index of the amount of refraction. On ordinary days it shows from the
mast-head, clear-cut against the sky; with much refraction, the pack
beyond at the back of it lifts up into view; to-day a broad expanse of
miles of pack is seen above it. Numerous other bergs generally seen in
silhouette are, at first sight, lost, but after a closer scrutiny they
appear as large lumps or dark masses well below the horizon. Refraction
generally results in too big an altitude when observing the sun for
position, but to-day, the horizon is thrown up so much that the altitude
is about 12´ too small. No land visible for twenty miles. No animal
life observed. Lower Clark's tow-net with 566 fathoms of wire, and
hoist it up at two and a half miles an hour by walking across the
floe with the wire. Result rather meagre--jelly-fish and some fish
larvae. Exercise dogs in sledge teams. The young dogs, under Crean's
care, pull as well, though not so strongly, as the best team in the
pack. Hercules for the last fortnight or more has constituted himself
leader of the orchestra. Two or three times in the twenty-four hours
he starts a howl--a deep, melodious howl--and in about thirty seconds
he has the whole pack in full song, the great deep, booming, harmonious
song of the half-wolf pack."

By the middle of September we were running short of fresh meat for
the dogs. The seals and penguins seemed to have abandoned our
neighbourhood altogether. Nearly five months had passed since we
killed a seal, and penguins had been seen seldom. Clark, who was using
his trawl as often as possible, reported that there was a marked
absence of plankton in the sea, and we assumed that the seals and the
penguins had gone in search of their accustomed food. The men got an
emperor on the 23rd. The dogs, which were having their sledging
exercise, became wildly excited when the penguin, which had risen in a
crack, was driven ashore, and the best efforts of the drivers failed to