Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/582

the less known portions of the Ross Sea, and to determine the nature and extent of the pack ice in this unexplored region.

The earlier southern voyages had mostly been made in more westerly longitudes.

In conjunction with the ambitious deep-sea-sounding programme Lillie was to make a number of quantitative plankton stations, and obtain trawls whenever the occasion was suitable. We also hoped to add materially to our magnetic observations for Variation, Dip, and Total Force.

The programme was fairly well adhered to, and thanks to Rennick's expert handling of the Lucas machine we obtained several soundings of about 3000 fathoms, when less ardent hydrographers would have surrendered to the bad weather.

On December 17 the Antipodes Islands were passed, the ship labouring in the heavy sea and occasionally rolling Dec. 17, 1912, 49° 12′ S., 178° 14′ E. her bulwarks under; it was not considered advisable to attempt a landing. These islands are visited twice a year by a Government steamer, and have been examined pretty thoroughly, although rather sketchily surveyed.

On this voyage the ship was infested with rats, but Cheetham, our boatswain, who has crossed the Antarctic Circle fourteen times, showed himself an adept at rat-catching and soon freed the ship from the pest. He used to throw the rats over the side, and the albatrosses and mollymawks would swoop down and devour the vermin in an incredibly short time. We had all kinds of rat-traps in use, and even used mouse-traps to catch the young.