Status Updates From South Latitude

“But alas! Firemen [stoking a ship] are not what they were. The gor-blimey firemen of the coal-burning days must, I think, be a diminishing species and in these degenerate times, when ships burn oil, the firemen is rapidly becoming a perfect gentleman, which is a pity ..."

The whales have headed North, away from the Antarctic winter; enabling the hunting season to open off the coast of South Africa. Lovely descriptions of Durban (1930) and the Zulu natives. Formalin is regularly employed to kill the clouds of black flies which congregate in the outhouse where our two zoologists (Ommanney & his colleague) work.

“The 12,000 ton Norwegian factory ship "Antarctic" has just made harbour at South Georgia: "We passed under her stern where there was written “Antarctic – Tønsberg” and past her huge open whale slipway, up which soon the dead bodies of the Leviathan would go to their mass cremation. To the stolid fair-headed men gazing down we cried “Fuld fangst!” – Good hunting!” One or two lifted their caps. They had reacted.”