A WINTER DAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7977, 5 April 1904, Page 4

A WINTER DAY.

|K>W IT WAS SPENT BY OFFICERS AND MEN. '" (jFrora the "Polar Times.") ...: : (Copyright.) ' "Al-1-1-1 hands 1 Heave out— He-aye out y-LHtE-E-E-EAVE OUT! Laehupansto-ow ! Bho-erleg, Sho-o-erleg'relse a puflser'6 stockja I Ri-i-zunshine — ri-i-i-zunshine ! • Al-1-1-1 tends lashupansto-o-ow — Lashupansto-o-o---•ow-^Al-l-M-1 hands! !" ■ The caller, whose voice is not particularly famous for dts softness and nerve-soothing effect, walks in among the hammocks, bawling out sundry complimentary phrases, which, however, do not in the least disturb nor draw forth much response from the sleepers, who simply roll over, growl, jand sink farther down into their bags for fc, final five minutes' beauty 'sleep. . It is seven o'clock in the morning of a forking day in the middle of the Antarctic Winter. Overhead it is dark and dreary. The wind is whistling -disconsolately through the rigging, the snow-drift driving across the decks, and it is bitterly cold, for the temperature is well down below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Those below in their pammocka can hear the wail of the wind Mioye rfiem, and swear softly to themselves, lor they have to turn out and face the elements: in the performance of their various puties. Soon all are up, hammocks neatly and the mess deck cleaned. Sometimes before breakfast there is ice to draw to the ship for the day's water-supply, but more, often this is done after the morning meal, which, on the lower deck, is laid at 3 a.m<., and after prayers have been read bytJie' captain all disperse to the various sdutiea assigned to them. In the Ward jl&oin.fcreakfast is at 9 a.m., hut it is rare that everyone sits down precisely at that time, -True, some turn out long before the other*, v and these heroic souls do not fail to moke a Trojan horse of this trifle, to fondly congratulate each other on their good babite, and hold themselves up as patterns erf, punctuality, to the poor belated ones! (Strict accuracy compels us to state that it Wnot because they are habitually early raprs.tfcat those members are first at the JEtOpxd.. . Oh, d©ar, no ! For they, too, have certain 'early duties to accomplish, such as t§e examination of the foods for breakfast ,«nd the arranging and lighting of the acety3jej)ie.j.gas for the day; but they earn the everlasting gratitude of the late risers by Jnaking their buttered toast, thus heaping jcoals of fire upon their heads. Rumour, that insidious child, has it that ,one member arises at six o'clock and surreptitiously collects, or, as it is more 'graphically described, mope up the sarjdinesileft over by the meteorological observer for the night, stray candle-ends and . Well-filled". match-boxes— a grave aspersion indeed— but .there is a discordancy of opinion on .the matter, and we can only •give-it for what it iB worth. Breakfast, consists of porridge,_ seal, curried, stewed', or the liver, and Jhe above-mentioned toast, with tea, coffee »f oocoe. It is often an intensely amusing jntal; •Faces are like " sea-boots " or scrubbed, hammpoks, and while some are Inclined to /dignified silence, others exhibit jugtoniehing powers of controversy. It is the time of the day when one certainly does .'{got: -duffer from the panegyrics of one's friends..; ITnfortunajfely, this is not a powerffiil narcotic to the night's meteorologist, jwho has just turned in for a well-earned | \ Rafter the matutinal pipe and half an ■jbourjs reading, all eet about their duties: (one to his charting or his drawing, another rtojjji microscope and the examination of jifood corpu6cle3, and others out to the ptrapa" or the observatories, etc. The — that particular sanctum of the (engine-room staff — is a scene of animation, |Bnd on the Mess Deck weird garments and /contrivances for the spring sledge journeys are being made <*mder the supervision of the boatswain. The carpenter and his asiistant are also busily employed, and down below in the store rooms the sledging provisions are 'being arranged, and' packed by mother of the' warrant officers. 0^ p n the g^ jj^y na^. ornamental craft Flying Scud, where sound- , j jngs and sea temperatures are being taken, and in another direction ice measurements and temperatures conducted. Soon after eleven, Maximum and Minimum "wend their' jjfia-y to the thermometer in the strait, and, ftrthe day is particularly fine and he feels . Hie necessity of exercise, a third person accompanies them, but by some subtle comicidence, the rratw t windy days are thisperwon/s busy days, and the constitutional is reluctantly but firmly postponed. I Pinner on the mess deck is at 1.30 p.m., 1 tend, at 2 p.m. the members of the wardroom have a light "tea." This is the hour §or the' production of arguments, which, if (Hot exactly suited to put into a treatise for f publicati(jn, are, nevertheless, amusing and frequently instructive, and although envenomed attacks are made by the critics— v for none of us is infallible in argument, not feven the youngest of us-r-the buttons are 1 never really off . the foils. Sometimes one will wing some dreadful shaft of wit which 4rawu forth loud plaudits from certain quarters, at another time one of the gentlemen wb.o live on the starboard side will trot, out one of his nice new theories which wfll end up very pleasantly in smoke. Alas! that our fine white swans should turn to geese. ;s This meal at an end, and pipes smoked, . jlh© I , ward-room gradually assumes an atSnospKere of untidiness. , Note-books, reducing camera for lantern slides, biological jars, *tc., are brought out on to the table.. Bnddenly there is a loud war-whoop, and the owners wildly grab at their possessions, fpF an; -accident has happened at thebiologii»l en 3; and golden streams of picric acid, pokrosive sublimate, or some other equally Wealthy chemical, are winding in a formidable way down the table, and this draws tprfa' a storm of obliquy or biting sarcasm bom the beholders before order and peace kre wain restored.' , On ihe mess-deck a deep silence reigns, iwrthe^afternoon is generally consecrated to Mdrfft&xSf and recumbent figures. are to be *eeri'oii the floor, the lockers,' and on the • Jness-tables. But in the galley forward it is' a busy scene, for dinner is being prepared fey-the "skeelfu' twa," who serve up seal J^-TO many "gustfu" forms, and other "" •ttually excellent dishes. '.Tea on the mess-deck as at five o clock, Mid-dinner in the' ward-room at six. This is 1 jfife'iuost sedate meal of the day, and coniv.sfr"-'. ■

versation is of a more orderly nature. Sometimes, however, one will relate some startling episode in his experiences which will be listened to with expressions of polite incredulous astonishment ; or someone may rashly offer to lay a wager on some pol.*t at issue, before the port has been round and the King's health drunk, and will promptly incur the president's rebuke, and have the pleasure of providing his messmates with wine gratis for his offence. After the cloth has been removed, some play bridge, picquet or chess, while others read or write, or perhaps the pianist wilj delight the others with good music. _ On the mess-deck cards occupy most ofl the evening, and special medals have been, struck in connection with the tournaments, called the "Jonah" and "Hard Cheese" medals. At 11 p.m. lights- are turned out* and nearly all hands turn into their bunks or hammocks. One day is like another, excepting for changes in the weather, but the monotony is hardly noticed. Polar anaemia, whatever that may be, nervousness, lowering of the system melancholia, are unknown, and clean-shaven faces, closely-cropped hair and weekly baths are the rulei and not the exception. *