July 17, Abernethy's Crackers

July 17—A wonderful clear evening. Osmer came from on deck dancing with an imaginary skipping-rope. I said to him, “What a happy fellow you are, always in good humour.” His answer was, “Well, sir, if I am not happy here, I don’t know where else I could be.”

He has an extraordinary facility to remember and recount the details of our provisions, and we take comfort in having him recite what will keep us from want in the months to come. 

“Why, sirs,” he says, “we need fear nothing. We have sixty-one tons of flour; sixteen tons of biscuits; fourteen tons each of salt beef and pork; ten and one-half tons of sugar; nine tons of concentrated soup; four tons of chocolate; three tons of tobacco; a ton each of tea, soap and candles; 8,000 cans of preserved meat, soup and vegetables; 3,684 gallons of liquor; 900 gallons of lemon juice; 170 gallons of cranberries; and 200 pounds of pepper to season it all.” 

Of course all this is supplemented by the personal supplies that all of the officers have brought aboard and we look forward with some anticipation to the treats which will, on occasion, grace our mess table. For myself, these personal supplies are modest, comprising some ox tongue, crystallised fruit, Abernethy’s crackers, and of course the preserved goose you and William so kindly furnished. 

Our victualling schedule for the men will be one pound biscuit or flour; two and one-half ounces sugar; one-quarter ounce tea; one ounce chocolate; and one ounce lemon juice per day; one-half pound preserved meat every second day and three-quarters pound each of salt beef and pork, and one pint of soup twice a week. Surgeon Stanley is of the opinion that the preserved meat should be fed preferentially to the sick, and I tend to agree. We also carried ten live oxen, but they were slaughtered at Disco with the intention of freezing the meat but the unseasonably warm weather has meant that we have had to eat it as quickly as possible. At least the beasts provided us with a few meals of fresh meat to remember in the months of salt beef to come. As important as the food for the body, we carry food for the mind in our library of 1,700 books. They will make these Arctic nights pass with alacrity.

It is now well past the witching hour and with thoughts of giant hams and Milton dancing in my brain, I must extinguish the candle.