We just lick them as clean as
possible and replace them in our pockets after each meal.
"Our spoons are one of our indispensable possessions here. To lose
one's spoon would be almost as serious as it is for an edentate person
to lose his set of false teeth."
During all this time the supply of seals and penguins, if not
inexhaustible, was always sufficient for our needs.
Seal- and penguin-hunting was our daily occupation, and parties were
sent out in different directions to search among the hummocks and the
pressure-ridges for them. When one was found a signal was hoisted,
usually in the form of a scarf or a sock on a pole, and an answering
signal was hoisted at the camp.
Then Wild went out with a dog team to shoot and bring in the game. To
feed ourselves and the dogs, at least one seal a day was required. The
seals were mostly crab-eaters, and emperor penguins were the general
rule. On November 5, however, an adelie was caught, and this was the
cause of much discussion, as the following extract shows: "The man on
watch from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. caught an adelie penguin. This is the first
of its kind that we have seen since January last, and it may mean a
lot. It may signify that there is land somewhere near us, or else that
great leads are opening up, but it is impossible to form more than a
mere conjecture at present.
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