284 WITH SCOTT : THE SILVER LINING 



months, and thereafter was able to advise some of the others 

 as to works meriting their fleeting attention ! It occurred to 

 me that it would be amusing to try and discover the tastes of 

 the fifteen officers of the hut. Books were naturally often 

 discussed. Oates must have been reading some of Merriman, 

 for I find that Simpson took exception to his praise of the 

 latter's works on meteorological grounds ! This seems rough 

 on Merriman ; but Simpson said it was not possible to see the 

 midnight sun at Tver, and he also objected to the wrong use 

 of the word parhelion. I'm afraid I'd missed these " pro- 

 fessional errors," but I remember what seemed a serious flaw 

 to me in Davis' " Soldiers of Fortune " (otherwise a rattling 

 yarn), was the author's weird geological description in the first 

 chapter ! Similarly we expected Captain Scott and Seaman 

 Evans to revel in Kipling's sea yarns, whereas they were not 

 enthusiastic. Both made the same criticism ; Evans saying 

 that there seemed to be a lot made about a little, and that, 

 " anyway things isn't so concentrated-like in the Navy ! ' 



I hope living authors, if they ever read this, will rise 

 superior to our criticism ! Debenham didn't like " Kipps " ; in 

 fact, except for Wright I couldn't get a word in favour of 

 Wells. Even Nelson, who liked reading " Anne Veronica," 

 declared it was a piece of satire from beginning to end, in 

 which Wells was obviously gibing at his readers ! The only 

 book Nelson and I liked in common was Gissing's " Born in 

 Exile," and I grieve to state that the " Owner " characterized 

 this as " Tosh ! " " Richard Yea and Nay " is loved by 

 Debenham. I couldn't read it, and declared it was not free 

 from gross errors. [Pace Hewlett !) Challenged thereon, I 

 said I had visited the castle at Gisors, and that it was still a 

 well-preserved ruin, whereas in the novel it is " razed to the 

 ground." This, of course, led to a cag on the meaning of 

 the word razed, in which all the hut took part, and I've no 

 recollection as to who was supposed to have won ! Any 

 Canadian novel that was appreciated by one man, would be 

 caustically slated by Wright. I think we were all better at 

 criticism than appreciation. Chambers' " Fighting Chance " 

 was damned " because the hero kisses a girl under water " ! 



However, as a result we began to get some idea as to each 

 other's tastes in literature. I was a sort of referee, in that 

 Ponting, Day, Debenham, Wright, and Simpson, would some- 



