I903] SETTLING DOWN 133 



' So at the end of all my cogitations on this most important 

 matter, I get little further than the knowledge that patience is 

 an invaluable quality, and that it is not the least use worrying 

 about the question now. I think this is pretty well the attitude 

 of everyone on board, for although the subject sometimes 

 crops up in conversation, it is generally dismissed as unprofit- 

 able : all are content to make the best of the present and hope 

 for the best in the future. 



' It is certainly a great matter for congratulation that we 

 are rid of the undesirable members of our community ; 

 although they were far too small a minority to cause active 

 trouble, there was always the knowledge that they were on 

 board, mixing freely with others, ready to fan the flame of dis- 

 content and exaggerate the smallest grievance. No doubt it 

 would have been possible to suppress this element as effectually 

 during a second winter as during the first, but one grows tired 

 of keeping a sharp eye on disciplinary matters, and it is an 

 infinite relief to feel that there is no longer the necessity for it. 

 With such an uncertain future before us, it is good to feel that 

 there is not a single soul to mar the harmony of our relations, 

 and to know that, whatever may befall, one can have complete 

 confidence in one's companions. 



* It is not until lately also that I realised how easily we 

 could spare the actual services of those who have left ; in fact, 

 the manner in which the work is done now seems to show that 

 they were a hindrance rather than a help to it. For instance, 

 though I was unaffectedly glad to see the last of our cook, I 

 was a little doubtful as to how we should manage in the galley 

 department, but as things have turned out, we are doing 

 infinitely better. It has been arranged that the cook's mate, 

 Clarke, should be nominally the cook, and that volunteers 

 from the crew should take spells of a fortnight or more as his 

 assistant ; this means practically that Clarke continues to make 

 the excellent bread and cakes which we have always enjoyed, 

 whilst the cooking is conducted more or less by a committee 

 of taste, who collectively bring considerable knowledge to bear 

 on the subject and take a huge delight in trying to make 



