IN WINTER QUARTERS WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT 283 



collection of thirty " paper-back sixpennies," which every one 

 was always borrowing. He kept them in a box under his 

 elevated bunk, and I remember one evening after we had 

 turned in, some one came into our cubicle and started 

 burrowing about. Debenham said, " Now then, what are you 

 after down there ? " A voice replied, " Where do you keep 

 those sixpenny novels, Debenham ? " It was Scott, who 

 couldn't sleep, and wanted some light literature ! 



I had two or three of Wells, Browning, Tennyson, and 

 " Martin Chuzzlewit." However, though my library was small, 

 I used the official library more than any one ! I have 

 mentioned elsewhere the splendid little library of standard 

 fiction presented largely by Mr. Reginald Smith. This con- 

 sisted of about 250 portable volumes published by Smith, 

 Elder and Co., and by Nelsons. There were Merriman's, 

 Bronte's, and Conan Doyle's, and all the shilling editions of 

 noteworthy books by authors like Gosse and Belloc. Mr. 

 Mackellar gave us many other volumes, especially some small 

 art books. These lived in Day's bunk. Then Admirals 

 Markham and Beaumont presented us with many rare copies 

 of books on Polar Exploration. These were constantly being 

 read, especially by Bowers, whose lectures on sledging rations 

 and polar clothing led him to read every word. Candidly I 

 must admit that it was not cheering — when the blizzards were 

 booming over the hut and all was dark around us — to read of 

 Greeley's awful suffering in the Arctic, where forty out of 

 fifty men perished ; or of the loss of the Jeannette and her 

 crew in Siberia ; but still the volumes were always being 

 referred to by one or other of the officers. 



We had several larger books, Haydn's " Dictionary of 

 Dates," which didn't seem to be much troubled, and Harms- 

 worth's Encyclopedia, which was always in demand. Cherry 

 had the large Times Atlas, and we had Paul's " History of the 

 19th Century," and Harmsworth's " History of the World." 

 Oates brought along Napier's " Peninsular War," and rarely 

 seemed to read or need aught else. I had a bet with him that 

 I would finish Paul's six volumes before he had read through 

 Napier. However, neither was completed, though Oates was 

 a long way ahead ! Scott had a shelf of poets and a number 

 of foreign novelists, chiefly Russian and Polish. 



I had finished all the lighter literature in about three 



