We could not afford to cumber ourselves with unnecessary weight.

Holes had been dug in the snow for the reception of private letters and little personal trifles, the Lares and Penates of the members of the Expedition, and into the privacy of these white graves were consigned much of sentimental value and not a little of intrinsic worth.

I rather grudged the two pounds allowance per man, owing to my keen anxiety to keep weights at a minimum, but some personal belongings could fairly be regarded as indispensable.

The journey might be a long one, and there was a possibility of a winter in improvised quarters on an inhospitable coast at the other end.

A man under such conditions needs something to occupy his thoughts, some tangible memento of his home and people beyond the seas.