THE EXPLORERS.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14588, 12 February 1913, Page 10

THE EXPLORERS.

INTIMATE PEN PICTURES.

Mr O. Reginald Ford, of Christ- ' church, who was a member of tho Kfr- . covery's crew, writes: — "I need hardly say how very shocked I was to hear the sad news of the ' terrible end of Captain Scott and his ■ companions. Tho only members of tb» .

% _l-fat«l party whom I knew—unless % ■'■ petty Officer Evans was the same Evans ', _._,„ was in the Discovery with us— ? wore Captain Scott and Dr. Wilson. "Early in tho history of the Discover* expedition, Captan Scott—in an unrecorded accident—nearly lost his ,' life While the gear for raising the nroiiellcr in the propeller well was {";*, tested at Dundee, a wire ro[>e ,' ' !«ive%ay, awl a large bhiek—sufficient I" _ r ain* several mm —fell from alolt. hwral'v at Captain Scott's feet. 1 well w-nicinber the horror of that moment. '■ "_<[ f irs t began to know Captain Scott <' ; -.n during those trying days prior to the sa.ling of the Discovery, whenrroin a "mall room in Burlington House '■ * bo was directing the affairs ol the *■ "".ncdition. It was then, amidst apnarpnt wild disorder, I first learnt to Lprecinte Captain Scott's genius for _ii. n i,ation and command, and his gilt of drawing out the best in his .subordinates, and attaching them to himself ■srit'h bonds of affection, without lessonJ '_ _l IP respect and obedience due- to him « loader of the expedition. A partial explanation of this was doubtf,s P his evident iuterc-st in ourselves and in our purely personal affairs. He was iltravs a riiiid disciplinarian, and. as jjis'work has sheen, a fearless and intrepid explorer —and yet a man with r! fl tender heart and intense feeling' for t jjc weak and helpless. H's humanity *as shown in forbidding birds to be thol unless they were actually required and could be recovered with ccrtaiiity '■ " tor the scientific eollccthm. "I enn recollect the Captain walking the decks of the Discovery, perfectly at home with the late King Edward and Jus entourage, and I remember him - as if it were ye-nordny, sitting, also perfectly at home, in front oi the galley r0 __- v hen the cook was absent at the kavring-out camp— making toast, while I ni\v to the porridge. This reminds me 1 ' that from the day we left Port, Caj>tain Scott insisted upon <<oval quantity, miniity nnd variety of leod for all hands ' ' foio and aft. This was not a popular -' rub with one or two of the 'afterguard,' but they knew better than to protest. • - "Another picture of my old Captain

comes to mind. I can see him now, gathering all the .ship's company round him on the main deck, with closed doors - ""to exclude any of tho relief ship's crews, and, telling us that we were all friends ami that he knew that he could trust us. reading, with manly tears in his eves, the stringent orders from the Admiralty to abandon the Discovery. I can hoc him, too, standing on Hut Point, with a glad smile of relief oh his face, while we were madly cheering the approaching relief ships, bravely charging tho ice-floe, turning to the carpenter and saying, "You can shako Tbreak the remainder of those case's (for packing up our belongings lot trnns't to the relief ships on almndoning the Discovery) now, Mr Dailey." That was his nuiet way of announcing - that no should not be forced into nbandon'ng our good ship. "On one occasion we were in a heavsea. and threatened with collision with a huge iceberg. Owing to an ineffoc- - tivo rudder, our only hope, should we not bo able to weather tho berg, was -to throw the yards back and stop tho - • Ship. Any seaman will appreciate the danger of the position. 'All hands on ■flock' was piped, and we all stood, waiting orelers from tho Captain. As extremely dangerous as tho circumstances were, we all felt the utmost

1 confidence when we looked up to the -; 'bridge, and there saw tho Captain, * with his lips tightly compressed—as his ' -manner was in moments of danger or doubt —looking" fixedly to leeward 'at tho cause of our pressing danger. With -that picture of Captain Scott, as the trusted captain, piloting his beloved ship and faithful crew in the moment of imminent danger, I will leave him. With no knowledge at present, except that he is dead. I know that ho will v have met his eleath like the hero be

* ' -'Dr. Wilson, too, I met in those j early days, when tho expedition was ; not yet 'in being.' My first impression /of him was arrfply* of a pleasant, un-' ■ "assuming'"gentleman. It was not until afterwords.that'l appreciated fully the '.depth and nobility of his character. To say what is in my heart to say would ; ' render me liable to a charge" of fuli some flattery. His courage ancl re- { source are well-known—his deeds speak ;<" for themselves. Not so well known was T ' his unvarying cheerfulness in times of , - danger and trial, and his never-failing ■_ unselfishness—it would be truer to say . his utter forgetfulness of self."