i9"l A SATISFACTORY ORGANISATION 165 



two or three of our animals, in which they can lie down if they 

 are so inclined. 



The ponies look fairly fit considering the low diet on which 

 they have been kept; their coats were surprisingly long and 

 woolly in contrast with those of the animals I had left at Hut 

 Point. At this time they were being exercised by Lashly, Anton, 

 Demetri, Hooper, and Clissold, and as a rule were ridden, the 

 sea having only recently frozen. The exercise ground had lain 

 on the boulder-strewn sand of the home beach and extending 

 towards the Skua lake; and across these stretches I soon saw 

 barebacked figures dashing at speed, and not a few amusing 

 incidents in which horse and rider parted with abrupt lack of 

 ceremony. I didn't think this quite the most desirable form of 

 exercise for the beasts, but decided to leave matters as they 

 were till our pony manager returned. 



Demetri had only five or six dogs left in charge, but these 

 looked fairly fit, all things considered, and it was evident the 

 boy was bent on taking every care of them, for he had not only 

 provided shelters, but had built a small ' lean to ' which would 

 serve as a hospital for any animal whose stomach or coat needed 

 nursing. 



Such were in broad outline the impressions I received on 

 my first return to our home station; they were almost wholly 

 pleasant and, as I have shown, in happy contrast with the fears 

 that had assailed me on the homeward route. As the days went 

 by I was able to fill in the detail in equally pleasant fashion, to 

 watch the development of fresh arrangements and the improve- 

 ment of old ones. Finally, in this way I was brought to realise 

 what an extensive and intricate but eminently satisfactory organ- 

 isation I had made myself responsible for. 



Notes on Flyleaf of Fresh MS. Book 

 Genus Homo, Species Sapiens! 



Flotsam 



Wm. Barents' house in Novaya Zemlya built 1596. Found by Capt. 

 Carlsen 1 871 (275 years later) intact, everything inside as left! What 

 of this hut? 



The ocean girt continent. 



1 Might have seemed almost heroic if any higher end than excessive love 

 of gain and traffic had animated the design.' Milton. 



