Monthly Archives: May 2013

His usual love of leg-pulling

“Shackleton, with his usual love of leg-pulling, said with a twinkle in his eye, ‘We’ll hide this stuff, go in and tell ’em you saved my life from a sea-elephant that tore your blouse off and badly wounded you—to account … Continue reading

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A magnificent sight

“The long bay was a magnificent sight, even to eyes which had dwelt long enough on grandeur and were hungry for the familiar things of every-day life. Its green-blue waters were being beaten to fury by the gale. The mountains … Continue reading

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Cave cove

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Their plight was worse than ours

“We were still 150 miles away from Stromness whaling station by sea. The alternative was to attempt the crossing of the island. If we could not get over, then we must try to secure enough food and fuel to keep … Continue reading

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A law unto ourselves

“The first time I felt like a murderer [but] after that I just thought what a glorious feed the first had been. “The Boss and I discussed making enough money to start another expedition by taking…baby albatross and selling them … Continue reading

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Cave

“Our cave was a recess in the cliff on the left-hand end of the beach. “Water had tricked down the face of the cliff and formed long icicles, which hung down in front of the cave to the length of … Continue reading

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King Haakon Bay

“King Haakon Bay is an eight-mile sound penetrating the coast of South Georgia in an easterly direction. We had noticed that the northern and southern sides of the sound were formed by steep mountain ranges, their flanks furrowed by mighty … Continue reading

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Byron’s “great ninth wave”

“We cut off the topsides and took out all the moveable gear. Then we waited for Byron’s “great ninth wave,” and when it lifted the James Caird in we held her and, by dint of great exertion, worked her round … Continue reading

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Angry reefs on either side

“Soon we had angry reefs on either side. Great glaciers came down to the sea and offered no landing place. The sea spouted on the reefs and thundered against the shore. About noon we sighted a line of jagged reef, … Continue reading

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A big indentation

“About 8am the wind backed to the northwest and threatened another blow. We had sighted in the meantime a big indentation which I thought must be King Haakon Bay, and I decided that we must land there. We set the … Continue reading

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