326 WITH SCOTT : THE SILVER LINING 



turned out to be Bowers' sledge ! However he transferred 

 in a few minutes and marched off rapidly to the south. 

 " c Christopher,' as usual, behaved like a demon. First they 

 had to trice his front leg up tight under his shoulder, then it 

 took five minutes to throw him. The sledge was brought up 

 and he was harnessed in while his head was held down on the 

 floe. Finally he rose up, still on three legs, and started off 

 galloping as well as he was able. After several violent kicks 

 his foreleg was released, and after more watch-spring flicks 

 with his hind legs he set off fairly steadily. Titus can't stop 

 him when once he has started, and will have to do the fifteen 

 miles in one lap probably ! " 



Dear old Titus — that was my last memory of him. Im- 

 perturbable as ever ; never hasty, never angry, but soothing 

 that vicious animal, and determined to get the best out of 

 most unpromising material in his endeavour to do his simple 

 duty. 



Bowers was last to leave. His pony, Victor, nervous but 

 not vicious, was soon in the traces. I ran to the end of the 

 Cape and watched the little cavalcade — already strung out 

 into remote units — rapidly fade into the lonely white waste to 

 southward. 



That evening I had a chat with Wilson over the telephone 

 from the Discovery Hut — my last communication with those 

 five gallant spirits. 



We settled down in the Hut, a small and rather silent 

 party. I was now awaiting Debenham's recovery from the 

 injury to his knee, for our start was already overdue. Nelson 

 was cook, though Clissold was beginning to move about more 

 easily. As lately, I continued to lay and clear the table, while 

 Simpson was coal-whacker. The night-watch was now un- 

 necessary — it was too light for aurorae — and the ponies no 

 longer inhabited the stable. Nelson used to take the 4 a.m. 

 observations, and Simpson those at midnight. 



On the 2nd of November we had some stove trials in the 

 deserted stables. Day's last work had been to make ( us a blubber 

 stove from sheet-iron, with a door grid and cover complete. 

 We lengthened the chimney (by adding asparagus tins) and 

 then tested it. The cooker was filled with snow, a " fid " of 

 blubber lit on the grid, and in twenty-seven minutes the 

 water was boiling ! There was very little smoke, and it 



