OHYAT: Another name for 'Camera Artist' is 'Lunch'

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO TODAY ...

This picture was taken!

It has become something of THE picture of the expedition, and you can't deny it's a pretty fantastic photo (not only because Silas is in it), but what most people don't know is that the photographer was nearly eaten by orcas before he got the chance to develop it.

Some 6 or 7 killer whales, old and young, were skirting the fast floe edge ahead of the ship; they seemed excited and dived rapidly, almost touching the floe. As we watched, they suddenly appeared astern, raising their snouts out of water. I had heard weird stories of these beasts, but had never associated serious danger with them. Close to the water’s edge lay the wire stern rope of the ship, and our two Esquimaux dogs were tethered to this. I did not think of connecting the movements of the whales with this fact, and seeing them so close I shouted to Ponting, who was standing abreast of the ship. ( In Which the Camera Artist becomes a Player in a Practical Demonstration of the Hunting Strategies of Orca Gladiator )

The expedition is full of amazing little (or not so little) stories like this – that's what makes it so addicting! Well, that and how everyone involved is so endearing in their own ways ...