Concerning the night watchman and his duties, although we had so many
self-recording instruments, there were certain things which called for
attention during the silent hours. Aurora observations had to be made
which no instrument would record, movement of clouds had to be noted in
the meteorological log, the snow cleared from the anemometer and so
forth, then of course rounds had to be made in case of fire, ponies and
dogs visited, the galley fire lit or kept going according to
requirements, and so on. Night watch-keeping duty was only undertaken by
certain members chosen from the afterguard. Scott himself always took a
share in this, as he did in everything else that mattered. One came to
welcome the night on, for the attendant work was not very strenuous and
the eight hours' quietude gave the watchman a chance to write up a
neglected diary, to wash clothes, work out observations, and perhaps make
contributions to the "South Polar Times" undisturbed by casual
well-wishers who were not meant to see the article in question until the
day of publication. We were allowed to choose from the stores more or
less what we liked for consumption in the stillness of the night watch. I
always contributed special China or Ceylon tea for the benefit of the
lonely watchman--I had two big canisters of the beverage, a present from
one of our New Zealand well-wishers, Mrs. Arthur Rhodes of Christchurch,
and these lasted the afterguard watch-keepers through the Expedition.
The auroras were a little disappointing this first winter as seen from
Cape Evans, they were certainly better seen from the Barrier. We only got
golden bands and curtains splaying in the heavens, except for one or two
rare occasions when there were distinct green rays low down amongst the
shafts of weird light farthest from the zenith.

In view of the possibility of a second winter one kept a few letters
going which contained a little narrative of our work to date. We had most