Shackleton.

“I rather grudged the two pounds allowance per man, owing to my keen anxiety to keep weights at a minimum, but some personal belongings could fairly be regarded as indispensable. The jounrey might be a long one, and there was a possibility of a winter in improvised quarters on an inhospitable coast at the other end. A man under such conditions needs something to occupy his thoughts, some tangible memento of his home and people beyond the seas. So sovereigns were thrown away and photographs were kept.”

— Ernest Shackleton, South

“The floes grind stupendously, throw up great ridges, and shatter one another mercilessly. The ridges, or hedgerows, marking the pressure lines that border the fast diminishing pieces of smooth floe ice, are enormous. The ice moves majestically, irresistibly.”

— Ernest Shackleton, South

“This plan [of camping on a floe] would avoid the grave dangers we are now incurring of getting entangled in impassable pressure ridges and possibly irretrievably damaging the boats, which are bound to suffer in rough ice; it would also minimize the peril of the ice splitting under us, as it did twice during the night at our first camp. Yet I feel sure that it is the right thing to attempt a march, since if we can make five or seven miles a day to the northwest our chance of reaching safety in the months to come will be increased greatly. There is a psychological aspect to the question also. It will be much better for the men in general to feel that, even though progress is slow, they are on their way to land than it will be simply to sit down and wait for the tardy northweterly drift to take us out of this cruel waste of ice. We will make an attempt to move. The issue is beyond my power either to predict or control.”

— Ernest Shackleton, South

“We had two pole tents and three hoop tents. I took charge of the small pole tent, No. 1, with Hudson, Hurley, and James as companions; Wild had the small hoop tent, No. 2, with Wordie, McNeish, and McIlroy. These hoop tents are very easily shifted and set up. The eight forward hands had the large hoop tent, No. 3; Crean had charge of No. 4 hoop tent with Hussey, Marston, and Cheetham; and Worsley had the other pole tent, No. 5, with Greenstreet, Lees, Clark, Kerr, Rickenson, Macklin, and Blackborrow, the last named being the youngest of the forward hands.”