2 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [November 



listing the shore party stores. Everything seems to have gone 

 without a hitch. The various gifts and purchases made in New 

 Zealand were collected — butter, cheese, bacon, hams, some pre- 

 served meats, tongues. 



Meanwhile the huts were erected on the waste ground be- 

 yond the harbour works. Everything was overhauled, sorted, 

 and marked afresh to prevent difficulty in the South. Davies, 

 our excellent carpenter, Forde, Abbott, and Keohane were em- 

 ployed in this work. The large green tent was put up and proper 

 supports made for it. 



When the ship came out of dock she presented a scene of 

 great industry. Officers and men of the ship, with a party of 

 stevedores, were busy storing the holds. Miller's men were 

 building horse stalls, caulking the decIvS, resecuring the deck- 

 houses, putting in bolts and various small fittings. The engine- 

 room staff and Anderson's people on the engines; scientists were 

 stowing their laboratories; the cook refitting his galley, and so 

 forth — not a single spot but had its band of workers. 



We prepared to start our stowage much as follows: The 

 main hold contains all the shore party provisions and part of the 

 huts; above this on the main deck is packed in wonderfully close 

 fashion the remainder of the wood of the huts, the sledges, and 

 travelling equipment, and the larger instruments and machines 

 to be employed by the scientific people; this encroaches far on 

 the men's space, but the extent has been determined by their own 

 wish; they have requested, through Evans, that they should not 

 be considered: they were prepared to pig it anyhow, and a few 

 cubic feet of space didn't matter — such is their spirit. 



The men's space, such as it is, therefore, extends from the 

 fore hatch to the stem on the main deck. 



Under the forecastle are stalls for fifteen ponies, the maxi- 

 mum the space would hold; the narrow irregular space in front 

 is packed tight with fodder. 



Immediately behind the forecastle bulkhead is the small 

 booby hatch, the only entrance to the men's mess deck in bad 

 weather. Next comes the foremast, and between that and the 

 fore hatch the galley and winch; on the port side of the fore 

 hatch are stalls for four ponies — a very stout wooden structure. 



Abaft the fore hatch is the ice-house. We managed to get 



3 tons of ice, 162 carcases of mutton, and three carcases of beef. 



