i 9 2 WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



slept fairly well in spite of the drips from the roof. Each 

 sleeper unconsciously rolled away from the drops, and many 

 were the territorial arguments caused by the drips from the 

 ice-covered roof. 



Next day at 6 a.m. the cooks (Meares and Keohane) 

 turned out to prepare the breakfast. The others got up an 

 hour later, to find a thick pemmican of seal-meat and curry 

 awaiting their attack. Thereafter we each had a mug of 

 cocoa. Work starts immediately, for we are literally living 

 from hand to mouth. So Wilson and most of the men go 

 off to Pram Point to kill our dinner. Teddy Evans with 

 two mates puts in the morning cutting up seal-meat, while 

 the western party set off to fetch in our second sledge from 

 the slopes below Castle Rock. 



From the top of the promontory by Castle Rock we got 

 a good view northwards to Cape Evans, distance about twelve 

 miles. There was open water this side of the Tongue, but 

 ice was forming on it. Further north it looked more solid, 

 and I lugubriously wrote, " It will be a fortnight before we 

 get off, I fear." 



The worst feature about Hut Point was the approach 

 thereto. It was about twenty-five feet above the water-line, 

 which here was bounded by an ice cliff twelve feet high at the 

 foot of a quite steep icy slope. This slippery route fringed 

 the bay, and was of necessity traversed by any one approach- 

 ing from the north or east. As there was usually a blizzard 

 blowing directly down this slope to the water, it took us some 

 days to traverse " ski slope " with equanimity. We put rope 

 grommets (brakes) on the sledge-runners, or the whole outfit 

 would have sidled over the edge into the water. By 5 p.m. 

 we had brought all our specimens and instruments safely to 

 Discovery Hut. 



The other party had killed eleven seals, and returned two 

 hours later. We had a grand feed of seal-liver seasoned with 

 peas. A box of dried peas was one of the relics of the 1902 

 expedition, which was dug up from the snow ; and though 

 the outside was black and mouldy, the heart of the box fur- 

 nished us with magnificent dishes of " pea-doo." 



The blubber-stove worked better every day. One " fid " 

 (or slab) of seal-blubber would soon make the iron top red- 

 hot. So we were actually able to wash the pannikins ! Only 



