244 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [December 
pebbles. Here tliey clustered in a film of ice. As one 
turned a pebble to tlve sun they would thaw out and crawl 
around for exercise. I got a brush out of the medical 
chest and spread a sheet of paper with seccotine. Then 
brushed them ofT carefully on to the paper and so 
embalmed several thousand. We also got a few lively 
little beggars about one quarter the size of the big blue 
ones. The latter were nearly one millimetre long. 
Tlie first of December was my birthday, and 1 received 
Cf)iigratulations. We ran up the sledge flags and our 
black and red depot flags in Jionour of our arrival at our 
rciuU'/.vous. Debenham said lie couldn't let me cook on 
\nv birthday and kindly offered to prepare the festive 
board. Meanvvhik' (Jran, Forde, and I brouglit in our 
other sledge from two miles back. 
GvAu i)resented me with a bottle of prunes and one of 
Savoy sauce, whicli lie liad lugged along from the ]iut in 
his personal gear: — a present only to be fully appreciated 
by tliosc whose menu was as limited as ours. 
About 5.30 a long streamer of smoke announced that 
the famous stove was going, and Debenham produced a 
splendid liver fry, followed by cocoa in very quick time. 
' I could have eaten two whacks of the fry easily.' After 
we were snugly in our bags in the tent, I divided off' half 
a box of fancy chocolates. Tliese were provided by Try's 
for just such a contingency, and we passed a resolution 
tliat the leader should write and tlinnk Fry's for their 
gilt; for crunching those elaborate chocolates brought 
one nearer to civilisation than anything we experienced 
sledging. 
