230 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April 



point to an inverted temperature gradient over the great 

 ice-plain. 



' The day starts early with Royds, our first lieutenant, also, 

 for he must be up to see the men started at their various jobs. 

 His special care is the meteorology, and the manner in which 

 he sticks to what might well be considered a monotonous task 

 is beyond praise. Rough or fine, every two hours from lo a.m. 

 to 8 P.M. he journeys forth on his round of observations. 

 Regularly each morning the fair record books are produced 

 on the wardroom table, and the rough observations of the 

 previous day neatly entered in their columns. With the care 

 of the ship's work, the maintenance of the various instruments 

 in good working order, and many a stray task, it can be 

 imagined that he has few idle hours. But one at least he 

 finds — that immediately before dinner, when he goes to the 

 piano and plays it, sometimes with and sometimes without 

 the aid of the pianola ; in either case we others in our various 

 cabins have the pleasure of listening to excellent music and 

 feel that the debt of gratitude we owe to our only musician 

 is no light one. This hour of music has become an institution 

 which none of us would willingly forego. I don't know what 

 thoughts it brings to others, though I can readily guess ; but 

 of such things one does not care lo write. I can well believe, 

 however, that our music smooths over many a rufifle and 

 brings us to dinner each night in that excellent humour, when 

 all seem good-tempered, though " cleared for action " and 

 ready for fresh argument. 



* Shackleton is editor of our monthly journal, the " South 

 Polar Times " ; he is also printer, manager, typesetter, and 

 ofl?ice boy, and consequently a week before that publication 

 appears he is kept pretty busy. At slacker seasons he con- 

 ducts experiments to determine the salinity of the sea-ice and 

 the sea-water about the ship, sees that the dogs are properly 

 cared for, besides many other odd jobs, and at all seasons he 

 is responsible for the serving-out of provisions and for the 

 proper regulation of the cooking and general galley arrange- 

 ments. 



