Another of our
troubles, worth mention here, was the chafing of our legs by our wet
clothes, which had not been changed now for seven months. The insides
of our thighs were rubbed raw, and the one tube of Hazeline cream in
our medicine-chest did not go far in alleviating our pain, which was
increased by the bite of the salt water. We thought at the time that
we never slept. The fact was that we would doze off uncomfortably, to
be aroused quickly by some new ache or another call to effort. My own
share of the general unpleasantness was accentuated by a finely
developed bout of sciatica. I had become possessor of this originally
on the floe several months earlier.
Our meals were regular in spite of the gales. Attention to this point
was essential, since the conditions of the voyage made increasing calls
upon our vitality. Breakfast, at 8 a.m., consisted of a pannikin of
hot hoosh made from Bovril sledging ration, two biscuits, and some
lumps of sugar. Lunch came at 1 p.m., and comprised Bovril sledging
ration, eaten raw, and a pannikin of hot milk for each man. Tea, at 5
p.m., had the same menu. Then during the night we had a hot drink,
generally of milk. The meals were the bright beacons in those cold and
stormy days. The glow of warmth and comfort produced by the food and
drink made optimists of us all.
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