We obtained at Ascension Island a number of live baby turtles, which I proposed to present to the Marine Biological Laboratory at Plymouth. On its staff are two old shipmates of mine, Messrs. Hodson, of the Discovery, and Clark, of the Endurance. We placed the turtles in one of the waterbutts on the after deck, where Wilkins fed them on small pieces of flying fish. They spent the whole day diving for pieces and fought with each other for possession of them. They are curious little creatures.
One of the men brought off a small rabbit, of which a few run wild on Ascension Island. It became a great pet and was most extraordinarily tame.
We arrived at St. Vincent on August 18th, where we completed our coaling. Here, as on our outward trip, we received kindness from the members of Messrs. Wilson, Sons and Company, Limited, and were entertained by the Eastern Telegraph Company mess.
Douglas and Wilkins carried on their investigations. Macklin, Jeffrey and Green, our fishing enthusiasts, went off to bring in a supply of fish, but returned with a small result, their time having been spent apparently in sailing the surf-boat out to Bird Rock and in bathing.
CHAPTER XVI
HOME
We left on Sunday (20th), intending to call at Madeira, but the north-east trades proving too much for the Quest I adopted the sailing ship route and proceeded “full and by” in the direction of the Azores. Conditions were now more pleasant than we had had them since setting out from England at the commencement of our enterprise. The weather became daily cooler and the air fresher. The winds blew the dust and ashes away to leeward, and we were able to have a clean ship.
It was quite like the old days, the young, happy days of those fine old clipper ships of Messrs. Devitt and Moore:
Beating up for the western isles
Close hauled in the north-east trades.
Early in the morning of September 3rd we picked up the Azores, and about 5 p.m. entered the harbour of Ponta del Gada, in San Miguel. I was anxious to give the hull a coating of paint, but as it was Sunday, and a feast day, there was no hope of any work being done.