Appendix B 285 



only one ingredient in a dish with other more sa- 

 vory ingredients it could be eaten, especially if 

 well salted and peppered; but, as usual (what I 

 regard as a great mistake), no salt was issued with 

 the travel rations, and of course no potatoes and 

 onions. 



There were no cooking facilities on the trans- 

 port. When the men obtained any, it was by 

 bribing the cook. Toward the last, when they be- 

 gan to draw on the field rations, they had to eat 

 the bacon raw. On the return trip the same diffi- 

 culty in rations obtained i.e., the rations were short 

 because the men could not eat the canned roast beef, 

 and had no salt. We purchased of the ship's sup- 

 plies some flour and pork and a little rice for the 

 men, so as to relieve the shortage as much as pos- 

 sible, and individual sick men were helped from 

 private sources by officers, who themselves ate what 

 they had purchased in Santiago. As nine-tenths 

 of the men were more or less sick, the unattractive- 

 ness of the travel rations was doubly unfortunate. 

 It would have been an excellent thing for their 

 health if we could have had onions and potatoes, 

 and means for cooking them. Moreover, the water 

 was very bad, and sometimes a cask was struck 

 that was positively undrinkable. The lack of ice 

 for the weak and sickly men was very much felt. 

 Fortunately there was no epidemic, for there was 

 not a place on the ship where patients could have 

 been isolated. 



