1903] PREPARING FOR OUR SECOND WINTER 131 



taken to prevent the meat being impregnated with its rancid 

 taste. The birds that have been shot for the winter have been 

 cleaned and hung in the rigging, with their skins and plumage 

 still on. It is found that when they are taken below and 

 thawed out the skin can be removed without difficulty, 



' Summing up our food supply for the winter, therefore, we 

 seem to be in pretty good case : 



116 seals should last about 230 days 



551 skuas „ ,, „ 25 ,, 



20 sheep ,, ,, ,, 20 ,, 



Total 275 ,, 



Of course some of the seal-meat will be required for sledging 

 operations, and we must allow margins for accidents, but on 

 the whole I think we ought to steer through the winter without 

 difficulty. We deplore very heartily that we cannot add pen- 

 guins to the variety of our fare, but it is long since any have 

 approached the ship, and they are not likely to come now, 

 across so many miles of ice. 



''March 14. — We have admitted the certainty of a second 

 winter, and to-day orders have been given to prepare the ship 

 for it. It is like putting the clock back : all our care and 

 trouble in getting ready for the sea voyage are wasted. The 

 boilers will be run down again, the engines pulled to pieces, 

 small steam-pipes disconnected, ropes unrove and coiled away, 

 the winter awning prepared, and snow brought in on the decks. 

 The awning is in a very dilapidated state, and looks anything 

 but fit to face the rigours of another season, but I suppose we 

 shall be able to patch it up somehow. One thing we shall not 

 do this year, and that is, place the boats out on the floe ; those 

 in the way of the awning will be carried over on to the land, in 

 which it is to be hoped they will not sink out of sight.' 



''March 20. — To-day I went out on ski to Cone Hill, close 

 to Castle Rock. The day has been fine, calm, with a bright 

 sun, but the temperature has fallen to — 20°. From the hill it 

 was clear that the old ice had broken away a good deal since 

 the " Morning " left, but it is still a long way from the ship — 



K 2 



