ELEPHANT ISLAND 
The ringed penguins migrated north the day after we landed 
at Cape Wild, and though every efiort was made to secure as 
large a stock of meat and blubber as possible, by the end of 
the month the supply was so low that only one hot meal a day 
could be served. Twice the usual number of penguin steaks 
were cooked at breakfast, and the ones intended for supper 
were kept hot in the pots by wrapping up in coats, etc. Clark 
put our saucepanful in his sleeping-bag to-day to keep it hot, 
and it really was a great success in spite of the extra helpmg 
of reindeer hairs that it contained. In this way we can make 
ten penguin skins do for one day." 
Some who were fortunate enough to catch penguins with 
fairly large undigested fish in their gullets used to warm these 
up in tins hung on bits of wire round the stove. 
" All the meat intended for hooshes is cut up inside the hut, 
as it is too cold outside. As the boards which we use for the 
purpose are also used for cutting up tobacco, when we still have 
it, a definite flavour is sometimes imparted to the hoosh, which, 
if anything, improves it." 
Their diet was now practically all meat, and not too much 
of that, and all the diaries bear witness to their craving for 
carbohydrates, such as flour, oatmeal, etc. One man longingly 
speaks of the cabbages which grow on Kerguelen Island. By 
June 18 there were only nine hundred lumps of sugar left, 
i.e. just over forty pieces each. Even my readers know what 
shortage of sugar means at this very date, but from a different 
cause. Under these circumstances it is not surprising that all 
their thoughts and conversation should turn to food, past and 
future banquets, and second helpings that had been once 
refused. 
A census was taken, each man being asked to state just 
what he would like to eat at that moment if he were allowed 
to have anything that he wanted. All, with but one exception, 
desired a suet pudding of some soit— the " duff " beloved of 
sailors. Mackhn asked for many returns of scrambled eggs 
on hot buttered toast. Several voted f or " a prodigious Devon- 
shire dumpling," while Wild wished for " any old dumpling so 
lontr as it was a large one." The craving for carbohydrates, 
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