Throughout his narrative, "the final assault," edmund hillary states that he keeps checking the men's oxygen supplies. how do the oxygen supplies affect the outcome of the narrative? the men have enough oxygen in their bottles so they are able to complete their climb to the summit of mt. everest. hillary thinks that it may be necessary for them to retrace their steps to retrieve the partially used bottles of oxygen that were left behind. hillary is worried that there is only enough oxygen for one man to climb up to the summit, making it even more dangerous without assistance. the men are concerned that without oxygen they will be prevented from climbing the summit, giving up their spot in history to someone else.