Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/233

little tobacco, which had been saved for the occasion. In addition four biscuits and four sticks of chocolate were served out, so that we retired to bed with full stomachs once again, and some of us have even saved a bite or two for to-morrow.

After Midwinter Day time passed more quickly, and the knowledge that every day the sun was approaching us cheered us immensely. During the next month we have to celebrate no less than three birthdays, and each with its accompanying slight increase of ration gives us something to look forward to and so helps to pass the intervening days.

The only occurrence which was worthy of note before the end of June was an unpleasant one involving much extra work.

On June 29 we found our seal carcases nearly buried in salt ice, although they were some 200 yards back from the seaward edge of the icefoot. Evidently the spring tides had been the cause of this, and we had a lot of trouble digging the bodies out.

July 4.—Southerly wind, with snow, noise of pressure at sea and the ice in the bay breaking up. Evidently there is wind coming, and the sea ice which has recently formed will go again like the rest. It is getting rather a serious question as to whether there will be any sea ice for us to get down the coast on. I only hope that to the south of the Drygalski ice tongue, where the south easterlies are the prevailing winds, we shall find the