1902] A NIGHT ON DUTY 263 



woollen clothing, of which there is always an abundance to 

 hand. On the whole, one feels that there is much less risk of 

 fire whilst the ship is steady than when she is knocking about 

 at sea, but the grave consequences keep one always alive to 

 the risk.' 



''July 20. — ... A southerly gale blew all yesterday and 

 through the night, bringing quantities of snow, as in May ; the 

 temperature rose as high as +12'^, and all the out-stations 

 show a corresponding increase. The fore-end of the awning 

 was split, the boats entirely covered, and the drifts about the 

 ship again raised to a height of ten or twelve feet. The fine 

 snow penetrated everywhere ; it raised our deck layer several 

 inches under the awning, crowded in through a small ventilation 

 hole in the magnetic observatory, completely covering the 

 instruments, and snowed-up the kennels, the occupants of 

 which have had to be temporarily housed on board. More 

 than once our efforts to light the stove filled the wardroom with 

 thick smoke, until we were glad to fly on deck for fresh air, 

 and subsequently to go fireless. Luckily, the high temperature 

 made this no great inconvenience. To-day the wind has gone 

 back to the eastward, from which direction it sweeps along the 

 loose snow with a rapidly falling temperature and a most 

 comfortless outlook.' 



'■July 21. — ... It was my "night on" last night. As I 

 have said, we take it in turn to make all the two-hourly obser- 

 vations from 10 P.M. to 6 a.m. Each of us has his own way 

 of passing the long, silent hours. My own custom is to devote 

 some of it to laundry-work, and I must confess I make a very 

 poor fist of it. However, with a bath full of hot water I com- 

 mence pretty regularly after the ten o'clock observation, and 

 labour away until my back aches. There is little difficulty 

 with the handkerchiefs, socks, and such-like articles, but when 

 it comes to thick woollen vests and pyjamas, I feel ready to 

 own my incapacity ; one always seems to be soaping and rub- 

 bing at the same place, and one is forced to wonder at the 

 area of stuff which it takes to cover a comparatively small 

 body. My work is never finished by midnight, but I generally 



