We are now 346 miles
from Paulet Island, the nearest point where there is any possibility of
finding food and shelter. A small hut built there by the Swedish
expedition in 1902 is filled with stores left by the Argentine relief
ship. I know all about those stores, for I purchased them in London on
behalf of the Argentine Government when they asked me to equip the
relief expedition. The distance to the nearest barrier west of us is
about 180 miles, but a party going there would still be about 360 miles
from Paulet Island and there would be no means of sustaining life on
the barrier. We could not take from here food enough for the whole
journey; the weight would be too great.
"This morning, our last on the ship, the weather was clear, with a
gentle south-south-easterly to south-south-westerly breeze. From the
crow's-nest there was no sign of land of any sort. The pressure was
increasing steadily, and the passing hours brought no relief or respite
for the ship. The attack of the ice reached its climax at 4 p.m. The
ship was hove stern up by the pressure, and the driving floe, moving
laterally across the stern, split the rudder and tore out the rudder-
post and stern-post. Then, while we watched, the ice loosened and the
'Endurance' sank a little. The decks were breaking upwards and the
water was pouring in below.
Pages:
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146