DIET AND DISEASE 103 



August 20. My birthday, and as it was my day on as cook, 

 the others relieved me and I spent a lazy day. 



It has been blowing for the last two days, with open water, 

 but last night the wind eased for a few hours, and immediately 

 ice formed all over the bay. 



Our birthday ration to-night consists of two biscuits, twenty 

 raisins, six lumps of sugar each, strong tea, and liver hoosh. As 

 usual we finished up with a sing-song. 



August 28. The wind dropped last night after blowing hard 

 since the 2Oth, and we put in a good day carrying blubber and 

 meat up from the ice foot. There was a cold breeze and I got 

 my nose and feet frozen. We are all suffering much from frost- 

 bitten feet, as our ski boots are pretty well worn out and their 

 soles are full of holes. 



In the evening Abbott came running in for my glasses as he 

 saw something that looked like a sledge party on the piedmont, 

 but as usual this proved a false alarm. 



August 31. Calm and very cold since the 28th. We had our 

 last stick of chocolate till we start sledging, but to-morrow we 

 start one biscuit a day each. We have been all this month with- 

 out biscuit and have felt none the worse, so evidently a seal meat 

 and blubber diet is healthy enough. Strangely enough we do not 

 get tired of it. 



From the top of the hill I could see sea ice on the horizon, 

 but the bay remains open. 



September 5. A very heavy gale has been blowing since the 

 first, keeping all hands inside the hut. We have had an epidemic 

 of enteritis which is hard to account for, as we are eating seal 

 meat that has never seen the sun, but I think the ' oven ' or tin 

 we thaw the meat out in may have had something to do with it, 

 so we have condemned it. 



It is a great pity getting this a few weeks before starting 

 sledging, as it is making us all so weak. 



September 6. A great improvement in the public health due 

 to Levick's wisely curtailing the hoosh. I have been the least 

 affected, but Browning and Dickason are still very bad. I hope 

 this may be the end of it, as we are still all weak, and for the 

 first time in the winter there has been a general gloom. The 

 weather has been vile, but improved to-day. 



September n. The best day we have had yet, bright and 



