Category Archives: Shackleton

“When I looked down at the camp to rest my eyes from the strain of watching the wide white expanse broken by that one black ribbon of open water, I could see that my companions were waiting with more than … Continue reading →

“Immediately our deeply laden boats began to make heavy weather. They shipped sprays, which, freezing as they fell, covered men and gear with ice, and soon it was clear that we could not safely proceed. I put the James Caird … Continue reading →

“An intangible feeling of uneasiness made me leave my tent about 11 pm. I started to walk across the floe to warn the watchman to look carefully for cracks when the floe lifted on the crest of a swell and … Continue reading →

“I had decided to take the James Caird myself, with Wild and eleven men. This was the largest of our boats, and in addition to her human complement she carried the major portion of the stores. Worsley had charge of … Continue reading →

“I stood on the edge of the new fracture, and, looking across the widening channel of water, could see the spot where for many months my head and shoulders had rested when I was in my sleeping bag. The depression … Continue reading →

“The movement of the ice in the swell was increasing, and the floe might split right under our camp. Our case would be desperate if the ice broke into small pieces not large enough to support our party and not … Continue reading →

“The trouble was not caused by a blow from another floe. We could see that the piece of ice we occupied had slewed and now presented its long axis towards the oncoming swell. The floe, therefore, was pitching in the … Continue reading →

“There has been some discussion in the camp as to the advisability of making one of the bergs our home for the time being and drifting with it to the west. The idea is not sound. I cannot be sure … Continue reading →

“We knew from the Admiralty Sailing Directions that there were stores for the use of shipwrecked mariners on Deception Island, and it was possible that the summer whalers had not yet deserted its harbor. “Also we had learned from our … Continue reading →

“It seems vital that we shall land on Clarence Island or its neighbor, Elephant Island. The latter island has an attraction for us, although as far as I know nobody has ever landed there. Its name suggests the presence of … Continue reading →