The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-04-14
BY HERBERT COREY.

Copyright, 1910, by Edwin Wildman.
Some OF the pomps and glories OF this
world would make a duck 'giggle. Take
Ernest Henry Shackleton, explorer. for an
example. He put in Is months trying to
get a touchdown on the south pole,
Learned to eat Manchurian pony on the
hoof and liked 1t. Grew a beard in which
he had to blast toe holds for the razor
when he first tried to shave. Became so
rudely vigorous that when he ordered tea
In the Hotel Cecil on his return to London
the head waiter took him for rich
American. "You can Railways tell 'em by
their hair OF ''orrid 'ealth,' said that
functionary. Established place for him
self among scientists, although he is COM
paratively a mere kid. And what did he
get for 1t all? When King Edward had
his regular annual birthday, not being
able to set the clock back because folks
were looking, Shackleton became a knight.
That entities him to pass the porcelain at
tea parties, and get all gussied up with
sword that will swing between his legs
when he tries to walk. Here's husky
that can bite an ear off polar bear. and
he draws ticket emitting him to wear
suit Of tights like burly burlesquer
At, that it may be that the English
have a better line Of dope on the proper
way to praise polar explorers in cages
than we have Shackleton only got
within Ill miles Of the south pole and
then was forced to beat retreat because
MS two companions were UNBEATABLE. They
had been wearing the same outfit of
clothes for three months, according to Sir
Hanks story, and 1t may be they were
a bit high. When he got home, he found
himself $4,000 in debt for his little saun-
ter, but that has been cleared away for
him. And then he won this touching tag
OF knighthood and can spend the rest of
hna f-t< tab
telling 'em how he did It, Whereas on this
side the big wash we burn matches be-
tween the toes Of our explorers and prove
conclusively, first that they didn't find it,
and second, that IL they did find 1t they
are no gentlemen. On the whole, the
English method is perhaps to be preferred.
leaves less for the second generation to
live down.
Shackleton rather knocked the spots
off previous Antarctic explorers with his
little jaunt to the south He is young and
tender, as explorers go, for he was born IN
Ireland in November, 1874. But he doesn't
look as though he would tear under the
wings for he is large, angular person.
strong as DULL moose and possessed of
violent ideas on the advisability Of crew
obeying orders first and writing to the pa
pers about it after they get home.
He isn't a regular naval officer, for he
entered the merchant marine when he was
16 years old, and his name Is on the naval
reserve list, along with the officers of the
English transatlantic lines. Early in his
life he developed bug on polar work, and
In 1903 he joined the Scott expedition to
the south. They set a new mark, but
Shackleton came home broken in health
However. he had learned things. SCOTS
expedition had failed because that naval
officer didn't know how to carry food
or what sort Of food to carry. He would
have needed a pack train Of elephants to
transport his alright vctuals, and ele-
plants get sore-footed working over ice.
SO Shackleford determined to do little
exploring along his own lines. He had to
go In debt for the expedition, for he didn't
have any government backing to speak
Of. But he organized an expedition which
was provisioned along the lines he had
found best. He introduced a few vaude-
Vile stunts In polar work. too for he car
ried printing press, on which he pub
lished the Antarctic News" in his per-
manent camp and a spike-wheeled auto
mobile TO drag sedges loaded with grub
,ver the smooth ice. In addition he had