PRECIOUS BISCUITS 



occasional crumbs fell on the floorcloth. Not so now. 

 Each man broke his biscuit over his own pannikin of 

 hoosh, so that any crumbs produced in the process of 

 fracture fell into the pannikin. Then, in order to make 

 sure that there were no loose fragments adhering to the 

 morsel we were about to transfer to our mouths, we tapped 

 the broken chip, as well as the biscuit from which it had 

 been broken, on the sides of the pannikin, so as to shake 

 into it any loose crumbs. Then, and then only, was it 

 safe to devour the precious morsel. Mackay, who adopted 

 this practice in common with the rest of us, said it re- 

 minded him of the old days when the sailors tapped each 

 piece of broken biscuit before eating it in order to shake 

 out the weevils. 



Mawson and I now wore our ski-boots instead of 

 finnesko, the weather being warmer, and the ski-boot 

 giving one a better grip on the snow surface of the sea 

 ice. The rough leather took the skin off my right heel, 

 but Mackay fixed it up later in the evening, that is, 

 my heel, with some " Newskin." As we found the 

 sharp iron spikes of the ski-boots made holes in 

 our waterproof floorcloth we made a practice of 

 always changing into our finnesko before entering the 

 tent. 



We sledged on uneventfully for the remainder of 

 November 6, and during the 7th, and on November 8 

 it came on to blow again with fresh-falling snow. 

 The blizzard was still blowing when the time came for us 

 to pitch our tent. We had a severe struggle to get 

 the tent up in the high wind and thick falling snow. 

 At last the work was accompHshed, and we were all 

 able to turn into our sleeping-bag, pretty tired, at about 

 12.30 P.M. 



The weather was still bad the following day, 

 November 9. After breakfast ofl" seal's liver, and digging 



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