Mertz & Me, by Basilisk. Adventures of an Antarctic sledge-dog

By Anna Lucas

In this illustrated narrative, Basilisk, acknowledged as top sledge-dog, recounts the adventures and misadventures of Douglas Mawson’s historic Australasian Antarctic Expedition. It was a tough assignment: travelling by ship from his Arctic home, through the tropics (no place for a Greenland dog with thick fur), to unknown Antarctic regions, enduring storms at sea, facing blizzards in the windiest place on earth, then leading a team of dogs over treacherous ice fields; but Basilisk was a tough, resilient dog, who could enjoy the moment. He was proud to claim northern wolves as his ancestors; he adored the beautiful Alexandra; he smelt the salt on the ocean wind and the strange odour of penguins; and he chased those penguins at every opportunity. He observed the strange behaviour of the men, but adapted to their ways as he established his leadership and kept his pack of dogs in check. He formed a close bond with his trainer Dr Xavier Mertz, the first Swiss in Antarctica. They worked hard and had fun together, but the challenges they faced were huge – and then things got worse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anna Lucas
• Release date: Mar 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310160424

Anna Lucas

As a researcher with an interest in the history of Antarctic science, the author developed a greater interest in the personalities who contributed so much to that history. She worked with researchers monitoring Eudyptula minor (the Little Blue Penguin), in postgraduate research administration, and as co-editor of marine publications. Inspired by a trip to Antarctica, her writing has more recently focused on its exploration and what inspired and motivated explorers. Her publications include magazine and journal articles, book reviews, essays and eBooks. She continues to be immersed in Antarctic subjects.

Book preview

Mertz & Me

Adventures of an Antarctic sledge-dog

by Basilisk

Copyright 2014 Anna Lucas

Smashwords Edition

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the author.

All care has been taken in the preparation of this work. All references and weblinks given in this eBook were current at the time of publication, but may be subject to change.

Mertz & Me - by Basilisk. Adventures of an Antarctic sledge-dog

Published in Australia by Fineline Studios

PO Box 2002, Brighton North, 3186

Australia

www.finelinestudios.com.au

Published as an eBook in 2014

Mertz & Me - by Basilisk. Adventures of an Antarctic sledge-dog

Author: Anna Lucas

Cover layout and design by Fineline Studios

Illustrations by Nike Meyer

Photographs as credited

Ebook Formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

Basilisk, acknowledged as top sledge-dog, narrates the adventures and misadventures of Douglas Mawson's historic Australasian Antarctic Expedition. It was a tough assignment: travelling by ship from his Arctic home, through the tropics (no place for a Greenland dog with thick fur), to unknown Antarctic regions, enduring storms at sea, facing blizzards in the windiest place on earth, then leading a team of dogs over treacherous ice fields; but Basilisk was a tough, resilient dog, who could enjoy the moment. He adored the beautiful Alexandra; he smelt the salt on the ocean wind and the strange odour of penguins; and he chased penguins at every opportunity. He and his trainer Dr. Xavier Mertz, the first Swiss in Antarctica, worked hard and had fun together, but the challenges they faced were huge - and then things got worse.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Adventures begin

Sea Monsters and Other Strange Things

The Quarantine Station at Hobart

Macquarie Island

On our way to Antarctica

Settling into our Antarctic Home

Training with Sledges

A Dog's Life at the Main Base

Celebrations at the Main Base

The Far-Eastern Sledging Journey

Afterwards

Epilogue

Further reading

Acknowledgments

About the author

Dedication

To Basilisk,

and to all Antarctic dogs,

who worked in all conditions

supporting explorers, scientists and other personnel

on numerous expeditions.

There are now no dogs in Antarctica.

The Madrid Protocol (1991) banned all introduced species (except humans) to the continent,

and all dogs were removed by 1993.

Introduction

Sledge-dogs have been a vital part of Arctic communities in Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and Canada for centuries. More recently, they were the key to many successes in Antarctic exploration. Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer whose team was the first to reach the South Pole in December 1911, found them essential. Fridtjof Nansen, another famous Arctic explorer, advised Ernest Shackleton to take dogs, rather than ponies, to Antarctica. For transporting goods over ice or snow, for long or short distances, they were ideal. Most dogs relished the hauling, and often formed close bonds with their trainers or drivers. Other expedition leaders found that starting the engines of motorized sledges could be a problem in the cold conditions; the dogs were more reliable. Douglas Mawson chose Greenland sledge-dogs for his Australasian Antarctic Expedition. The undisputed top dog in that pack was Basilisk. Here, the strong-willed but perceptive Basilisk gives his account of that expedition.

At first I didn't know why they called me Basilisk.

Basilisk! Come! Mertz used to call.

Sometimes it meant work, sometimes it meant food, or fun.

The Adventures begin

I met Dr. Xavier Mertz and his friend Lieutenant Belgrave Ninnis onboard a ship, sailing from London to Antarctica. They had joined an Antarctic expedition and were travelling on the ship to Australia, where they would meet other expedition members. These two were in charge of all the sledge-dogs. One day, I heard them talking about naming the dogs. Mertz, being Swiss, chose Basilisk for me because it was the legendary protector of his hometown, Basel. In that city, there are lots of statues of the Basilisk, on buildings, on bridges, and on fountains.

The Basilisk, Mertz told Ninnis, was a fierce creature. It had the wings of a dragon, the head of a rooster, the beak of an eagle, and the body and tail of a lizard. Once it fixed its eyes