Tuesday Feb.18th.

Wonderful to have the others back again. An unpleasant warm windy and drifty day and it was spent mostly indoors doing various things. Managed to fix a mount for the telephoto lens for Andrew's camera. Had roast bear at night and enjoyed it though it was burnt on the outside and raw inside.

Wednesday Feb. 19th.

Was up earlier today to inspect the weather and to get breakfast ready as early as possible. It was somewhat retarded by my not being able to find John. When I got out of bed I noticed he was not in his bunk above mine, and it appeared to have all the clothes on it that it had when I went to bed before him last night; he was not to be seen in any of the other bunks or in the next room - thought he might have gone to sleep on working out his astronomical observations. No sign of him outside up and early; thought he must have gone outside when we were in bed and been polished off by a bear, but no human remains about, nor could I see him anywhere chasing bears, nor in the observatory. So I gave up the search.

It was fine outside cloudy with a moderate wind and intensely hot - up to 20℉. Andrew was doubtful as to whether they should start and said he would decide after breakfast. Then as I went into the larder to get the eggs I stepped on John - the real Arctic explorer trying to get away from the tropical heat! After breakfast there was the usual long deliberation as to whether they should go; finally decided when Dan came into the room and said "what a fine day for sledging it is." The party consisted of Andrew, John and Brownie going first to B and thence nobody knew whither. Brownie was going to B to have a tooth removed. They finally got off at 10am. So David, Dan and I were left at the Base, and though it has turned out to be a nice day we have had a lazy time. Ionosphere run as usual, and I was dreading sending the met. to Bear Island as Brownie had failed to get through in the morning, but I sent both reports three times and he got it ok - and again in the evening.

After taking 2 hours over lunch David made some first class rock buns and scones in the afternoon. Couldn't read Robert's morse at night as his note jumped from one pitch to another. We fried the bear at night - and found it quite good. After supper David - rather bravely I thought as he was not very certain what to do - lanced Dreng's leg. His wound is ghastly and the poor animal is in such a state. Then a quiet evening.

Thursday Feb.20th.

What is the good of coming here? I do wish that John had been here at the Base for the temperature, 27℉ in the morning, rose steadily and reached the phenomenal temperature of 32.4℉ - thawing in February when we were told to expect -40℉. Robert was sweltering in 23℉.

An inactive day, though anything but unpleasant. Daniel is a fine conversationalist, and David likes talking and arguing, so our mealtimes occupy no small fraction of the day. With an effort we broke up breakfast and cleaned out the water butt and were generally active in the morning - ionosphere, met and developing as usual. Dan, who had a bad time on the Wahlenberg Bay journey and is very tired, slept from 3pm. to supper which started at 7 and finished at 9.30. You get a wonderful insight into characters and human nature on an expedition like this and no sooner is there an exodus than everybody's character is analysed and discussed at length. Expedition matters are a constant source for discussion, and there is always a lot of mutiny about. Learnt by accident today that Archie is leading the summer survey journey (John and Archie), a most ridiculous idea - so much so that I never thought but that John would do so, as he is the expedition surveyor, while Archie knows little about it, and has planned all the survey and equipment etc. and has more experience and enthusiasm. The fact that Archie is organiser of the expedition has nothing to do with the case - we all had no end of preparations to make for our scientific work while he had none. It must have been a big blow to poor John but outwardly he has borne up well; it would mean something to him to lead the journey and make a success of it for he is eminently an explorer and will come again, but I don't suppose Archie intends to.

Poor Dreng is still alive; last night since the smell in the hall was getting pretty bad and it was so warm we opened the door and piled packing cases in front to leave the top open, but Dreng got out during the night. He seemed so much happier outside that we left him till it was getting dark when David put him in one of the doghouses - much to Dupelik's annoyance as he seemed to regard that one as his own. David couldn't get Dreng to eat anything today. I wish we could put an end to his life; I can't bear to look at him - he hardly lies down but just keeps his head off the ground, waiting. Old Dupelik is a character - he now reminds me of the white haired limping guide in Oxford, for when you go out of the door, he limps up to you and buttonholes you, though I don't quite know why. The Oarks are as ever but more bullying to the little Blacks - I love them more and more daily. Tonight when Dreng wouldn't take the marmite soup David gave him, he gave it - in a pie dish, to the eight; they all tried to get their noses in and it was slid on the snow backwards and forwards like a ball in a scrum. It came out cleaner than it has ever been before.

Started on the mustard and cress today - grown on flannel - and found it absolutely natural to taste, but yellow in colour. Fresh vegetables and vitamins!

Just before we went to bed last night, ie. early this morning David remembered that this is the official half-way through the expedition, but though it occurred to me several times during the day we did nothing about it. But it is astounding how quickly time has flown since John, Andrew and David arrived here. It is unbelievable that it is two months since Christmas. Up till then time did drag a bit, but since then it has been quite the opposite and I hate to think it will be all over soon.

Saturday Feb 16th.

Saturday Feb 16th.

Another beautiful quiet day. First excitement was when Brownie saw a bear on the coast to the South. He and John armed themselves and went after it, but the bear went faster and they never got within range. They noticed a bird when they were out - the first this year.

Later in the morning John sent up one of his balloons at the end of a string just as a trial - he had fortunately found the key of the hydrogen cylinders after a long search. The first balloon was seized and punctured by Ionoark who was chased at great speed by John before she gave it up. The next was kept from the dogs though the little blacks swarmed in masses all around, and was slowly inflated. When about 3 ft. in diameter John released it, and it rose rapidly moving at first slightly to the North though the surface wind was gentle from the North. Then after ascending vertically for some time it met a higher current from the North at about 250 feet and drifted South. So far, so good. Next it was to be pulled in on the winch, (ie. a sledge wheel.) John was most proficient at this till Brownie put in a hand and then it went so fast that the string ran off the rim and got so hopelessly entangled round the axle that they had to cut the string and knot it. Then John brought it in at a great pace, but was so concentrating on his swinging style that he neglected to watch the balloon and continued winding as the latter rapidly approached the earth. It rushed into the staple through which the string was guided, broke the string, and reversed its direction of motion. In a few minutes it was out of sight towards the ice-cap. Robert has not seen it.

We have been out of whale-meat meal for the last few days and the Colonel, the Oarks and the Little Blacks have to be fed on bully. The latter are getting pugnacious and when I take the met. readings there are eight mouths eating and thirty-two feet scratching at my trousers. Euphemia continues to be especially friendly, but she is rather an outcast from the family. It must have been fine sledging today, and the others should be back in a few days.

Have been lazy and morose lately; must wake up, so started energetically on a skeleton for suggested chapter in book on base-camp, and wrote till late.

Sunday Feb. 16th.

It's always Sunday here. Took drastic measures with the hygrograph and thermograph both of which at this time give endless trouble and practically no results. They should be better now. Though rather misty and dull, I could chop firewood in the bedroom soon after noon without artificial light - a distinct advance. John went up Snotoppen to ski, but got little and got lost on the way home; Brownie went up the glacier later, but I practised skiing on our nursery slope and made a little improvement thanks to a suggestion of Brownie's. Afterwards wrote up book chapter hard. Clear at night with Polaris and Aurora working.

I win a moral victory; it's a curious habit of almost all members of the expedition when anybody does anything for anybody or for the common weel to ejaculate "marvellous" or "wonderful" or "wizard", to which I always reply with the proverb "Praise in departing." The loaves I made this time brought forth the usual comments, but there is an enormous cavern in the middle of each surrounded by a wet layer of unbaked dough. Now I fancy there will be refusals.

Monday Feb. 17th

An absolutely epic day. At first pottered about a bit, rearranging the things around the fire so as to find a new place near the fire for the saennegras. Then after the ionosphere run John and I decided to go for a walk North, putting up the fallen traps on the way. I wanted to try out my finneskos. John decided to get the automatic rifle working as a defence weapon so we didn't get off till soon after noon.

It had been a glorious morning with only a few cirrus streaks in the South. The wind was getting up as we set out, but we had our backs to it. Just as we were looking for the first trap John said, "There's a bear" and there it was galloping easily but quickly from an iceberg on the bay ice towards the shore. John has a bad leg, so I went back for the revolver - he had the automatic rifle - and to tell Brownie to come along when he had finished with Bear Island. Ran hard both ways, and John had walked on looking for him. We soon found old tracks of his following John's tracks of yesterday, and then struck the ones he had just made. We followed them to land and then they went along the bay ice round a point. We went ahead warily and then found the tracks going to land. Here we lost them and scanned the screes and cliffs; I saw a yellow patch half way up a snow slope and suggested it was he. John didn't seem to see it and I never trust my eyes so we walked on. Then I saw the tracks going up to the yellow rock and just at the same time John saw it and it got up and glissaded down the slope towards us. We cocked our guns for he was evidently curious. He walked along the shore towards us, and then mounted a high ice-covered rock. He faced us from the top, and raised his head high in the air, then lowered into his paws, up and down. We decided to shoot simultaneously; mine failed to explode - but John made a marvellous 40 yard revolver shot. Standing high on the rock the bear just collapsed and fell off head first. We approached carefully and John put in two more bullets for safety, but there is little doubt but that he was dead. As a matter of fact he turned out to be a she.

It was a really great event. Then of course we had no knives, so I went back for some and some rope, meeting Brownie on the way. When I got back I found they had moved her without a rope, and had dropped her down the tide crack. However one leg was above the surface and we got a rope round it and fortunately got her up on to the ice. What an anti-climax it would have been if we had lost her in the end. Then we proceeded to skin her under John's directions tho' he had never done a bear before. Brownie left after a bit to put on komagers - he only had climbing boots on - and to fetch an axe and John and I finished the skinning. Not half a messy as I expected, and the warm flesh and blood were very warming to cold hands. When Brownie returned we decided after all to finish the cutting up at the Base. So we pulled her along with ropes, and when we got to the Base cut off the legs and head and stowed them and the carcass on top of the porch and with difficulty we slung the skin up on the meat (?) rock. Just as we finished Brownie saw the sledges approaching and in a few minutes they were in. After that it was a confusion of voices and they all looked tired; they had had a terrible journey with practically no sleep owing to inadequate tents and li-los, so that their sleeping bags got soaked through.

Bear stew for supper - our first fresh meat for a long time, a good stew but the meat itself, though tender, was rather tasteless. Long talks about future plans etc for the rest of the day. Dreng has been almost killed by the Blacks.