Monday June 15th.

Lots of rain early this morning. After Robert had shaved and let Karl cut his hair, I set off for the Advanced Base with the rigid and two seal carcasses for the dogs when they arrive, pulled by Euphemia, K2, Pat and No.8. Brownie ran ahead for some hundred yards at the beginning to start them, and Robert came 3 or 4 miles as he wanted to shoot seals on the way home. Usually one of us ran in front while the other sat or ran behind, but on occasions we both ran behind and I drove them. When Robert left I led them for about an hour at about 6 miles an hour with only one stop of about two minutes, and when we reached the driftwood cairn I was much more tired than they: they were much too energetic to lie down while I resected (?) myself there.

Once again I got a different position according as to which trig. points I used - I think 225 is not very accurate, and so I used Mt. Franklin, David's Cairn and Observatory. I drove the puppies for a bit down to Boat point, but they go much better when led, and since I think it is a good thing to get them really used to pulling as a team, I led them most of the way and only drove them for short intervals afterwards. Resected myself again at Boat Point and Black rock before going to the Advanced Base, so we had to go off the direct course, but nevertheless we got in by 9.30p.m., which was awfully good going. They really are fine the little Blacks, especially Pat and K2. Euphemia is most enthusiastic, but was a bit tired at the end; No.8 did quite well, but is the weakness of the team. Now they are prowling about outside, tails up as usual, but they are a little unhappy at being away from home for the first time. What a change since I was here ten days ago! All the snow is off the bay now and you have to splash most of the way through water, which, however is not objectionable and means easy going. All the snow is off the ground too, and the whole place looks quite different. Sandy and Andrew not arrived here yet. Feeling most pleased tonight.

Tuesday June 16th.

A fine day. With difficulty I got the puppies to take the rigid to the bottom of the glacier. After that we all went out plane-tabling: going cross-country now is difficult: streams to cross, stones to clamber over and beds of deep soft snow to wade through. With feet still painful made slow progress, but got some work done. The puppies think quite a lot of plant-tabling, and sit around respectfully - usually in the way - except Pat who always insists in sitting in between the legs. Saw the sledgers going down the glacier, but it was a long time before I got back. They were in bad tempers: they had sledged 50 miles, found nobody at B, and then complained that the Advanced base was in a frightful state. Really only tiredness can excuse such fussiness; I had done a certain amount of tidying up in the morning, but it's mad to waste such a rare thing as a fine day doing that; the floor was certainly untidy, but that cannot have inconvenienced them at all, and there were some dishes long left uncleaned by Brownie or Robert or Karl, but they had their own utensils with them so that needn't have upset them. Those two are the untidiest members of the expedition (John excepted!), but after a long day, I suppose, one expects to find everything perfect waiting for you. They seem certainly to have done frightfully well on their journey, and done almost all that John and Archie probably will be unable to do, as they are being held up so much by bad weather. Now all plans are being changed: Sandy and Karl are going off to Rijjps Bay to geologise, and help cairn the Rijps valley, while Andrew and Robert survey the Rijps valley and Wahlenberg Bay.

Wednesday June 17th

It rained hard during the night, but cleared in the morning - or afternoon, as we overslept very long. I got up to do the breakfast and on going outside saw two reindeer, with good heads, about 100 yds away and walking straight towards the hut. I called the others to get up and help tie up dogs, but they and the dogs were too tired still to take any notice and I got them all tied up except Akuliak who saw the reindeer when they were but 40 yds away and put them to flight, returning himself in half an hour. Sandy and Andrew went off after a bit, two sledges and they took my puppies to help, so I've been very lonely since then. Incidentally they left the floor in just as much of a mess as they found it! The clouds were still on trig. stations so I couldn't do anything, and though they lifted later it was not definitely clear till late, when I had already decided to give my feet a rest from the boots today and have a long one tomorrow.

Thursday June 18th.

Got through a little plane-tabling, before clouds on hill-tops and then snow put an end to it all. Gumboots are definitely the footwear now, and I have been most comfortable all day. Shot a duck on the lagoon late this evening, and enjoyed fried ivory gull for supper. A rotten selection of books here. Snowing now, so we will probably miss the eclipse early tomorrow morning.

Friday June 19th - Tuesday June 23rd.

Have got so out of phase with the clock recently that a daily diary would be too interrupted by new dates. I got out of bed at 5a.m. on 19th to see the eclipse: it was snowing very slightly, but the sun was visible through the clouds; too bright to look at though, and since I had no dark glasses, decided bed was better. At 2p.m. left for base, and arrived there at 6.30p.m.: a dull walk - I'm tired or the main road between the two bases, the view changes so slowly. There was an abundance of seals out - never seen so many before though it was a dull day. It's funny the way things get on your brain: almost all the way over the bay I pictured and heard old John B -"he died of enteric fever - Er ist an einem Nervenkranken gestorben." It seems wrong; I can't get it right!

All were in bed when I got there except Karl; the early morning ionosphere runs have upset times a bit. Sandy and Andrew said they would be at the Advanced Base at 9p.m. that evening, but of course they weren't. It's always like that, and yet they get annoyed when they arrive a day late at A to find that Robert hasn't waited. The last of the eclipse ionosphere runs took place 3.30 to 7.30a.m. every half hour on the morning of 20th. All the others got off at 1.m. that afternoon with all dogs and puppies, except Kayunguak who had gone off after reindeer. It was raining hard, and we had some difficulty getting the puppies on to the sledge, especially as the ice is all broken at the shore and we had to jump from floe to floe. They are going to evacuate A, and then start off on their survey. Noticed an hour afterwards that Robert had left the plane-tabling legs behind. Then to bed. In the evening we got through some messages to Bear Island - probably the last talk with the present crew there as they hope to change over on 22nd. Finished reading the Polar journey in "Scott's Last Expedition" - frightfully disappointed in it. Scott seemed beaten from the day he started, always pessimistic and complaining and with no suggestion anywhere of congratulations to Amundsen - most conspicuous, "we photographed ourselves by our poor slighted flag." Terrible.

I started off at midnight to go over to the Valley hut to fetch my gum boots and some other things of Karl's and the sail off the roof of the hut. Another dreary trudge over the bay. Back at 9.30 after quite a heavy pull, but I'm glad at last that this is done: it's been on my conscience for some time, and travelling over the bay ice may become impossible any day now. There were eight eiders swimming on the large tide crack in front of the Valley hut. Brownie shot one in Zeipel bay in the evening, which we ate roast next day. I made a new planetable outfit out of the auroral camera. Special solstice ionosphere international day began 4p.m. 22nd. with a run each hour until 4p.m. 23rd. We are getting so quick now that we have done almost all the developing as well - up to 1p.m.

Poor Karl turned up in horrid weather on evening of 22nd, having walked 28 miles from Ice-cap to fetch the plane-table legs. Why Robert didn't come himself we can't understand: it's just the sort of thing that Karl doesn't like being made a dogsbody for anybody else, and unless there was a real reason it was tactless of Sandy to send him. Karl's devotion to Sandy is astounding - and Sandy certainly always is frightfully nice to Karl. The reason why Karl wanted the sail taken off his hut was that he thought the whale boat will sell better if it has a mast and sail - "poor Mar Glen is having such a time with the finances." Old man retired to his bunk "for an hour's smoke", and woke up 15 hours later. Great state and rushed off expecting a raspberry from Sandy for being so long.

It snowed with very strong wind during the night - at midsummer. It's about time we got some sun and summer. The ice seems loose to the north, for the NNW wind has just formed some small pressure ridges off Cairn Point. We wish the wind would reverse and push all the ice north of the point away. I spent many hours during the international day skinning the duck I shot at the Advanced Base the other day. I thought it was just an ordinary duck, but - according to Karl - it rarely comes up here, and only during hot summers. I miss the little Blacks a lot: it's the first time we have had no animals here at all, and it's dull not seeing them when you go outside. Pinkiak, Pat, K2 and Euphemia are such characters that it is always a treat to see them.

Wednesday June 24th.

One of us was to go to the Advanced base today to fetch back some things and the four puppies that are not being used on the journey to Rijps Bay. Brownie has always said that only one of us need go, and as he always says he enjoys walking so much, and I am fed up with it, I'm afraid I shoved him off alone. But it was a most unpleasant day with light driving rain, and I'm sure I have a lot more work to do here than he has - or would do, at any rate. So he went off at 1 p.m. I had a profitable day here: developed the remaining strips, cleared up all round, got all the meteorological records in order and also the day-ozone ones, and got on well with the auroral ones. While doing this, I had on the gramophone all the records not in our usual repertoire of about half a dozen, and found a few more worth while.

Quite a lot of ice has been pushed into a pressure ridge a few yards from the shore in our North Bay forming a wall at times 8 or 10 feet high. Wish we had seen it forming. Small leads here and there, and the ice is rather treacherous - I went through with one leg once.

Thursday June 25th.

Brownie returned soon after 7a.m. this morning, empty-handed as the others hadn't returned from A yet. I was furious, for it only means I'll have to go down now, and couldn't help asking him why he didn't wait a bit for the others. "I didn't want to stay at the Advanced Base, and besides I've got a Times report to get off," was the reply. Well, it doesn't matter when in the next two or three weeks the Times despatch goes off, and it was obvious the former was the real reason. Typical of him: he's often helpful in small things but his whole life's thought is for his own comfort and convenience. Well, I'm jolly well going to wait till the weather gets better, and am not going off on a day on which I cannot do some plane-tabling on the way. Driving sleet and snow all day. Brownie got through a lot of the Times despatch to the Post Office this evening: the radiator seems to have developed a leak, and before he noticed it, all the water ran out and the engine seized. However, it recovered and afterwards I filled up the radiator every quarter of an hour, to avoid a recurrence.

Friday June 26th.

Driving rain, snow or sleet again almost all day. Had an involuntary bath today when a 10 sq. ft. lump of ice broke off the floe I was standing on and toppled me in - just on the shore: surprised to find how warm the water felt. Brownie finished sending off the Times report this evening; today the radiator didn't leak at all. Brownie shot an eider in the tide crack in front of the base - it is now about 20 yds wide in our bay - but it seemed to get away. In the evening, however, it floated down on the tide and I got out the whale boat to fetch it, and to see what needed to be done to the boat.

Saturday June 27th.

Brownie said he wanted to go to the Advanced Base, so I was greatly relieved. It's difficult to get on to the ice now as the tide crack is so unsafe, and I fell in when trying to find him a way on to the bay near the point. Busied myself making a harpoon, rope grommets etc for the boat. Still windy, but only showers of rain and snow.

Sunday June 28th.

A day of real tragedy: at 7a.m. Brownie rushed in all wet: he was bringing a sledge back with Upik and four puppies and - he hadn't taken an ice stick - came too near to the land and the sledge had gone through the ice some 40 yards from our point: he had no knife to cut the dogs' traces and only managed to get Fatima out of her harness before he kept on going through himself and had to swim and break his way home. We both tried to get out to them again on ski, but it was no good, and he lost another pair and I lost one.

The only thing was for me to go out in the whale boat, but it took me two hours to make that 40 yards: the ice was rotten but thick and spongy - you couldn't stand on it, but it all had to be broken for the boat to get along, and under the surface the ice wouldn't crack, though it was easy enough to pierce. Fatima walked to the boat, I lifted her in and she rolled herself up contentedly in the stern, but unhappily when at last the boat reached the sledge, Upik, Euphemia and Fuzziak were all drowned and only No.8, who had found a firmer piece of ice and sat on it, was alive. I cut all the traces and got No.8 and the sledge and most of the contents on board. But having got out there it proved almost impossible to get back against a strong wind; the ice certainly was rotten, but even where broken it obstructed the boat when going backwards just as much as when unbroken, and you had to push the ice away, but there was no place to push it to, and of course the oars were difficult to manage. I tried to turn so as to go bow first, but that was quite impossible. I made an easy 6 yards in the first few minutes, but in the next hour not an inch, and the rotten oars began to break. Brownie, who was very exhausted, tried to throw a line, but in vain, so I just had to "swim" it too and bring the rope as far as possible. There was a long thick rope on the stern of the boat,and to this I attached quite a long piece of trace rope as this would be easier to swim with. So I jumped in: it was a curious experience, for the ice was too rotten to support you, and you had to break it with your fists or elbow, and then swim along breaking the ice every few yards. Got to shore safely with the help of a line from Brownie for the last 10 yards through open water, but I had had to drop the boat rope after taking it about 15 yards, as it was sinking and impeding me. A rush to the hut: my feet and hands were absolutely numbed, and Brownie undressed me and gave me a rough dry, and with a drink of rum I crept into my sleeping-bag. It took a long time to get warm and to get to breathe normally, and as I lay there I was thinking that it is probably commem. Sunday at Clifton - probably everybody hot in their best clothes and packed like sardines in Chapel to hear exactly the same service as they hear every year. After about an hour I was warm and got up to have another dry and put on another dry pair of pyjamas, then slept warmly for some hours.

After a good meal we started off on the second rescue at 8p.m. We managed to get Karl's dory out of the house and launched it, and (this time with a shore line attached) after a long time in the unsteadiest of boats at last reached the end of the rope, and Brownie pulled in both boats till we stuck, but then we could just join the thick painter of the whale boat to my thick shore line, so proceeded home in the dory under my own steam and we both pulled in the whale boat: Fatima and No.8 were none the worse for their adventures, but were glad to run about on the shore. But poor Upik, it's terrible to think we'll have her no more. The biggest loss really was poor Brownie's beautiful shot-gun, which was lying on top of the sledge and must have gone right through, as I couldn't see it anywhere. A terrible day.

Brownie had found the sledgers at the Advanced Base: they had finished evacuating A and were hoping to leave as soon as the weather cleared.

Monday June 29th.

For a week now the temperature has never been above 33℉ nor below 30℉, and the wind between 18m.p.h. and 30m.p.h. from N.W. After such a day we were thinking of going to bed soon after midnight, when a sledge was seen at the edge of the ice and two people behind. We shouted to them to keep away: it was Karl and Robert, and when Karl had fallen through once they left the sledge and landed at a safe place. We got out the whale boat, and Karl, Robert and I went out in it to the ice-edge and broke our way into it a bit. Then Karl got out, and with the help of the ladder went up to the dogs and cut their traces. Then we broke the ice and rowed up to the rigid and rescued everything, tho' very wet. Getting back against the wind was difficult but with three of us it was possible, and we got out of the ice and then crawled along its edge to the shore, and then Brownie towed us round into the harbour. They had come to fetch and bring one or two things: owing to the persistent bad weather's having wasted so much of their time, they've given up triangulating from Rijps Bay to the Wahlenberg Bay, and wanted a time signal set so as to fix the latter astronomically - though when he was here and Andrew suggested it Sandy said it would be quite inadequate!

Tuesday - Wednesday June 30 - July 1

It has been snowing hard and the ground is all white. The stream has stopped flowing, but there has been a lot of pressure to the north - there is quite a high pile at Bear Point - and from the ridge just beyond the tide crack we can select conveniently sized pieces of sea-ice for melting to water. It is not very well known that sea-ice becomes fresh during the period intervening between its formation and the end of the first summer thereafter. Spent most of the time getting things ready for Robert and Karl. They left about 6a.m. on Wednesday - we carried the sledge and stuff to beyond Cape Upik and got it out safely on to the ice there and they got away without accident. Earlier in the morning Brownie had got through to Johnson, but again he was in a hurry. He really had been disappointing. It's kind of him to deal with the traffic at all, but he might do it thoroughly: time and again he has been unsatisfactory - busy or going away - and we could quite likely have found somebody else to do it who would have been more reliable.

Written 7p.m. Friday July 3rd.

Days and dates are quite meaningless now. I am trying to get back to normal by a thirty hour day, 20 up and 10 in bed: it gives me a better chance of being able to sleep. Yesterday morning before breakfast Sandy and Karl turned up, chiefly to bring a message to be sent to England. It's always pleasant to see Sandy alone. They went back again after a few hours. The Wahlenberg Bay journey has now been postponed until it can be done by boat at the same time as relieving David and Dan, as the bay-ice is so unsafe, and Robert and Andrew are going to Lady Franklin Bay to map there. In the afternoon we got a small seal in the water in front of the hut with the short rifle: Brownie is a fine shot with it, and is getting eiders with it now. Today the wind is blowing out of the cliffs from the N.E.! It's finer, though, and promises better for the future. I dug a pit in the glacier today - but there were only two puppies to play, so sad.

Written Thursday July 9th.

The time is more and more upset. But what does that matter? The great advantage of this place is that you are not limited by time boundaries. I've only been able to sleep once since Monday morning! The feature of Saturday July 4th was that the sun shone for a few minutes. What the expedition as a whole wants is sun permanently and calm mixed with strong southerly winds to drive away the ice. On Sunday morning - again sunny - we saw some loose dogs coming along the shore towards the base, and on going out to Cape Upik found Robert and Andrew - this time they had come back for the co-ordinates of Mt. Celcius. They stayed overnight, and later a fox wandered up to the house: only Kayunguak saw him, but the fox made a false move and escaped from the dog into the engine-room, where we shut him in and got the camera and took some photographs of him. It was put in one of the cages to get more pictures in the morning, but the poor thing died during the night; it must have been absolutely starving to come up to the hut, but it would eat nothing.

The open water in front of the base is getting bigger and bigger and our larder is full of eiders,but the seals only look up for a second when we've got the rifle, though when it isn't handy they are much more curious. I shot an eider with the short rifle the other day, but we couldn't get the boat afloat at low tide, and when we went out later the duck was eaten up by a glaucous gull. So now we only shoot if the boat is ready. I spent Sunday evening plotting out a new map - rather fun, but I'm afraid it was rather bad, as there was no instrument for drawing right angles. Robert and Andrew let on Monday afternoon - intending to do a little survey on the way over to the W. side of Lady Franklin glacier. Then when they have finished that side, Andrew is to leave Robert in a camp on the E. side of Lady Franklin bay, and Andrew comes home with the dogs, and I go and join Robert on foot and we plane-table from there to the Advanced Base, and from there up the E. side of Brandy bay occupying camps where Andrew has already left some food dumps.

I left at 5.30p.m. that evening and was out plane-tabling until 12.30 next afternoon - and probably travelled only 22 - 25 miles in 19 hours. It was fun, as the weather was superb and the two puppies came too, but the walking is still beastly, tho' improving. Brownie went out when I got home, correcting the coast along to the glacier. International day from 4p.m. Wed 8th. to 4p.m. Thur. 9th. At 10.10a.m. on the 9th, I heard two shots out in the bay, but saw nothing; but a few minutes later I saw a sledge coming and guessed it was John and Archie. We went round to Cape Upik to warn them of the ice conditions if we could. They landed safely at Merratark Island. It was really grand to see them both again, though they have had rotten luck with weather and Archie's rifle going wrong. John wants to go back to Cape Leigh Smith again and do the North coast, and wants me to go with him. I hope we will arrange it so.

Written 8.30a.m. July 18th.

Too busy to write for the last few days. We have assumed that there would be no objections to John's and my going off to Cape Leigh Smith, and have been preparing for the journey accordingly. The chief job has been the tent-sledge-boat. John's idea is that we must save weight as much as possible, and we must have a boat, so using the sledge upside down with the handlebars resting on a ration box and the bow on another as a framework, we built a tent of it by throwing the canvas of the boat (which we made during the winter) over the top, and anchoring it down with stones or snow on the flaps. We had to sew on part of the pyramid tent with the door in it, to enlarge the covering and to give us a reasonable door. The structure is made firmer and the canvas kept out at the head by lashing two ski sticks to the handlebar end of the sledge runners. We got the boat complete and tried it out one day. We both got in, but it was very wobbly, and when I got out very clumsily the boat went over and poor John was tipped into the water. We saw, therefore, that it would be better if the bottom were flatter and that it will be best with only one person it it, and made the necessary alterations. In addition Brownie made a toboggan bottom for the sledge to prevent it sinking so deep in soft snow that the boxes on the sledge are below the snow level and plough it up.

Andrew returned on the night of the 14th. He left Robert on Jöderin Bay, but when he got near the Advance Base he found all the ice had gone, and he had to abandon the sledge and walk all the way to the Base. On the way he found some eider's eggs, so we had our first eggs of the season. He was bringing the Blacks with him, but lost them on the way, which was bad news for us as we did not want the Dupeliks. After some time approved of John's plan and we really got down to things: there is the old Nansen sledge at the Advanced Base, apparently in quite good condition,so that will save us the difficult job of carrying ours down there. Archie has kindly agreed to go to Robert instead of me.

I spent most of the 15th. preparing and packing away all my things and leaving instructions about packing up instruments, for it is possible, but extremely improbable that we would arrive after the boat sailed and we would have to find our way to Advent Bay in the whale boat. Everybody most helpful. wind round to S.E. at last.

We started off to the Advanced Base soon after noon on the 16th: Brownie and Andrew came with us to portage our loads, and Archie carried some of ours as well as his own. We set off on the 17 mile walk with packs of about 39lbs each. We did not bring any dogs, as Andrew and Brownie wanted the Dupeliks for Spitzbergen, and we really wanted the Blacks (for strength and also in case we had to kill them) and hoped to find them at the Advanced Base, or on the way. However, Fatima and No.8 came of course, and naturally Amalortok came with Fatima - he's just cracked on her. These we couldn't get rid of and came all the way. Dupelik and one or two others persisted in following us as far as the Snotopppen glacier, before stones and harsh words compelled them to return to the base.

It was a warm and sunny day, and we took the walk of 19 miles or so easily, and we all enjoyed it to the utmost. We saw a large patch of open water in the middle of Brandy Bay stretching right over to Hansteen valley. If the E. wind (slight though it be) continues, it will help to clear the ice away if only the pack outside can get more broken up and go too. No sign of the dogs on the way; John lost one of the lenses out of his spectacles. On reaching the top of the ridge running back from Dog Point we got the most heavenly view of the Advanced Base bay, now full of calm blue water, surrounded by the red coloured rocks, all the colours brought out by the white ice-floes in the bay, and by the white of the ice-cap and glacier. In the distance Mt. Celcius and Spitzbergen were visible, but to the north the Seven Islands were obscured by clouds on the Snotoppen peninsula. No sign of the dogs at the Advanced Base. The others went to bed almost at once after supper, while John and I fetched the sledge from a little way along the shore and put up our tent. It was really hot that night, and I slept by the door, naked in only a single sleeping bag.

John saw a ptarmigan and young near a stream, when getting water.

Brownie and Andrew left about 8p.m. (17th.) for the base. Their help in portaging had been invaluable. John went with them to fetch the Dupelik team as there were still no signs of the Blacks. Archie stayed some time to do work on our sledge, he is such a good worker with his hands, and I spent the day getting more things ready for the journey - toboggan bottom to be remade, rope-ends whipped and eye-splices made, food collected, harpoon sharpened etc.

I was indoors at about 3a.m. (18th) when I heard a yelp and looking out there was Ayo and all the black dogs. They seemed hungry and routed round at old skins etc. and when they had found all the scraps they could I gave them a lump of pemmican each and tied up Ayo. Had a good sleep, and then went on with the jobs until all I could do profitably without seeing John seemed done. Seemed tired and so, though I hadn't been up so very long, I went to bed soon after midnight. Was awakened by the noise of dogs outside about 9a.m. (19th) - it was John arriving with the Dupeliks. What he must have thought of me finding me in bed I don't know, but it was a bad beginning. We put the Dupeliks in the doghouse and after a meal John went to bed, and I did some more jobs before going to bed again.