THE HUT ROUTINE 



Though people jeered at the latter when placed on 

 the table, one noticed that next day there was never 

 any left. At 7.30 a.m. Roberts was called, and the 

 watchman's night was nearly over. At this hour also 

 Armytage or Mackay was called to look after the feeding 

 of the ponies, but before mid- winter day Armytage 

 had taken over the entire responsibility of the stables 

 and ponies, and he was the only one to get up. At 

 8.30 a.m. all hands were called, special attention being 

 paid to turning out the messman for the day, and after 

 some minutes of luxurious half -wakefulness, people 

 began to get up, expressing their opinions forcibly 

 if the temperature of the hut was below freezing-point, 

 and informing the night-watchman of his affinity to 

 Jonah if his report was that it was a windy morning. 

 Dressing was for some of the men a very simple affair, 

 consisting merely in putting on their boots and giving 

 themselves a shake; others, who undressed entirely, 

 got out of their pyjamas into their cold underclothing. 

 At a quarter to nine the call came to let down the 

 table from its position near the roof, and the messman 

 then bundled the knives, forks and spoons on to the 

 board, and at nine o'clock sharp every one sat down to 

 breakfast. 



The night-watchman's duties were over for a fort- 

 night, and the messman took on his work. The duties 

 of the messman were more onerous than those of the 

 night-watchman. He began, as I have stated, by laying 

 the table — a simple operation owing to the primitive 

 conditions under which we lived. He then garnished 

 this with three or four sorts of hot sauces to tickle 

 the tough palates of some of our party. At nine o'clock, 

 when we sat down, the messman passed up the bowls of 

 porridge and the big jug of hot milk, which was the 

 standing dish every day. Little was heard in the way 



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