The ideal of Captain Scott was completeness, and he put it into practice in his second expedition. This is the reason that the areas discovered from his chosen M’Murdo base are far more exhaustively explored, as regards every branch of science, than any other area within either the Arctic or Antarctic Circles.

After four years of naval service Scott entered upon the organisation of his final expedition. In September 1908 he was happily married to Miss Kathleen Bruce, who gave signal encouragement and help to her husband in all his work connected with the expedition. With such help the labour of preparation was much lightened, and the work of collecting the funds, a tedious and wearisome business, was fairly successful. Sir Edgar Speyer consented to act as treasurer, Mr. George Wyatt was business manager, and Mr. Drake, R.N., secretary. In September, 1909, the Terra Nova, the largest of the Dundee whalers, was purchased from Messrs Bowring of Liverpool, and handed over in the West India Docks on November 8th. She was barque-rigged, built in 1884, was of 744 tons gross and 450 net register; with a length of 187 ft., beam 31 ft., depth 19 ft. Scott had been elected to the Royal Yacht Squadron, so the Terra Nova flew the white ensign. Most of the interior re-fitting was entrusted to Lieut. Evans, who was to be captain on the way out, but to land when the station for wintering was reached. The provisions were most carefully selected and packed. Special 4-inch theodolites were constructed for sledge travelling, and there were 8 chronometers and 12 deck watches. Ponies and good teams of dogs were obtained from Siberia by Mr. Meares, Commander Wilfred Bruce meeting him at Vladivostock. They were brought to New Zealand with two Russian drivers.

The expedition had two 12-ft. and thirty ordinary sledges, ordered at Christiania. Captain Scott was very anxious that his experiments with motor sledges should be successful, for he disliked the use of dogs or ponies, and hoped that motor traction would be the remedy. He made trials, both in the Alps and in Norway, which gave every hope of success, and three motor sledges were taken out. One was lost in landing; the other two went well on the surface of the barrier, and the system of propulsion was quite satisfactory, but their use had to be abandoned owing to the over-heating of the air-cooled engines, a defect which could undoubtedly be remedied. Captain Scott was quite on the right tack, and with more experience, his idea of polar motors will hereafter be made feasible, a consummation which was very dear to his heart.

The financial position made a relief ship impossible, and it was arranged that the Terra Nova should land the exploring party with their provisions and a suitable house ready for erection, going back to New Zealand for the winter and returning in the next navigable season.

The Admiralty were fairly liberal in their permission for naval officers and men to join the Terra Nova. There were four Lieutenants—Evans, Pennell, Campbell, and Rennick. A young Lieutenant of the Indian Marine, named Bowers, was also allowed to go, but in his case the Indian Government was the reverse of liberal. Captain Oates of the Inniskilling Dragoons was a volunteer, and an invaluable acquisition. Two naval surgeons were allowed to join, Dr Atkinson and Dr Levick. Dr Wilson of the Discovery was chief of the scientific staff and a host in himself. Besides the two Russians there were twelve men to land, all naval. Of these, five were old Discoveries. Lashly and Edgar Evans were Scott’s companions during his great journey over the ice-cap. Crean and Williamson were also thoroughly reliable men, the former having been Captain Scott’s coxswain in the Victorious.

With the most complete collection of scientific instruments and appliances Captain Scott resolved to have the largest and most efficient scientific staff that ever left these shores. Instead of the two biologists of the Discovery he took four, Dr Wilson, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Cherry Garrard, and Mr. Lillie; instead of one geologist he took three, Mr. Griffith Taylor, Mr. Debenham, and Mr Priestley, one of them a specialist in physiography; instead of one physicist he took two, Dr Simpson and Mr Wright; besides a photographer of great ability, Mr. Ponting. A young Sub-Lieutenant of the Norwegian navy, named Tryggve Gron, came as a ski expert, Mr. Day as motor engineer, and Mr. Meares in charge of the dogs.

The Terra Nova left the docks on June 1st, and arrived at Stokes Bay on June 3rd, 1910. They were all cordially received by the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth and at Cardiff there was another enthusiastic reception. During the voyage out the Terra Nova touched at Simon’s Bay, Melbourne, and Lyttelton; large and very generous subscriptions to the expedition being received from Cape Colony, Australia, and New Zealand.

After a stay of a month at Lyttelton, where the ponies and dogs were taken on board, and a valuable addition was made to the executive officers in the person of Scott’s brother-in-law, Wilfred Bruce, the Terra Nova finally sailed for the Antarctic regions on November 29th, 1910. Three days had not passed before the explorers encountered a furious storm from the S.W., lasting from December 1st to 3rd. The ship, hove to under a main lower topsail, laboured heavily and big seas began to come on board. The ponies suffered greatly, and Captain Oates and Dr Atkinson worked incessantly throughout the gale, dragging the poor beasts on to their legs again. The solid water which came on board lifted the coal bags and flung them against the rest of the deck cargo, acting like battering rams and gradually loosening the lashings of the petrol cases and forage bales. Soon the whole of the deck cargo was in danger, and there was nothing for it but to heave the coal bags overboard and re-lash the petrol cases. But the seas were continually breaking over the crew, and now and again they were completely submerged.

Worse was to come. It was reported that the pumps were choked and that the water, steadily gaining, was now over the stokehold plates. Every effort was being made to keep the fires fed, but a considerable part of the water on the upper deck found its way below. Then it was discovered that the main engine pump was also choked. The water gained to the lower level of the boilers, and the order had to be given to draw fires. The ship was very deeply laden, and it did not need the addition of much water to get her water-logged. As the water was gaining and there were no pumps available, the only resource left was an attempt at baling, yet the idea of baling a ship out by hand seemed ludicrous. Nevertheless all the officers and scientific staff fell to, working two hours’ spells all day and night, passing up buckets of water from hand to hand.

Captain Scott felt that, at all hazards, they must get at the hand pump suctions, and ordered a hole to be made in the steel bulkhead behind the boiler. All this time the gale was raging as furiously as ever. About midnight the hole through the bulkhead was completed, and Evans and Bowers crawled through to the pump suctions and found them choked with coal. This was got out, and the pump on being tried again gave a good stream once more. By morning the level of the water was brought under the stokehold plates again. Very slowly the wind and sea had been moderating and in the afternoon of December 3rd they were able to continue the voyage. Two ponies had dropped never to rise again, with the minor losses of 10 tons of coal, 65 gallons of petrol, and a case of the biologists’ spirits. The ship had been in great danger. This terrible experience in its absorbing interest stands side by side with Ross’s story of the collision among the icebergs.

On December 9th the Terra Nova entered the pack in 65° 5′ S. and 178° E. There was a long detention, unlike the fortunate voyage of the Discovery, and it was not until December 30th that the ship was extricated in 71° 30′ S., having had to force her way through 370 miles of ice. On January 3rd, 1911, Cape Crozier was sighted, the ship entered M’Murdo Sound, and on the 4th she was off the winter quarters at Cape Evans, 14 miles north of the Discovery’s winter quarters. The landing was at once commenced. In a week the house, stores, coals, animals, and equipments were all on shore. In a fortnight the house was built and habitable, and in three weeks everything was ready for the depôt journey.

One part of Captain Scott’s plan was that Lieut. Campbell should explore King Edward VII Land with Dr Levick, Mr. Priestley the geologist, three men, and two ponies. The Terra Nova, now commanded by Lieut. Pennell, accordingly took the party with their house and stores, leaving M’Murdo Sound on January 26th, but unfortunately no landing could be found at King Edward VII Land. Lieut. Pennell then took them to Balloon Bay, where there is a landing on the barrier, but the place was found to be already occupied by Amundsen’s party. Campbell, in consequence, gave up the plan of landing there, and returned to Cape Evans and left the ponies. He then went on in the Terra Nova, intending to land at Smith Inlet, or as near Cape North as possible. But once more fortune was against him, the ice prevented the ship from approaching the land, and the whole coast back to Cape Adare was found to consist of inaccessible ice cliffs. Ultimately the party were landed in Robertson Bay, where they wintered. Sledging was attempted, but the ice near the coast proved too rotten to be trustworthy, and no exploring could be done in the direction of Cape North. On January 8th, 1912, the Terra Nova arrived and took the party on board, landing them again near Mt Melbourne with six weeks’ sledging rations only. But grave misfortune was in store for them. The ship was prevented by dense pack from picking them up again and they were forced to winter, living in an ice cave with little besides penguins and seals for their food. These great privations were met with the greatest fortitude and cheerfulness, and in October they started with their sledge, reaching Cape Evans safely November 7th, 1912.

After landing Campbell’s party, Lieut. Pennell again shaped a course to the westward, and discovered a long line of new coast beyond Cape North, from 68° 30′ S. and 158° 15′ E. to 69° 50′ S. and 163° 29′ E. On March 8th the Terra Nova was beset, and from March 20th a S.W. gale took her to Stewart Island. After being thoroughly overhauled and repaired the ship was chartered by the New Zealand Government to survey the channel between the north point of the North Island and the Three Kings Islands, 38 miles to the N.W. The survey occupied three months, and Lieut. Rennick drew the resulting chart, since published by the Admiralty. In the next winter Lieut. Pennell conducted another survey for the New Zealand Government, this time of Admiralty Bay, the chart being drawn by Lieut. Rennick. “It was a great thing,” Pennell thought, “to have such long and continuous work for all hands during the winter.” Lieut. Wilfred Bruce was a most valuable addition to the executive staff on board, and Mr. Lillie was indefatigable as a collector. Very valuable lines of deep sea soundings were taken southwards from New Zealand, and a large biological collection was made. Indeed the Terra Nova made no unimportant addition to the results of the expedition.

Captain Scott was meanwhile preparing for one of the greatest feats in man-drawn sledge travelling that has ever been achieved, comparable with the splendid journeys of M’Clintock and Mecham. There was much to be done and no time to lose. A great depôt had to be laid out during the autumn, a hundred and thirty miles to the south. Scott started on January 25th from Cape Evans with 12 men, 8 ponies, and 26 dogs, with 14 weeks’ food and fuel (5385 lb.), 3680 lb. of compressed fodder, 1400 lb. of dog biscuit and 15 sacks of oats.

The journey was along the coast of Ross Island, passing the well-remembered places and the great hut at the Discovery’s winter quarters. The first depôt was formed in 77° 55′, to the S.E. of Cape Armitage, called the home depôt. This was “Corner Camp.” On the 12th February the party passed Minna Bluff, and rested at Bluff Camp; on the 15th the place for the final depôt was reached in 79° 28′ S., where 2181 lb. of provisions were deposited. This was the “One-ton Depôt.”

In returning, a short cut was attempted by Scott with the dog teams nearer the coast, where the ice turned out to be heavily crevassed. On the 20th February they covered 35 miles. Next day they were about 12 miles inshore from Corner Camp. The men were running by the sledges. Suddenly Dr Wilson shouted “Hold on to the sledge,” and as he spoke the whole team of dogs sank through the snow down a crevasse, and hung by their harness far down the abyss. Scott hauled the sledge clear and anchored it. The dogs were howling dismally. Two had dropped out of their harness and landed on a snow bridge far below. Cherry Garrard brought the Alpine rope they had with them; the sledge was unloaded, and run across the gap. The dogs were then hauled up two by two until eleven of the thirteen were recovered, the other two loose ones being on the snow bridge 65 ft. down the chasm. Scott made a bowline in the Alpine rope and was lowered down. He reached the bridge, fastened the first dog to the rope, which was hauled up, and then the second. Lastly he himself, with some effort, was hauled to the surface. It was all the other three could do, the cold being intense and their fingers badly frost-bitten. Scott of course was in great danger, but he had insisted upon going down. It was characteristic of him that “he wanted to take such a good opportunity of examining the sides of a crevasse.”

A greater disaster overtook the ponies in the return journey, coming from the Barrier on to the sea ice. It suddenly broke up, forming lanes of water, and notwithstanding every exertion to save them, two were lost on the ice and others succumbed to the furious icy gales. The year had been quite exceptional in this respect. There had already been four furious southerly gales. It was not until April 13th that Captain Scott returned to Cape Evans.

The abode for the winter had been carefully planned. The walls and roof had a double thickness of boarding, with sea-weed on both sides of the frames. On the south side Bowers built a long annex to contain spare clothing and provisions for immediate use. On the north was the stable, and a short distance away was a solid block of ice in which two caverns were dug, one for a larder, the other for differential magnetic instruments. Near this cavern there was a hut for absolute magnetic observations, and on a small hill above, on which was a flag-staff, were the meteorological instruments.

The house, below the hill, was on a long stretch of bleak sand, with many tons of provision cases ranged in neat blocks in front of it. The interior was divided into two rooms. Two-thirds of the area was for the 16 officers and members of the scientific staff, the other third for the 9 men210. In the officers’ quarters there was a dark room, a space for the physicist and his instruments, a space for charts, instruments, and chronometers, and on the sides the 16 bed-places. Arrangements for light, warmth, and cooking were very satisfactory. The ten surviving ponies were made comfortable in their stables by the Russian lads.

The last day of the sun was April 23rd. Throughout the winter there was much to be done and many calculations to be made respecting the great journey. Everyone was always busy and the daily exercising of the horses was no simple task. Every Sunday divine service was held. There were frequent lectures, generally on subjects connected with Antarctic travelling or scientific work, often illustrated, and always followed by a discussion. So the winter passed, with the most perfect good fellowship. The South Polar Times was again started under the editorship of Cherry Garrard, well aided by Dr Wilson’s admirable illustrations.

Dr Wilson was anxious to visit the emperor penguin rookery in order to secure eggs of the bird at such a stage as would furnish a series of early embryos by which alone the particular points of interest in the development of the bird could be worked out—this penguin being supposed to be the nearest approach to the primitive form. The journey entailed the risk of travelling in the winter and in darkness, for the birds nest in the coldest season of the year, early in July.

The party consisted of Dr Wilson, Lieut. Bowers, and Cherry Garrard, with two sledges and provisions for five weeks. They started on June 27th, 1911, and next day passed round Cape Armitage, and turned in the direction of Cape Crozier. At night the temperature was -56° Fahr. On July 11th, off Mount Terror, the wind from S.S.W. blowing a gale, brought the temperature up in a most extraordinary way to +7° Fahr., with heavy snow-fall. On the 15th they got to a height overlooking the barrier cliffs, with a magnificent view, the whole range of pressure ridges at their feet, looking “as if giants had been ploughing with ploughs that made furrows fifty or sixty feet deep.” The Ross Sea was completely frozen over, except an open lead along the coast. On this height at about 800 ft. they built a stone hut. On the 19th they made an unsuccessful attempt to descend to the rookery and next day the hut was finished. Then at last they effected a descent. Six eggs were collected and three birds were killed and skinned. Returning, the ascent was extremely difficult and hazardous. A heavy gale was blowing on the 22nd from S.S.W. and the tent was blown clean away. They took refuge in the hut, but next day the force of wind had risen to a storm, and the roof of the hut was blown away. At last the wind went down and they all started in search of the tent, which Bowers found a quarter of a mile from the place where it had been pitched, but fortunately undamaged. Without the tent it is doubtful whether any of them would have survived. The return journey in darkness and intense cold was terrible, the bags were saturated and hard frozen. Hut Point was reached on the last day of July, and the home at Cape Evans on August 1st.

Scott wrote:—

From that time all was preparation and calculation for the great journey. The ponies were to take them to the foot of the glacier, where they would be killed for fresh food; the dog teams were also to go thus far, as far as they could be taken without cruelty. The hope that the motor sledges would be useful auxiliaries was vain. Scott had looked forward to their revolutionizing polar traction, but was doomed to disappointment.

From the foot of the glacier to the Pole, a distance of 450 miles, the extended party would be able to reach their goal by the help of two limited parties, making three parties of four men each to start. Six depôts were to be placed at intervals. The most careful calculations were made about the quantity in each depôt and the quantity to be taken by each returning party, and it was found in practice that every detail of equipment was right.

Before starting, Captain Scott, with Dr Simpson, Bowers, and Edgar Evans went for a fortnight on what he called a remarkably pleasant and instructive spring journey. The party went a long way up the Ferrar Glacier, and Scott was able to measure the movement of the glacier, finding it to be at the rate of 24 to 32 feet in 7½ months.

On the 1st November, 1911, Captain Scott started on his last great journey. The ponies were in fine form, due to the care of Captain Oates through the winter. They drew 450 lb. each. On the 15th “One-ton Depôt” was reached, 130 miles from Cape Evans. On arriving at the entrance to the Beardmore Glacier the ponies were shot for fresh food. They had done their work well. Meares and the dog teams returned home.

From December 5th to the 9th a furious gale was blowing with heavy snow-fall. This most unfortunate storm not only caused serious delay, but also filled the lower part of the glacier ravine with soft snow, retarding progress and causing awful toil.

The three final units of four were:—

The ascent was hard work, and falls down crevasses to the length of the harness were quite common, but on the 22nd December the summit was reached at 7100 ft. in 85° 13′ S., 161° 55′ E. and here the “Upper Glacier Depôt” was formed. At this point Atkinson, Wright, Cherry Garrard, and Keohane bade farewell—alas! a long farewell—to their beloved chief, and returned.

Pushing steadily on, the two remaining parties reached 86° 55′ 47″ S. and formed another depôt, consisting of a week’s provisions for both units. It was named “Three-Degree Depôt.” On January 2nd, 1912, the camp was in 87° 32′ S. Long. 160° 40′ E., and 9600 ft. above the sea. Here Bowers joined the extended party, raising the number to five. The last limited party, consisting of Commander Evans, Crean, and Lashly, bade farewell and set out on the return journey. Evans was attacked by scurvy, became rapidly worse, and near Corner Camp was unable to go further. Lashly remained to nurse him, while Crean went off alone for help. Fortunately Dr Atkinson was at Hut Point and came at once to the rescue. Evans was brought safely down, and got on board the Terra Nova211.

Scott, with his four gallant companions, was left within 140 miles of the South Pole, with provisions for a month, and depôts at proper intervals in their rear.