I902] THE NOBLE GAME OF 'SHUT-EYE' 45 



of shares. After this we used to take it in turns to divide 

 things into three equal portions ; it is not an easy thing to do 

 by eye, and of course the man who made the division felt 

 called upon to make certain that he had the smallest share. It 

 was when we found that this led to all sorts of absurd remon- 

 strances and arguments that Shackleton invented the noble 

 game of " shut-eye," which has solved all our difficulties in this 

 respect. The shares are divided as equally as possible by any- 

 one ; then one of the other two turns his head away, the 

 divider points at a " whack " and says, " Whose is this ? " He 

 of the averted head names the owner, and so on. It is a very 

 simple but very efficacious game, as it leaves the matter entirely 

 to chance. We play it at every meal now as a matter of 

 course, and from practice we do it very speedily ; but one 

 cannot help thinking how queer it would appear for a casual 

 onlooker to see three civilised beings employed at it.' 



' December 23. — We have been getting on rather faster than 

 we thought, though we had a suspicion that the sledge-meter 

 was clogging in the very soft snow. Our latitude is now about 

 8ii° S. To-day I had to shift the balance-weight on the 

 theodolite compass needle; the dip must be decreasing 

 rapidly. Theodolite observations are now difficult, as the 

 tripod legs cannot be soHdly planted. I find it a good plan 

 to leave it up for the night, as in the morning there is always a 

 little cake of ice under each leg. The surface is so soft that 

 one can push the shaft of the ice-axe down with a finger. 



* The dogs of course feel it much, but the leaders have the 

 worst time, for they have to make the foot-prints ; the others 

 step carefully into them, and are saved the trouble of making 

 their own. Several times lately, and especially to-day, the 

 dogs have raised their heads together and sniffed at the breeze ; 

 with a northerly wind one might suppose that their keen scent 

 might detect something, but it is difficult to imagine what they 

 can find in air coming from the south. Shackleton, who 

 always declares that he believes there is either open water or an 

 oasis ahead, says that the dogs merely confirm his opinion. 



' We felt the chill wind in our faces much, owing to their 



