Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

cooking took quite a time as water was obtained by putting the snow-filled pan on
the stove. Meanwhile the others would have crawled into the tent through a sleeve
opening, which was then closed (there was a tubular hosepipe ventilator at the top of
the pyramid). We all changed socks and duffle slippers and hung them up to dry,
together with our gloves and sealskin boots, at the apex of the tent. The evening meal
was very nourishing and at the beginning of the trip very filling. It consisted of 5.6
ozs pemmican, 3 oz pea flour, l oz potato powder, some dried onion and occasionally
a rasher of bacon (per man). This was eaten with a ‘dog biscuit’, plenty of butter, l oz
chocolate and 1 oz mint cake. We had a mug of tea and milk with about 8 lumps of
sugar. Equal shares were ensured by one of us turning his back, while the cook
pointed to each of the dishes, and saying a name.
The meal was generally sufficient to warm us up and then one-by-one we
climbed into the sleeping bags - a bit of a struggle as the small tent was only meant
for 2 people and the bags were made of very heavy materials. The cook washed up,
not very conscientiously, and after this the primus was turned up for 1 2 hour or so to
dry out the duffles and socks hanging at the top of the tent. Then once the primus
was turned out we snuggled down into our bags as quickly as possible, for in spite of
the double-walled tent the temperature dropped rapidly to almost outside
temperature. All that was then to be seen before the candle was extinguished were
three brown sacks with three noses peeping out. The temperature fell and the vapour
in the tent condensed on the walls as feathers of hoar frost.
In the morning I would wake up to the alarm clock, gaze up at the roof, which
was thickly coated with frost feathers, and know that it was another day of low
temperatures. I got up and lit the primus stove, my fingers getting slightly frostbitten
if I accidentally touched the cold metal. Then the stove was placed on the bag of the
person lying in the centre and allowed to burn away for 1 2 hour to dry off the tent
and warm it up; only then did I begin to cook the breakfast using snow brought in
the night before. The meal was soon ready; it consisted of 3 ozs oatmeal, 8 lumps of
sugar, some butter (amounting to about 5 ozs per day) and milk. This was washed
down with a drink of orange juice with hot water. The cook went on to make the
cocoa for lunch (a small thermos each) and 3 biscuits each plus butter and marmite.
The others meanwhile got up and began to pack the kit. The sledge runners were
scraped and the sledge loaded, the cook passing items outside as they were ready
and finally untying the floor-cloth at the corners and climbing out himself.
On 24 July the morning temperature was -28°C but rose 4ºC during the day. The
surface was still bad for pulling and we decided to set up camp at Saunders Point
that night in order to do some survey and geology. We hauled the first sledge to the
point over a variable but generally poor surface. Just after leaving Pyramid Point I
found that my ski binding was broken; the leather of the sole was cracked along the
line of the stitches. I tried pulling with it turned back, but then had to pull on foot. At
first this was easier than on ski, but the patches of deep snow began to tell and by the
time I had walked back again I was feeling tired. We pulled the second sledge up to
the first one, passing several penguin tracks, which was again rather surprising in
view of the distance from open water; they must have walked a long way. I had by
then begun to feel quite energetic again, but the others were tired and I wished to get
the radio working that night if possible. So we camped at the East side of Saunders
Point and tried to warm up the battery in time for the 6 o’clock schedule. I clasped it
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