Our excellent cook had just the right meal prepared for us—­an enormous dish of rice and figs, and cocoa in a bucket!  The hut party were all very delighted to see us, and the fittings and comforts of the hut are amazing to the newcomers.

Saturday, April 22.—­Cape Evans, Winter Quarters.  The sledging season is at an end.  It’s good to be back in spite of all the losses we have sustained.

To-day we enjoy a very exceptional calm.  The sea is freezing over of course, but unfortunately our view from Observatory Hill is very limited.  Oates and the rest are exercising the ponies.  I have been sorting my papers and getting ready for the winter work.

CHAPTER IX

The Work and the Workers

Sunday, April 23.—­Winter Quarters.  The last day of the sun and a very glorious view of its golden light over the Barne Glacier.  We could not see the sun itself on account of the Glacier, the fine ice cliffs of which were in deep shadow under the rosy rays.

Impression.—­The long mild twilight which like a silver clasp unites to-day with yesterday; when morning and evening sit together hand in hand beneath the starless sky of midnight.

It blew hard last night and most of the young ice has gone as expected.  Patches seem to be remaining south of the Glacier Tongue and the Island and off our own bay.  In this very queer season it appears as though the final freezing is to be reached by gradual increments to the firmly established ice.

Had Divine Service.  Have only seven hymn-books, those brought on shore for our first Service being very stupidly taken back to the ship.

I begin to think we are too comfortable in the hut and hope it will not make us slack; but it is good to see everyone in such excellent spirits—­so far not a rift in the social arrangements.

Monday, April 24.—­A night watchman has been instituted mainly for the purpose of observing the aurora, of which the displays have been feeble so far.  The observer is to look round every hour or oftener if there is aught to be seen.  He is allowed cocoa and sardines with bread and butter—­the cocoa can be made over an acetylene Bunsen burner, part of Simpson’s outfit.  I took the first turn last night; the remainder of the afterguard follow in rotation.  The long night hours give time to finish up a number of small tasks—­the hut remains quite warm though the fires are out.

Simpson has been practising with balloons during our absence.  This morning he sent one up for trial.  The balloon is of silk and has a capacity of 1 cubic metre.  It is filled with hydrogen gas, which is made in a special generator.  The generation is a simple process.  A vessel filled with water has an inverted vessel within it; a pipe is led to the balloon from the latter and a tube of india-rubber is attached which contains calcium hydrate.  By tipping the tube the amount of calcium hydrate required can be poured into the generator.  As the gas is made it passes into the balloon or is collected in the inner vessel, which acts as a bell jar if the stop cock to the balloon is closed.