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CHAPTER IV

THE POLAR WINTER

The cold ice slept below,
Above the cold sky shone,
And all around
With a chilling sound
From caves of ice and fields of snow
The breath of night like death did flow
Beneath the sinking moon.--SHELLEY.

The sun was due to depart before the end of April, and so no time
could be wasted if the outside work, which had been delayed by
the tardy formation of the ice-sheet, was to be completed before
the daylight vanished.

One of the most urgent operations was to get up the meteorological
screen, which had been made under the superintendence of Royds.
The whole of this rather elaborate erection was, placed about 100
yards astern of the ship, and consequently in a direction which,
with the prevalent south-easterly winds, would be to windward of
her. To obtain a complete record of meteorological observations
was one of the most important scientific objects of the expedition,
and it was decided that the instruments should be read and recorded
every two hours. Consequently in calm or storm
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some member of the community had to be on the alert, and every
other hour to make the rounds of the various instruments. On a