AURORA’S MEN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4476, 17 February 1917, Page 3

AURORA’S MEN.

INCIDENTS IN THE DAILY LIFE. “HUT POINT MIXTURE.” To H. E. Wildjs ascribed the honor of inventing and naming a composttion which did duty to members of the i Aurora’s party in the Antarctic in lieu of tobacco during many weary months. When the very limited supply of weed-in the hut was exhausted J, various ‘substitutes were tried with varying degrees of satisfaction to the consumer. Tea was attempted, and so was coffee, and then the inventive genius of Wild asserted itself. With exquisite care he blended some fresh tea, coffee, sawdust and a few species of herbs, and called his creation “Hut Point Mixture.” This survived the gamut of criticism, and became the standard “tobacco.” H is saicl that Joyce tried onions, but was speedily made to stop; while another member of the party met with very little success in his attempt to inhale the “smoke” from dried shredded potatoes! Although naturally interested to see some of the famous “Hut Point Mixtre,” a representative of the Wellington Post resolutely declined a cordial invitation to “have a pipeful—it is real good.”

“A THREE WEEKS’ DEBATE..' Shrouded in thick, black, pungent smoke from the blubber stove in the hut during the winter nights, members of the party engaged in many spirited arguments. “We had some good debates,” said one of the participants, “and frequently' we Used to refer to the Encyclopaedia to settle some point on which the various opinions could not be reconciled. I am afraid, however, that after a time we got into such a wav that we refused to believe the Encyclopaedia, preferring our own views.” Many wore the subjects spoken of, and the rules of debate were not always adhered to. One argument on “Money and Exchange” lasted for three weeks.

CLOTHING PROBLEMS. “Some of us are going to spend all day to-morrow buying things,” said one of the explorers on Friday evening. “Look at me,” he added. “1 have not got much on, and what 1 have got is all borrowed.” On Saturday some of the members of the party bore signs of having been to the outfitter’s. While in the Antarctic there was at one time a rather grave shortage of clothing owing to supplies having been taken away when the ship left. In the liut left by Captain Scott’s expedition, however, some canvas and sleeping bags were found and here again the handiness of Wild and Joyce resulted in tlie production of some useful, if not stylish, articles of apparel. THE VAGARIES OF OSCAR. Oscar, one of the few of the dogs which have been brought back in the Aurora, lias had a strenuous time, and lie shows it. “He was a fearful wreck when we started,” said one member of the party', “and we did not think lie was going to do any good, but lie pulled through well and finished strong.” A dog of a somewhat surly disposition. Oscar was inclined to bo somewhat quarrelsome, and one occasion at Hut Point, atTer a fight in which hev got the worst of it, Oscar, covered with blood, disappeared. He was away in a blizzard for three days, and was given up for lost, but turned up again “as fresh as paint.” All the men speak feelingly of the dogs and the great work done by the surviyqrg of the pack- There seems to he a strong bond between the explorers and their four-footed companions. The loss of sixteen dogs on sledging work in 1915 was very keenly' felt. It is said that the dogs require some considerable time to get acclimatised and “hard,” and that perhaps they were not quite ready at the time for the laborious task allotted to them. SEAL MEAT AND penguins. “Privations? Well, you could hardly say we suffered any great privation at all,” explained one member, in reply to a query.. “We certainly suffered inconvenience, but we nad plenty to eat. It may be because you have to, but it is true that you get to like seal meat. Then we had the pen'gfijinfcv and we ate both the Adelie and tf'ie Emperor.”