" This banjo was the last thing to be saved off
the ship before she sank, and I took it with us as a mental tonic. It
was carried all the way through with us, and landed on Elephant Island
practically unharmed, and did much to keep the men cheerful. Nearly
every Saturday night such a concert was held, when each one sang a song
about some other member of the party. If that other one objected to
some of the remarks, a worse one was written for the next week.
The cook, who had carried on so well and for so long, was given a rest
on August 9, and each man took it in turns to be cook for one week. As
the cook and his "mate" had the privilege of scraping out the
saucepans, there was some anxiety to secure the job, especially amongst
those with the larger appetites. "The last of the methylated spirit
was drunk on August 12, and from then onwards the King's health,
'sweethearts and wives,' and 'the Boss and crew of the 'Caird',' were
drunk in hot water and ginger every Saturday night."
The penguins and seals which had migrated north at the beginning of
winter had not yet returned, or else the ice-foot, which surrounded the
spit to a thickness of six feet, prevented them from coming ashore, so
that food was getting short. Old seal-bones, that had been used once
for a meal and then thrown away, were dug up and stewed down with sea-
water.
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