MAKING OUR EASTING DOWN 43 
Wilson rejoined the ship at Melbourne; and Scott left 
her, to arrange further business matters, and to rejoin in 
New Zealand. When he landed I think he hadseen enough 
of the personnel of the expedition to be able to pass a 
fair judgment upon them. I cannot but think that he 
was pleased. Such enthusiasm and comradeship as pre- 
vailed on board could bear only good fruit. It would cer- 
tainly have been possible to find a body of men who could 
work a sailing ship with greater skill, but not men who 
were more willing, and that in the midst of considerable 
discomfort, to work hard at distasteful jobs and be always 
cheerful. And it must have been clear that with all the 
energy which was being freely expended, the expedition 
came first, and the individual nowhere. It is to the honour 
of all concerned that from the time it left London to the 
time it returned to New Zealand after three years, this 
spirit always prevailed. 
Among the executive officers Scott was putting more 
and more trust in Campbell, who was to lead the Northern 
Party. He was showing those characteristics which enabled 
him to bring his small party safely through one of the 
hardest winters that men have ever survived. Bowers also 
had shown seamanlike qualities which are an excellent test 
by which to judge the Antarctic traveller; a good seaman 
in sail will probably make a useful sledger: but at this time 
Scott can hardly have foreseen that Bowers was to prove 
“the hardest traveller that ever undertook a Polar journey, 
as well as one of the most undaunted.” But he had already 
proved himself a first-rate sailor. Among the junior scien- 
tific staff too, several were showing qualities as seamen 
which were a good sign for the future. Altogether I think 
it must have been with a cheerful mind that Scott landed 
in Australia. 
When we left Melbourne for New Zealand we were 
all a bit stale, which was not altogether surprising, and a 
run ashore was to do us a world of good after five months 
of solid grind, crowded up ina ship which thought nothing 
of rolling 50° each way. Also, though everything had been 
done that could be done to provide them, the want of fresh 
