SELECTION OF SHORE PARTY 51 



an expedition like this. The advantages are obvious. 

 If a variety of experiences are brought together and 

 used with common sense, of course a great deal can be 

 achieved. The experience of one man will often come 

 in opportunely where that of another falls short. The 

 experiences of several will supplement each other, and 

 form something like a perfect whole; this is what I 

 hoped to obtain. But there is 110 rose without a thorn ; 

 if it has its advantages, it also has its drawbacks. The 

 drawback to which one is liable in this case is that 

 someone or other may think he possesses so much 

 experience that every opinion but his own is worthless. 

 It is, of course, regrettable when experience takes 

 this turn, but with patience and common sense it can 

 be broken of it. In any case, the advantages are so 

 great and predominant that I had determined to have 

 experienced men to the greatest extent possible. It 

 was my plan to devote the entire winter to working at 

 our outfit, and to get it as near to perfection as possible. 

 Another thing to which we should have to give some 

 time was the killing of a sufficient number of seals to 

 provide fresh meat both for ourselves and our dogs for 

 the whole time. Scurvy, the worst enemy of Polar 

 expeditions, must be kept off at all costs, and to achieve 

 this it was my intention to use fresh meat every day. 

 It proved easy to carry out this rule, since everyone, 

 without exception, preferred seal meat to tinned foods. 

 And when spring came I hoped that my companions 



