Moving along from Wright and Simpson we come to Nelson and Day.  Teddy Nelson, our marine biologist, did both winters at Cape Evans, and he not only carried out biological work but studied the tides.  His corner was pleasant to look upon, with its orderly row of enamelled and china trays and dishes.  During the winter months holes were made in the sea ice through which were lowered tow-nets, for collecting drifting organisms and so on.  Special thermometers of German make were lowered by Nelson through the ice holes to get sea temperatures, and likewise reversing water bottles were employed to obtain samples of sea-water daily.

Day, the motor engineer, was responsible for the lighting by acetylene.  He was wonderfully clever as a mechanic and also a good carpenter.  He took charge of our petrol, paraffin, and spirit store, and was never idle for a minute.

Moving along to the right we come to the last cubicle, where the “Rubbleyubdugs” lived.  These were Tryggve Gran, Griffith Taylor, and Frank Debenham. (All libel actions in connection with the Ubdugs I am prepared to settle out of port in the long bar at Shanghai.) Quoting from the “South Polar Times”:  “‘The Ubdug Burrow’ is festooned with kodaks, candles and curtains; they (the Ubdugs) are united by an intense love of the science of autobiography, their somewhat ambiguous motto is ’the pen is mightier than the sword, but the tongue licks them both!’” Griffith Taylor and Debenham were both Australians:  the former was probably the wittiest man in the Expedition, and, in my opinion, the cleverest contributor to the “South Polar Times,” excepting of course the artistic side.  The “South Polar Times” was our winter magazine, beautifully illustrated by Wilson’s water colours and Ponting’s photographs.  Taylor’s motto was “Advance, Australia!”—­most certainly he helped it to.  People were always welcome in the Ubduggery, where they seemed to have an unlimited supply of cigarettes and good novels.

Debenham was certainly nurse to the Ubdugs, that is to say he was the least untidy, but then of course he was the smallest.  In this cubicle the most voluminous of diaries were kept, and at least two books have been published therefrom.  Gran kept his diary mostly in Norwegian, but there were many words coined in our Expedition which had no Scandinavian equivalent, and Gran failed to translate them, in spite of his having more imagination than any one amongst us.

Crossing over the hut to the cubicle opposite one arrives at the somewhat congested space in which Cherry-Garrard was housed, with Bowers above him.  In their corner were store lists, books, and mystery bags which contained material for the “South Polar Times,” toys and frivolous presents to liven us up at the midwinter and other festivities.  Bowers and Cherry-Garrard were, in a way, worse off than the others, for they had the darkest part of the hut, yet in this gloomy tenement all kinds of calculations were made and much other good work done.