h was two miles south of the aero-sledge. After
three miles we camped, and, it being my birthday, the two events were
celebrated by "blowing in" the whisky belonging to the medical outfit.

On the 16th the weather was thick, and we marched east for ten miles,
passing a tea-leaf, which it was afterwards found must have come
downwind from the Grotto. For eight hours nothing could be done in thick
drift, and then, on breaking camp, we actually came to a flag which
had been planted by Ninnis in the spring, thirteen miles south-east of
Aladdin's Cave. The distance to the air-tractor had been over-estimated,
and the Grotto must have been passed quite close.

We made off down the hill, running over the crevasses at a great pace.
Aladdin's Cave with its medley of boxes, tins, picks and shovels,
gladdened our eyes at 10 P.M. on the 17th. Conspicuous for its colour
was an orange, stuck on a pick, which told us at once that the Ship was
in.

CHAPTER XVIII THE SHIP'S STORY

by Captain J. K. Davis

By sport of bitter weather
We're warty, strained, and scarred
From the kentledge on the kelson
To the slings upon the yard.
KIPLING.

Dr. Mawson's plans, as laid before the Royal Geographical Society in
1911, provided for an extensive oceanographical campaign in the immense
stretch of ocean to the southward of Australia. Very little was known
of the sea-floor in this area, there being but a few odd soundings only,
beyond a moderate distance from the Australian coast. Even the
great Challenger expedition had scarcely touched upon it; and so our
Expedition had a splendid field for investigation.

The first discovery made in this connexion on board the 'Aurora' was
the fact that deep-water work is more intricate than books would make it
appear. Although text-books had been carefully studied on the subject,
it was found that most of them passed over the practical side of the
work in a few words, insufficient to give us much help in carrying out
difficult operations with the vessel rolling and tumbling about in the
heavy seas of the Southern Ocean.

So it was only after a good deal of hard work and many disappointments
that the experience was gained which enabled us, during the later stages
of the Expedition, to do useful and successful work.

Before passing on to the operations of the 'Aurora' during the winter
of 1912, I shall briefly refer to the equipment provided for