394 WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



notes. " At 4.30 I dug up the seal-meat cache, and found a 

 whole liver buried deep under a layer of ice. It all seemed 

 fresh, and Forde helped me to cut it up on a board outside the 

 hut. Then I got the stove lighted by blubbery paper pretty 

 easily, and the cooker full of water. I heated this for cocoa till 

 it began to sing, and then put on the frying-tray. This latter 

 was the base of our cooker, but served excellently as a pan ; 

 except that it was so large that one part of the meat would 

 freeze while the rest was frying ! I put in some fat, and 

 tipped in four mugs of cut up seal and liver. It took about 

 three-quarters of an hour to cook, being stirred continuously. 

 I fear me I used my dagger as poker, cutter of blubber, as 

 scraper of soot, stirrer and taster, all indiscriminately ! How- 

 ever, with onion powder and salt it doesn't taste badly, though 

 it makes my teeth ache chewing it. The cooker of warmed 

 water boiled in no time, though it had been cooling for three- 

 quarters of an hour, and we had hot cocoa to time. I had 

 only one biscuit, so that it was a cheap indigenous meal." 



The weather had been rather disagreeable during the last 

 month, about four days fine alternating with five days over- 

 cast. This is not usual in midsummer, but we chiefly required 

 strong winds to blow away the sea ice, so that Pennell could 

 reach us. With a sailor's superstition Gran hung up his 

 most dilapidated headgear " for a favouring wind." He said 

 it always took effect in twenty-four hours. However, as was 

 often the case with our sanguine prophet, nothing came of his 

 forecast, and his stock was flat again. 



On the 1 1 th Debenham swore that he saw the Terra Nova. 

 Gran confirmed this, and said the sails were set. I got hold of 

 the binoculars, and alas ! I saw three Terra Novas. They were 

 miraged bergs, I fear. I thought it would be a good plan to 

 have a signal on top of Discovery Bluff", and so Gran and I 

 carried paper, blubber, and dried moss, to the summit, and 

 left them there in readiness for a flare, if the ship approached. 

 I carried up the theodolite, but did not take many angles, for 

 it began to snow. When I returned, I found that Forde had 

 kindly done my cooking — or rather greatly improved on it. 

 He made some excellent chupatties from " thickers " and 

 raisins, of which we had a small surplus. 



That evening we had a great argument about the possi- 

 bility of a German invasion, Gran versus Debenham, in 



