swear that Scott was the leading culprit, but Scott was certainly
one of several who had to finish the night on deck as a punishment.
In 1888 Scott passed his examinations for sub-lieutenant, with
four first-class honours and one second, and so left his boyhood
behind. I cannot refrain however from adding as a conclusion to
these notes a letter from Sir Courtauld
[Page 11]
Thomson that gives a very attractive glimpse of him in this same
year:

'In the late winter a quarter of a century ago I had to find my
way from San Francisco to Alaska. The railway was snowed up and
the only transport available at the moment was an ill-found tramp
steamer. My fellow passengers were mostly Californians hurrying off
to a new mining camp and, with the crew, looked a very unpleasant lot
of ruffians. Three singularly unprepossessing Frisco toughs joined
me in my cabin, which was none too large for a single person. I was
then told that yet another had somehow to be wedged in. While I
was wondering if he could be a more ill-favored or dirtier specimen
of humanity than the others the last comer suddenly appeared--the
jolliest and breeziest English naval Second Lieutenant. It was Con
Scott. I had never seen him before, but we at once became friends
and remained so till the end. He was going up to join his ship
which, I think, was the _Amphion_, at Esquimault, B. C.

'As soon as we got outside the Golden Gates we ran into a full
gale which lasted all the way to Victoria, B. C. The ship was so
overcrowded that a large number of women and children were allowed
to sleep on the floor of the only saloon there was on condition
that they got up early, so that the rest of the passengers could