Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/560

winds. This made our progress slow, but the fine weather more than compensated for that.

Rennick sounded twice a day while on the New Zealand continental shelf and once a day afterwards, except for two and a half days round about Christmas, when the weather prevented this work being done.

The motor now worked without a hitch; without it the necessity of crossing the Southern Sea quickly, so as to save the animals, would have allowed very few soundings to be taken. The smooth sea also allowed the mules to be moved in their stalls, so that the stables could be properly cleaned out and thoroughly disinfected.

The Sunday before Christmas, just as we were going to lunch, Nigger, the cat, fell overboard. He had been Dec. 24, 1911, 60° 39′ S., 178° 39′ W. baiting the dogs on the poop, got uncomfortably close to one and, jumping to avoid the dog, went overboard. Fortunately it was an exceptionally calm day; the sea boat was lowered, and Nigger, who swam pluckily, was picked up and the ship on her course again twelve minutes after the accident. He was quite benumbed with the cold, but was taken down to the engine-room and well dried, given a little brandy to drink, and by the evening was all right again.

The first berg was passed on Christmas Day in 61° 31′ S., and the first belt of pack on the 26th in 63° 59′ S. It Dec. 26, 1911, 63° 31′ S., 173° 23′ W. was not, however, till the following evening that the real pack was met, and in the dog watches of the 28th it began to get heavy, eventually holding the ship up at 1 a.m. that night.