as
recorded on September 3, 30.4 inches, and the comparison indicates a
wide range for a station at sea-level.

To show how quickly conditions would change, it was almost calm next
morning, and all hands were in readiness to advance the wireless mast
another stage. Previously there had been three masts, one high one in
three lengths, and two smaller ones of one length each, between which
the aerial stretched; the "lead-in" wires being connected to the middle
of the aerial. This is known as an "umbrella aerial." Since we were
without one short mast it was resolved to erect a "directive" [capital
gamma gjc]-shaped aerial. The mainmast was to be in two instead of three
lengths, and we wondered if the aerial would be high enough. In any
case, it was so calm early on the 11th that we ventured to erect the
topmast and had hauled it half-way, when the wind swooped down from the
plateau, and there was just time to make fast the stays and the hauling
rope and to leave things "snug" for the next spell of bad weather.

In eight days another opportunity came, and this time the topmast was
hoisted, wedged and securely stayed. Bickerton had fixed a long bolt
through the middle of the topmast and just above it three additional
wire stays were to be placed. Another fine day and we reckoned to finish
the work.

From July 26 onwards the sky was cloudless for a week, and each day the
northern sun would rise a fraction of a degree higher. The wind was very
constant and of high velocity.

It was a grand sight to witness the sea in a hurricane on a driftless,
clear day. Crouched under a rock on Azimuth Hill, and looking across
to the west along the curving brink of the cliffs, one could watch the
water close inshore blacken under the lash of the wind, whiten into foam
farther off, and then disappear into the hurrying clouds of spray and
sea-smoke. Over the Mackellar Islets and the "Pianoforte Berg" columns
of spray would shoot up like geysers, and fly away in the mad race to
the north.

Early in July Jeffryes became ill, and for some weeks his symptoms were
such as to give every one much anxiety. His work on the wireless had
been assiduous at all times, and there is no doubt that the continual
and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented
conditions was such that he eventually had a "nervous breakdown."
Unfortunately the weather was so atrocious, and the conditions under
which we were placed so peculiarly diffi