We set off on December 18th. Sir Ernest, who had naturally worried a good deal over the continual troubles which cropped up, became once more his old cheery self, looking forward to a respite from further alarms regarding the welfare of the ship. [Illustration: LANDING THE SHORE PARTY AT ST. PAUL’S ROCKS _Photo: Wilkins_] [Illustration: THE WHITE-CAPPED NODDY (_ANOUS STOLIDUS_) ON ST. PAUL’S ROCKS _Photo: Wilkins_] [Illustration: THE BOOBY (_SULA LEUCOGASTRA_) _Photo: Wilkins_] On the day of sailing Jeffrey suffered an injury to his leg which Macklin pronounced serious, and ordered three weeks’ complete rest in bed, to which Jeffrey, being an active man, none too willingly assented. As a matter of fact, as a result of this injury he was incapacitated for nearly six weeks. Sir Ernest kept his watch. The first few days at sea were fine and pleasantly cool. The old system of watches was altered, the men taking their turns at the wheel in rotation, following alphabetical order. For the day’s work they were called at 7.0 A.M. and knocked off at 5.0 P.M. The messes were divided. Sir Ernest, myself, Hussey, McIlroy, Worsley, Macklin, Kerr, Jeffrey, Carr and Douglas messed in the new wardroom forward, and Smith took charge of the after messroom, with Dell, McLeod, Marr, Young, Argles and Watts. Green and Naisbitt messed in the galley. Three of the bunks in the forward messroom were occupied by McIlroy, Kerr and Carr, the fourth being used as a locker for their personal gear. Although we had increased the accommodation, it was still far from being commodious, and the bare, unfinished condition of the new quarters offered little comfort. “Roddy” Carr was appointed to make some cupboards and shelves, and his work, though a bit rough and ready, answered its purpose well, which was the main thing. Hussey congratulated him on his new appointment as joiner, calling him thereafter “Roddy Carr-penter,” which I can assure my readers is the least of the atrocious puns which we endured from him. Always a cheery soul, his very presence was worth much to us on the trip, for it is the small jest which goes farthest and still sparkles when the more subtle wit has fallen flat. On December 22nd we saw our first albatross, a fine “Wanderer” which attached itself to the ship and followed us on our way South. We saw also a “Portuguese man-o’-war.” The two form a combination rarely seen in the same latitude (30° 47´ S.). The albatross has a wonderful flight, and our flying experts, Carr and Wilkins, watched the bird as it soared and dipped and “banked” and “stalled” and performed numerous evolutions, for each of which they had a technical or a slang expression.