ense of depression to become a part of
the atmosphere of our life was clear to all. This was all the more
necessary when, as we shall see, the constant blizzards confined us week
after week to our hut. Even when we did get a fine day we were almost
entirely confined to the rocky cape for our exercise and walks. When
there was sea-ice it was most unsafe.

Atkinson was in command: in addition, he and Dimitri took over the care
of the dogs. Many of these, both those which had been out sledging and
those just arrived, were in a very poor state, and a dog hospital was
soon built. At this date we had 24 dogs left from the last year, and 11
dogs brought down recently by the ship: three of the new dogs had already
died. Lashly was in charge of the seven mules, which were allotted to
seven men for exercise: Nelson was to continue his marine biological
work: Wright was to be meteorologist as well as chemist and physicist:
Gran was in charge of stores, and would help Wright in the meteorological
observations: Debenham was geologist and photographer. I was ordered to
take a long rest, but could do the zoological work, the South Polar
Times, and keep the Official Account of the Expedition from day to day.
Crean was in charge of sledging stores and equipment. Archer was cook.
Hooper, our domestic, took over in addition the working of the acetylene
plant. There was plenty of work for our other two seamen, Keohane and
Williamson, in the daily life of the camp and in preparations for the
sledging season to come.

The blizzard which threatened us all the way from Hut Point on May 1
broke soon after we got in. The ice in North Bay, which had been frozen
for some time, was taken out on the first day of this blizzard, with the
exception of a small strip running close along the shore. The rest
followed the next afternoon, when the wind was still rising, and blew in
the gusts up to 89 miles an hour. The curious thing was that all this
time the air had been quite clear.

This was the second day of the blizzard. The wind continued in violence
as the night wore on, and it began to snow, becoming very thick. From 3
A.M. to 4 A.M. the wind was so strong that there was a continuous rattle
of sand and stones up against the wall of the hut. The greater part of
the time the anemometer head was choked by the drifting snow, and
Debenham, whose night-watch it was, had a bad time in clearing it at 4
A.M. During the period when it was working it register