Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/491

we saw the earth shadows cast by Erebus and Mount Discovery. These looked like dark cones of shadow running across the sky from east to west.

During these bad conditions of ice in the winter we necessarily had to be careful of the dogs. Some of these were confirmed hunters, and it was through the ice going out during a blizzard that we lost the best leader that we had. Noogis was a dog who had been Demetri's leader on the southern journey in the early part of the year; he had never lost heart on that journey and had been a great factor in cheering the other dogs and getting them along as well as they did. In the earlier part of the year he had once before been taken out to sea by the ice blowing away, but on that occasion he made his way back by the ice-foot around the Barne Glacier. On this occasion he was blown out during the blizzard and we never saw him again.

Our feeding during this winter, with the idea of preventing scurvy, had a very welcome addition in the shape of fresh vegetables. These consisted of potatoes and onions which had been brought down by the ship. As the party was so reduced in numbers, this store lasted practically throughout the winter and proved very acceptable. In September we also had another addition in the shape of the Emperor penguins; they came up on the ice in the South Bay in very large numbers, and nearly every day for some time we were able to secure fresh food. The flesh of the Emperor penguin is better and much less unpalatable than seal; it was appreciated by the men where seal would only have been eaten as a preventive measure.