GALLANT SHACKLETON.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 430, 22 June 1922, Page 12

GALLANT SHACKLETON.

TEOEBI.ES OF THE QUEST

"EVERYTHING WRONG-."-

STRIKING PEN PICTURE. LONDON, April 8. Captain A. I). )'. Sharpus, of Wilson's, Rio de Janeiro, the firm which carried out the repairs to the exploration ship Quest, has written to England a private letter to his father, in which he gives his impression of Sir Ernest. Shackleton shortly before his death. The letter, which is published in tho Daily Mail, reads: "Yes, (he death of Shackleton was an awful blow lo me. That last letter to Rowett (Mr J. Q, Rowott, who was mainly responsible for financing the expedition), where ho wrote saying that lie couldn't write much, 'the temperature being HOdeg. in the shade,' he wrote in my bedroom where I'm writing now. On tho Saturday when they olliciaily sailed from here, but anchored outside the harbour, so that ho and I could linish up the account.-, telegrams, etc, for England, which we couldn i do in harbour owing to the number of people wishing to say good-bye and wish good luck Wild (ihe second in command), Worsley, and some others went ashore to our mess for dinner to leave Ihe small cabin free for us to gel on with Ihe work. "Bui the Ross was too ill to start, the launch came for me at 10 p.m., and was to have taken the others off to the ship, lie asked me to take him ashore, anywhere, it didn't matter. The nearest place was our mess, so I took him there. "(Jul house stands on the top of a small hill rising straight out of the sea, as 1 believe I've told you. There are about 60 odd steps to get up, beside steep gradients. One of the sailors of the launch helped. Hut 1 shall never forget that journey up. It took three-quarters of an hour. Our sleeping quarters are separated from the living quarters, and fortunately 1 managed to get him up without anyone seeing. He got into bed. and I thought to sleep, but ho told me after he hardly slept at all. "1 went down to the others and managed to get Wild apart, and told him. They went off to the -.hip. I managed t>> give them a good bout's warning in the morning lo enable (hem to have steam up and get under way as soon as die Boss got on board, as he couldn't stand (he heat on board, You know what a ship lying at anchor in the tropics i- like. The Boss was up bt.dore 1 was then exi morning; he -aid he was better and hud breakfast, But as soon a.- the sun got strong he felt rotten again. 1 could see he felt awful.

A MUCH-PRIZED GIFT. "At 10.30 a.m. ] got windy and sent (lie launch (which I'd kept all night, off the mess) 10 the ship to fetch Macklin, the doctor of the Quest, who gave him some dope, which did him good. Fortunately we had a change of weather by midda}. ; ii clouded over and a breeze got up, which cooled the air, By lunch nine he was miles better even joked about being a weakling. In the mess we all tried to get him to take a drink, telling him thai ii was the climate and he needed alcoholic stimulant, especially rushing about as he'd been doing. He was a worker'. "But he refused everything, he As a very strict teetotaller, We left at 2.30, were on hoard by 3 p.m. and they were under way by 3.30. Byi thai lime the cool breeze had developed into half it gale, which Shacks appeared to love. Just before 1 left the ship he presented me (for the mess) with the While Ensign the Quest had flown on her voyage from England to Rio. It's lorn mid dirty, bill a very proud possession. We are having an airtight (and very necessary in this country) insect-proof case made for it. It's to hang in the mess

"THE Ql'ES'l SONG." "Two other men from the mess bad come off in the launch with us. Shacks asked us to steam ii little way with them, 'which we did, until the sea became a bit mo much for us. So we three (my two messmates and I) Mood up and sang the 'Quest Son.' While we cli so Shacks called Worsley, Wild, Carr and a few others, who were near, and sing it hack to us. 'then we turned for shore. As we did so he sein Wans to clip the Hag to us; we were living the Brazilian Hag on the stern of our launch, so we dipped in reply. "The Boss went up on to the little observation bridge above the ship's navigation bridge, and the last I saw ol him he was standing up there alone, holding on ~, the rail with one hand, waving his hat in the other, and very faintly against the strong wind we heard the Quest's song. ••When I saw the Quesi disappearing. and I realised how in one short month I l mf | leann to love Sir Ernest, a son of lump came into my throat, '1 he next mornin K on landing m the Caes lTiaroux (tie oiiav), where for a mouth I d met Shacks everv morning, to go off to the ship, which was'on the slipway the other side ol the l, av , I felt I had lon a very dear pal. Which 1 had.

"EVERYTHING WRONG!' "Poor Sir Ernest, he had a terrible time here; everything in the engine room of that ship seemed to be wrong, lie smiled to everyone and lo a certain extent made light of' what was the mailer. But 1 knew he was worried almost to death. 1 dreaded his meeting Cvashley, the ships chief engineer, or Howard, our engineer, who was in charge of the repairs for tear they d it'li him of some new trouble, ••1 could see by his face it hurl him so. Ml his hopes and ambitions seemed centred in that little ship, and she seemed to let him down so much that I got to hate the boat. 1 was always glad when he came awav from it, Often when we left, il we were alone, he'd sit in the launch gazing at nothing and hardly say a word on the half-hour run from the ship to the city. '