THE FINAL STAGE 



want and hunger, we suddenly found ourselves able to 

 have meals fit for the gods, and with appetites that the 

 gods might have envied. Apart from the luxuries 

 there was an ample supply of ordinary sledging rations. 

 To-night we improvised a second cooking-stand out of a 

 biscuit tin, and used our second Primus to cook some 

 of the courses. Our dream of food has come true, and 

 yet after we had eaten biscuits and had two pannikins 

 of pemmican, followed by cocoa, our contracted bodies 

 would not stand the strain of more food, and reluctantly 

 we had to stop. I cannot tell what a relief it has been 

 to us. There is nothing much in the way of news from 

 the ship, only just a letter saying that she had arrived 

 on January 5, and that all was well. This letter, dated 

 January 20, is signed by Evans, who evidently is the 

 Evans who towed us down in the Koonya. We now 

 only have to catch the ship, and I hope we will do that. 

 Wild is better to-night. The temperature is plus 10° 

 Fahr., fine and warm. I am writing in my bag with 

 biscuits beside me, and chocolate and jam. 



February 24. — We got up at 5 a.m., and at 7 a.m. 

 had breakfast, consisting of eggs, dried milk, porridge 

 and pemmican, with plenty of biscuits. We marched 

 until 1 p.m., had lunch and then marched until 8 p.m., 

 covering a distance of 15 miles for the day. The weather 

 was fine. Though we have plenty of weight to haul now 

 we do not feel it so much as we did the smaller 

 weights when we were hungry. We have good food 

 inside us, and every now and then on the march we eat 

 a bit of chocolate or biscuit. Warned by the experi- 

 ence of Scott and Wilson on the previous southern 

 journey, I have taken care not to over-eat. Adams has 

 a wonderful digestion, and can go on without any diffi- 

 culty. Wild's dysentery is a bit better to-day. He is 

 careful of his feeding and has only taken things that 



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