NEVER AGAIN $6$ 



" Are you all well," through a megaphone from the 

 bridge. 



" The Polar Party died on their return from the Pole: 

 we have their records." A pause and then a boat. 



Evans, who had been to England and made a good 

 recovery from scurvy, was in command: with him were 

 Pennell, Rennick, Bruce, Lillie and Drake. They reported 

 having had a very big gale indeed on their way home last 

 year. 



We got some apples off the ship, " beauties, I want 

 nothing better. . . . Pennell is first-class, as always. . . ." 

 " One notices among the ship's men a rather unnatural 

 way of talking: not so much in special instances, but as a 

 whole, contact with civilization gives it an affected sound : 

 I notice it in both officers and men." * 



"January 19. On board the Terra Nova. After 28 

 hours' loading we left the old hut for good and all at 

 4 p.m. this afternoon. It has been a bit of a rush and 

 little sleep last night. It is quite wonderful now to be 

 travelling a day's journey in an hour : we went to Cape 

 Royds in about that time and took off geological and zoo- 

 logical specimens. I should like to sit up and sketch all 

 these views, which would have meant long travelling with- 

 out the ship, but I feel very tired. The mail is almost too 

 good for words. Now, with the latest waltz on the gramo- 

 phone, beer for dinner and apples and fresh vegetables to 

 eat, life is more bearable than it has been for many a long 

 weary week and month. I leave Cape Evans with no re- 

 gret: I never want to see the place again. The pleasant 

 memories are all swallowed up in the bad ones." 2 



Before the ship arrived it was decided among us to urge 

 the erection of a cross on Observation Hill to the memory 

 of the Polar Party. On the arrival of the ship the carpenter 

 immediately set to work to make a great cross of jarrah 

 wood. There was some discussion as to the inscription, it 

 being urged that there should be some quotation from the 

 Bible because "the women think a lot of these things." 

 But I was glad to see the concluding line of Tennyson's 



1 My own diary. 2 Ibid. 



