I shaved and bathed last night (the first time for 10 days) and wrote letters from breakfast till tea time to-day.

Meanwhile the ballast team has been going on merrily, and to-night Pennell must have some 26 tons on board.
It was good to return to the camp and see the progress which had been made even during such a short absence.

The grotto has been much enlarged and is, in fact, now big enough to hold all our mutton and a considerable quantity of seal and penguin.
Close by Simpson and Wright have made surprising progress in excavating for the differential magnetic hut.

They have already gone in 7 feet and, turning a corner, commenced the chamber, which is to be 13 feet x 5 feet.

The hard ice of this slope is a godsend and both grottoes will be ideal for their purposes.
The cooking range and stove have been placed in the hut and now chimneys are being constructed; the porch is almost finished as well as the interior; the various carpenters are busy with odd jobs and it will take them some time to fix up the many small fittings that different people require.
I have been making arrangements for the depot journey, telling off people for ponies and dogs, &c._9_ To-morrow is to be our first rest day, but next week everything will be tending towards sledging preparations.