Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

was like that and reminded me of the main street in Lillehanner around Christmas,
with the candles, decorative lights and Christmas trees, snow and sledges and skis.
That night Jahre and Norheim, the day-shift foremen of the after plan and fore
plan, came to my cabin for drinks after supper and I gave them each a bottle of
whisky for Christmas; it should help to make the work move more smoothly!. On
Boxing Day we were at 63°S; 44°E. Well, we had (some of us at least) recovered from
the Christmas festivities and that day they caught 30 whales before breakfast, so it
looked as though I would be rather busy when they came in - any time just then.
Christmas had begun on Christmas Eve when I had a bath at about 5 o’clock and
changed into suit, collar and tie - very distinguished with beard! Then I went over
the way for a drink with Hugh, Mitch and Frank Day (the electric harpoon expert).
Incidentally I had cables from Roy and Jennifer Harden-Jones in Cambridge, Arthur
Mansfield and Dad and Mother for Christmas. At about 6.30 pm along to the smoke
room forward where people were listening to recorded messages from Norway and
drinking a vile cocktail. The Norwegians had gone down a bit in my estimation since
I came aboard Balaena, for they really were a very sentimental lot. Every message
from home was much the same - beginning and ending with 'Jeg elsker deg' and we
all had to sit around solemnly listening. I would have been embarrassed to receive
such messages in public - chuckles were frowned upon, it was all a very serious
matter.
Christmas Dinner followed at 7.0 o’clock. It was very good: turkey and all the
trimmings, and Christmas pudding, wines and crackers and flickering candles, paper
hats in the crackers of course. Also, we each received a very fine leather cigarette case
from the Company with a picture of the Balaena embossed upon it. Things began to
get uproarious and we had small booklets with carols in Norsk and English, which
the Norwegians began to sing - we joined in. Later we went to Frank's cabin and
returned to the smoke-room for coffee and liqueurs. Then we all visited Alex's cabin
where Jim Clifton (who had just got up to start the night shift) fell fast asleep after
two whiskies - like the dormouse in Alice. I must have been the mad hatter because
later when we returned to the smoke room and a guitarist and later an accordion
player came along, I kept asking for the record "Spring in Portugal" - and finally got
it. Back to another cabin and I left at midnight, but just as I was getting into bed
Frank came along and said he had been deputed to bring me back. Well, I didn't get
to bed until 3.0 o’clock, but it was a good evening.
Christmas Day was very dull and most people didn't appear until late afternoon! I
just read and lazed. I think we saw a film in the evening. On Boxing Day, however, I
was up at 5 o’clock and worked on deck all day until 8 o’clock in the evening, when
Setter 9 - the new diesel-engined catcher - arrived with mail from Cape Town,
including a sixth letter for me from Maureen. I was so glad to get it only two weeks
after she'd posted it.
The following day was a beautiful, calm, clear day. I worked on eleven whales and
wrote up notes, cleaned specimens and so on. I took several photographs and
finished the first reel of cine film on shots of setter 8 and Terje 4 delivering whales at
the stern of the Balaena, and of sperm whales being flensed and cut up. (Our whalecatchers
were called Setter (after the dog) 1 - 10 and Terje (terrier) 4 and 11). At sunset
there was a glorious riot of colour along the horizon. Hugh and I stood on the poop
and talked as the ship ploughed through the calm water with several whales towed
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