A TEMPORARY COOK-HOUSE 



gave a depth of 157 fathoms. From the seaward end of 

 the glacier it was observed that the ice had broken away 

 only a couple of miles further south, so the northerly swell 

 had not been as far reaching in its effect as I had 

 imagined. The ship moored at the Tongue for the night. 



During this day we, ashore at Cape Royds, were 

 variously employed; one party continued the building of 

 the hut, whilst the rest of us made a more elaborate 

 temporary dwelling and cook house than we had had up 

 to that time. The walls were constructed of bales of 

 fodder, which lent themselves admirably for this purpose; 

 the cook-tent tarpaulin was stretched over these for a 

 roof and was supported on planks, and the outer walls 

 were stayed with uprights from the pony-stalls. As the 

 roof was rather low and people could not stand upright, 

 a trench was dug at one end, where the cook could move 

 about without bending his back the whole time. In this 

 corner were concocted the most delicious dishes that ever 

 a hungry man could wish for. Wild acted as cook till 

 Roberts came ashore permanently, and it was a sight to 

 see us in the dim light that penetrated through the 

 door of the fodder hut as we sat in a row on cases, each 

 armed with a spoon manufactured out of tin and wood by 

 the ever-inventive Day, awaiting with eagerness our 

 bowl of steaming hoosh or rich dark-coloured penguin 

 breast, followed by biscuit, butter and jam; tea and 

 smokes ended up the meal, and, as we lazily stretched 

 ourselves out for the smoke, regardless of a temperature 

 of 16 or 18 degrees of frost, we felt that things were not 

 so bad. 



The same day that we built the fodder hut we placed 

 inside it some cases of bottled fruit, hoping to save 

 them from being cracked by the severe frost outside. 

 The bulk of the cases containing liquid we kept on board 

 the ship till the last moment so that they could be put 

 8 113 



