"
The floor was at first covered with snow and ice, frozen in amongst
the pebbles. This was cleared out, and the remainder of the tents
spread out over the stones. Within the shelter of these cramped but
comparatively palatial quarters cheerfulness once more reigned amongst
the party. The blizzard, however, soon discovered the flaws in the
architecture of their hut, and the fine drift-snow forced its way
through the crevices between the stones forming the end walls. Jaeger
sleeping-bags and coats were spread over the outside of these walls,
packed over with snow and securely frozen up, effectively keeping out
this drift.
At first all the cooking was done outside under the lee of some rocks,
further protection being provided by a wall of provision-cases. There
were two blubber-stoves made from old oil-drums, and one day, when the
blizzard was unusually severe, an attempt was made to cook the meals
inside the hut. There being no means of escape for the pungent blubber-
smoke, the inmates had rather a bad time, some being affected with a
form of smoke-blindness similar to snow-blindness, very painful and
requiring medical attention.
A chimney was soon fitted, made by Kerr out of the tin lining of one
of the biscuit-cases, and passed through a close-fitting tin grummet
sewn into the canvas of the roof just between the keels of the two
boats, and the smoke nuisance was soon a thing of the past.
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