'
"It must, however, be said that we did not give way to depression for
long, for soon every one was as cheery as usual. Laughter rang out
from the tents, and even the Boss had a passage-at-arms with the
storekeeper over the inadequacy of the sausage ration, insisting that
there should be two each 'because they were such little ones,' instead
of the one and a half that the latter proposed."
The psychological effect of a slight increase in the rations soon
neutralized any tendency to downheartedness, but with the high
temperatures surface-thaw set in, and our bags and clothes were soaked
and sodden. Our boots squelched as we walked, and we lived in a state
of perpetual wet feet. At nights, before the temperature had fallen,
clouds of steam could be seen rising from our soaking bags and boots.
During the night, as it grew colder, this all condensed as rime on the
inside of the tent, and showered down upon us if one happened to touch
the side inadvertently. One had to be careful how one walked, too, as
often only a thin crust of ice and snow covered a hole in the floe,
through which many an unwary member went in up to his waist. These
perpetual soakings, however, seemed to have had little lasting effect,
or perhaps it was not apparent owing to the excitement of the prospect
of an early release.
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