50 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec. 



surely sapping our energies and reducing ourselves to the 

 condition of our more willing dogs, who, with every desire to 

 throw their weight on the traces, were incapable of doing so. 

 Of course we never sank into the deplorable state of these 

 poor animals, but there is no doubt that from this time on we 

 were gradually wearing out, and the increasing weariness of 

 the homeward marches showed that we were expending our 

 energies at a greater rate than we were able to renew them 

 with our inadequate supply of food, and thus drawing on a 

 capital stock which must obviously have restricted limits. 



Such a state of affairs is, as I have pointed out elsewhere, a 

 false economy, and the additional weight which we should 

 have carried in taking a proper allowance of food would have 

 amply repaid us on this occasion by the maintenance of our 

 full vigour. 



A shortage of food has another great disadvantage which 

 we experienced to the full : our exceptionally hungry condition 

 caused our thoughts and conversation to run in a groove from 

 which it was almost impossible to lift them. We knew 

 perfectly well how ridiculous this was, and appreciated that 

 it was likely to increase rather than diminish the evil, but we 

 seemed powerless to prevent it. After supper, and before its 

 pleasing effects had passed, some detachment was possible, 

 and for half an hour or more a desultory conversation would 

 be maintained concerning far-removed subjects ; but it was 

 ludicrous to observe the manner in which remarks gradually 

 crept back to the old channel, and it was odds that before we 

 slept each one of us gave, all over again, a detailed description 

 of what he would now consider an ideal feast. 



On the march it was even worse ; one's thoughts were 

 reduced to the most trivial details of the one unsatisfying 

 subject. One would find oneself calculating how many foot- 

 steps went to the minute, and how many, therefore, must be 

 paced before lunch; then, with a sinking heart, one would 

 begin to count them, suddenly lose count, and find oneself 

 mentally scanning the contents of the pemmican bag and 

 wondering exactly how much could be allowed for to-night's 



