Orde-Lees' Journal - 5 November 1915
Very cold during the night.
I was on watch from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. and caught an Adelie penguin. This is the first of his kind that we have seen since last January & it may mean a lot.
It may signify that there is land somewhere near us, or else that great leads are opening up, but it is impossible to form more than a mere conjecture at present.
The Adelie came running over the floe towards the camp at a great pace & it broke my heart to have to capture him; he was popped into a box & later he met with the usual fate, & his little pound or so of flesh found its way into the pot.
Food is by no means an urgent matter with us now since so many provisions have been brought from the ship.
The dog teams came tumbling in today as fast as I could check the cases and I am sure that we have now nearly three tons of actual provisions stacked on the floe apart from the sledging provisions already allocated for our journey northwards by boat or sledge, & which are actually lashed on the sledge in readiness for an immediate move should our floe break up.
This afternoon, for the first time for ten days, we knew what it meant to be really satisfied as we had a good thick hoosh & can afford now to indulge a little, still we are having very simple meals & only one dish at each meal.
This morning we were all busy shifting boats on their ledges and underpinning the runners with long banks of timber, so as to be able to get them on the run at a moment's notice should this floe happen to break up.
Amongst the things saved from the ship were Captain Worsley's Naval cocked hat & coat & full dress belt. Sir Ernest donned these for fun today and with a spade for a sword & a very grand face looked most comical. Of course he only had them on for a few minutes but could anything be more incongruous.
Breakfast - Dog ration 14 lbs. & 1 biscuit each.
Luncheon - Pemmican hoosh & desiccated potato, tea, milk, & sugar.
Dinner - Penguin stew, desiccated potato, cocoa, milk & sugar.