With the most refined and innocent smile he would come up to me and ask
whether the Eastern Party could have a small amount of this or that
luxury. Of course I would agree, and sure enough Bowers would tell me
that Campbell had already appropriated a far greater share than he was
ever entitled to of the commodity in question. This happened again and
again, but the refined smile was irresistible and I am bound to say the
Wicked Mate generally got away with it, for even Bowers, the
incomparable, was bowled over by that smile.

We crossed the Antarctic Circle on the morning of the 10th, little
dreaming in those happy days that the finest amongst us would never
recross it again.

We took a number of deep-sea soundings, several of over 2000 fathoms, on
this first southward voyage. Rennick showed himself very expert with the
deep-sea gear and got his soundings far more easily than we had done in
the "Discovery" and "Morning" days.

We were rather unfortunate as regards the pack ice met with, and must
have passed through 400 miles of it from north to south. On my two
previous voyages we had had easier conditions altogether, and then it had
not mattered, but all with these dogs and ponies cooped up and losing
condition, with the "Terra Nova" eating coal and sixty hungry men
scoffing enormous meals, we did not seem to be doing much or getting on
with the show. It was, of course, nobody's fault, but our patience was
sorely tried.

We made frequent stops in the pack ice, even letting fires out and
furling sail, and sometimes the ice would be all jammed up so that not a
water hole was visible--this condition would continue for days. Then, for