ELEPHANT ISLAND 
objected to some of the remarks, a worse one was written for 
the next week. 
The cook, who had carried on so well and for so long, was 
given a rest on August 9, and each man took it in turns to be 
cook for one week. As the cook and his "mate" had the 
privilege of scraping out the saucepans, there was some anxiety 
to secure the job, especially amongst those with the larger 
appetites. " The last of the methylated spirit was drunk on 
August 12, and from then onwards the King's health, ' sweet- 
hearts and wives,' and ' the Boss and crew of the Caird,' were 
drunk in hot water and ginger every Saturday night." 
The penguins and seals which had migrated north at the 
beginning of winter had not yet returned, or else the ice-foot, 
which surrounded the spit to a thickness of six feet, prevented 
them from coming ashore, so that food was getting short. Old 
seal-bones, that had been used once for a meal and then thrown 
away, were dug up and stewed down with sea-water. Penguin 
carcasses were treated likewise. Limpets were gathered from 
the pools disclosed between the rocks below high tide, after 
the pack-ice had been driven away. It was a cold job gathering 
these Uttle shell-fish, as for each one the whole hand and arm 
had to be plunged into the icy water, and many score of these 
small creatures had to be collected to make anything of a meal. 
Seaweed boiled in sea-water was used to eke out the rapidly 
diminishing stock of seal and penguin meat. This did not 
agree with some of the party. Though it was acknowledged 
to be very tasty it only served to increase their appetite— a 
serious thing when there was nothing to satisfy it with ! One 
man remarked in his diary : " We had a sumptuous meal to-day 
— nearly five ounces of solid food each." 
It is largely due to Wild, and to his energy, initiative, and 
resource, that the whole party kept cheerful all along, and, 
indeed, came out alive and so well. Assisted by the two 
surgeons, Drs. Mcllroy and Mackhn, he had ever a watchful 
eye for the health of each one. His cheery optimism never 
failed, even when food was very short and the prospect of relief 
seemed remote. Each one in his diary speaks with admira- 
tion of him. I think without doubt that all the party who 
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