34 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. JUNE 



the effects of the pemmican ; latterly everyone, except 

 Ayles and I, suffer more or less. I attribute it to 

 weakness. Had we had the good fortune to procure 

 game, I daresay this would not have been experienced ; 

 but where game is not to be got, I believe an occasional 

 change to preserved meat might be beneficial. An- 

 other symptom which has become apparent yesterday 

 and to-day with four of the crew, is tender gums, 

 which I hope may be due to the increased allowance of 

 biscuit. Hitherto, while rather short of it, we always 

 soaked it in tea or pemmican to make it go farther, 

 now we eat it, or some of it, without softening it. I 

 hope it is not scurvy, though Jas. Doidge asked me the 

 question to-day, " Is scurvy ever got while sledging, 

 sir?" 



' I answered in perfect truth in one sense, though 

 not in another, " No," and attributed everything to the 

 hard biscuit. All hands have been in the drag-ropes 

 to-day. 



' 8th. The temperature is 3 degrees above freezing 

 point, and the wet snow forms a bad road ; it appears 

 to change marvellously quickly with the temperature. 



' Could not get on at all ; halted, unpacked, and 

 loaded to 300 Ibs. This was nearly as bad. Took 

 everything off the sledge except the cooking gear, and 

 a few small things. 



'At 10 Stubbs came to me very ill, and I was 

 obliged to excuse him from the drag-ropes. Shortly 

 after, the Sergeant became out of breath, and too 

 weak to get on, so I sent him back ready for the second 

 load. After taking a spell, finding Ayles and I could 

 get on quicker by ourselves, I sent them all back, 



