So
urgent was our need of food and blubber that I called all hands and
organized a line of beaters instead of simply walking up to the seal
and hitting it on the nose. We were prepared to fall upon this seal en
masse if it attempted to escape. The kill was made with a pick-handle,
and in a few minutes five days' food and six days' fuel were stowed in
a place of safety among the boulders above high-water mark. During
this day the cook, who had worked well on the floe and throughout the
boat journey, suddenly collapsed. I happened to be at the galley at
the moment and saw him fall. I pulled him down the slope to his tent
and pushed him into its shelter with orders to his tent-mates to keep
him in his sleeping-bag until I allowed him to come out or the doctors
said he was fit enough. Then I took out to replace the cook one of the
men who had expressed a desire to lie down and die. The task of
keeping the galley fire alight was both difficult and strenuous, and it
took his thoughts away from the chances of immediate dissolution. In
fact, I found him a little later gravely concerned over the drying of a
naturally not over-clean pair of socks which were hung up in close
proximity to our evening milk. Occupation had brought his thoughts
back to the ordinary cares of life.
There was a lull in the bad weather on April 21, and the carpenter
started to collect material for the decking of the 'James Caird'.
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