PETTY OFFICERS AND MEN 55 



' Discovery,' it would be put right in the shortest possible 

 space of time by the warrant officer in whose department 

 it lay. 



J. H. Dellbridge was our chief engineer's right-hand man. 

 As the responsibilities of the carpenter and boatswain lay with 

 the hull and rigging, so his lay in the engine-room ; his duties 

 implied that the engines must never be found wanting, and in 

 what manner they were carried out this narrative will show. 



A ship's steward is a specially important individual in an 

 exploring vessel ; he has to keep the most exact account of the 

 stores that are expended, and of those that remain ; he has to 

 see that provisions are properly examined and properly served 

 out, and that everything is stowed below in such a manner that 

 it is forthcoming when required. I had difficulty in filling this 

 post, to which I have referred, but eventually I decided to give 

 it to C. R. Ford, who, although a very young man without 

 experience, showed himself to be well fitted for it in other 

 respects. He soon mastered every detail of our stores, and 

 kept his books with such accuracy that I could rely implicitly 

 on his statements. This also was no small relief where it was 

 impossible to hold a survey of the stores which remained on 

 board. 



And now I pass on to that long list of petty officers and 

 men which completes the roll of honour of the ' Discovery.' I 

 would that space permitted me to give to each that notice 

 which his services deserved. There is not one name on the 

 list that does not recall to me a pleasant memory or does not 

 add to the splendid record of loyalty and devotion with which 

 I was served. But gladly as I would stay my pen to discuss 

 individual merits, I have to remember that to tell of the things 

 we did and the things we saw are the main objects of this 

 book, and reluctantly I leave the personalities of my sailor 

 friends to emerge in a more casual manner from its pages. 



Yet I cannot pass on without some acknowledgment of 

 their collective efficiency and some explanation of the manner 

 in which such a fine body of men was brought together. It 

 will be remembered that I was serving in the Channel 



