Despite this, Mawson was determined to push on, estimating he was about 100 miles [160 kilometres] from the hut. He took Mertz outside to bury him, and spent a day making adjustments to his gear. He cut the sledge in half to save weight, sewed a sail from materials, which presumably included parts of Mertz's clothing, and did two boil-ups. He also ate "a little more food than usual", expecting that he would set off the following day.

Following the death of Mertz, he claimed he was in the "same condition" as Mertz, and that he had similarly "lost all skin of legs & private parts" and had sores on his finger that wouldn't heal, which was a possible sign of scurvy.

However, the wind remained too strong. Mawson would have been able to haul the sledge, but it would have been impossible for him to pitch the tent by himself. So he stayed another day, increasing his rations in the "hope that it will give me strength for the future". This gives credence to the theory Mawson had put himself and Mertz on starvation rations in the hope Mertz would succumb before he did. Now Mertz was dead, Mawson did the opposite of what he had done when Mertz was alive. Instead of drastically reducing his rations whenever he was confined to the tent for a day, Mawson increased his rations so he would have the stamina to go on.

Another day was spent in the tent on January 10. He described how he "boiled all the rest of [the] dog meat". What dog meat was he referring to? It had been a fortnight since the last dog had been killed by Mertz on December 28. It has long been rumoured it might not have been dog meat Mawson was boiling – that he might have taken the opportunity to boil some of Mertz's flesh so he would have a greater chance of making it back alive. After all, they had been killing dogs and eating them. Why not make use of his dead companion's body to ensure his survival? If eating some of Mertz's flesh could help him recover his strength, heal his sloughing skin and weeping wounds, and increase his chances of reaching the hut, it should not be surprising if he decided to do so. And it is hardly appropriate for us to quibble with his decision. If Mawson did cannibalise Mertz's body, it would have been because he believed it would provide the "proper nourishment" his body demanded.

Loading

Some credence was given to these rumours when an American journalist later claimed Mawson had admitted to having considered such a course for the two days he spent beside Mertz's body. Indeed, it would have been incredible for him not to have considered it, given the shortage of food. According to the journalist, Mawson said he decided against it, noting that "if I did get back to civilisation it would always leave a bad taste in my mouth, so I buried him and went on". When this was published in New York, Mawson strenuously denied having said it. His vigorous denial has been accepted by historians, who argue it would have contravened Mawson's values and that, anyway, he had no need to do it, once Mertz was dead and all his intended rations were available for Mawson's consumption.