South!

guins. We had left, other than reserve sledging rations, about 110 lbs. of pemmican, including the dog-pemmican, and 300 lbs. of flour. In addition there was a little tea, sugar, dried vegetabl

. When they were about a mile and a half away their voices w

us less than three months. Our meals had to consist mainly of seal and penguin; and though this was valuable as an anti-scorbutic, so much so th

thing but a few boxes arranged as a table, with a canvas screen erected around them on four oars and the two blubber-stoves wi

ild him an igloo of ice-blocks, wit

pint of seal stew for supper. That is barely enough, even doing very little work as we are, for of course we are completely destitute of bread or potatoes or anything of that sort. Some seem to feel it more than others and are continually talki

or ourselves, I had to order all the dogs except two teams to be shot. It was the

of seal meat were decidedly limited. The fact that the men did not know what was coming

ary 26) and another whale was see

reakfast. For the rest we have iced water. Sometimes we are short even of this, so we take a few chips of ice in a tobacco-tin to bed

, I commenced to use the sledging r

take no undue risk or cross any wide-open leads, and said that they were to return by midday the next day. Although they both fell through the thin ice up to their waists more than once, they managed to reach the camp. They found the surface soft and sunk about two feet. Ocean Camp, they said,

ing-case, returning to Patience Camp by about 8 p.m. I was pleased at their quick return, and as their report seemed to show that the road was favourable, on February 2 I sent back eighteen men under Wild to

we had numerous halts while the pioneer party of four were busy breaking down pressure-ridges and filling in open cracks with ice-blocks, as the leads were opening up. The sun had softened the surface a good deal, and in places it was terribly hard pulling. Every one was a bit exhausted by the time we got back, as we are not n

rise. Sir Ernest and Hussey sledged out to meet us wit

ly good track for us into the camp, and they harnesse

p was the recovery of two cases

ds had opened up during the night, and they had to return when within a mile and a half of their destination. We we

s very short too. We still had our three months' supply of sledging food practically untouched; we were only to use this as a last resort. We had a small supply of dog-pemm

uins, and next day forty adelies. We had now only forty days' food left, and the lack of blubber was being keenly felt. All our suet was used

party held that it was to celebrate their escape from woman's wiles for another four years. The last of our cocoa was used to-day. Henc

half of a fifth before he could be stopped. The remaining half, with the marks of the dog's teeth on it, I g

the provisions the more there is to do in the commissariat department, contriving to eke out our slender

nd one is only too glad to eat up any scraps regardless of their antecedents. One is almost ashamed to write of all the titbits one has picked up here, but it is enough to say that when

eese some days before, in the hopes of finding a few crumbs. He was rewarded by comi

ged in this respect. Until quite recently almost the thought of it was nauseating. Now, however, we positively demand it. The thic

d sufficient seal to last for a month. Our forty days' reserve sledg

ilosophically rema

ke this, for we will appreciate so much

sions on March 21 I found that we had only sufficient meat to last us for ten days, an

eak though, and as soon as it appeared likely that we should leave our floe and take to the boats I should have to considerably increase the ration. One day a huge sea-leopard climbed on to the floe and attacked one of the men. Wil

-water in tins against our bodies, and we treat the tins of dog-pemmica

es being dressed for food. We had some of the dog-meat cooked, and

days before, enabled us to slightly increase our ration. Everybody now

ere served out to all hands, and it is won

remained practically untouched, but once i

ing the first half of January the weather was comparatively warm, so much so that we could dispense with our mitts and work outside for quite long periods with bare hands. Up till the 13th it was exasperatingly warm and calm. This meant that our drif

his lasted, when the drift subsided somewhat, though the southerly wind continued, and we were able to get a glimpse of the sun. This showed us to have drifted 84 miles north in six days, the longest drift we had made. For weeks we had remained on the 67th parallel, and it seemed a

ly wind. It was as hot a day as we had ever had. The temperature was 36° Fahr. in the shade and nearly 80° Fahr. inside the tents. This had an awful effect on the surface, covering it with pools and making it very treacherous to walk upon. Ten days of northerly winds rather damped our spirits, but a strong southerly wind on February 4, backing later, to south-east, carr

on our mental state was very marked. All hands felt much more cheerful on a bright sunny day, and looked forward with mu

. On the 20th we experienced the worst blizzard we had had up to that time, though worse were to come after landing on Elephant Island. Thick snow fell, making it impossible to see the

southerly blizzard. Drifts four feet deep covered everything, and we had to be continually digging up our scanty stock of meat to prevent its being lost altogether. We had taken advantage of the previous fine day to attempt to thaw out our blankets, which were frozen stiff and could be held ou

bric of our fragile tents and create so much draught that it is impossible to keep warm within. At supper last night

g weather. It began to rain hard, and it was the first rain that we had seen since we left South Georgia sixteen month

h temperatures were now our lot till April 7, when the mist lif

ft north, our progress in that direction was not by any means uninterrupted. We were at th

which now was our objective. There was a hut there and some stores which had been taken down by the ship which went to the rescue of Nordenskjold's Expedition in 1904, and whose fitting out and equipment I had charge of. We remarked amongst ourselves what a strange turn of fate it would be if the very cases of provisions which I had ordered and sent out so many years before were now to support us during the coming winter. But this was not t

p, as the ice must be very congested against the south-east coast of the island, otherwise our failure to respond to the recent south-easterly gale cannot be well accounted for. In support of this there has been some very heavy pressure on the north-east side, of our floe, one immense block bei

snow-clad, are just visible on the horizon. This barren, inhospitable-looking land would be a haven of refuge to us if we could but reach it. It would be ridiculous to make the attempt though, with the ice all broken up as it is. It is too loose and broken to march over, yet

nt Island or Clarence Island, which

might try for South Georgia, but our cha