South with Scott | Page 8

suggestion that the
island had only recently risen, the trees which originally grew on the
top of the island having died from unsuitable climate in the higher
condition. Gran went up with Lillie and took photographs. "Birdie"
Bowers and Wright were employed collecting insects, and, with those
added by the rest of us, the day's collection included all kinds of ants,
cockroaches, grasshoppers, mayflies, a centipede, fifteen different
species of spider, locusts, a cricket, woodlice, a parasite fly, a beetle,
and a moth. We failed to get any of the dragonflies seen, and, to the
great sorrow of the crews who landed with us, missed capturing a most
beautiful chestnut-coloured mouse with a fur tail. Land crabs, a dirty
yellow in colour, were found everywhere, the farther one went inland
the bigger were the crabs. The blue shore crabs were only to be seen
near the sea or along the coast and water courses. Several of these were
brought off to the ship for Dr. Atkinson to play with, and he found
nematodes in them, and parasites in the birds and fish.
During the afternoon a swell began to roll in the bay and those on board
the ship hoisted the warning signal and fired a sound rocket to recall
the scattered parties. By 4.30 we had reassembled on the rocks where
we had landed in the forenoon, but the rollers being fifteen feet high, it
was obviously unwise to send off cameras and perishable gear, and
since it was equally inadvisable to leave the whole party ashore without
food and sufficient clothing and the prospect of an inhospitable island
home for days, we all swam off one by one, the boat's crew working a
grassline bent to a lifebuoy. The boat to which we swam was riding to a
big anchor a hundred feet from the shore, just outside the surf. There
were a few sharks round the whaler, but they were shy and left us alone.

Rennick worked round the boat in a small Norwegian pram and scared
them away. Many trigger fish swallowed the thick vegetable oil which
the boat's crew ladled into the sea to keep the surf down, and I think
this probably attracted the sharks, though it was not very nice to swim
through. None of us were any the worse for our romp ashore, but the
long day and the hot sun tired us all out. Nearly all the afterguard slept
on the upper deck that night, and, but for the dismal roar of the swell
breaking on the rocks and the heavy rolling of the "Terra Nova," we
spent quite a comfortable night. Dr. Atkinson and Brewster had been
left ashore with the gear, but they got no sleep because all night the
terns flew round crying and protesting against their intrusion. The wail
of these birds sounds like the deep note of a banjo. The two men mostly
feared the land crabs, but to their surprise they were left in peace.
Next day about 9 a.m. I went in with Rennick, Bowers, Oates, Gran,
and two seamen to the landing place, taking a whaler and pram
equipped with grass hawser, breeches buoy, rocket line, and everything
necessary to bring off the gear. We had a rough time getting the stuff
away undamaged by the sea, but the pram was a wonderful sea-boat
and we took it in turns to work her through the surf until everything
was away.
At the last, when nearly everything had been salved and got to the
whaler, the collections in tin boxes, wooden cases and baskets, and the
two men, Atkinson and Brewster, were on board, a large wave threw
the pram right up on the rocks, capsizing her and damaging her badly.
Her two occupants jumped out just before a second wave swept the
boat over and over. Then a third huge roller came up and washed the
pram out to sea, where she was recovered by means of a grapnel
thrown from the whaler. The two on the rocks had to face the surf again
but were good swimmers, and with their recovery our little adventure
ended. It was a pity we had bad weather, because I intended to give the
crew a run on the island when Campbell had finished with them.
We remained another day under the lee of Trinidad Island owing to a
hard blow from the south-east--a dead head wind for us--because I felt
it would be useless to put to sea and punch into it. We were anchored

one mile S. 4 degrees E (magnetic) from the Ninepin Rock, well
sheltered from the prevailing wind. We left Trinidad at noon on the
28th, well prepared for the bad weather expected on approaching the
Cape of Good Hope.
Whilst clearing the land