Worst Journey in the World.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 February 1923, Page 1

Worst Journey in the World.

SCOTT’S LAST. All! Cfl ERRY-GARRARD'S STORY. LAND CRABS AND KILLER WHALES. Mr Ajislfy Cherry-tiarrard in “The Worst, .journey in the World” (Constable. 2v015.. £3 3s), ha.s written a really fine and notable hook. It is an account of Scott’k last Antarctic expedition. with much additional information in the form of diaries that did not appear in Scott's own posthumous work ; and it also contains a full narrative of the heroic and marvellous journey which lie made himself, in the company of Rowers and Wilson (two of the famous live wlm afterwards perished -o tragically in the compiest of the South Role) to tli<' breeding ground of the Emperor penguins, in the depth ol tin Antarctic wilder. Scott, whoso own stamlaitls as an Antarctic explorer wciv so high, described this march as one of the greatest feats accomplished by the men imder his orders. What exactly it meant to travel for live weeks, often in pitch darkness, without any daylight, over surfaces of appalling anger—eomparaalile only with the worst ice-lads id a Swiss glacier—and in temperaturwhii h repeatedly fell to 810 degrees - f frost, Mr Clierrv-Gnrrard’s pages snow. IN THE CAUSE OF SCIENCE.

It is one of the greatest, most, breathless stories of devote adventure that he has to tell. And the end was worthy. It was lo serve tin' cause of science that these men underwent snlferings almost unspeakable. Mr Cherry-Oar-lard’s great merit is that there is no insincerity in his writing, lie does not affect to have liked this “ghastly journey.'' as he calls it. nor dies he deny that lm wa,s terribly afraid. lit the final chapter he examines with great dispassionateness the reasons why Amundsen succeeded and why Scott’s march closed in disaster to himself and hi- companions. 11 is. conclusion is meiuornhie. even sonsaiional ; tlial Si ei: failed to return liocaiise the tood allowance was throughout- insufficient. It- is a fact that the I’olar parly tailed !■> make their distance liceiliise tiie\ i,. lame weak, although they were eating their full raiion or more than their full ration of food, -ave tor a days when they went short on the way dow n the Benrdmnre Mlneier. I inti r.-.t man to weaken was the biggest and heaviest man in the expedition. In short, .starvation was the cause of tlicir troubles in their desperate Wi'-iL. with T:\lli Starvation broughtthe In eak-dovn. first of lv til.- and I bell oi Oates, and delayed tlo: party so iniieii that they were caught by the fatal hhY.xard within -iglil of satety. There is no censure attached tins Cl it iei-in. Our ration was probably the best which has been its< d ; but mote known now than was known On ihc voyage nut there Wen in i.M-Yig experiences at South Timid.td where a landing was eliceled. We r< ad : The hind era!is are little short ol a nightmare. they peep at you from every nook and boulder. Their diatl. .taring eye.- follow your every step, us ii : to say: “If only you will drop down We will do the- ri-el." To lie down amt sleep oil any part of the island -would lie suicidal. These beasts even trod 1.0 nibble your bents as yen stood -taring hard at you the whole time They are all yellow , ami pink, and next to spiders seem the most lo.ith 1 iecreatures on (bid’s earth. But even they pah' before the terror of tic killer whale, which ha- a “huge

iron law ami great Ideat socket teeth, and hunts in < oneert. “pr:-sing up the thin ice from beneath and splitting it ill .all di,iCctions.’’ It attacks man or honsl. Bowers w rot. ol these gruesome creatures, which appeared wantin' ponies were being lamk:l in lac Antarctic:

The killers were ton inter*.,sfd in os io I,- pleasant. They had a Imhit oi bobbing no and down perpcmliculai so lIS to see over the edge of a Hoc in looking for .seals. Ihe huge blaek am! ve!low lieads, with sickening i ig ••yes. only a few yards from us ~t tin"-, and always around us. an. mioug '• most disconcerting recollcetim- I l.'.ve of that day. SCOTT'S TEAUS. Of Scott himself we are given an aiii'ecUouate picture : England knows Scott as a hero; she has little idea of him as a man. Ft’w who knew him realised how shy and reserved the man was, and it was partly for this reason that he so niton laid himself open to mi-understanding, lie Was not a very strung man physically, and was in his yi.iulh a weakly child, at one lime not expected to live, lie cried more easily than any .man I have ever known. Perhaps the Creeks were right when they said that the man who weeps most easily is the noblest man. For him justice was Cod. 11 is triumphs are many—hut the Pole was mil by any means the greatest of them. Surely the greatest was that liv which he conquered his weaker sell, and became i lie strong leader whom we went to follow and came to love. Some members of the expedition had a curious experience at Shackletnu’s old deserted hut. One of them wrote; The whole place is very eerie, there is such a feeling of life about it.. Not only do 1 feel it. hut the others do also. Hast night after 1 turned in 1 could have .-worn that 1 heard people shouting to each other. 1 thought Hint 1 bail only got an attack of nerves, hut Campbell asked me if T had heard any shouting, for ho had certainly done so. A haunted hut in the Antarctic i = extraon Ii 11 ar v ill deed.

As for the weather ii was appalling. "One ghastly blizzard blew for six weeks," and in the mid-winter journey which Mr Clirrry-Carrard made, the weather almost brought his death. A blizzard struck the nartv and blew their tout away. They believed death was certain, hut they were not afraid. And then miracles happened, as they sometimes do in real life. They recovered the tent: their frost bites healed, and many days later they staggered hack to the base with the Emperor penguin's eggs, which were of such vital importance to embryology. DISCOVERY OF THE DEAD. Mr Chorrv-Garrard was with the little hand that found the dead: Wright came across to us. ‘‘ft is the tent." 1 do not know how he knew, •dust a wa-te of snow, to our right tho remains of last year's cairn-, a mere mownd. We walked up to it. f do not think we quite realised. There were three men there. We never moved them. Yet they are being borne gently and steadilv north towards the open sea by

the march of the sheet of ice. Shackleton’s expedition a few years later could not find the tent and tomb of the dead, and Mr Cherry-Garrard declares pooticallv that Captain Scott is coming homo from this land which lip conquered.