24 THE NORTH POLE 



— whether one month or six — are four: pemmican, tea, 

 ship's biscuit, condensed milk. Pemmican is a prepared 

 and condensed food, made from beef, fat and dried 

 fruits. It may be regarded as the most concentrated 

 and satisfying of all meat foods, and is absolutely 

 indispensable in protracted arctic sledge journeys. 



The food for use on shipboard and in winter quarters 

 comprises standard commercial supplies. My expedi- 

 tions have been perhaps peculiar in omitting one item 



— and that is meat. For this important addition to 

 arctic food I have always depended on the country 

 itself. Meat is the object of the hunting expeditions 

 of the winter months — not sport, as some have 

 fancied. 



Here are a few of the items and figures on our list 

 of supplies for the last expedition: Flour, 16,000 pounds; 

 coffee, 1,000 pounds; tea, 800 pounds; sugar, 10,000 

 pounds; kerosene, 3,500 gallons; bacon, 7,000 pounds; 

 biscuit, 10,000 pounds; condensed milk, 100 cases; 

 pemmican, 30,000 pounds; dried fish, 3,000 pounds; 

 smoking tobacco, 1,000 pounds. 



