Ah, how we eat! No longer on short rations, we are a trifle more exacting than we were when we first commenced our 'simple life,' but by comparison with home standards we are positive barbarians, and our gastronomic rapacity knows no bounds.
"All is eaten that comes to each tent, and everything is most carefully and accurately divided into as many equal portions as there are men in the tent.

One member then closes his eyes or turns his head away and calls out the names at random, as the cook for the day points to each portion, saying at the same time, 'Whose ?' "Partiality, however unintentional it may be, is thus entirely obviated and every one feels satisfied that all is fair, even though one may look a little enviously at the next man's helping, which differs in some especially appreciated detail from one's own.

We break the Tenth Commandment energetically, but as we are all in the same boat in this respect, no one says a word.

We understand each other's feelings quite sympathetically.
"It is just like school-days over again, and very jolly it is too, for the time being!" Later on, as the prospect of wintering in the pack became more apparent, the rations had to be considerably reduced.

By that time, however, everybody had become more accustomed to the idea and took it quite as a matter of course.
Our meals now consisted in the main of a fairly generous helping of seal or penguin, either boiled or fried.