Our meals were now practically all seal meat, with one biscuit at
midday; and I calculated that at this rate, allowing for a certain
number of seals and penguins being caught, we could last for nearly six
months. We were all very weak though, and as soon as it appeared
likely that we should leave our floe and take to the boats I should
have to considerably increase the ration. One day a huge sea-leopard
climbed on to the floe and attacked one of the men. Wild, hearing the
shouting, ran out and shot it. When it was cut up, we found in its
stomach several undigested fish. These we fried in some of its
blubber, and so had our only "fresh" fish meal during the whole of our
drift on the ice.
"As fuel is so scarce we have had to resort to melting ice for
drinking-water in tins against our bodies, and we treat the tins of dog-
pemmican for breakfast similarly by keeping them in our sleeping-bags
all night.
"The last two teams of dogs were shot to-day (April 2) the carcasses
being dressed for food. We had some of the dog-meat cooked, and it was
not at all bad--just like beef, but, of course, very tough."
On April 5 we killed two seals, and this, with the sea-leopard of a
few days before, enabled us to slightly increase our ration. Everybody
now felt much happier; such is the psychological effect of hunger
appeased.
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