90 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [MARCH 



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. 



