THE MEMBERS OF THE PARTY 
535 
piece. It is only now I realise how much has been due 
to him. Our ski shoes and crampons have been absolutely 
indispensable, and if the original ideas were not his, the 
details of manufacture and design and the good workman- 
ship are his alone. He is responsible for every sledge, 
every sledge fitting, tents, sleeping-bags, harness, and 
when one cannot recall a single expression of dissatisfaction 
with any one of these items, it shows what an invaluable 
assistant he has been. Now, besides superintending the 
putting up of the tent, he thinks out and arranges the 
packing of the sledge ; it is extraordinary how neatly 
and handily everything is stowed, and how much study 
has been given to preserving the suppleness and good 
running qualities of the machine. On the Barrier, before 
the ponies were killed, he was ever roaming round, 
correcting faults of stowage. 
Little Bowers remains a marvel— he is thoroughly 
enjoying himself. I leave all the provision arrangement 
in his hands, and at all times he knows exactly how we 
stand, or how each returning party should fare. It has 
been a complicated business to redistribute stores at 
various stages of re-organisation, but not one single 
mistake has been made. In addition to the stores, he 
keeps the most thorough and conscientious meteorological 
record, and to this he now adds the duty of observer 
and photographer. Nothing comes amiss to him, and no 
work is too hard. It is a difficulty to get him into the 
tent ; he seems quite oblivious of the cold, and he lies 
coiled in his bag writing and working out sights long 
after the others are asleep. 
