I must thank Dr. Macklin for the care he took in keeping the official diary of the expedition. This and his own private journal, from which I have freely quoted, have both been invaluable to me.

To “The Boys,” those who stood by me and gave me their loyal service throughout an arduous and trying period, I say nothing—for they know how I feel.

Frank Wild.

CONTENTS

CHAPTERPAGE
1.Inception[1]
2.London to Rio de Janeiro[16]
3.Rio to South Georgia[44]
4.Death of Sir Ernest Shackleton[64]
5.Preparations in South Georgia[71]
6.Into the South[80]
7.The Ice[122]
8.Elephant Island[155]
9.South Georgia (Second Visit)[173]
10.The Tristan da Cunha Group[199]
11.Tristan da CunhaBy Dr. Macklin[219]
12.Tristan da Cunha (continued)By Dr. Macklin[243]
13.Diego Alvarez or Gough Island[265]
14.Cape Town[287]
15.St. Helena—Ascension Island—St. Vincent[294]
16.Home[310]
Appendices
I.—Geological Observations[314]
II.—Natural History[328]
III.—Meteorology[340]
IV.—Hydrographic Work[343]
V.—Medical[352]
List of Personnel[366]
Index[367]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Cairn[Colour Frontispiece]
PlateFACING PAGE
1. Sir Ernest Shackleton in Polar Clothing[4]
2. Mr. John Quiller Rowett[5]
3. A Diagrammatic View of the Quest[6]
4. Sectional Views of the Quest[7]
5. The Sperry Gyroscopic Compass[10]
6. The Enclosed Bridge of the Quest[11]
7. The Quest at Hay’s Wharf[12]
8. Kerr (Chief Engineer) Examining the Lucas Deep-sea Sounding Machine[13]
9. The Wireless Operating Room—The Ward Room of the Quest[20]
10. The Quest Passing the Tower of London on her way to the Sea—The Schermuly Portable Rocket Apparatus[21]
11. The Quest in the North-east Trades[28]
12. The Tow Net in Use[29]
13. A Porpoise which was Harpooned from the Bowsprit[32]
14. Query—The Boss Gives Query a Bath[33]
15. Landing the Shore Party at St. Paul’s Rocks[48]
16. The White-capped Noddy (Anous stolidus) on St. Paul’s Rocks—The Booby (Sula leucogastra)[49]
17. Commander Worsley Superintending Work in the Rigging at Rio de Janeiro[50]
18. The Quest in Gritviken Harbour[51]
19. The Whaling Station at Gritviken[62]
20. Sunset on the Slopes of South Georgia[63]
21. The Resting Place of a Great Explorer[64]
22. The Picturesque Setting of Prince Olaf Station[65]
23. Prince Olaf Whaling Station[68]
24. A Steam Whaler with Two Whales brought in for Flensing—Huge Blue Whales at South Georgia[69]
25. The “Plan” at Gritviken, with a Whale in Process of Being Flensed[76]
26. Leith Harbour, South Georgia[77]
27. Chart of Larsen Harbour—The Entrance to Larsen Harbour[80]
28. An Expedition in Search of Fresh Food—Marr, McIlroy, Commander Wild, Macklin[81]
29. Commander Wild[82]
30. A Small Berg—A Curious “Toothed” Berg[83]
31. A Lovely Evening in the Sub-Antarctic[86]
32. Too Many Cooks—Our First Deep-sea Sounding[87]
33. The Western End of Zavodovski Island, showing Grounded Icebergs[90]
34. Sentinel of the Antarctic[91]
35. A Typical Scene at the Pack Edge[94]
36. Killers Rising to “Blow”—The Quest Pushing Through Thin Ice[95]
37. Loose Open Pack—Loose Pack Ice, with the Sea Rapidly Freezing Over[96]
38. The Midnight Sun[97]
39. The Loneliness of the Pack[100]
40. An Unpleasant but Necessary Duty—Taking Crab-eater Seals for Food[101]
41. Commander Wild at the Masthead[108]
42. Pushing South Through Heavy Pack—The Quest Ploughing Through Heavy Ice Pack[109]
43. The Quest at her Farthest South—Jeffrey and Douglas taking Observations for Magnetic Dip[112]
44. Heavy Pressed-up Pack Ice, the Quest in the Distance—Commander Wild and Worsley Examining a Newly Formed “Lead” in the Pack Ice[113]
45. The Quest Pushing North Through Rapidly Freezing Ice[114]
46. “Watering” Ship with Floe Ice[115]
47. Emperor Penguins on the Floe: A Still Evening in the Pack[118]
48. Frozen Spray[119]
49. Commander Wild’s Watch: McIlroy, Carr, Wild, Macklin—The “Black” Watch: Ross, Argles, Young, Kerr, Smith[122]
50. Worsley’s Watch: Douglas, Wilkins, Watts, Worsley—Jeffrey’s Watch: McLeod, Marr, Jeffrey, Dell[123]
51. Chipping Frozen Spray from the Gunwales[126]
52. The Quest Beset near Ross’s Appearance of Land[127]
53. Rowett Island, off Cape Lookout, Elephant Island[150]
54. The Kent “Clear-View” Screen—Approaching Cape Lookout[151]
55. Loading Sea-elephants’ Blubber, Elephant Island[154]
56. Somnolent Content: a Sea-elephant on Elephant Island—Ringed Penguins and a Paddy Bird (Chionis alba)[155]
57. Shackleton’s Last Anchorage—McLeod and Marr clearing up After a Blizzard[160]
58. Sugar Top Mountain, Part of the Allardyce Range, South Georgia[161]
59. A Glacier Face in South Georgia[176]
60. A Rocky Outcrop in South Georgia[177]
61. Distended Whale Carcasses in Prince Olaf Harbour[178]
62. Cape Pigeons (Daption capensis) at South Georgia[179]
63. The Northern Coast of Drygalski Fiord—Cape Saunders[182]
64. The New Type of Whaler—The Black-browed Albatross or Mollymauk[183]
65. A Pair of Adult Wandering Albatross—A Young Albatross[186]
66. Gentoo Penguin Feeding its Chick—The Chick after Feeding[187]
67. On the Way to the Cairn—Looking Shorewards from the Cairn[190]
68. Our Farewell to the Boss[191]
69. The Settlement at Tristan da Cunha from the Sea—View of the Settlement from the East[208]
70. Landing at Big Beach, Tristan da Cunha—A Tristan Bullock Cart[209]
71. Nightingale Island—Inaccessible Island[224]
72. Wireless Pole being erected, Tristan—Carr and Douglas with Two Tristan Guides, Henry Green and Glass[225]
73. John Glass and Family—The Mission House on Tristan da Cunha[240]
74. The “Potato Patches” on Tristan da Cunha[241]
75. Tristan Women Twisting Wool—The Tristan Method of Carding Wool[256]
76. Henry Green’s Cottage, Tristan da Cunha—The Oldest Inhabitant of Tristan da Cunha, Miss Betty Cotton[257]
77. View of Gough Island from the Glen Anchorage[262]
78. The Apostle, an Acid Intrusive near the Summit of Gough Island—The Little Glen where the New Sophora was Discovered[263]
79. On the Way to the Summit[266]
80. The Glen Anchorage from the Higher Slopes[267]
81. The Quest seen through the Archway Rock, Gough Island[276]
82. Dell Rocks, at the North-eastern End of Glen Beach[277]
83. Lot’s Wife Cove and Church Rocks, Gough Island[284]
84. Lot’s Wife, Gough Island[285]
85. The Quest Entering Table Bay—The Quest in Dock at Cape Town[288]
86. The Summit of Ascension Island[289]
87. The Abandoned Wireless Station on Ascension Island—Flowering Plants Growing in the Volcanic Ash at Ascension Island[304]
88. Wideawake Plain, Ascension Island—A Wideawake[305]
89. Weatherpost Hill, Ascension Island, Looking East[308]
90. A View in San Miguel in the Azores[309]
91. Booby with Chick—A Booby Chick[316]
92. Types of Fish Caught in the Lagoon at St. Paul’s Rocks—White-capped Noddies at St. Paul’s Rocks[317]
93. Gentoo Penguin with Two Chicks—Nesting Ground of the Mollymauk[320]
94. Giant Petrel at Nest[321]
95. The Surface of a Glacier, showing Numerous Crevasses[336]
96. Sea-elephants in Tussock Grass[337]
97. The Island Tree (Phylica nitida)—Sea-elephants among the Rocks[340]
98. Commander Worsley taking Observations of the Sun by Sextant—Hussey (Taking Sea Temperatures), Commander Wild and McIlroy[341]
99. Setting up Kites for the Taking of Meteorological Observations[348]
100. An Apparatus for Bringing Up Specimens of the Sea Bottom[349]