Author Archives: Ernest Shackleton

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About Ernest Shackleton

Polar Explorer. Leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917.

What if we miss South Georgia?

“Sir E. discussed with me what we would do if thro’ lack of… observations of a heavy series of Sly gales blowing us off course, we missed S. Georgia. The prospect was not attractive. Our water, we knew, would be … Continue reading

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Suffering

“Vincent had for the past week ceased to be an active member of the crew, and I could not easily account for his collapse. Physically he was one of the strongest men in the boat. He was a young man, … Continue reading

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Flew & fussed around

“Then there was a small bird, unknown to me, that appeared always to be in a fussy, bustling state, quite out of keeping with the surroundings. It irritated me. It had practically no tail, and it flitted about vaguely as … Continue reading

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Nothing existed but water

“Shackleton was nearly torn from his seat by the deluge of water that swept over him… “For an instant, nothing existed but water. They couldn’t even tell whether she was upright. But then the instant was over; the wave had … Continue reading

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Rogue wave

“At midnight I was at the tiller and suddenly noticed a line of clear sky between the south and southwest. I called to the other men that the sky was clearing, and then a moment later I realized that what … Continue reading

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The swearing rule

“As a rule when a sea wets a sailor through he swears at it comprehensively, and impartially curses everything in sight beginning with the ship & ‘the old man’—if he’s not within hearing, but on this trip we said nothing … Continue reading

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Jokes of the primitive kind

“Even when cracked lips and swollen mouths checked the outward and visible signs of amusement we could see a joke of the primitive kind. Man’s sense of humour is most easily stirred by the petty misfortunes of his neighbors, and … Continue reading

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Rime of the Ancient Mariner, pt 4

Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge […] Four ‘I fear thee, ancient Mariner! I fear thy skinny hand! And thou art long, and lank, and brown, As is the ribbed sea-sand. I fear thee and thy glittering … Continue reading

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Some hint of happier days

“I had not realized until the sunlight came how small our boat really was. “There was some influence in the light and warmth, some hint of happier days, that made us revive memories of other voyages, when we had stout … Continue reading

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We did not shoot the albatross

“My double-barreled shotgun and some cartridges had been stowed aboard the boat as an emergency precaution against a shortage of food, but we were not disposed to destroy our little neighbors, the Cape pigeons, even for the sake of fresh … Continue reading

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