90 SCOTT’S LAST EXPEDITION (Maem 
of fact our ‘hut’ is only a cave dug into the snow drift, and 
our roof is of hard snow about 3 feet thick, while the walls 
and floor are of ice. As snow is a better insulator than ice, 
we shall line the walls with snow blocks and pack the space 
between the snow and ice with seaweed. The floor will be of 
a layer of small pebbles on the ice, with seaweed on top of that; 
then our tent cloths are spread on the seaweed. 
March 19.—A very heavy gale is blowing, but this no longer 
interferes with our work, and the hut has grown to quite a 
respectable size. 
Our craving for biscuit is growing awful. We do not like 
this meat diet. In the afternoon the wind moderated a little, 
but the squalls were still heavy. About 6 P.M. we heard voices 
outside, and Levick and his party arrived without sleeping-bags 
and all pretty well frostbitten. “They had had a bad time, their 
tent poles having been broken in a squall, and their tent blown 
to rags. They had piled rocks on the rest of their gear and 
then came over to look for us. After reviving them with hoosh, 
we spent a most uncomfortable night, sleeping two in each bag. 
Levick was my partner. My bag was, luckily, a good one, 
and nothing split, but I should not care to repeat the experience. 
March 20.—Luckily the weather had improved enough for 
Levick’s party to get their bags and gear over. The rest of 
us worked at the hut. 
March 21.—A cold wind, but fine. Priestley, Levick, and 
Dickason worked at the hut, while Abbott, Browning, and I went 
over to the main depot to bring some more gear over. On the 
way over we saw a seal come up several times and try to get on 
the ice foot. Leaving Browning to watch the seal, Abbott and 
I went over for the load, and on our way to our great joy we 
saw Browning cutting up the seal. But a still greater treat was 
in store for us. The seal’s stomach was full of fish, thirty-six 
of which were nearly whole. We took these up to the hut, fried 
them in blubber, and found them excellent. In future we shall 
always look for fish as soon as we kill a seal. 
March 22.—Spent the day bringing up what stores we had 
left, while some worked at the hut, which is already beginning 
to look more habitable. The weather is clear and cold, but these 
strong plateau winds continue, and we get our noses frostbitten 
every time we go out. My nose is one great blister. 
