h and the
seamen had their Christmas dinner at this time. The afterguard dined at
6.30 on fresh penguin, roast beef, plum pudding, mince pies, and
asparagus, while we had champagne, port, and liqueurs to drink and an
enormous box of Fry's fancy chocolates for dessert. This "mortal gorge"
was followed by a sing-song lasting until midnight, nearly every one,
even the most modest, contributing. Around the Christmas days we made but
insignificant headway, only achieving thirty-one miles in the best part
of the week, but on the 29th the floes became thin and the ice showed
signs of recent formation, though intermingled with heavier floes of old
and rotten ice. There was much diatomacea in the rotten floes. About 2.40
a.m. the ship broke through into a lead of open water six miles in
length.

I spent the middle watch in the crow's-nest, Bowers being up there with
me talking over the Expedition, his future and mine. He was a wonderful
watch companion, especially when he got on to his favourite subject,
India. He had some good tales to tell of the Persian Gulf, of days and
weeks spent boat-cruising, of attacks made on gun-running dhows and
kindred adventure. He told me that one dhow was boarded while he was up
the Gulf, when the Arabs, waiting until most of the boat's crew of
bluejackets were on board, suddenly let go the halyards of their great
sail and let it down crash over the lot, the boom breaking many heads and
the sail burying our seamen, while the Arabs got to work and practically
scuppered the crowd.

Soon after 4 a.m. I went below and turned in, confident that we were
nearing the southern extreme of the pack. Captain Scott awoke when I went
into the cabin, pleased at the prospect, but after so many adverse ice
conditions he shook his head, unwilling to believe that we should get
clear yet awhile. I bet him ten sardine sandwiches that we should be out
of the pack by noon on the 30th, and when I turned out at 8 o'clock I was
delighted to find the ship steaming through thin floes and passing into a
series of great open water leads. By 6 p.m. on the 29th a strong breeze
was blowing, snow was falling, and we were punching along under steam and
sail. Sure enough we got out of the pack early on the 30th and, cracking
on all our canvas, were soon doing eight knots with a following wind.

Later in the day the wind headed us with driving snow, fine rain, and,
unfortunately, a considerable head swell. This caused the ship to