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Updated: May 17, 2025
As she pursued her course, penguins and other birds, from time to time, appeared in great numbers; the meeting with which gave our navigators some hopes of finding land, and occasioned various speculations with regard to its situation. Experience, however, convinced them, that no stress was to be laid on such hopes.
The next forenoon, we passed some sea-weed and a number of penguins; on which we sounded, but got no ground with 100 fathoms of line. Our latitude, at noon, was 52° 58' south, and longitude, by the time-keeper, 296° 13' east. We sounded again in the evening, but got no ground with 145 fathoms of line.
First part, Strong Gales, with excessive hard Squals, with rain. At 9 p.m. wore and brought too, her head to the Westward under the Mainsail, and Reef'd the Foresail for the first time. The Storm continued with a little intermission until a little towards Noon, when it abated, so we could set the Topsails close Reefed. Saw many Penguins and some Seals.
The commonest kind is the crab-eater or white seal, but the Ross seal is not rare, and there and there is found the sea-leopard, ranging wide and preying on the penguins and even on the young of its less powerful brethren. It is curious to observe that both seals and penguins regard themselves as safe when out of the water.
I note that now they are picketed together they administer kindly offices to each other; one sees them gnawing away at each other's flanks in most amicable and obliging manner. Meares and the dogs were out early, and have been running to and fro most of the day with light loads. The great trouble with them has been due to the fatuous conduct of the penguins.
They passed through the Manne-Porte, an enormous arch beneath which a ship could sail; they doubled the promontory of La Courtine, passed the little valley of Antifer and the cape of the same name; and suddenly caught sight of a beach on which some hundreds of seagulls were perched. That was the Penguins' Rock.
When I had finished my hut I began to hunt about to see if I could find drift-wood, but I could only find a few pieces in the cove, and gave it up, for I did not see how I could anyhow keep up a fire through the winter. Then I bethought me that the penguins could furnish me with feathers, and I set to work at them with earnest, and in a week had filled my cave two feet deep with feathers.
Just at the head of the bay was a shelving shore, and along at the sides, as far as I could see it was rocky, and there were plenty of seals here too. Along on the beach and on the rock and on the terraces were quantities of birds penguins, as I knew from what I had heard of them. They did not try to get out of my way, but just made an angry sort of noise.
Here the greater part of a month was spent in setting up a pinnace, preparing casks, and other necessary works. Again sailing on the afternoon of the 17th of December, the squadron entered a hitherto unknown harbour, to which the Admiral gave the name of Port Desire, in memory of his own ship. Here vast numbers of seals were found, and also penguins.
The deserted rookery was sure to be above high-water mark at all times; and we mounted the rocky ledge in search of a place to pitch our tents. The penguins knew better than to rest where the sea could reach them even when the highest tide was supported by the strongest gale. The disadvantages of a camp on the rookery were obvious.
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