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Ce we MEG NAb teamed dar hanes ‘ presen ‘ ' wares one AG ohn apne nw i ee Se nr ed Rap areomenr tr tre tee Dea Bae - penerees apeiend = agate rene THE GREAT WHITE SOUTH ‘\ ICE-BOUND. “TERRA NOVA’ THE [Frontispiece See page 38] THE GREAT WHITE SOUTH BEING AN ACCOUNT OF EXPERIENCES WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT’S SOUTH POLE EXPEDITION AND OF THE NATURE LIFE OF THE ANTARCTIC BY HERBERT G. PONTING, F.R.G:S. AUTHOR OF “FUJISAN,” “IN LOTUS LAND: JAPAN,” ETC., WITH 164 PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR, 11 BY CAPTAIN SCOTT AND OTHERS, A MAP & 2 DRAWINGS, AND AN INTRODUCTION BY LADY SCOTT NEW YORK ROBERT M. McBRIDE & CO. 1922 DEDICATED _ TO THE MEMORY OF MY LATE CHIEF AND COMRADES WHO, AFTER REACHING THE SOUTH POLE, PERISHED ON THEIR HOMEWARD WAY, BEQUEATHING TO THEIR RACE A PRICELESS HERITAGE IN THE STORY OF THEIR HEROISM AND SELF- SACRIFICE, AND DEVOTION TO PURPOSE, IDEALS AND DUTY ae Sy at F ey KS or i! i ae A f Mh \ oh ¥ hs Pe Mt i 2 yaa q 7 ie Rane viel i vt his Rue ‘i jh Mik Lf A oe ie iy AMS a aL mh sien ? Rate FOREWORD Tus book is written by one who had the honour to take part in that great adventure, The British Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13. Its object is to present, in simple language and pictures, some fresh aspects of the setting of that epic Polar drama which must ever stand out in the annals of exploration for the beauty of character revealed in those who took the leading parts, and perished in the final scene. Whilst in the Great White South, during the winter of 1911, Captain Scott expressed to the author the sentiment that it was much to be desired that the youth of the Nation should become conversant with such adventures as Polar expeditions, as this would help to stimulate ‘a fine and manly spirit in the rising generation.’ The great explorer’s words inspired the writing of this book. If, therefore, this volume should help to foster in some of our boys that love of adventure which has animated all our great Empire Builders; and in the hearts of some of our girls that approval of chivalrous qualities and gallant deeds which has been the inspiration of the sterner sex throughout the ages, the writer will feel that his reward, for the years spent in securing and preparing the material for this book, will have been richer than he would have dared to hope for when he sailed into the South. The author records, herewith, his gratitude to Lady Scott for graciously contributing the Introduction to this volume; his thanks to Messrs. John Murray of London, and Messrs. Dodd, Mead and Company of New York, for their kind permission to make many quotations herein from ‘ Scott’s Last Expedition’; and his warm sense of obligation to his comrades of the adventure for the assistance they rendered him in the South whenever opportunity permitted. HGF. vii Petts me r - Photo by Elliott & Fry. viil] INTRODUCTION By LADY SCOTT Tue author has given me the manuscript of his book to look over, and what good reading it is! That Mr. Ponting is a great artist with the camera is very widely known, but to find him also writing with so much lucidity and beauty 1s surprising and delightful. In his book, which teems with appreciation of his leader, there seems no word of his leader’s appreciation of him. This will never do! So let my form of introduction be to quote my husband. Here, then, is what Captain Scott wrote in his diary soon after arriving in the South: ‘Ponting is the most delighted of men; he declares this is the most beautiful spot he has ever seen, and spends ail day and most of the night in what he calls “ gathering it in” with camera and cinematograph ... He is enraptured and uses expressions which in anyone else and alluding to any other subject might be deemed extravagant.’ ‘Of the many admirable points in his work perhaps the most notable are his eye for a picture and the mastery he has acquired of ice subjects. The composition of his pictures is extraordinarily good; he seems to know by instinct the exact value of foreground and middle distance and of the intro- duction of “life,” whilst with more technical skill he emphasises the subtle shadows of the snow and reproduces its wonderfully transparent texture. He is an artist in love with his work, and it was good to hear his enthusiasm for results of the past and plans for the future.’ 1x x INTRODUCTION Personally, I know Mr. Ponting’s work only by results. Over and over, and yet over again have I seen his cinemato- graph pictures of the Expedition, and I am still looking for further occasions of seeing them, for the beauty and wonder of them never varies. My husband, however, was marvelling at the dexterity of the artist, when he wrote on April 13th, 1911: ‘ Next is the dark-room in which Ponting spends the greater part of his life. Such a palatial chamber for the development of negatives and prints can only be justified by the quality of the work produced in it, and is only justified in our case by the possession of such an artist as Ponting. My eye took in the neat shelves with their array of cameras, etc., the lead-lined sink and automatic water tap, the two acetylene gas burners with their shading screens, and the general obviousness of all conveniences of the photographic art. ‘Here, indeed, was encouragement for the best results, and © to the photographer be all praise, for it is mainly his hand which has executed the designs which his brain conceived. In this may be seen the results of a traveller’s experience. Ponting has had to fend for himself under primitive conditions in a new land; the result is a “handy man” with every form of tool, and in any circumstances. Thus, when building operations were to the fore and mechanical labour scarce, Ponting returned to the shell of his apartment with only the raw material for completing it. In the shortest possible space of time shelves and tanks were erected, doors hung and windows framed, and all in a workmanlike manner commanding the admiration of all beholders. ‘It was well that speed could be commanded for such work, since the fleeting hours of the summer season had been all too few to be spared from the immediate service of photo- graphy. Ponting’s nervous temperament allowed no waste of time. For him fine weather meant no sleep; he decided that lost opportunities should be as rare as circumstances would permit.’ we INTRODUCTION xi To Mr. Ponting (in common, I like to believe, with all true artists), it is more important that good work should be done, than that he, himself, should do it; and the following quotation shows how freely he gave of his own knowledge so that others should ‘train on’ to replace him—eager that his pupils should get the best out of material that might come their way, and not his. That good work should at all costs be done, no matter who was the man to do it, seems, from the following, to _ have been Mr. Ponting’s aim: ‘The photography craze is in full swing. Ponting’s mastery is ever more impressive, and his pupils improve day by day; nearly all of us have produced good negatives. . . . My incursion into photography has brought me in close touch with him, and I realise what a very good fellow he is; no pains are too great for him to take to help others, whilst his enthusiasm for his own work is unlimited.... I would describe him as sustained by artistic enthusiasm. This world of ours is a different one to him than it is to the rest of us. He gauges it by its picturesqueness. His joy is to reproduce its pictures artistically, his grief to fail to do so. No attitude could be happier for the work he has undertaken, and one cannot doubt its productiveness. His results are wonderfully good, and if he is able to carry out the whole of his programme we shall have a photographic record which will be absolutely hew in expeditionary work.’ Mr. Ponting had been a voracious traveller, and had sought out beauty in many strange and unfamiliar quarters of the world, taking splendid pictures as he went. Imagine, then, what a delight to the Antarctic travellers were the lantern- slides which he had the imagination and forethought to take South with him. These final quotations from my husband’s diary speak for themselves: ‘May 29th, 1911.—To-night Ponting gave us a charming lecture on Japan with wonderful illustrations of his own. He xii INTRODUCTION is happiest in his descriptions of the artistic side of the people, with whom he is in fullest sympathy. So he took us to see the flower pageants, the joyful festivals of the cherry- blossom, the wistaria, the iris and chrysanthemum—and the paths about the lotus gardens where mankind meditated in solemn mood. We had pictures, too, of Nikko and its beauties, of temples and great Buddhas. Then, in more touristy strain, of volcanoes and their craters, waterfalls and river-gorges, tiny tree-clad islets—that feature of Japan— baths and their bathers, Ainos and so on. His descriptions were well given and we all of us thoroughly enjoyed our evening.’ “ August 22nd, 1911.—Yesterday Ponting gave us a lecture on his Indian travels. He tells his story well, and his pictures are wonderful. In personal reminiscence he is distinctly dramatic—he thrilled us a good deal last night with a vivid description of a sunrise in the sacred city of Benares. In the first dim light the waiting, praying multitude of bathers, the wonderful ritual and its incessant performance; then, as the sun approaches, the hush—the effect of thousands of worshippers waiting in silence—a silence to be felt. Finally, as the first rays appear, the swelling roar of a single word from tens of thousands of throats: “Awm.” It was artistic to follow this picture of life with the gruesome horrors of the ghat. This impressionist style of lecturing is very attractive and must essentially cover a great deal of ground. So we saw Jeypore, Udaipore, Darjeeling, and a confusing number of places—temples, monuments, and tombs in profusion, with remarkable pictures of the Taj Mahal—horses, elephants, alligators, wild boars, and flamingoes—warriors, fakirs, and nautch girls—an impression here and an impression there. ‘It is worth remembering how attractive this style can be. In lecturing one is inclined to give too much attention to connecting links which join one episode to the other. A lecture need not be a connected story; perhaps it is better it should not be.’ INTRODUCTION Xiil ‘September 10th, 1911.—The second weekly lecture was given by Ponting. His store of pictures seems unending and has been an immense source of entertainment to us during the winter. His lectures appeal to all, and are fully attended. This time we had pictures of the Great Wall and other stupendous monuments in North China. Ponting always manages to work in details concerning the manners and customs of the people in the countries of his travels; on Friday he told us of Chinese farms and industries, of hawking and other sports, and, most curious of all, of the pretty amusement of flying pigeons with zolian whistling-pipes attached to their tail feathers.’ “June 22nd, 1911.—Midwinter Day. By the end of dinner a very cheerful spirit prevailed, and the room was cleared for Ponting and his lantern. He had cleverly chosen this oppor- tunity to display a series of slides made from his own local negatives. I have never so fully realised the value of his work as on seeing these beautiful pictures. They so easily outclass anything of their kind previously taken in these regions. The audience cheered vociferously.’ “Ponting would have been a great asset to our party if only on account of his lectures, but his value as pictorial recorder of events becomes daily more apparent. No expedi- tion has ever been illustrated so extensively, and the only difficulty will be to select from the countless subjects that have been recorded by his camera.’ ely Mr. Ponting has it in his power greatly to delight! KATHLEEN SCOTT. BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1910-13 SHORE) PARTY Officers Robert Falcon Scott...........Captain, C.V.O., R.N. é oR, GG, aR vans ce onde et Lieutenant, R.N. , iy Victor L.A. Campbell eons Lieutenant, R.N. Henry R. Bowers.....:......-Lieutenant, R.I.M. Lawrence E. G. Oates.\.......).. Captain, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. Gi Mutraybevick oi ee ei Surgeon, R.N. / Edward L. Atkinson.......... Surgeon, R.N., Parasitolo- gist. Scientific Staff Edward Adrian Wilson...:...:...B.A., M.B., Chief of Scien- tific Staff, and Zoologist. George C; Simpson. ..25)..002. D.Sc., Meteorologist. AR SiGartathy, Pa ylOn sets dita sence