“Other articles of our scanty equipment had to go that night. We were carrying only the things that had seemed essential, but we stripped now to the barest limits of safety.

“Many things regarded by us as essentials at that time were to be discarded a little later as the pressure of the primitive became more severe.

“Man can sustain life with very scanty means. The trappings of civilization are soon cast aside in the face of stern realities, and given the barest opportunity of winning food and shelter, man can live and even find his laughter ringing true.”

– Ernest Shackleton, South