Endurance Part Seven and Epilogue

Although the men were safe for the night, they all knew that they still had to make haste because there were twenty-two men who were counting on their success. Shackleton allowed the six men to rest for the next few days because they were utterly exhausted. The rudder of the Caird had been lost in their entrance to the cavern, so this made travel difficult. They landed a ways up the shore near a beach with hundreds of sea elephants. They had two options: they could try and sail around South Georgia which was extremely dangerous and highly unlikely, or they could try and climb through the mountainous interior of South Georgia which was considered quite literally impossible. Shackleton made the bold choice of crossing the island. He decided that a crew of three men could cross it in about a day, so yet again he had to split up his party. He chose to take Worsley and Crean with him across the island. The crew of three woke up at two the next morning and set out. They set a brisk pace and worked through the mountains having to back track at times due to crevices and glaciers. As night was falling that night, the three men were on top of a steep cliff and were barely making much progress in their descent. Shackleton knew they would freeze if they kept at that pace. "They had to get lower and with all possible haste. So he suggested they slide." They slid down knowing very well the dangers of it, and they safely slid down for 1,500 feet. This moment of intensity was immediately rewarded. Within the hour, they could see the outline of their destination. The whaling village in Stromness Bay. Cautiously, they made there way to the village, and they safely arrived, but this was only after risking their lives yet again because the only way to reach the village was by going down a waterfall. They were able to tie themselves to a nearby boulder and lower themselves down the waterfall. As they arrived at the village, the whalers were in disbelief as to who these strangers who were approaching from the previously thought impassable interior. Shackleton stepped forward and told the man in charge named Sorlle: "My name is Shackleton." The arrival of Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean reminds me of a movie called Castaway in which a man is marooned on an island for years until he is finally rescued. The sorry sight of the three men reminds me of how repulsive the main character appeared during his rescue.

This is a picture of a clean and shaven Ernest Shackleton

The men on the other side of South Georgia were picked up in a whaling ship within two days. Shackleton and his crew were greatly praised by all the sea men at the village; however, they were not done yet because the other twenty-two men still needed to be rescued. It took three and a half months, but they were finally rescued after three failed attempts. At last, Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven other men were all safe. Shackleton had led his men through the most unforgiving conditions on earth, and he emerged victorious although his original goal of crossing the continent was never achieved. Shackleton's leadership kept twenty-eight men from dying in the bitter cold of the Antarctic.

Stromness Bay, South Georgia Island

Endurance Part Six (ch. 4-6)

Without the sea anchor, the boat began to rock violently. Miraculously, the crew was able to keep the Caird from capsizing. Worsley took a reading immediately after the sun came out, and he found that they were 403 miles from Elephant Island which put them about half way to South Georgia. The sun stayed out for the next day and they were able to dry them selves to a certain degree. Worsley took his reading the next day, and to their amazement, they had traveled 52 miles in twenty-four hours. One night during Shackleton's watch, he spotted a light in the distance, but it actually turned out to be a massive wave. "And then it hit--and she was caught in a mountain of seething water and catapulted bodily forward and sideways at the same time." Those who were sleeping were easily awoken, and the men scurried about bailing the water from the deck. Again by the grace of God, they were able to keep the boat afloat and the water had returned to an acceptable level.

After traveling for thirteen days, they were only a mere 91 miles from the closest point of South Georgia. Water now became a concern for the crew. The last cask of water was tainted from when it fell out of the boat in their rugged launch form Elephant Island. It had been cracked which drained some of the fresh water and allowed some salt water to seep in. The crew anxiously awaited any sign of land. Their anxiety was partially due to their extreme thirst. When they were within ten miles of the shore, McCarthy spotted land.

King Haakon Bay

The land they had spotted was Cape Demidov, but soon they would realize that this was merely a tease because Cape Demidov is surrounded by reefs which made landing highly improbable. They then decided to make for King Haakon Bay which lay another ten miles away. The weather was unfavorable during this time. They were barely making any headway at times. While battling the weather, Annenkov Island, another island that was surrounded by reefs, caused the current to pull the boat towards its treacherous waters. Another stroke of luck, or maybe just sheer will, helped them to avoid this disaster that many thought would cause their demise. At four o'clock, Shackleton spotted a way to enter King Haakon Bay. He knew they would have to make it there before nightfall in two hours. At five o'clock, Shackleton guided the crew into a cavern where the landed. Within moments of landing, they were drinking all the water they could from a nearby fresh water stream. As I read this passage, I found that I had actually been holding breath until I finished reading the chapter. The crew's moment of landing on South Georgia is what I believe to be the climax. This part of the story seems to be of the most importance although many other very important moments have already occurred in the story.

Endurance Part Six (ch. 1-3)

The James Caird

While the twenty-two men on Elephant Island endured the weather, Shackleton and his crew of six men were battling the freezing sea. The men were immediately delighted to be on this journey in search of rescue, but that only lasted a few days. In this section, I noticed some evidence of an omniscient narrator. The author shows insights into Worsley's and McNeish's feelings when he quotes their logs. McNeish's read: " 'Then we are in the open sea wet through but happy through it all.' " McNeish wrote that log on April 24th which was the day they left Elephant Island. McNeish felt that the journey was bearable at that point because of the potential reward of reaching South Georgia which lay almost 870 miles away from their position. Shackleton's confidence begins to deteriorate again. He wonders if his decision to split up the party was the best choice. "The truth was that he felt rather out of his element... the struggle against the sea is an act of physical combat, and there is no escape."

This diagram helps show what a sea anchor looks like

Water provided a great deal of discomfort, but it also presented a problem of sinking. It had to be bailed if the water level was too high; however, their biggest fear was ice. If even a single collision occurred, they would end up swimming to South Georgia. Sleeping conditions were miserable because the men would have to sleep on the rocks needed to balance to boat. In addition, the waves were enormous which created much rocking in the boat. There was some good news though. They had covered 238 miles in their first six days which put them about a third of the way to South Georgia. To prevent more water from entering the boat, Shackleton created a sea anchor out the canvas they had. The sea anchor help raise the bow of the boat up into the waves, and it helped block some of the water; however, this presented another problem in itself. Ice was building up on the bow and on the sea anchor. The men would have to take turns chipping away at the ice with an axe in order to prevent the ice from weighing down the boat. Then a big wave hit, and the sea anchor was torn away.

Endurance Part Five (ch. 4-6)

Frank Wild

Shackleton and his five men had left, but the other twenty-two men were left to survive on their own on Elephant Island under the command of Frank Wild. The men then set about preparing a more suitable shelter which used the boats as roofing. They made every effort to make their dwelling as comfortable as possible in anticipation of the possibility of waiting out the winter. Their health was beginning to deteriorate as well. Rickenson was still recovering from his heart attack from the day of the landing, Kerr had to have his tooth pulled, and Wordie's hand became infected. Blackboro's feet were still miserably frostbitten; the toes on his left foot would need to be amputated at some point. Each morning, the men would religiously climb to a point and look out to sea in the hopes of seeing a ship approaching for their rescue. Also, the men fantasized about the foods they would eat upon their arrival back to England, none of which included meat. Towards the end of May, the men fully began to anticipate the arrival of winter.

this diagram helps show the effects of frostbite such as Blackboro's

The daily routines of climbing the hill and surviving the winds continued, and food was not much of a problem due to the location of the penguins. McIllroy made the decision that Blackboro's toes would need to be amputated. The instruments were sterilized in boiling water. They used chloroform as the anesthetic for the operation. While Blackboro was unconscious, McIllroy peeled the dead tissue back and cut each toe off one by one. McIllroy scraped off the rest of the dead skin, cleaned the wound, and stitched Blackboro's foot back together. This portion of the story really intrigued me although it was rather disgusting. It just amazed me how they really made due with what they had.

Midwinter's day on June 22 gave the men an excuse to have a large meal and what little alcohol they had. A celebration like this helped raise their spirits in a rough time like winter. The weather was fairly reasonable for it being winter, but the men would have to bail melted snow out of their hut in order to keep conditions bearable. Hudson had developed an abscess on his buttock from the boat journey, and it had only become worse. McIllroy was yet again the surgeon as he cut it open and removed all of the "foul-smelling liquid." Macklin wrote in his diary: " 'It is hard to realize one's position here, living in a smoky, dirty, ramshackle little hut with only just sufficient room to cram us all in.' " As this scene draws to a close, Macklin's observation starts to become the men's attitude. At August 1, the men become very concerned with their situation as it is two years to the day that the Endurance had left from London. Many are wondering whether they would have to set out in one of the other boats in search of finding their own rescue.

Endurance Part Five (ch. 1-3)

The men on Elephant Island

The intended path of the James Caird

Land. Sweet, glorious land. The men scrambled on shore and basked in the sun in an effort to dry off their horridly drenched clothes. Warm milk and thick, meaty steaks were quickly cooked for the men; they then quickly set up camp and drifted off into the first real sleep they had experienced in several days. Sadly, the men knew that a crew of a few men would need to be sent back in the boats to search for a more suitable camp site. That crew did not return until late that night with the news of a promising camp site a few miles up shore. The next morning, all the men climbed back in the boats and began the troublesome sail to the new site. Almost instantly after their arrival to the new sight, Shackleton told the crew of the plan for a party of six men to sail to South Georgia Island in the hopes of retrieving a rescue squad. "Finally there was South Georgia, slightly more than 800 miles to the northeast. Though the distance to South Georgia was more than half as far as the journey to Cape Horn, weather conditions made South Georgia the most sensible choice." At this point, the setting of the story begins to play an even more important factor. The men were on land, but this was still a dangerous island to be on, especially if they had to stay the winter. A long and perilous 800 miles away was the crew's best bet for rescue. The men prepared the James Caird for the journey because it was the fastest of the three boats. The preparations lasted for a few days. Shackleton waited for a break in the weather before the set off. Finally, there was a break, and a farewell breakfast was prepared in which a few men exchanged nervous jokes about their journey. The men knew that this could be the last time they ever see each other. After a rough launching, the Caird was able to drift into the open ocean.

Endurance Part Four (ch. 3-5)

The three boats, the James Caird, Dudley Docker, and Stancomb Wills

After receiving the heartbreaking news, the men were in disbelief of their current situation. It appeared that some sort of a freak eastern current had sent them off course. The men were denied sleep for the second night in a row because of the conditions. Shackleton even began to doubt that they would survive the night. These conditions on top of the horrifying news created discontent among the crew members; Orde-Lees was the worst of all. "Several times when he [Orde-Lees] was rowing ahead of Kerr, he kept just enough out of rhythm so that when he leaned back after every stroke he smashed into Kerr's fingers behind him. Curses, threats- nothing had any effect on him." The author uses a euphemism in this section. When he says "curses" and "threats", this is most likely a much nicer way of putting the things that Kerr was saying to Orde-Lees. Orde-Lees' attitude was the extreme of what the men were feeling in those long hours at sea. The men were extremely parched, and thus starving because they were unable to swallow their food. This kind of thirst I just can not imagine relating to. I have felt very thirsty after a cross country practice on a hot day, but it just seems nominal compared to the several days the men spent at sea with hardly any fluids.

Elephant Island

The men survived the night, but Blackboro had lost his feet due to frostbite.As the sun rose that morning, the cliffs of Clarence and Elephant Island came into view. They were less than thirty miles away from Elephant Island, and Shackleton believed they could make it there by nightfall if the men were not in such bad shape. Many of the men were a sorry sight in that their faces showed the early signs of frostbite, and they were damp from head to toe. They sucked blood from the raw seal meat in order to help offset their thirst. By one thirty they were fifteen miles away from Elephant Island. They did not make as good of progress for the next couple of hours. The wind gave out on them, and some sort of a current was preventing them from making good forward progress. The decision was made to split up and try and make it to shore separately, but the fastest boat tug the slowest boat behind; otherwise, the slowest boat would not be able to make it ashore. They sailed all throughout the night and into the next morning. The ocean was relentless and unforgiving during this time. Miraculously, all three of the boats ended up on the same shore at the same time. Shackleton had told the frostbitten Blackboro that he would be the first ashore. This gesture was Shackleton's way of telling Blackboro that he is no longer considered a stowaway. As Lansing put their arrival: "For the first time in 497 days they were on land. Solid, unsinkable, immovable, blessed land."

Endurance Part Four (ch. 1 and 2)

Birds similar to those the crew saw

Excitement, freedom, dampness, exhaustion. All of these feelings were rushing through the minds of the members of the Endurance as they made their run for open water. "The birds were so thick their droppings spattered on the boats and forced the rowers to keep their heads lowered." In this sentence, Lansing uses concrete details to paint the scene the men endured. The details of this sentence help the reader visualize the swarms of birds and the sight of all their droppings. It creates a rather disturbing picture in my mind, but it is a reality that these men faced. The men took shifts in order to keep fresh rowers. They rowed all day, but they were unable to tell what their progress was because it was too cloudy to see the sun. They made camp on yet another floe that seemed capable. They ate and turned in for the night. Then at eleven o'clock that night, Shackleton was unable to sleep, so he dressed and went outside. He observed a swell on the floe until suddenly the floe cracked right down the middle. The crack went right through one of the tents and sent the men scrambling. Ernie Holness, who was sleeping in that tent, fell straight into the ice cold water. Shackleton pulled him out in one strong heave, and he jumped over to the other side to help secure all the belongings. Shackleton stayed on that side of the floe until everyone else had made it across, but the floe separated completely before he could make it across. Shackleton was set adrift. A boat was hurriedly sent after to retrieve their captain, and he was safely brought back to camp.

a Floe-Berg

The next morning the boats set sail again. They rowed through what couldn't be sailed through; all the while they had to live through the wet conditions, and they reluctantly had to make camp on what was described as a "floe-berg." A floe-berg is a mix between a floe and an iceberg. Shackleton feared camping on icebergs because at any moment one side could melt away and the crew would be thrown into the ice-cold water. That night Shackleton's fear became a reality, and the floe-berg began falling apart into the crashing water. The crew was rudely awakened yet again, and they were put on standby to launch the boats. Shackleton was waiting for the right moment to launch the boats without being thrown back into the jagged edges of the berg. They were able to safely launch and get away from the hazardous floe-berg. The men slept in the boats that they tied to a small floe. The next day, the sky cleared and Worsley was able to calculate their position. His findings were very disconcerting and demoralizing. He found that they were 124 miles east of King George Island and 61 miles southeast of Clarence Island. This put them 22 miles farther from land since they set sail.