South with Scott | Page 7

whatever work was going. Victor
Campbell was christened the "Wicked Mate," and he shepherded and
fathered the afterguard delightfully.
Wilson and I shared the Captain's cabin, and when there was nothing
afoot he made lovely sea sketches and water colour drawings to keep
his hand in. Certainly Uncle Bill (Dr. Wilson's nickname) had copy
enough in those days of sunlit seas and glorious sunrises. He was up
always an hour before the sun and missed very little that was worth
recording with his artistic touch. Wilson took Cherry-Garrard under his
wing and brought him up as it were in the shadow of his own unselfish
character. We had no adventures to record until the last week in July
beyond the catching of flying-fish, singing chanties at the pump, and
Lillie getting measles. We isolated him in the dark room, which,
despite its name, was one of the lightest and freshest rooms in the ship.
Atkinson took charge of the patient and Lillie could not have been in
the hands of a better or more cheery medico.
Not all of the members of the Expedition had embarked in England,
although the majority came out in the ship to save expense.
Captain Scott had remained behind to squeeze out more subscriptions
and to complete arrangements with the Central News, which he was
making in order to give the world's newspapers the story of the
Expedition for simultaneous publication as reports came back to
civilisation in the "Terra Nova." He also had finally to settle magazine
and cinematograph contracts which were to help pay for the Expedition,
and lastly, our leader, with Drake and Wyatt, the business manager,

were to pay bills we had incurred by countless items of equipment,
large and small, which went to fill up our lengthy stores lists. Thankless
work enough--we in the ship were much better off with no cares now
beyond the handling of our toy ship and her safe conduct to Lyttelton.
Cecil Meares and Lieut. Bruce were on their way through Siberia
collecting dogs and ponies. Ponting was purchasing the photographic
and cinematographic outfit, Griffith Taylor, Debenham, and Priestley,
our three geologists, and Day, the motor engineer, were to join us in
New Zealand, and Captain Scott with Drake at Capetown.
In order to get another series of magnetic observations and to give the
staff relief from the monotony of the voyage as well as an opportunity
for doing a little special work, we stopped at the uninhabited island of
South Trinidad for a couple of days, arriving on July 26.
Trinidad Island looked magnificent with its towering peaks as we
approached it by moonlight. We dropped anchor shortly after dawn, the
ship was handed over to the Wicked Mate and Boatswain, who set up
the rigging and delighted themselves with a seamanlike refit. Campbell
had a party over the side scrubbing the weeds off, and many of the
ship's company attempted to harpoon the small sharks which came
close round in shoals and provided considerable amusement. These fish
were too small to be dangerous. After breakfast all the scientists and
most of the officers landed and were organised by Uncle Bill into small
parties to collect birds' eggs, flowers, specimens, to photograph and to
sketch. A good lunch was taken ashore, and we looked more like a
gunroom picnic party than a scientific expedition when we left the ship
in flannels and all manner of weird costumes. Wilson, Pennell, and
Cherry-Garrard shot a number of birds, mostly terns and gannets, and
climbed practically to the top of the island, where they could see the
Martin Vaz islets on the horizon. Wilson secured some Trinidad petrels,
both white breasted and black breasted, and discovered that the former
is the young bird and the latter the adult of the same species. He found
them in the same nests. We collected many terns' eggs; the tern has no
nest but lays its eggs on a smooth rock. Also one or two frigate birds
were caught. Nelson worked along the beach, finding sea-urchins,
anemones, and worms, which he taught the sailors the names

of--polycheats and sepunculids, I think he called them. He caught
various fishes, including sea-perches, garfish, coralfish, and an eel, a
small octopus and a quantity of sponges. Trigger-fish were so abundant
that many of them were speared from the ship with the greatest of ease,
and Rennick harpooned a couple from a boat with an ordinary dinner
fork. Lillie, who had recovered from measles, was all about, and his
party went for flowering plants and lichens. He climbed to the summit
of the island--2000 ft.--and gave it as his opinion that the dead trees
strewn all round the base of the island had been carried down with the
volcanic debris from higher altitudes. It was also his