THE END OF THE EXPEDITION 445 



continent of Gondwanaland ; and the Polar specimens give 

 positive and invaluable evidence of the condition of the world 

 in Permo-Carboniferous times, of a sort which can truly be 

 called epoch-making. 



I can here give no account of the doings of the small band 

 during the last months spent by the expedition in Antarctica. 

 The record of the survey of Erebus by Priestley and Deben- 

 ham and of the search for the Polar party can be read in other 

 volumes. 



However the world knew nothing of this disaster until the 

 ship returned in February, 1 9 1 3. Remembering the pleasure 

 I had felt from Professor David's gift of " Queed," I sent 

 down a few books by the ship in the preceding December. 

 In each case I tried to suit the recipient's taste. Thus Nelson 

 received " Queed " (Harrison) ; to Wright I sent " Marriage " 

 (Wells) ; to Cherry " The Dreadnought on the Darling," in 

 memory of his Australian travels. To Debenham and Uncle 

 Bill I sent books in the writing of which I had had a part. 

 To Bowers (in the character of "Farmer Hayseed") I sent 

 Bean's fine book " On the Wooltrack " ; and to Priestley, 

 " W r e of the Never Never " (Gunn). Atkinson, I hope, had 

 a fellow-feeling for pugilist " Shorty McCabe " ; while Oates 

 would have been carried back to Africa by " The Dop Doctor." 

 I knew Rex Beach would attract Gran — so he was furnished 

 with « The Silver Horde." 



I was carrying out a geological survey at the Federal 

 capital, and in the solitary evenings I managed to pile up a 

 huge budget of letters for my returning mates. Some of them, 

 alas ! were returned unopened. 



In February Bernard Day reached Australia and was in 

 Sydney with me when we heard the sad news. 1 had never 

 anticipated any serious accident to the Pole party — chiefly, I 

 expect, because Shackleton had managed to pull through safely. 

 But I should not have been surprised to hear of disaster in 

 Campbell's northern party, for no one had lived through a 

 winter in such fashion before. 



A solemn service was held in the Cathedral at Sydney, and 

 later at a meeting to initiate a memorial fund, Professor David 

 gave an eloquent justification of Antarctic exploration and 

 paid a touching tribute to the characters of the lost men. As a 



/r 



K 'rC-.- 



