1903] DEPOT 'A' 87 



are two tins of sardines, a large tin of marmalade, soup squares, 

 pea soup, and many another delight that already make our 

 mouths water. For each one of us there is some special trifle 

 which the forethought of our kind people has provided, mine 

 being an extra packet of tobacco ; and last, but not least, there 

 are a whole heap of folded letters and notes — billets-doux 

 indeed. I wonder if a mail was ever more acceptable. 



' All the news seems to be good ; the weather at the ship 

 has been wonderfully warm and fine, and the glare of the sun 

 so great that our people have had to wear goggles at their 

 work. After long and trying labour Royds tells me he has 

 succeeded in rescuing all the boats, though not without 

 damage. Armitage has not returned, but is expected soon. 

 So far there has been no sign of a return of scurvy. Blissett 

 has discovered an Emperor penguin's egg, and his messmates 

 expect him to be knighted. With all this to gossip about, we 

 are a pretty cheerful party to-night, and I can only write 

 scrappily. Meanwhile our Jwosh is preparing ; we are putting 

 a double " whack " of everything into the cooking-pot, and 

 when in doubt as to what is double, we put in treble. The 

 smell of this savoury mess is already arising, so I cease.' 



'-January 29. — I intended to finish writing up my diary 

 last night, but I couldn't, and I'm afraid it's no use trying to 

 disguise the fact that this was due to nothing but a condition 

 of horrible surfeit. The tale is really lamentable ; we have 

 got into a habit of eating our food in the most wolfish fashion, 

 and last night no sooner was our first pannikin of hoosh served 

 out than it was gone, the unusual second pannikin vanished 

 almost as quickly, and even when it came to the hitherto un- 

 known third, there was not much slackening in the pace. 

 Then, having exhausted the contents of the inner cooking-pot, 

 in almost less time than it takes to tell, we passed on to the 

 thickest brew of cocoa with "lashings" of jam and biscuit. 

 Supper did not last more than twenty minutes, but the amount 

 we put away in that time would have excited the envy of any 

 gourmand. 



' For the first half-hour everything was pure joy ; we 



