IN WINTER QUARTERS WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT 223 



collected in the corners. But one object in the hut looked 

 rather incongruous, and that was the Broadwood Pianola, lent 

 us by the Broadwood Company. It was intended to keep 

 this on the ship, but our unloading was done so successfully 

 that some time could be devoted to transhipping the pianola. 

 By dint of dismantling the wardroom — removing the stairs 

 bodily — Rennick and his assistants managed to hoist the 

 pianola on deck, and so got it eventually into the hut. 



We were a strikingly unmusical crew. Ponting on the 

 banjo and Nelson on the mandolin were the best. No one 

 but myself ever used the piano. I had three pieces of music 

 and speedily lost one — it was found under the pianola buried 

 in grime six months later, — so that there was rather a same- 

 ness about my performance. I grieve to state that my two 

 pieces became less rather than more popular as winter 

 advanced ! 



However, I rather thought I might shine as a pianola 

 player, and started to practise as early as April. After listening 

 for some time, my scientific colleagues, who occupied bunks 

 immediately back of the pianola, were moved to remark, 

 " For Heaven's sake, Griff, give that a miss, and let some one 

 play who can keep time ! ' Perhaps I should have persevered, 

 but they could throw too straight, and I never attempted 

 pianola-playing again. 



On the 21st Scott returned from Hut Point, leaving 

 Meares, Nelson, Day, Forde, Keohane, Lashley, and Demetri 

 in the 1902 hut with the ponies. 



They had had bad weather going — as I expected. Very 

 thick drift hampered them, and the new chums, especially 

 Hooper, had been severely frostbitten. The latter had two 

 angry red sores on his neck where the blizzard had caught 

 him between his helmet and jersey. To climb the cliff at 

 Hutton Cliffs they had to empty a sledge. Crean and 

 Lashley held it up at arms' length like a ladder, and Scott 

 managed to climb up it, and cut steps over the cornice. They 

 reported that the others expected to stay a fortnight more, 

 and they augured badly for the commissariat under Meares, 

 because " he's so very sparing with the butter ! " 



Ponting kindly developed my western negatives in his 

 dark-room. They were no worse than I expected, being, 

 however, all rather thin. Half a dozen were broken, and I had 



