THE SEARCH JOURNEY 481 



among other things several rolls of photographs, a meteor- 

 ological log kept up to March 13, and, considering all 

 things, a great many geological specimens. And they have 

 stuck to everything. It is magnificent that men in such case 

 should go on pulling everything that they have died to 

 gain. I think they realized their coming end a long time 

 before. By Scott's head was tobacco: there is also a bag 

 of tea. 



Atkinson gathered every one together and read to them 

 the account of Oates' death given in Scott's Diary: Scott 

 expressly states that he wished it known. His (Scott's) last 

 words are : 



" For God's sake take care of our people." 



Then Atkinson read the lesson from the Burial Service 

 from Corinthians. Perhaps it has never been read in a more 

 magnificent cathedral and under more impressive circum- 

 stances — for it is a grave which kings must envy. Then 

 some prayers from the Burial Service : and there with the 

 floor-cloth under them and the tent above we buried them 

 in their sleeping-bags — and surely their work has not been 

 in vain. 1 



That scene can never leave my memory. We with the 

 dogs had seen Wright turn away from the course by him- 

 self and the mule party swerve right-handed ahead of us. 

 He had seen what he thought was a cairn, and then some- 

 thing looking black by its side. A vague kind of wonder 

 gradually gave way to a real alarm. We came up to them 

 all halted. Wright came across to us. ' It is the tent.' I do 

 not know how he knew. Just a waste of snow : to our right 

 the remains of one of last year's cairns, a mere mound : 

 and then three feet of bamboo sticking quite alone out of 

 the snow: and then another mound, of snow, perhaps a 

 trifle more pointed. We walked up to it. I do not think we 

 quite realized — not for very long — but some one reached 

 up to a projection of snow, and brushed it away. The green 

 flap of the ventilator of the tent appeared, and we knew 

 that the door was below. 



Two of us entered, through the funnel of the outer tent, 



1 My own diary. 



21 



