Chapter 4 Summary

The next subject the young men consider is food. Base don their previous experience they decide not to take an oil stove, as the oil tends to get on everything, and makes a sooty, smelly mess. Similarly, they decide their food stocks should not contain any cheese, as cheese tends to "make to much of itself" (p.31) flavoring everything else in the hamper. J. tells an amusing story of a time he volunteered to carry some large cheeses for a friend on a train journey. Entering a crowded train carriage, he notices that all the other passengers find excuses to leave him alone and he ends up in an empty carriage in an otherwise crowded train.

The men gather the items they intend to take, push aside the furniture, and pile everything in the center of the room. J. volunteers to pack and...