A DRINK DEBATED 



On November 3 and 4 the weather was fine, and we 

 made fair progress. At noon Mawson cleaned out the 

 refuse from our blubber lamp. Amongst this were a 

 few dainty bits; Mackay was what he called "playing 

 the skua," picking these over, when he accidentally 

 transferred to his mouth and swallowed one of the 

 salt wicks which we had been using in the blubber lamp. 

 Mawson and I were unaware of this episode at the 

 time. Later on, towards evening, he complained much 

 of thirst, and proferred a gentle request, when the snow 

 was being thawed down preparatory to maldng hoosh, 

 that he might be allowed to drink some of the water 

 before the hoosh was put into it; at the same time he 

 gave us the plausible explanation above mentioned as the 

 cause of his exceeding thirst. After debating the matter 

 at some length, it was decided, in view of the special 

 circumstances surrounding the case, and without creating 

 a precedent — which otherwise might become a dangerous 

 one— that he might be allowed on this occasion to take 

 a drink. Mackay, however, considered that this water 

 gift was given grudgingly, and of necessity, and accord- 

 ingly he sternly refused to accept it. Just then, the 

 whole discussion was abruptly terminated through the 

 pot being accidentally capsized when being lifted off 

 the blubber lamp, and the whole of the water was lost. 



On the following day, November 5, we were opposite 

 a very interesting coastal panorama, which we thought 

 belonged to Granite Harbour, but which was really 

 over twenty miles to the north of it. Magnificent 

 ranges of mountains, steep slopes free from snow and 

 ice, stretched far to the north and far to the south of 

 us, and finished away inland, towards the heads of long 

 glacier cut valleys, in a vast upland snow plateau. The 

 rocks which were exposed to view in the lower part of 

 these ranges were mostly of warm sepia brown to terra- 



Vol.II.-8 113 



