being thus cut off, and winter approaching, it 
became imperative to begin laying in provisions. With this 
view we cut the whale-boat in halves, and, discarding the 
worst portion, succeeded in making a smaller boat, which 
would float in fine weather. To this specimen of naval 
architecture we gave the name of Sea Cart! By aid of the 
boat a visit was made to the west side of the island, whence 
we could climb to the plateau ; and shooting two goats we 
salted them down. A fat pig also assisted our store, by 
furnishing a bucket of fat for frying potatoes ; the carcase of 
the pig was too heaw for our boat when laden with other 
