The party were examined by Atkinson, who gave some direction and advice concerning their immediate diet—­they seemed to want bread, butter, and jam most, and the little loaves provided by Clissold disappeared with extraordinary speed.  They were suffering from want of sleep, but were all right in a few days.  One of the remarkable features of this journey was the increase of weights due to ice collecting in their sleeping-bags, gear and equipment.  Their three bags, which weighed forty-seven pounds on leaving Cape Evans, had increased their weight to one hundred and eighteen at the conclusion of the trip.  Other weights increased in the same proportion, and the sledge had dragged very heavily in consequence.

The three men when they arrived were almost encased with ice, and I well remember undressing poor Wilson in the cubicle which he and I shared.  His clothes had almost to be cut off him.

From this journey, as stated, we evolved the final sledging ration for the Summit, it was to consist of: 

16 ozs. biscuit.
12 " pemmican.
3 " sugar.
2 " butter.
0.7 " tea.
0.6 " cocoa.
daily 34.3 ozs.

It may seem little enough for a hungry sledger, but, no one could possibly eat that amount in a temperate climate; it was a fine filling ration even for the Antarctic.  The pemmican consisted of the finest beef extract, with 60 per cent. pure fat, and it cooked up into a thick tasty soup.  It was specially made for us by Messrs. Beauvais of Copenhagen.

No casualties occurred during the winter, but Dr. Atkinson sustained a severely frost-bitten hand on July 4 when we had one of our winter blizzards.  Certain thermometers had been placed in positions on the sea ice and up on the Ramp by Simpson, and these we were in the habit of visiting during the course of our exercise; the thermometer reading was done by volunteers who signified their intention to Simpson in order to avoid duplication of observation.  On blizzard days we left them alone, but Atkinson, seeing that the wind had modified in the afternoon, zealously started out over the ice and was absent from dinner.  Search parties were sent in various directions, each taking a sledge with sleeping-bags, brandy flask, thermos full of cocoa, and first-aid equipment.  Flares were lit and kept going on Wind Vale Hill, Simpson’s meteorological station overlooking the hut.  Search was made in all directions by us, and difficulty was experienced due to light snowfall.  Atkinson fetched up at Tent Island, apparently, which he walked round for hours, and, in trying to make the Cape again, became hopelessly lost, and, losing one of his mitts for a time, fell into a tide crack and did not get home till close upon midnight.  Search parties came in one by one and were glad to hear the good news of Atkinson’s return.  My own party, working to the south of Cape Evans, did not notice how time was passing, and we—­Nelson, Forde, Hooper, and myself—­fetched up at 2 a.m. to be met by Captain Scott and comforted with cocoa.