round.

All three huts were essentially of the same construction. The
largest, on account of its breadth, had four special supporting posts,
symmetrically placed near the centre, stretching from the ground to the
roof framework. The only subdivisions inside were a small vestibule, a
photographic darkroom and my own room. This rough idea I had handed
over to Hodgeman, leaving him to complete the details and to draw up
the plans. The frame timbers he employed were stronger than usual in a
building of the size, and were all securely bolted together. The
walls and roof, both inside and outside, were of tongued and grooved
pine-boards, made extra wind-proof by two courses of tarred paper. As
rain was not expected, this roofing was sufficient. There were four
windows in the roof, one on each side of the pyramid. We should thereby
get light even though almost buried in snow.

[TEXT ILLUSTRATION]

Plan of the hut, Adelie Land

The largest hut was presented by the timber merchants of Sydney, and
proved its astonishing strength during the winter hurricanes. The
smallest was purchased in Adelaide, the third was built and presented by
Messrs. Anthony of Melbourne.

On the morning of January 20 all were at work betimes. As we were
securely isolated from a trades hall, our hours of labour ranged from 7
A.M. till 11 P.M.

Dynamite was to be used for blasting out the holes for the reception
of the stumps, and so the steel rock-drills were unpacked and boring
commenced. This was easier than it appeared, because the rock was much
traversed by cracks. By the end of the day a good deal of damage had
been done to the rock, at the expense of a few sore fingers and wrists
caused by the sledge-hammers missing the drills. The work was tedious,
for water introduced into the holes had a habit of freezing. The
metal drills, too, tended to be brittle in the cold and required to be
tempered softer than usual. Hannam operated the forge, and picks and
drills were sent along for pointing; an outcrop of gneiss serving as an
anvil.

Among other things it was found difficult to fire the charges, for, when
frozen, dynamite is not readily exploded. This was overcome by carrying
the sticks inside one's pocket until the last moment. In the absence of
earth or clay, we had no tamping material until some one suggested guano
from the penguin rookeries, which proved a great success.

Next day the stumps were in place; most of them being fixed by wedge