Sleeping-bags were
required also. We had eighteen fur bags, and it was necessary,
therefore, to issue ten of the Jaeger woollen bags in order to provide
for the twenty-eight men of the party. The woollen bags were lighter
and less warm than the reindeer bags, and so each man who received one
of them was allowed also a reindeer-skin to lie upon. It seemed fair to
distribute the fur bags by lot, but some of us older hands did not join
in the lottery. We thought we could do quite as well with the Jaegers
as with the furs. With quick dispatch the clothing was apportioned,
and then we turned one of the boats on its side and supported it with
two broken oars to make a lee for the galley. The cook got the blubber-
stove going, and a little later, when I was sitting round the corner of
the stove, I heard one man say, "Cook, I like my tea strong." Another
joined in, "Cook, I like mine weak." It was pleasant to know that their
minds were untroubled, but I thought the time opportune to mention that
the tea would be the same for all hands and that we would be fortunate
if two months later we had any tea at all. It occurred to me at the
time that the incident had psychological interest. Here were men,
their home crushed, the camp pitched on the unstable floes, and their
chance of reaching safety apparently remote, calmly attending to the
details of existence and giving their attention to such trifles as the
strength of a brew of tea.
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