Category: Adventure

Scott's Last Expedition, Volume I Being the journals of Captain R. F. Scott

Fourteen years ago Robert Falcon Scott was a rising naval officer, able, accomplished, popular, highly thought of by his superiors, and devoted to his noble profession. It was a serious responsibility to induce him to take up the work of an explorer; yet no man living could be...

Chapters

41. CHAPTER XX

_Sunday, February_ 18.--R. 32. Temp. -5.5°. At Shambles Camp. We gave ourselves 5 hours' sleep at the lower glacier depot after the horrible night, and came on at about 3 to-day...

37. CHAPTER XVI

_November_ 1.--Last night we heard that Jehu had reached Hut Point in about 5 1/2 hours. This morning we got away in detachments--Michael, Nobby, Chinaman were first to get away...

23. CHAPTER II

_Sunday, December_ ll.--The ice grew closer during the night, and at 6 it seemed hopeless to try and get ahead. The pack here is very regular; the floes about 2 1/2 feet thick a...

33. CHAPTER XII

It is a very good little volume, bound by Day in a really charming cover of carved venesta wood and sealskin. The contributors are anonymous, but I have succeeded in guessing th...

39. CHAPTER XVIII

_Friday, December 22_.--Camp 44, about 7100 feet. T. -1°. Bar. 22.3. This, the third stage of our journey, is opening with good promise. We made our depot this morning, then sai...

26. CHAPTER V

_Tuesday, January_ 24.--People were busy in the hut all last night--we got away at 9 A.M. A boat from the _Terra Nova_ fetched the Western Party and myself as the ponies were le...

25. CHAPTER IV

_Sunday, January 8_.--A day of disaster. I stupidly gave permission for the third motor to be got out this morning. This was done first thing and the motor placed on firm ice. L...

34. CHAPTER XIII

_Thursday, August_ 3.--We have had such a long spell of fine clear weather without especially low temperatures that one can scarcely grumble at the change which we found on waki...

32. CHAPTER XI

_Thursday, June_ 1.--The wind blew hard all night, gusts arising to 72 m.p.h.; the anemometer choked five times--temperature +9°. It is still blowing this morning. Incidentally...

28. CHAPTER VII

_Monday, March_ 6, A.M.--Roused the hands at 7.30. Wilson, Bowers, Garrard, and I went out to Castle Rock. We met Evans just short of his camp and found the loads had been dragg...

40. CHAPTER XIX

_Friday, January_ 19.--Lunch 8.1, T. -22.6°. Early in the march we picked up a Norwegian cairn and our outward tracks. We followed these to the ominous black flag which had firs...

24. CHAPTER III

_Saturday, December_ 31. _New Year's Eve_.--Obs. 72° 54' S., 174° 55' E. Made good S. 45 W. 55'; C. Crozier S. 17 W. 286'.--'The New Year's Eve found us in the Ross Sea, but not...

22. CHAPTER I

On arrival the ship was cleared of all the shore party stores, including huts, sledges, &c. Within five days she was in dock. Bowers attacked the ship's stores, surveyed, relist...

30. CHAPTER IX

_Sunday, April_ 23.--Winter Quarters. The last day of the sun and a very glorious view of its golden light over the Barne Glacier. We could not see the sun itself on account of...

36. CHAPTER XV

_Friday, October_ 6.--With the rise of temperature there has been a slight thaw in the hut; the drips come down the walls and one has found my diary, as its pages show. The drip...

27. CHAPTER VI

The ponies started off well, Gran leading my pony with Weary Willy behind, the Soldier leading his with Cherry's behind, and Bowers steering course as before with a light sledge...

38. CHAPTER XVII

_Sunday, December_ 10.--Camp 32. [33] I was very anxious about getting our loads forward over such an appalling surface, and that we have done so is mainly due to the ski. I rou...

31. CHAPTER X

_Monday, May_ 15.--The wind has been strong from the north all day--about 30 miles an hour. A bank of stratus cloud about 6000 or 7000 feet (measured by Erebus) has been passing...

35. CHAPTER XIV

_Friday, September_ 1.--A very windy night, dropping to gusts in morning, preceding beautifully calm, bright day. If September holds as good as August we shall not have cause of...

29. CHAPTER VIII

In choosing the site of the hut on our Home Beach I had thought of the possibility of northerly winds bringing a swell, but had argued, firstly, that no heavy northerly swell ha...

21. CHAPTER XX

Snow Like Desert Sand--A Gloomy Prospect--No Help from the Wind--The Grip of Cold--Three Blows of Misfortune--From Bad to Worse--A Sick Comrade--Oates' Case Hopeless--The Death...

1. VOLUME I

Fourteen years ago Robert Falcon Scott was a rising naval officer, able, accomplished, popular, highly thought of by his superiors, and devoted to his noble profession. It was a...

17. CHAPTER XVI

Midnight Lunches--A Motor Breaks Down--The Second Motor Fails--Curious Features of the Blizzard--Ponies Suffer in a Blizzard--Ponies go Well--A Head Wind--Bad Conditions Continu...

3. CHAPTER II

A Reported Island--Incessant Changes--The Imprisoning Ice--Ski-ing and Sledging on the Floes--Movement of Bergs--Opening of the Pack--A Damaged Rudder--To Stop or not to Stop--N...

13. CHAPTER XII

Threats of a Blizzard--Start of the Crozier Party--Strange Winds--A Current Vane--Pendulum Observations--Lost on the Floe--The Wanderer Returns--Pony Parasites--A Great Gale--Th...

6. CHAPTER V

Dogs and Ponies at Work--Stores for Depots--Old Stores at Discovery Hut--To Encourage the Pony--Depôt Plans--Pony Snowshoes--Impressions on the March--Further Impressions--Sledg...

8. CHAPTER VII

Fitting up the Old Hut--A Possible Land Route--The Geological Party Arrives--Clothing--Exceptional Gales--Geology at Hut Point--An Ice Foot Exposed--Stabling at Hut Point--Waiti...

19. CHAPTER XVIII

Pressures Under Mount Darwin--A Change for the Better--Running of a Sledge--Lost Time Made Up--Comfort of Double Tent--Last Supporting Party Returns--Hard Work on the Summit--Ac...

20. CHAPTER XIX

A Hard Time on the Summit--First Signs of Weakening--Difficulty in Following Tracks--Getting Hungrier--Accidents Multiply--Accident to Scott--The Ice-fall--End of the Summit Jou...

5. CHAPTER IV

Loss of a Motor--A Dog Dies--Result of Six Days' Work--Restive Ponies--An Ice Cave--Loading Ballast--Pony Prospects--First Trip to Hut Point--Return: Prospects of Sea Ice--A Sec...

2. CHAPTER I

General Stowage--A Last Scene in New Zealand--Departure--On Deck with the Dogs--The Storm--The Engine-room Flooded--Clearing the Pumps--Cape Crozier as a Station--Birds of the S...

4. CHAPTER III

Land at Last--Reach Cape Crozier--Cliffs of Cape Crozier--Landing Impossible--Penguins and Killers--Cape Evans as Winter Station--The Ponies Landed--Penguins' Fatuous Conduct--A...

12. CHAPTER XI

Ventilation--On the Meteorological Instruments--Magnesium Flashlight--On the Beardmore Glacier--Lively Discussions--Action of Sea Water on Ice--A Theory of Blizzards--On Arctic...

16. CHAPTER XV

Clissold's Accident--Various Invalids--Christopher's Capers--A Motor Mishap--Dog Sickness--Some Personal Sketches--A Pony Accident--A Football Knee--Value of the Motors--The Bal...

18. CHAPTER XVII

Difficulties with Deep Snow--With Full Loads--After-Effects of the Great Storm--A Fearful Struggle--Less Snow and Better Going--The Valley of the Beardmore--Wilson Snow Blind--T...

7. CHAPTER VI

Dogs' and Ponies' Ways--The Dogs in a Crevasse--Rescue Work--Chances of a Snow Bridge--The Dog Rations--A Startling Mail--Cross the Other Party--The End of Weary Willy--The Ice...

10. CHAPTER IX

Balloons--Occupations--Many Talents--The Young Ice goes out--Football: Inverted Temperatures--Of Rainbows--Football: New Ice--Individual Scientific Work--Individuals at Work--Th...

14. CHAPTER XIII

9. CHAPTER VIII

15. CHAPTER XIV

11. CHAPTER X