“Sunday, March 5th, broke clear and calm. The managers from all five whaling stations had assembled at the church by three o’clock that afternoon, and a crowd of about one hundred fishermen were present to pay their last respects to Sir Ernest. The first part of the funeral service was said in English and Norwegian, Mr. Binnie, the magistrate, officiating. Then the coffin was taken by six Shetland islanders—all ex-Service men who happened to be working at Leith Harbour whaling station—to a light decauville railway, and carried over tiny mountain streams formed by the melting snow, and past huge boilers and piles of whalebones to the little cemetery on the hill. On arrival there the funeral service was completed, and with the British and Norwegian flags at half-mast at the gate of the cemetery the coffin was lowered to its last resting-place. “After the grave had been filled in I had a simple wooden cross erected, and on it I hung wreaths which I had brought from Monte Video on behalf of Lady Shackleton and her children, Mr. and Mrs. J. Q. Rowett, and the members of the expedition. “Many more floral and other tributes were placed round and on the grave. “When the funeral service was over Mr. Hansen, the manager of Leith Harbour whaling station, very kindly offered me the hospitality of his house till I could get passage in a homeward-bound ship. Nothing had been heard of the _Quest_, and I was anxiously waiting for news of my companions. On the morning of April 6th Hansen wakened me with the news of the ship’s arrival. We were not long in going aboard, and I reported at once to Commander Wild, giving him a full account of all that had happened. While the _Quest_ was in harbour I went aboard and shared in such work as was necessary, and Commander Wild decided that I had better return to Monte Video as quickly as possible, collect all Sir Ernest’s gear which I had left there in store, and proceed to England, there to report to Mr. Rowett and Lady Shackleton and give them any information that they might require. “Accordingly I arrived at Monte Video on the _Neko_ on April 24th, and, accompanied by the British Minister, I thanked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Buero, on behalf of Mr. Rowett and the members of the expedition for the way that this great little Republic had honoured our late leader’s memory. “I arrived in England on May 28th and was met at Southampton by Mr. Rowett, whose many encouraging and sympathetic cables had greatly cheered me on my sad and lonely mission, and to whom I gave a full report of all that had happened since the _Quest_ had left England in September, 1921.” [Illustration: A GLACIER FACE IN SOUTH GEORGIA _Photo: Wilkins_] [Illustration: A ROCKY OUTCROP IN SOUTH GEORGIA