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CHAPTER XVI THE RETURN MARCH FEBRUARY 10 TO FEBRUARY 22 First Homeward Marches: Back on the Barrier: Attacks of Dysentery: Chinaman Depot reached February 13: Depot A reached February 20: Nearing Bluff Depot January 10.
We started at 7.30 A.M. with a fair wind, and marched all day, with a
stop of
one hour for lunch, doing over 18,E geographical miles to the north. It
has,
indeed, been fortunate for us that we have been able to follow our
outward
track for the force of the gale had torn the flags from the staffs. We
will be
all right when we pick up our depot. It has been a big risk leaving our
food on
the great white plain, with only our sledge tracks to guide us back.
To-night
we are all tired out, but we have put a good march behind us. The
temperature
is minus 9° Fahr. January 11.
A good day. We have done nearly 17 geographical miles. We have picked
up our
depot and now are following the sledge tracks to the north. The
temperature has
been minus 15° Fahr. There has been tremendous wind here and the
sastrugi are
enormous. January 12.
We did 14 miles 100 yards to-day with little wind to help us. The
surface was
very heavy and we found enormous sastrugi. The wind is getting up
to-night. I
hope for a good breeze behind us to-morrow. January 13.
It was heavy pulling all day, but we did a good distance in spite of
it,
getting 15 miles 1650 yards to the north. We have the sail up
continually, but
I cannot say that it has been very much help to-day. The temperature,
minus 18°
Fahr. nearly all the time, makes things very cold, and we ourselves
slept badly
last night. I did not sleep at all, for both my heels are frost-bitten
and have
cracked open, and also have cracks under some of my toes; but we can
march all
right, and am moving over the ground very fast. We must continue to do
so, for
we have only about 20 lb. of biscuit to last us over 140 miles, and I
expect
there will be little in the locker by the time we strike our glacier
head
depot. The surface has been very severe to-day. January 14.
A strong following blizzard all day gave us our best day's run of the
whole
trip, 20 miles 1600 yards in ten hours. We decided to cut down the
rations by
another biscuit, as we have only six days' biscuit left on short
ration, and
120 miles to go before we reach the depot, so we feel very hungry, and
with the
temperature minus 18° Fahr. to minus 21° Fahr, all day in the wind, one
easily
gets frost-bitten. January 15.
Started in a strong blizzard at 7.30 A.M. with a temperature of minus
23°
Fahr., and marched steadily till noon, doing 9i miles; then marched
from 1.30
P.M. till 6 P.M., making a total distance for the day of 20 miles,
statute. It
has been thick, with a pale sun only shining through, but we are still
able to
follow our old sledge tracks, though at times they are very faint.
Unfortunately, when we halted at 3.30 P.M. for a spell, we found that
the
sledge meter had disappeared, and discovered that it had broken off
short at
the brass fitting. This is a serious loss to us, for all our Barrier
distances
between depots are calculated on it, and although we have another
depoted at
the foot of the glacier we do not know the slip. We must now judge
distance
till we get a sight of land. January 16.
With a strong following blizzard, we did 18½ miles to the north to-day.
My
burst heels gave me great pain all day. Marshall dressed them to-night.
We saw
land again to-day after being out of sight of it for nearly three
weeks. January 17.
Started sharp at 7 A.M., in a fresh blizzard wind, with a temperature
of minus
23° Fahr., we did our best march, for it was mainly downhill and we
covered 22½
miles. At 10 A.M. we came up to our Christmas camp, and there took on a
bamboo
we had left, and which now comes in useful for our sail. This sail is
now our
great help. We dropped over 500 ft. to-day, and in three days ought to
reach
our depot at this rate. January 18.
Our best day, 26½ miles downhill, with a strong following wind. We have
nearly
got to the end of the main icefall. The temperature has risen sensibly,
it
being minus 14° Fahr. to-night, and the hypsometer, 196.5°, shows a
good rise.
With luck we may reach our depot to-morrow night. With food now in
hand, we had
a decent feed to-night. I have been very unlucky to-day, falling into
many
crevasses and hurting my shoulder badly. I have also had many falls,
besides
the trouble with the bad heels on the hard stuff. January 19.
Another record day, for we have done about twenty-nine miles to the
north,
rushing under sail down ice falls and through crevasses, till, at 6
P.M., we
picked up our sledge tracks of December 18 outwards. We camped, dead
beat, at
6.30 P.M., and had a good hoosh. We have descended to 7500 ft., and the
temperature to-night is minus 14° Fahr. We are now only 8½ miles from
our
depot, which we will reach to-morrow morning, all being well. This
strong
blizzard wind has been an immense help this way, though not outwards
for us. January 20.
Although we have not covered so much ground to-day, we have had an
infinitely
harder time. We started at 7 A.M. on our tracks of December 19, and at
7.30
passed the camp of the evening of the 18th. For two hours we were
descending a
snow-slope, with heavy sastrugi, and then struck a patch of badly
crevassed
nhve, about half a mile across. After that we got on to blue slippery
ice,
where our finnesko had no hold. A gale was blowing, and often fierce
gusts came
along, sweeping the sledge sideways, and knocking us off our feet. We
all had
many falls, and I had two specially heavy ones which shook me up
severely. When
we reached the steep slopes where we had roped the sledges up on our
outward
journey, we lowered the sledge down by means of the alpine rope, using
an
ice-axe as a. bollard to lower by. On several occasions one or more of
us lost
our footing, and were swept by the wind down the ice-slope, with great
difficulty getting back to our sledge and companions. We arrived at our
depot
at 12.30 P.M. with sore and aching bodies. The afternoon was rather
better, as,
after the first hour, we got off the blue ice on to snow. However, bad
as the
day has been, we have said farewell to that awful plateau, and are well
on our
way down the glacier. January 21.
Started at 7.45 A.M. with a fresh southerly breeze, so we still have
valuable
assistance from our sail. The heavy falls I had yesterday have so
shaken me
that I have been very ill to-day. I harnessed up for a while, but soon
had to
give up pulling and walk by the sledge; but, as the course has been
downhill
nearly all day and a fair wind has been assisting, the others have had
no
difficulty in getting along at a good pace, and we have covered
seventeen
miles. The weather is much warmer, the temperature to-night being about
minus
1° Fahr. January 22.
Started at 7.30 Am. on a good surface that changed to crevassed ice
slopes in
the afternoon, down which we made fair progress. Am still too ill to
harness
up, but as the pull was not much it did not matter. Indeed, we had
another man
out of harness guiding the sledge. The distance to-day was 15½ miles. January 23.
Similar weather, surface and work. Fine and warm; temperature plus 8°
Fahr. January 24.
One of our hardest day's work, and certainly the longest, for we
started at
6.45 A.M., went on till 12.50 P.M., had lunch, started at 2 P.M., went
on till
6 P.M., had a cup of tea, and went on till 9 P.M. Then we had our
single pot of
hoosh and one biscuit, for we have only two days' food left and one
day's biscuit
on much reduced ration, and we have to cover' forty miles of crevasses
to reach
our depot before we can get any more food. I am now all right again,
though
rather weak. We had a terribly hard time in the crevassed ice this
morning, and
now our sledge has not much more than half a runner on one side, and is
in a
very shaky state. However, I believe we are safe now. The distance
to-day was
sixteen miles, statute. January 25.
We started away from camp at 6.45 A.M., marched till noon, when we had
a cup of
tea, and then marched till 3 P.M., when we had lunch, consisting of a
cup of
tea, two biscuits, two spoonsful of cheese. Then we marched till 9
P.M., when
we had one pot of hposh and one biscuit. We did twenty-six miles; fine
weather.
The food is all finished but one meal. No biscuit, only cocoa, tea,
salt, and
pepper left, very little o these also. Must reach depot to-morrow. It
was
fairly good going to-day till the last two hours, and then we were
falling into
most dangerous crevasses and were saved only by our harness. Very tired
indeed.
Thank God warm and fine weather. We can see our depot rock in the
distance, so
hope to reach it to-morrow. Turning in now, 11 P.M.; breakfast as usual
5 A.M.
The temperature is plus 12° Fahr. January 26
and
27. Two
days
written up as one, and they have been the hardest and most
trying we have ever spent in our lives, and will ever stand in our
memories.
To-night (the 27th) we have had our first solid food since the morning
of the
26th. We came to the end of all our provisions except a little cocoa
and tea,
and from 7 A.M. on the 26th till 2 P.M. on the 27th we did sixteen
miles over
the worst surfaces and most dangerous crevasses we have ever
encountered, only
stopping for tea or cocoa till they were finished, and marching twenty
hours at
a stretch, through snow 10 to 18 in. thick as a rule, with sometimes 21
ft. of
it. We fell into hidden crevasses time after time, and were saved by
each other
and by our harness. In fact, only an all-merciful Providence has guided
our steps
to to-night's safety at our depot. I cannot describe adequately the
mental and
physical strain of the last forty-eight hours. When we started at 7
A.M.
yesterday, we immediately got into soft snow, an uphill pull with
hidden
crevasses. The biscuit was all finished, and with only one pannikin of
hoosh,
mostly pony maize, and one of tea, we marched till noon. Then we had
one
pannikin of tea and one ounce of chocolate, and marched till 4.45 P.M.
We had
one pannikin of tea. There was no more food. We marched till 10 P.M.,
then one
small pannikin of cocoa. Marched till 2 A.M., when we were played out.
We had
one pannikin of cocoa, and slept till 8 A.M. Then a pannikin of cocoa,
and we
marched till 1 P.M. and camped, about half a mile from the depot.
Marshall went
on for food, and we got a Meal at 2 P.M. We turned in and slept. Adams
fell
exhausted in his harness, but recovered and went on again. Wild did the
same
the night before. January 28.
Thank God we are on the Barrier again at last. We got up at 1 A.M. this
morning, had breakfast, consisting of tea and one biscuit, and got
under way at
3 A.M. We reached the depot in half an hour without any difficulty. The
snow
here was deep enough to carry us over the crevasses that had impeded
our
progress so much on the outward march. We had proper breakfast at 5
A.M. then
dug out our depot. The alternate falls of snow and thaws had frozen
solidly in
a great deal of our gear, and our spare sledge meter was deeply buried.
We
marched along till we were close to the Gap, then had lunch. At 1 P.M.
we were
through the Gap and on to the crevassed and ridged Barrier surface. We
are now
safe, with six days' food and only fifty miles to the depot, but Wild
has
developed dysentery. We are at a loss to know what is the cause of it.
It may
possibly be due to the horse-meat. The weather has been fairly fine all
day,
though clouding up from the south towards noon, and we were assisted by
a fresh
southerly breeze up the slope to the head of the Gap. Indeed, we needed
it, for
the heavy surface and our dilapidated sledge made the hauling extremely
hard.
Just before we left the glacier I broke through the soft snow, plunging
into a
hidden crevasse. My harness jerked up under my heart, and gave me
rather a
shake-up. It seemed as though the glacier were saying: "There is the
last
touch for you; don't you come up here again." It was with a feeling of
intense relief that we left this great glacier, for the strain has been
hard,
and now we know that except for blizzards and thick weather, which two
factors
can alone prevent us from finding our depots in good time, we will be
all
right. The light became bad this evening when we were on the last hour
before
camping, and we cannot say for certain whether we are clear of the main
chasm
by the land or not, so must give its line of direction a wide berth.
The
temperature is well up, plus 26° Fahr., and it is warm indeed after the
minus
temperatures which have been our lot for the last month or so. January 29.
We are having a most unfriendly greeting from the Barrier. We got up as
usual
and had breakfast at 5.30 A.M. the weather thick and overcast, but the
land
showing enough for us to steer by. We got away at 7.20 A.M., and soon
after it
began to snow, which in a temperature of plus 30° Fahr. melted on the
sledge
and all our gear, making everything into a miserably wet state. We had
to put
the compass down every now and then, for it became too thick to see any
landmarks, and at 9.30 the wind suddenly sprang up from the east, cold
and
strong, freezing solid all our wet clothes, and the various things on
the
sledge. It was blowing a blizzard with snow and heavy drift in less
than five
minutes from the time the wind started, and with difficulty we managed
to get
up one tent and crawl into it, where we waited in the hope that the
weather
would clear. As there was no sign of an improvement at noon we pitched
the
other tent, had food, and lay in our bags patching our worn-out
clothes. All
day the blizzard has continued to blow hard, with extra violent gusts
at times.
Our tents get snowed up, and we have to clear them by kicking at the
snow every
now and then. January 30.
We made a start at 8.15 A.M., after spending three-quarters of an hour
digging
out our sledges and tents from the drift of the blizzard, which stopped
at 1
A.M. It was clear over part of the land as we started, but soon snow
began to
fall again and the weather became very thick; yet, steering on a
course, we
came through the crevasses and drift without even touching one, though
before,
in good light,
we have
had to turn and twist to avoid them. The
surface was heavy for pulling on, owing to the fine snow from the
blizzard, but
we did thirteen miles for the day, working a full ten hours till 7.50
P.M. The weather
cleared right up in the afternoon, and we made a good course. Wild is
seedy
to-day, but we hope that as soon as he reaches Grisi depot he will be
better.
We have no variety of food, and only have four miserably thin biscuits
a day to
eke out the horse-meat. The plasmon is all finished and so are we
ourselves by
the end of the day's march. The sledge also is in a. terribly bad
state, but as
soon as we reach the depot all will be well. The surface in the
afternoon
improved, and is much better than we had hoped for. The temperature is
plus 24°
Fahr., fine and warm. A heavy day's pull, but we were assisted by the
wind in
the afternoon. Wild is still seedy, just walking in harness. The
surface is
good, and we are rapidly nearing the depot. Short of food, down to
twenty
ounces a day. Very tired. Good weather. THE CAMP UNDER THE GRANITE PILLAR, HALF A MILE FROM THE LOWER GLACIER DEPOT, WHERE THE PARTY CAMPED ON JANUARY 27 January 31.
Started at 7 A.M., Wild bad with dysentery. Picked up mound 4 P.M., and
camped
at 6 P.M. Very bad surface. Did 13½ miles. February 1.
Started 7 A.M.; awful surface at times. Wild very bad. Picked up mound.
Camped
6 P.M., having done nearly fourteen miles. February 2.
Started at 6.40 A.M. and camped 7 P.M. at depot. Wild and self
dysentery; dead
tired, bad surface, with undulations. Did 13½ miles. Ray's birthday,
celebrated
with two lumps of sugar, making five each in cocoa. February 3.
Started with new sledge and 150 lb. more weight at 8.40 A.M.; camped at
5.30
P.M. Only five miles; awfully soft snow surface. All acute dysentery
due to
meat. Trust that sleep will put us right. Could go no farther to-night.
Wild
very bad, self weaker, others assailed also. Bad light, Mort food,
surface
worse than ever. Snow one foot deep. Got up 4.30 A.M. after going to
bed 11
P.M. No more to-night. Temperature plus 5° Fahr. Dull. February 4.
Cannot write more. All down with acute dysentery; terrible day. No
march
possible; outlook serious. . . . Fine weather. February 5.
Eight miles to-day; dead tired. Dysentery better, but Adams not too
right.
Camped at 5.30 P.M. We are picking up the mounds well. Too weak on
half-rations
to write much. Still hanging on to geological specimens. Please God we
will get
through all right. Great anxiety. February 6.
Did ten miles to-day, All better and a better surface. Terribly hungry.
Six
biscuits per day and one pannikin horse-meat each meal. Picked up
November 28
mound and made camp. I do trust this hunger will not weaken us too
much. It has
been great anxiety. Thank God the dysentery stopped and the surface
better. We
may do more to-morrow, as there are signs of wind from the south-east.
Temperature plus 9° Fahr. February 7.
Blowing hard blizzard. Kept going till 6 P.M. Adams and Marshall
renewed
dysentery. Dead tired. Short food; very weak. February 8.
Did twelve miles. We had fine weather after 10 A.M. Started from camp
in
blizzard. Adams and Marshall cstill dysentery; Wild and I all right.
Feel
starving for food. Talk of it all day Anyhow, getting north, thank God.
Sixty-nine miles to Chinaman depot. February 9.
Strong following blizzard, and did 14½ miles to north. Adams not fit
yet. fAll
thinking and talking of food February
10.
Strong following wind. Did 20 miles 300 yards. Temperature plus 22°
Fahr. All
thinking and talking of food. February
11.
We did 16½ miles to-day, and continued to pick up the mounds, which is
a great
comfort. The temperature is plus 20° Fahr to-night. All our thoughts
are of
food. We ought to reach the depot in two days. Now we are down to half
a
pannikin of meat and five biscuits a day. Adams not all right yet, and
Wild
shaky to-night. Good surface and following wind. We were up at 4.45
A.M. and
camped at 6 P.M. February
12.
Fine day, with no wind. We were up at 4.30 A.M., and marched till 6
P.M., doing
14½ miles. Adams sighted the depot flag at 6 P.M. The temperature has
ranged
from plus 5° to plus 20° Fahr. Passed sastrugi running south-south-east
in the
afternoon. Slight westerly wind. Very tired. February
13.
Breakfast at 4.40 A.M. We packed up, with a cold wind blowing, and
reached the
depot, with all our food finished, at 11.30 A.M. There we got
Chinaman's liver,
which we have had to-night. It tasted splendid. We looked round for any
spare
bits of meat, and while I was digging in the snow I came across some
hard red
stuff, Chinaman's blood frozen into a solid core. We dug it up, and
found it a
welcome addition to our food. It was like beef-tea when boiled up. The
distance
to-day was twelve miles, with a light wind. February
14.
A good surface to-day, but no wind. The pulling was hard, and the
temperature
plus 10° to plus 18° Fahr. We did 11½ miles. We are still weak, but
better, the
horse-blood helps. Burst lips are our greatest trouble. SHACKLETON STANDING BY THE BROKEN SOUTHERN SLEDGE, WHICH WAS REPLACED BY ANOTHER AT GRISI DEPOT February 16.
A fair surface to-day, but no wind. The sastrugi are disappearing. We
are
appallingly hungry. We are down to about half a pannikin of half-cooked
horse-meat a meal and four biscuits a day. We covered thirteen miles
to-day,
with the temperature from zero to minus 7° Fahr. There are appearances
of wind
from the south, long windy streamers of torn stratus. We are so weak
now that
even to lift our depleted provision bag is an effort., When we break
camp in
the morning we pull the tent off the poles and take it down before we
move the
things inside, for the effort of lifting the sleeping-bags,
&o., through
the doorway is too great At night when we have come to camp we
sometimes have
to lift our legs one at a time with both hands in getting into the
tent. It
seems a severe strain to lift one's feet without aid after we have
stiffened
from the day's march. Our fingers are extremely painful. Some of us
have big
blisters that burst occasionally. February
17.
I thought we were in for it and was not wrong. To-day we have been
marching in
a blinding blizzard, with 42° of frost, but, thank heaven, the wind was
behind
us and we have done nineteen miles, the sledge with the sail up often
over-running us, and then at other times getting into a patch of soft
snow and
bringing us up with a jerk. The harness round our weakened stomachs
gives us a
good deal of pain when we are brought up suddenly. We started at 6.40
A.M. and
marched till 6 P.M., and to-day we had three pannikins of semi-cooked
horse-meat and six biscuits on the strength of the good march. We all
have
tragic dreams of getting food to eat, but rarely have the satisfaction
of
dreaming that we are actually eating. Last night I did taste bread and
butter.
We look at each other as we eat our scanty meals and feel a distinct
grievance
if one man manages to make his hoosh last longer than the rest of us.
Sometimes
we do our best to save a bit of biscuit for the next meal, but it is a
much
debated question whether it is best to eat all the food at once or to
save. I
eat all my lunch biscuit, but keep a bit from dinner to eat in the bag
so as to
induce sleep. The smaller the quantity of biscuits grows the more
delicious
they taste. February
18.
The wind dropped during the night, and at 4.40 A.M. we got up, picked
our
buried sledge out of the drift, and were under way by 7 A.M. There was
little
wind, and the temperature was minus 20° Fahr. at noon. This afternoon
we
sighted old Discovery. What a
home-like appearance it has. Its big bluff form showed out in the
north-west,
and we felt that the same mountain might at that very moment be drawing
the
eyes of our own people at winter quarters. It seemed to be a connecting
link.
Perhaps they will be wondering whether we are in sight of it. February
19.
A very cold south wind to-day, but we turned out at 4.40 A.M., with a
temperature of minus 20° Fahr. We have been hungry and cold all day,
but did
14i miles on a good surface. We sighted Mount Erebus in the morning.
The old
landmarks are so pleasant. Camped at 6 P.M., temperature minus 10°
Fahr. We
ought to reach Depot A to-morrow. We have picked up the last mound
except one.
If we had food all would be well, but we are now at the end of our
supplies
again, except for some scraps of meat scraped off the bones of Grisi
after they
had been lying on the snow in the sun for all these months. We dare not
risk it
until the worst comes. Still in five days more we ought to be in the
land of
plenty. February
20.
Started to get up at 4.40 A.M. It is almost a farce to talk of getting
up to
"breakfast" now, and there is no call of "Come on, boys; good
hoosh." No good hoosh is to be had. In less time than it has taken me
to
write this the food is finished, and then our hopes and thoughts lie
wholly in
the direction of the next feed, so called from force of habit. It was
dull and
overcast to-day, and we could see only a little way. Still we made
progress,
and at 4 P.M. we reached Depot A. The distance for the day was fourteen
miles,
with 52° of frost. We sighted the depot at 2.30 P.M., and now we have
enough
food to carry us to the Bluff Depot. We had run out of food when we
reached the
depot to-day, and we have had a good hoosh to-night. The unaccustomed
pemmican
fat made me feel quite queer, but I enjoyed the pudding we made out of
biscuits
and the tin of jam which we originally intended to have for Christmas
Day, but which
we left behind when on the way south in order to save weight. Our
depoted
tobacco and cigarettes were here, and it is difficult to describe the
enjoyment
and luxury of a good smoke. I am sure that the tobacco will make up for
the
shortage of food I do not doubt but that the Bluff Depot will have been
laid
all right by Joyce. Anyhow we must stake on it, for we have not enough
food to
carry us to the ship. Joyce knows his work well and we talk now of
nothing but
the feeds that we will have when we reach the Bluff. That depot has
been the
bright beacon ahead through these dark days of hunger. Each time we
took in
another hole in our belts we have said that it will be all right when
we get to
the Bluff Depot, and now we are getting towards it. February
21.
We got up at 4.40 A.M., just as it commenced to blow, and the wind
continued
all day, a blizzard with as low as 67° of frost. We could not get warm,
but we
did twenty miles. In ordinary polar work one would not think of
travelling in
such a severe blizzard, but our need is extreme, and we must keep
going. It is
neck or nothing with us now. Our food lies ahead, and death stalks us
from behind.
This is just the time of the year when the most bad weather may be
expected.
The sun now departs at night, and the darkness is palpable by the time
we turn
in, generally about 9.30 P.M. We are so thin that our bones ache as we
lie on
the hard snow in our sleeping-bags, from which a great deal of the hair
has
gone. To-night we stewed some of the scraps of Grisi meat, and the dish
tasted
delicious. Too cold to write more. Thank God, we are nearing the Bluff.
February 22. A
splendid day. We did
20½ miles, and on the strength of the distance had a good feed. About
11 A.M.
we suddenly came across the tracks of a party of four men, with dogs.
Evidently
the weather has been fine and they have been moving at a good pace
towards the
south. We could tell that the weather has been fine, for they were
wearing ski
boots instead of finnesko, and occasionally we saw the stump of a
cigarette.
The length of the steps showed that they were going fast. We are now
camped on
the tracks, which are fairly recent, and we will try to follow them to
the
Bluff, for they must have come from the depot. This assures us that the
depot
was laid all right. I cannot imagine who the fourth man can be, unless
it was
Buckley, who might be there now that the ship is in. We passed their
noon camp,
and I am certain that the ship is in, for there were tins lying round
bearing
brands different from those of the original stores. We found three
small bits
of chocolate and a little bit of biscuit at the camp after carefully
searching
the ground for such unconsidered trifles, and we "turned backs" for
them. I was unlucky enough to get the bit of biscuit, and a curious
unreasoning
anger took possession of me for a moment at my bad luck. It shows how
primitive
we have become, and how much the question of even a morsel of food
affects our
judgment. We are near the end of our food, but as we have staked
everything on
the Bluff Depot, we had a good feed to-night. If we do not pick up the
depot,
there will be absolutely no hope for us. |