IV 



The Winter Party 



THE old hospital at Nain was to be the base camp for the 

 winter party from November until July; it had a good stove, 

 and provided sufficient wood could be collected it would 

 remain reasonably comfortable throughout the winter. To carry 

 out the survey work it was planned to send small survey teams 

 into camps in the area. These camps would be housed in light 

 arctic tents and occupied for a matter of two or three weeks, 

 after which the teams would return to the base in Nain. It was 

 realised that life in the camps in the depth of winter would be 

 extremely hard and the teams would probably need about ten 

 days or so at the base camp to plot the survey work completed 

 in the field and to prepare the gear for the next camp party. 



As the ship steamed slowly out of the bay and sailed for home 

 the winter party turned to their immediate tasks. The hospital 

 was scrubbed out and shelves and hooks were erected to take the 

 stores and the winter clothing; the chartroom had to be rigged 

 and provided with a table, chairs and racks to take the instru- 

 ments ; and the most important work of hauling in the firewood 

 and stacking it in readiness for use had to be started at once. 

 Meanwhile, the ice began to form in the Bay, at first very thin and 

 easily broken up by the slightest wind, but on 22nd November 

 news came in that the Port Manvers Run was completely frozen 

 over except for the rattles, and that people were able to walk 

 on the ice there. Sledging would soon begin. 



The population of Nain consisted of a number of 'settlers' of 

 European extraction and some Eskimo families, some living in 

 the settlement and others in huts, built as fishing and hunting 

 camps, tucked away in odd corners, at the head of an arm of the 

 sea, or close under a sheltering spruce coppice. These dwellings 

 were scattered thinly over the empty landscape. Some of them 

 had long since been given up as regular dwellings but were found 

 to offer some shelter to winter travellers to whom any protection 



3f 



