Sometimes we are short even of this, so we take a few chips of ice in a tobacco-tin to bed with us.

In the morning there is about a spoonful of water in the tin, and one has to lie very still all night so as not to spill it." To provide some variety in the food, I commenced to use the sledging ration at half strength twice a week.
The ice between us and Ocean Camp, now only about five miles away and actually to the south-west of us, was very broken, but I decided to send Macklin and Hurley back with their dogs to see if there was any more food that could be added to our scanty stock.

I gave them written instructions to take no undue risk or cross any wide-open leads, and said that they were to return by midday the next day.

Although they both fell through the thin ice up to their waists more than once, they managed to reach the camp.

They found the surface soft and sunk about two feet.