FAREWELL AND "GOD-SPEED" 



he appeared. His arms were filled with delicate glass 

 apparatus and other scientific paraphernalia. As he was 

 gingerly crossing the narrow gangway he was confronted 

 by a stout female, of whom the Professor afterwards said: 

 " She was for the shore, let who would be for the Pole." 

 They met in the middle of the gangway. Hampered by 

 the things he was carrying, the Professor could not move 

 aside; he was simply charged down by superior weight, 

 and clutching his precious goods, fell off the gangway on 

 to the heads of some of our party. Wonderful to relate 

 nothing was broken. 



At one minute to four orders were given to stand 

 by the engines, at 4 p.m. the lines were cast off from 

 the wharf and the Nimrod moved slowly ahead. Cheer 

 after cheer broke from the watching thousands as we 

 moved towards the harbour entrance, with the Queen's 

 flag flying at the fore and our ensign dipping farewell 

 at the stern. The cheering broke out afresh as we 

 passed the United States' magnetic survey ship Galilee. 

 She also was engaged in a scientific mission, but her 

 lines were laid in warmer climes and calmer seas. Hearty 

 as was this send-off it seemed mild compared to that 

 which we received on passing the pier-head lighthouse. 

 The air trembled with the crash of guns, the piercing 

 steam whistles and sirens of every steamship in the 

 port, and a roar of cheering from the throats of the 

 thirty thousand people who were watching the little 

 black-hulled barque moving slowly towards the open sea. 

 With our powerful ally, the Koonya, steaming in 

 front, and on each side passenger boats of the Union 

 Company carrying some six or seven thousand persons, 

 we passed down the Roads, receiving such a farewell and 

 " God-speed " from New Zealand as left no man of us 

 unmoved. The farewells were not over, for we were 

 to receive one more expression of goodwill, and one 



41 



