262 WITH SCOTT : THE SILVER LINING 



near the magnetie " hub of the universe," was obviously of 

 prime importance in this connection. 



The Cape Crozier party were now busily engaged with 

 their preparations for the midwinter journey to the haunt of 

 the Emperor penguins. For some weeks Cherry had been 

 practising hut-building near Skua Lake. He used the kenyte 

 boulders, which lay scattered around the hut. It was roofed 



with sealskin, and in one corner he 

 managed to maintain a blubber stove. 



Uncle Bill was busy making a patent 

 nose-guard to withstand the blizzards 

 of the Barrier. 



" Extraordinary the affection a 

 fellow gets for a pair of old pants ! 

 ■g-M, "J^S 5 * 5 ** 9 ^, says Birdie, who has spent all morning 

 <7 6^"°'^ darning a pair for the midwinter 



journey. Dr. Bill glances at them, 

 and says drily, " Most extraordinary ! " 



Some one else chimed in, " It's queer the way your 

 clothes vanish in this hut, even if they are marked ! ' We 

 all agreed that the only safe way was to wear them. Gran 

 pathetically remarked, " And dey do seem to go den too ! ' 



Said Meares caustically, " Never mind, you'll find them 

 when you have your next bath " (which sounds unkind, if you 

 don't understand the difficulties of bathing in the hut ; for 

 Gran melted down bits of glacier for a wash as often as most of 

 us !). 



I went out to South Bay to see how Nelson's biological 

 station was progressing, and carried a thermos flask with me. 

 The moon gave a little light. His semicircular wall (called 

 the " Igloo " ; quite wrongly) was built of mush ice from 

 the hole, and was now six feet high, opening to the north. It 

 was curious how the blizzard drifts rebounded from the wall 

 and left a windward trench all round the latter, though a 

 great pile of drift extended many yards north (to leeward). 



He picked at the new ice with a crowbar and ladled it out 

 with a sort of net. Then he pulled up his nets, which phos- 

 phoresced beautifully from transparent Siphonophora. It must 

 be understood that though our air temperature in winter was 

 below — 30 ; yet the salt water was always +29 (or 59 

 warmer !). So that a sound scheme would have been to have 



