IN WINTER QUARTERS WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT 269 



" Every second present or so was a necklace or earrings 

 for ( Miss Jessie ' Debenham. Meares got many wedding- 

 rings in memory of his refrain, ' Ting ! Ting ! You buy the 

 ring.' * Marie ' Nelson had a huge fan, while Dr. Bill got a 

 book of drawing copies. Titus got a popgun, and ' Silas ' 

 Wright an envelope marked £ In memory of my native land,' 

 containing the Stars and Stripes ! This, as a loyal Canadian, 

 he threw away with contumely. 



" I got a c Physiographic outfit ' of shovel, axe, and pick 

 for ' our Griff,' and a packet of shaving paper for c the Lord 

 High Physiographer,' and (I blush to state) a trumpet with a 

 note which I scorn to set down ! 



" Then the table was cleared away, after we had pulled 

 crackers, and we sat down to look at Ponting's slides of events 

 to date. They were admirable, especially the Icefoot and Pan- 

 cake ice. I was exhibited rather frequently, and the incipient 

 beard excited much hilarity." 



A few of the seamen became rather merry by this time, 

 and a set of lancers was not a great success, my partner finding 

 the floor unsteady. We all turned in before 2 a.m. (except 

 Dr. Bill, who was on watch), and so ended our Midwinter 

 Feast. 



On the next day I spent some hours trying to find the 

 exact time when the sun was lowest. As we had not seen 

 him for two months, this 

 may seem difficult ! But 

 from the Nautical Alma- 

 nac it was possible to plot 

 the sun's position (de- 

 clination) for three or 

 four days each side of 

 the 22nd. This came 

 out a parabola, of which 

 we could not find the 

 exact apex (or date of 

 lowest sun). However, 

 by adding the curve of 

 the variation (as sug- 

 gested by Wright), the 

 date came out readily enough at the intersection of two 

 straight lines. 



2.S-6 (I 



Dec|ina.ffon 





