SOUTH 
did not get the full ration. On the other hand, one man 
dropped his week's ration on the floor of the hut, amongst 
the stones and dirt. It was quickly collected, and he found to 
his dehght that he had enough now to last him for three weeks. 
Of course it was not all salt. The hot drink consisted at first 
of milk made from milk-powder up to about one-quarter of its 
proper strength. This was later on diluted still more, and 
sometimes replaced by a drink made from a pea-soup-like 
packing from the Bovril sledging rations. For midwinter's 
day celebrations, a mixture of one teaspoonful of methylated 
spirit in a pint of hot water, flavoured with a little ginger and 
sugar, served to remind some of cock-tails and Veuve Cliquot, 
At breakfast each had a piece of seal or half a penguin breast. 
Luncheon consisted of one biscuit on three days a week, nut- 
food on Thursdays, bits of blubber, from w^hich most of the oil 
had been extracted for the lamps, on two days a week, and 
nothing on the remaining day. On this day breakfast con- 
sisted of a half-strength sledging ration. Supper was almost 
invariably seal and penguin, cut up very finely and fried with 
a little seal blubber. 
There were occasionally very welcome variations from this 
menu. Some paddies — a little white bird not unlike a pigeon — 
were snared with a loop of string, and fried, with one water- 
sodden biscuit, for lunch. Enough barley and peas for one 
meal all round of each had been saved, and when this was 
issued it was a day of great celebration. Sometimes, by general 
consent, the luncheon biscuit would be saved, and, with the next 
serving of biscuit, was crushed in a canvas bag into a powder 
and boiled with a little sugar, making a very satisfying pudding. 
When blubber was fairly plentiful there was always a saucepan 
of cold water, made from melting down the pieces of ice which 
had broken oif from the glacier, fallen into the sea, and been 
washed ashore, for them to quench their thirst in. As the 
experience of Arctic explorers tended to show that sea-water 
produced a form of dysentery. Wild was rather difiident about 
using it. Penguin carcasses boiled in one part of sea-water to 
four of fresh were a great success though, and no ill-effects were 
felt by anybody. 
234 
