258 WITH SCOTT : THE SILVER LINING 



south-east ; he thought there was a bay here ! " This is very- 

 queer," said Scott. " Well, I can't make it out ! I expect I 

 shall continue to believe I'm right, and you will believe you're 

 right." I said, " I can do better than that. 1 believe we 

 are both right, and it's these incomprehensible glaciers that are 

 wrong ! " 



It was late when I turned in and most of the others were 

 asleep. Some were dreaming, for Cherry cried out suddenly, 

 " But look here, those horses are quite unloosed ! ' 



Titus Oates was awakened in the next bunk and inquired 

 anxiously, " What's that about the horses ? " 



It will have been gathered that there was some touch of 

 the navy about our life in the Hut. I may, without breach of 

 confidence, say that I had been warned by a former explorer 

 against the " side ' of the naval men. This advice seems 

 most amusing on looking back at our experiences. Apart 

 from Scott the naval men were younger than the scientists, 

 and their attitude may be gathered from their nickname — 

 which they bore with considerable complacency — of the 

 " pseudo-scientists " ! But it was a case of give and take. A 

 naval man would wish to learn some branch of science, and 

 one of the most amusing evenings was when one naval student 

 underwent an examination by one of the geologists and 

 successfully attained honours, through the whispered prompt- 

 ings of the other geologist. 



The account of the lectures will show how catholic were 

 our interests. Practical meteorology and navigation are two 

 subjects in which I received kindly assistance from the re- 

 spective experts. Dr. Bill, as I have shown, was willing to 

 devote hours to any of us who wished to learn to sketch. 

 Ponting was always ready to train the southern party so that 

 they might obtain a satisfactory photographic record of the 

 Polar dash. And so on right through the community, in- 

 cluding the seamen and others in the mess deck. I am sure 

 the latter enjoyed the free life. It must have been a topsy- 

 turvey experience for them to see the weary watchman — who 

 was always one of the officers during 191 1 — nodding or 

 shivering over the stove, while they snugly slept through the 

 night. 



Occasionally, if the unfortunate officer fell over the fire- 

 irons, or otherwise disturbed the " mess deck," the sailor men 



