IN WINTER QUARTERS WITH CAPTAIN SCOTT 289 



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slabs of ice which had covered old water channels and their 

 lower surfaces were sparkling with beautiful basket crystals 

 half an inch across. In some cases these were branched like 

 candelabra. Wright managed to photo some of them satis- 

 factorily, for unlike our rock collections, his specimens were 

 extremely fragile and hard to preserve. I renovated my 

 smaller camera which had suf- 

 fered so in the gale. After 

 I fitted it with a simple " flip- 

 flap " tin shutter, this piece of 

 apparatus was always called 

 the mousetrap. 



By this time most of the 

 diarists had lost their early 

 enthusiasm. The Owner wrote 

 an hour or two each day. 

 Gran and myself were probably the most voluminous writers. 

 Debenham, Cherry, Wilson, and Simpson also kept records ; 

 but most of the others affected to despise diaries. Wright 

 would bring his along once a fortnight, sometime when I was 

 engaged on mine, and look through it for references to him- 

 self. We often went for a walk together (invariably towards 

 the Erebus Glacier), so his diary was often something like 

 this — 



Aug. 1. — Went up the Ramp with G. T. 



2. — Ditto. 



3. — Ditto. 



4. — No entry. 



JK«. POotJSefVafj Q.<xt*\<U~a. 



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5) 



I suggested he should fill in his blank days with " Did not 

 go up the Ramp with G. T." ! The " illiterate " took a great, 

 if transitory, interest in our labours. Birdie seeing me stuck 

 for copy on August 1 3 sang out, " Write — Turned in, turned 

 out ; ditto, ditto. That'll fill your diary ! " Atkinson assisted 

 as follows : " On night watch ; slept till 10.30 ; woke up 

 and was very pleased to see Atkinson, because he's such a 

 good fellow ! ' Cherry's quota, " We have many cags on 

 scientific subjects and so acquire much merit." While Uncle 

 Bill, with a merry twinkle, added, " And next week we'll get 

 on to some serious work ! " 



I think the seamen enjoyed life in the Hut as much as 



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