32 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec. 



' The events of the day's march are now becoming so dreary 

 and dispiriting that one longs to forget them when we camp ; 

 it is an effort even to record them in a diary. To-night has 

 been worse than usual. Our utmost efforts could not produce 

 more than three miles for the whole march, and it would be 

 impossible to describe how tiring the effort was to gain even 

 this small advance. We have an idea we are rising in level 

 slightly, but it is impossible to say so with certainty. 



' Shackleton broke the glass of his watch yesterday after- 

 noon ; the watch still goes, but one cannot further rely on it, 

 and I am therefore left with the only accurate time-keeper. It 

 is a nuisance to lose a possible check on future observations, 

 but luckily my watch seems to be a very trustworthy instrument ; 

 its rate on board the ship was excellent, and I have no reason 

 to suppose that it has altered much since we left. My watch 

 was presented to me by Messrs. Smith & Son, of the Strand, 

 and I believe it to be an exceptionally good one, but the 

 important observations which we take ought not to depend on 

 a single watch, and future expeditions should be supplied with 

 a larger number than we carry.' 



' Decejuber 6. — ... A dire calamity to-day. When I went 

 outside before breakfast I noticed that " Spud " was absent 

 from his place. I looked round and discovered him lying on 

 the sledge with his head on the open mouth of the seal-meat 

 bag ; one glance at his balloon-like appearance was sufficient to 

 show what had happened. As one contemplated the impossi- 

 bility of repairing the mischief and of making him restore his 

 ill-gotten provender, it was impossible not to laugh ; but the 

 matter is really serious enough : he has made away with quite 

 a week's allowance of our precious seal-meat. How he could 

 have swallowed it all is the wonder, yet, though somewhat 

 sedate and somnolent, he appeared to suffer no particular 

 discomfort from the enormously increased size of his waist. 

 We found of course that he had gnawed through his trace, but 

 the seal-meat bag will be very carefully closed in future. 



' Whilst we were making preparations for a start last night 

 we were overtaken by a blizzard and had to camp again in a 



