IN WINTER QUARTERS WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT 261 



clearly that the"weather"conditionsVere extraordinarily localized 

 in the Ross Island area. 



They had started back on Sunday, butwere caught in a snow- 

 storm when about two miles off, and so took their bags off the 

 sledge and bolted back for safety ! Monday was very thick ; 

 and later Debenham woke, and his watch said 2. The only 

 clue as to whether this was 2 a.m. or 2 p.m. was that the dog 

 seemed very hungry, which made them think it was morning. 

 So they rushed off without breakfast, and expected to arrive 

 in time to have it with us ; to find us just getting ready for 

 supper ! It was a quaint coincidence that Birdie and Cherry 

 had also lost count of time, and came in expecting breakfast at 

 7 p.m. Such is the pernicious effect of the sun's absence for 

 four months ! 



For some weeks I had been helping Simpson in the 

 magnetic hut. Each Thursday he secluded himself in the 

 little asbestos hut, and proceeded to obtain absolute measure- 

 ments of the magnetic field. He had a small stove to warm 

 the hut, and kept the temperature at +65 , so we were com- 

 fortable enough, except that a wind of sixty degrees of frost 

 sailed in through the hole in the wall by which he viewed his 

 stadium. 



At Cape Evans the magnetic variation was about 150 E., 

 which means that the north-seeking end of the magnet pointed 

 to the south-east ! In other words, we were far to the south- 

 ward of the south magnetic pole. In fact, when we were 

 at Knob Head Mountain, up the Ferrar Glacier, the variation 

 was nearly 180 , and we were close to the line joining the 

 south magnetic pole to the end of the earth's axis — which is 

 the real South Pole. 



The procedure in the magnetic work was too technical 

 to be inserted here. However, Simpson estimated the dip 

 of the needle by accurate measurement of the angle of rest of 

 a magnet swung on a horizontal axis. Then he got the hori- 

 zontal factor. This controls the position of an ordinary 

 magnet, as usually swung on a vertical axis. 



The results were used as a check on the continous record 

 obtained from the magnetometers in the ice grotto. At 

 certain fixed dates Simpson and Wright carried out " quick 

 runs." All the chief observatories in the world were doing 

 the same work at the same instant, and Simpson's work, so 



