i9l A BIRTHDAY ODE 187 



Debenham was the only smoker, and certainly found tobacco 

 a great solace. I had brought socks instead of tobacco, and had 

 looked forward to jeering at him when his tobacco and socks 

 gave out. Unfortunately our socks lasted much better this trip 

 as our boots were stronger, and I never used my spare socks I 



Gran started a drama a great 'nature play,' full of storms 

 and wrecks with a strong sub stratum of melodrama. It was 

 called ' Tangholman Lighthouse ' and we used to urge him to fill 

 it full of incident and cut out the ' nature ' part of it. I read 

 ' Martin Chuzzlewit ' for the nth time and found it, as always, 

 very interesting; while Forde tackled 'Incomparable Bellairs ' 

 a book which charmed Gran but luckily Forde made it last 

 a very long time. 



We played chess with our cardboard pieces. I think we were 

 fairly even, though Debenham often tried risky openings, to my 

 advantage. The place of Seaman Evans as Society Entertainer 

 was taken by Gran. His varied adventures in Arctic seas, among 

 the Andes, in Turkey, Venezuela, and other of the less known 

 regions of the earth interested us much. He was, I remember, 

 very anxious to experience the delights of ' station life ' as por- 

 trayed by Debenham. 



January 20 was Gran's birthday. I was sorry I couldn't re- 

 turn his kindly present (of Savoy sauce, &c.), but I told him I 

 would give him a ship during the day. The Sledge Poet con- 

 tributed the following Birthday Ode dealing with Gran's avowed 

 Nietzschian principles; which is here published if the Editor 

 thinks fit with Gran's gracious permission. 



ODE TO TRYGGVE 



ON HIS 23RD BIRTHDAY, CAPE ROBERTS 

 (Chanted at ye Full Pemmican Feast) 



Tryggve Gran, O Tryggve Gran, 



1 would thou wert a moral man. 



And yet since we 



(The other three) 

 Are just as moral as can be, 

 A ' soupcon de diablerie ' 

 Improves our little company. 



O Tryggve Gran, a holy calm 

 Is most essential in a psalm ; 



