hom diversity
and change are as the breath of life, the weather is apt to be tabooed
as a subject of conversation. But even the most versatile may suddenly
find themselves stripped of ideas, ignominiously reduced to the obvious
topic. To us, instead of being a mere prelude to more serious matters,
or the last resort of a feeble intellect, it was the all-engrossing
theme. The man with the latest hare-brained theory of the causation
of the wind was accorded a full hearing. The lightning calculator who
estimated the annual tonnage of drift-snow sweeping off Adelie Land was
received as a futurist and thinker. Discussion was always free, and the
subject was never thrashed out. Evidence on the great topic accumulated
day by day and month by month; yet there was no one without an innate
hope that winter would bring calm weather or that spring-time, at least,
must be propitious.

Meanwhile the meteorologist accepted things as he found them, supplied
the daily facts of wind-mileage and direction, amount of drift,
temperature and so forth, which were immediately seized by more
vivacious minds and made the basis of daring speculations.

The daily facts were increased by the construction of a new instrument
known as the puffometer. It was entirely a home-made contrivance,
designed to measure the speed of heavy gusts of wind. A small aluminium
sphere was arranged to blow out at the end of a light cord exerting
tension on a calibrated spring. The pull was transferred to a lever
carrying a pencil, which travelled across a disk of carbonized paper.
The disk, moving by clockwork, made a complete revolution every hour.
The recording parts of the instrument were enclosed in a snow-proof box
in which there was a small aperture on the leeward side, through which
ran the cord attachment of the sphere. This may give a rough idea of
the apparatus employed to measure the momentary velocity of the cyclonic
gusts. The idea is not an original one, having been previously applied
for use on kites.

It was not always possible to use the puffometer in the strongest gusts
because these were often transient, occurring unexpectedly or during the
night; while it took a little time to get the instrument into running
order. Even in daylight, with the landscape clear of drift, it was a
time-absorbing and difficult task to secure a record.

Two men start from the Hut with iron crampons and a full complement of
clothes and mitts. Outside they find themselv