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

Captain's launch came alongside and he wasn't ready, so David, Bill (Sladen, the
other MO) and I went ashore in it - and sent it back for the Captain! We went
into the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. and there met Mr MacDonald, the Agent, who
lent us a boy to show us around. The two MO's bought medical stores and a
bottle of Eno's fruit salts (which cost David Esc 35, about shs. 8/-, an exorbitant
price in those days!). We went round to the Café Sport and had a couple of iced
Jim Collins's. Jock and the Second Engineer arrived and some sailors from the
‘Carlton’- a ship from the Tyne. When MacDonald was free we went along to
his house, above the hospital and had quite a party, his wife Eileen and the local
Surgeon making six of us. We had several drinks and I sampled the local cane
brandy - about 73 over proof!
After dinner we went on to the home of the Surgeon, Chief MO; born on
the island, he was educated at Lisbon and then had been to America for a year
or two before returning to take up this post. I can't recall his name. He took us
to his home for some real Madeira wine. The house was attractive with arches
along the verandah and a loggia at the back. He kept a large monkey in an
enclosure there, which was very fierce and made a lot of noise. Screaming and
roaring, and rattling of the bars of the cage, punctuated the talk at the dinner
table. (In later years I dined out on this tale, and the monkey became a gorilla! I
hadn't realized this until I re-read my diary; how the memory deceives with
time!)
With half an hour to go to midnight we went into the Portuguese Club
across the square, where the New Year's Eve Ball was going strongly. We were
introduced to a number of girls and made to feel very much at home, so that
when the clock struck midnight we were not left out of the general ecstatic
embraces with which the Portuguese greet the New Year. Every one began to
shout ‘nif’ and to prance around merrily, holding hands and weaving in and out
of the arches. I had a lot of dances with several rather pretty girls, in particular
Odise and Marie. The ballroom was a riot of colour from the ladies dresses; the
men were in evening dress or uniform, but no comments were passed on David
and me who were only wearing lounge suits. We were treated as guests of
honour after Mac had introduced us.
Bill was in rather battered bags and tweed jacket and didn't dance. The
Argentine Consul buttonholed him, asked leading questions and wanted to
know if we were naval officers. That seemed to be the general impression,
although we did our best to disillusion them. We had a grand time after being
cooped up on our cramped ship, as many dances as we wished, and were
decorated with the ‘order’ of Vittorio Palma (whatever that may be!) by several
pretty girls. At 3 o’clock Bill was anxious to leave, and said later that he
couldn't get us to move. Not surprisingly as we had all imbibed quantities of
excellent champagne and Madeira, which was running like water. Mac was very
much under the weather.
However, we managed to make our leave-taking fairly quickly and the
launch was laid on to deliver us to the ship. Captain McFie had been to the
other fiesta - which was fancy dress - and he had a ‘Toreador’ and two heavily
mantilla'd women in his cabin - who turned out to be men in drag. We got
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