The concluding part of this narrative is concerned with our little ship, for which we had such affection.

To connect the story up one must go back to the time when on March 3, 1912, the “Terra Nova” made her last call for the year at Cape Evans—­here she embarked those members returning home, who for various causes had not been collected before.  Then it will be remembered that Keohane was taken to Hut Point and landed with Atkinson, and afterwards, owing to the thickening up of the ice in McMurdo Sound, the ship’s head was turned Northward.  The ice conditions off the Bay where Campbell was landed were terrific, and the little whaler had a tough time forcing her way out into the Ross Sea once more after failure to relieve him.

She arrived in New Zealand on April 1, to learn of Amundsen’s success, and I went home a physical wreck with Francis Drake, the secretary, to carry out Scott’s wishes in the matter of finance.  It was many months before I could get about in comfort; but my wife nursed me back to health.  Several scientific and other members dispersed to their respective duties in civil life.  Pennell temporarily paid off the seamen who had joined in New Zealand, and took the ship away to survey Admiralty Bay in the Sounds according to arrangements made with the New Zealand Government.  During this operation we had the great misfortune to lose by drowning Stoker Petty Officer Robert Brissenden.

Finally the little “Terra Nova” filled up with coal and left for the South to pick up Scott and his expedition.  She was once more under my command as her original Captain, Pennell very gracefully and unselfishly standing down to the position of second in command.

The programme included an extensive sounding cruse, guided to some degree by what Professor David of Sydney University wished for, to throw further light on the great earth folds.  The voyage was like its predecessors, except that we purposely kept in Longitude 165 W. to sound over new portions of the ocean, every opportunity being taken to gain fresh information and fulfil the requirements of the biological programme too.  We had hardly our share of gales this voyage, and although we expected to meet with the pack in about 66 S. Latitude, it was not reached until we had attained the 69th parallel—­two degrees farther South than we had found it in the “Terra Nova"’s first two voyages.

The only other expedition that had explored the Eastern part of the Ross Sea so far was that under Ross in the “Erebus” and “Terror.”  We did not gain anything by forcing the pack so far East, however, for we encountered a heavy belt of ice through which we fought our way for 400 miles.

The weather mostly served us well, and great credit is due to Rennick, Lillie, and Pennell for their sounding, biological, and magnetic work respectively—­they were indefatigable, and even though it blew hard on occasions, thanks to Rennick’s expert handling of the Lucas machine we obtained several soundings in 3000 fathoms when less ardent hydrographers would have surrendered to the bad weather.