Student expeditions do a great deal of good work on the Arctic islands but from time to time cause trouble in the huts, probably because students are not familiar with the 11 of the little wooden huts dotted all over the islands of the Spizbergen group.
Each hut 12 has an inner and an outer door, shutters over the windows, a store of wood 13 up outside, dry chopped wood inside, utensils and cutlery, and above all, a small store of food. All these things must be completely in 14 whenever the hut is left.
It makes no 15 if it is only the middle of July. That 16 hut may not be visited again before the winter. A door left open can lead either to snow filling up the hut to the ceiling, or 17 still, wind blowing the roof off. Unfastened shutters leave the windows an easy prey for polar bears 18 for food and the result is again snow in the hut. The ready-chopped wood is also very important.
A traveler visiting the hut in the middle of the dark time and perhaps in bad weather, his feet, hands and face bitten by the frost, will have his difficulties doubled if the wood he left has been used up by others and he had nothing with which to 19 a fire.
Ten or more years ago there were enough hunters to look after most of the huts, but now many buildings have become useless because there is no one to repair them and because of 20.