ontrasting her spick-and-span appearance at the time with what it had
been when I left her in December. I went ashore again in the afternoon
and assisted the visitors to get their loads down to the boat, as they
were returning to the ship, which was leaving next morning on a sounding
trip down the island.

On the 14th we started to carry the stores across to the Shack on our
backs. We soon realized that seventy or eighty pounds was not a light
load over a half-mile stretch of rough, shingly beach, but succeeded in
transporting the onions, apples and potatoes before finishing for
the night. The other articles were brought over during the next two
afternoons.

The tide-gauge pipe, weighing about six hundredweights, and the box for
the housing of the recording gear had been landed in December round in
Aerial Cove, where a site had been chosen for the erection of the gauge.
Experience showed me that the place was unsuitable, so I took Hamilton,
Sandell and Sawyer round to the cove on the 15th and we decided, as we
had no boat, that it was impossible to carry the pipe round to the east
coast.

I had been making some tidal observations on an upright, fixed in a
comparatively quiet spot on the east coast, and it was here that I
contemplated erecting the gauge. Two snow-gauges, eight inches each in
diameter, were amongst the meteorological equipment and it appeared
that if these two were soldered together a suitable pipe could be made.
Further, the pipe was to be protected from the violence of the seas by
planks fixed round it. Sandell agreed with the idea and forthwith set
about soldering the two together and making a suitable float, the one
supplied being too wide. All that now remained was to erect the gauge.

The two following afternoons were devoted to stowing the new stores. We
carried everything across and stacked them at the south-west end of the
Shack. Unfortunately, the boots which we had ordered did not come, but
Captain Davis let us have five pairs of light bluchers out of the ship's
stores, and we reckoned that these with extra soles and a few hobnails
would hold out till August or September, when a sealing vessel was
expected.

The 'Aurora' returned from the south of the island on the 19th and
reported having had a rough experience in the north-east to south gale
which blew on the two previous days. The wind came out of the
north-east very suddenly on the 17th, and some very strong squalls were
experienced.