NEVER AGAIN ^53 



was the biggest and heaviest man in the expedition: "the 

 man whom we had least expected to fail." 



The rations were of two kinds. The Barrier (B) ration 

 was that which was used on the Barrier during the outward 

 journey towards the Pole. The Summit (S) ration was the 

 result of our experiments on the Winter Journey. I expect it 

 is the best ration which has been used to date, and consisted 

 of biscuits 1 6, pemmican 12, butter 2, cocoa 0.57, sugar 3 

 and tea 0.86 ounces; total 34.43 ounces daily per man. 



The twelve men who went forward started this S ration 

 at the foot of the Beardmore, and it was this ration which 

 was left in all depots to see them home. It was much 

 more satisfying than the Barrier ration, and men could not 

 have eaten so much when leading ponies or driving dogs 

 in the early stages of summer Barrier sledging: but man- 

 hauling is a different business altogether from leading 

 ponies or driving dogs. 



It is calculated that the body requires certain propor- 

 tions of fat, carbohydrates and proteins to do certain work 

 under certain conditions : but just what the absolute 

 quantities are is not ascertained. The work of the Polar 

 Party was laborious : the temperatures (the most important 

 of the conditions) varied from comparative warmth up and 

 down the glacier to an average of about - 20 in the 

 rarefied air of the plateau. The temperatures met by them 

 on their return over the Barrier were not really low for 

 more than a week, and then there came quite commonly 

 minus thirties during the day with a further drop to minus 

 forties at night, when for a time the sun was below the 

 horizon. These temperatures, which are not very terrible 

 to men who are fresh and whose clothing is new, were 

 ghastly to these men who had striven night and day almost 

 ceaselessly for four months on, as I maintain, insufficient 

 food. Lid these temperatures kill them? 



Undoubtedly the low temperatures caused their death, 

 inasmuch as they would have lived had the temperatures 

 remained high. But Evans would not have lived: he died 

 before the low temperatures occurred. What killed Evans ? 

 And why did the other men weaken as they did, though 



