THE NARRATIVE OF PROFESSOR DAVID WE START FOR THE MAGNETIC POLE
The first thing to be done in connection with our attempt to reach
the Magnetic Pole was to lay depots, and so on September 25, after
delay from bad weather, Priestley, Day and I (David) started in the
motor-car, dragging behind us two sledges over the ice.
One sledge with its load weighed 606 lb., the other 250 lb., and as
soon as Day put the car on her second gear we sped over the floe-ice
at a rate of fourteen miles an hour, much to the admiration of the
seals and penguins. Accidents, however, both to the car and to Day, who
alone of us could be trusted to drive it, hindered us from making our
final start until October 5. On that day Brocklehurst took a photograph
of the Northern Party and soon afterwards we boarded the car and the
sledges and, cheered by those remaining behind, proceeded on our way.
At first Day, Priestley and Roberts accompanied us, but we had only
gone a little over two miles, when the snow had become so thick that I
did not think it prudent to take the car farther, and accordingly we
had to say good-bye to our companions. Strapping on our harness, we
toggled on to the sledge rope, and with a "One, two, three and away,"
we began our long journey over the sea-ice.
On the following morning we had to start our relay work, and dragged
the Christmas Tree sledge on first, as we were specially liable to lose
parcels off it, for a distance of nearly half a mile. Then we returned
and fetched up what we called the Plum Duff sledge, chiefly laden with
our provisions.
After a heavy day's work on the following day, we camped for the night
close to a seal-hole which belonged to a fine specimen of Weddell seal,
but our slumbers were disturbed by the snorting and whistling of the
seals as they came up for their blows.
The seals, however, were nothing to the Emperor penguins, which
awakened us by their chatter on the morning of the 10th. Evidently
they had marched down on our tent during the night to investigate us,
and the sounds they made may be described as something between the
cackle of a goose and the chortle of a kookaburra.
I saw four of them standing by the sledges, and when they caught sight
of me they were much interested, and the conversation between them
became very lively. I have no doubt that they took us for penguins of
an inferior type, and the tent for our nest. At any rate, they were
kind enough to take careful note of our doings, and to give us a good
send-off when we left them.
During that day a blizzard was behind us, and as the strength of it
increased we found that we could draw both sledges at the same time,
which was, of course, a great saving of labour. Tempted, however, to
continue our march under these favourable conditions, we went on longer
than was wise, with the result that when we stopped it was extremely
difficult to get the tent up.
Slipping the tent over the poles placed close to the ground in the lee
of the sledge, two of us raised the poles while the other shovelled
snow on to the skirt of the tent, which we pulled out by degrees until
it was finally spread to its full dimensions. Glad indeed were we to
turn in and escape from the biting blast and drifting snow.
This violent blizzard blew throughout the whole of the next day, and
we spent it for the most part in our sleeping-bags; but on the 13th we
arrived at Butter Point, which is merely an angle in the low ice-cliff
near the junction of the Ferrar Glacier valley with the main shore of
Victoria Land, and made a depot there.
Altogether we lightened our load by about 70 lb., and we also
left letters there for Lieutenant Shackleton and R. E. Priestley
respectively, stating that in consequence of our late start from Cape
Royds, and also on account of the slowness of our progress thence
to Butter Point, we could not return to the Point until January 12
at the earliest, instead of the first week in January, as had been
anticipated. Months later we heard that this little depot survived the
blizzards, and that Armytage, Priestley and Brocklehurst had read our
letters.
A few days later we landed at Cape Bernacchi, and on October 17 we
hoisted the Union Jack and took possession of Victoria Land for the
British Empire. The geology of Cape Bernacchi is extremely interesting,
the dominant type of rock being a pure white coarsely crystalline
marble, which has been broken through by granite rocks, the latter in
places containing small red garnets.
On the next day we reached a headland where the rocks resembled those
at Cape Bernacchi, and Mawson considered that some of the quartz veins
traversing this headland would prove to be gold-bearing.
That same night I was attacked by snow-blindness through neglecting to
wear my snow-goggles regularly, and as I was no better when the time
came for us to march, I asked Mawson to take my place at the end of the
long rope, the foremost position in the team. So remarkably proficient
was he on this occasion, and afterwards, at picking out the best track
for our sledges and in steering a good course, that at my request he
occupied this position throughout the rest of the journey.
Uneventful days followed, but by the 23rd it was quite clear that at
our rate of travelling--about four statute miles daily by the relay
method--we could not get to the Pole and back to Butter Point early in
January, so we held a serious council as to the future of our journey
towards the Magnetic Pole, and I suggested that the most likely means
to get there and back in the time specified by Lieutenant Shackleton
would be to travel on half-rations, depoting the remainder of our
provision at an early opportunity.
[Illustration: Loaded Sledge showing the Distance Recorder or
Sledge-meter]
After some discussion, Mawson and Mackay agreed to try this expedient,
and we decided to think over the matter for a few days and then make
our depot-.
In pursuing our north-westerly course we presently passed a magnificent
bay, which trended westwards some five or six miles away from the
course we were steering. On either side of this bay were majestic
ranges of rocky mountains, parted from one another at the head of the
bay by an immense glacier with steep ice falls.
On either side of this glacier were high terraces of rock reaching back
for several miles from a modern valley edge to the foot of still higher
ranges. It was obvious that these terraces marked the position of the
floor of the old valley at a time when the glacier ice was several
thousand feet higher and some ten miles wider than it was when we saw
it.
We longed to explore these inland rocks, but time was too precious.
Later on we discovered that the point opposite which we had arrived was
really Granite Harbour, and that its position was not correctly shewn
on the chart.
By the night of October 29 we were all thoroughly done up after
completing our four miles of relay work, and we discussed the important
question whether it was possible to eke out our food supplies with
seal-meat so as to avoid putting ourselves on half-rations, and we all
agreed that this should be done. The chief problem in connection with
the seal-meat was how to cook it without the aid of paraffin oil, for
we could not afford paraffin for that purpose.
On the next day we tried the experiment of strengthening the brew of
the tea by using the old tea-leaves of a previous meal mixed with the
new ones--an idea of Mackay's which Mawson and I did not appreciate at
first, though later on we were glad enough to adopt it.
By this time the weather had become warmer, and consequently the saline
snow on the sea-ice was sticky, and gripped the runners of the sledges
like glue. Only by the greatest exertion could we drag the sledges
along even at a snail's pace.
But although we were thoroughly exhausted when we camped on the evening
of the 30th, our evening meal revived us so much that we walked over to
a small island about three-quarters of a mile distant, which turned out
to be a truly wonderful place for a geologist and a perfect paradise
for the mineralogist.
On this island, which we afterwards called Depot Island, Mawson
discovered a translucent brown mineral, which was proved to be titanium
mineral.