Shackleton's Heroes (9 page)
Read Shackleton's Heroes Online
Authors: Wilson McOrist
Spencer-Smith includes a quote from a Robert Browning poem, âAndrea del Sarto', and in a portent of what was to come, he mentions a pain in his chest.
Poor old âGunboat' saw a fragment of dog biscuit on the track â grabbed at it and missed it â and for the next 2 or 3 minutes sulked and refuse to pull.
Thoughtlessly I let them see the biscuits I was carrying for lunch today, and it was painful to see them look piteously at them as I passed.
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's heaven for?
People at home are just finishing their after-church supper. One wonders if they are thinking of us at all â and how the war is proceeding.
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I am a little strained on the left side intercostals, I hope not heart, and shall have to be careful. Put a few Kola Compds in my pocket and think them very useful.
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Most annoying â snapped a gold tooth clean off at supper time tonight, the nearest dentist being in New Zealand.
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On the way back to Hut Point, Spencer-Smith, Jack and Gaze met Hayward's team, who were laying depots near the edge of the Barrier.
Hayward:
We made out a camp about 2 miles ahead, this we took to be Joyce & his party returning. We could see somebody skiing over the track towards us & Cope & I set out to meet him on skis. We were surprised to find it was A. P. S-Smith, but nevertheless very pleased to see him.
Smith has with him, more out of kindness than any other consideration Gunboat & Towser.
It appears that the Skipper is not up to the mark, some sort of skin disease, probably scurvy manifesting itself, but as I always thought he is a âgame one' & I hope he is soon better.
They are absolutely out of provisions & we have given them a week's supply, they ought to get back to the Hut in that time as they are travelling light & can average 15 miles a day.
One could not realise how jolly nice it is to meet these chaps here, as to us it seems ages since we last saw them, & they of course are equally delighted. I rather envy them in a way & under the circumstances, as they have only another week to go & they will have the comparative comfort of the Hut whereas we have 3 weeks to go before we can hope to reach the depot & at least another fortnight on the return journey & I must confess that my inner man shouts hard for something square to eat already, still it's got to be done & there you are.
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Apart from the creature comforts, Spencer-Smith was not looking forward to the icy interior of
Discovery
hut at Hut Point but on arrival he recorded their splendid meal. He had brought back safely two dogs, Gunboat (Gunner) and Towser, who would be two of the four dogs to be used in the following sledging season to Mount Hope. There are no diary notes at this time on the other two dogs that would also be used, Oscar and Con.
Spencer-Smith:
â glorious porridge, made with oatmeal, Plasmon,
â
butter and salt, and eaten with Trumilk
â¡
and golden syrup (Lyle's). Then scones, butter and strawberry jam thickly spread.
Gunboat has given us a lot of trouble this morning; he does not seem to be ill in any way (good appetite, cold nose, etc) so I gave him a good thrashing in the middle of the morning, not without effect.
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After Spencer-Smith's team had turned back to the north, Mackintosh, Joyce and Wild went on to lay a depot at 80°S before winter set in. Beyond Minna Bluff they started to feel very alone and almost lost on the great open plain. They had some fine days with sunshine where they could clearly see Mount Erebus throwing out âhuge columns of steam' and on other days they had overcast skies. The surface of the snow presented a bewildering variety of surfaces where sometimes they encountered very soft snow and at other times a smooth, almost marble-type surface on which their sledge runners made no impression.
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They simply plodded along, putting in ten hours a day, averaging 5 miles
a day. There was nothing to break the monotony and little for the men to write about although Mackintosh continued to record events, particularly on the uncomfortable conditions in their tent, something Joyce and Wild rarely mentioned in their diaries. Joyce clearly did not want the dogs to be taken on and Wild gives us an interesting take on his own ailments â using cryptic naval terms.
They laid their southerly depot (at 80°S) on 20 February. The day before they had covered 12 miles and received a reward, which Joyce missed out on. Mackintosh had previously said: âIf we do 12 miles a peg of brandy out of the medical comforts.'
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They called the depot âRocky Mountain Depot', spending a number of days building it up so it could be easily seen. They also put up cairns to the east and west with flags and directions to reach the depot.
After setting up the depot they were held up by a blizzard for a day. They were careful to pile enough snow on the skirting of the tent to keep it secure or else by morning they might find themselves lying in a snow drift, unable to see the tent, or each other. In a strong blizzard the tent would billow wildly and threaten to take off at times. With frozen fingers they would all clutch at the skirting and attempt to keep it down until they could sit on it or hold it down against the wind. At those times they just had to not let go. If they left even a small portion of the skirting showing the blizzard would find it and use it as a lever to work its way under and into the tent, filling the interior with a thick powdery drift that covered everything.
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Joyce:
Spencer Smith, Jack + Gaze with 5 dogs returned to Hut Pt.
Mack, Wild + self + 9 dogs to go to 80°. The sledges were repacked.
Spencer Smith party taking 1 week's provisions turned N + we went on our weary way south. Camped 7 o'clock.
I had him one side & tried to persuade him not to take the dogs any further south as they were feeling the effects of the hard sledging and were not acclimatised.
However he decided otherwise. I could see his point that the depot must be laid at 80° as Shackleton may come across this year & expect to find food there.
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Wild: âPort lug & Starboard toe slightly frost-bitten.'
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Mackintosh:
Got into a most peculiar surface, it showed in the distance in distinct contrast to what we were travelling on, being in a kind of glassy state whenever we were in a snow crusted surface. When we got onto it the sledge glided along smoothly. I wonder if it is due to the clouds being over this part thereby keeping it harder frozen than the rest where the sun would shine.
Anniversary of my wedding day â thoughts turn back 4 years and what a change! What on earth am I doing here? That's what I ask myself and such thoughts wish me back at Home to the dear ones, waiting so patiently.
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Mackintosh:
Experiencing cold nights. The steam from the cooker and I suppose our breath freezing onto the tent, our bags as well are all ice, as soon as we turn out in the morning and we should happen to touch the tent the whole mass comes over us like a shower. After a restless night this does not encourage one's feelings!
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Mackintosh:
Spent a rotten night, cold in spite of being right inside the bag, the cold & draught seem to get all around me. It was a pleasure to get out in the morning. The sun does not shine which is still very bad light for travelling.
Attempted to steer by compass, and taking a cloud ahead to steer by, in this fashion we kept going, Joyce went ahead and I stayed behind the sledge with a compass & steered him by shouting âright' or âleft'.
Joyce is complaining about his fingers which he finds âgoing' frequently. My own ears are getting better, Middle second fingers still very bad which is a great inconvenience.
Wild, ever jolly, cheerful, an optimist, keen and ever ready to take up anything, very humorous with a large vocabulary of naval expressions, fairly tough, and plucky as any Britisher.
Joyce, a different character, quite alright while humoured, when he is willing, and would do anything for any one, but he has no stability; alright while all goes well, not very hard, feels the cold very easily but always sticks it out.
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Mackintosh:
Had a better night last night, but these days never get more than two hours consecutive sleep; if I can do this I consider myself fortunate â the bag freezes every night now, thawing out when we are in, that is the parts armed by where our body may be lying. On colder days no thaw will take place so we remain in a frozen chest the whole time.
Taking the time today as a test to see how long it takes us to get off from the time we get up in the morning until we are away. These times I took without warning to the others.
Rose 5am.
Hoosh ready 5.30
Finished 6.15
Foot gear on 7.40
Sledge packed & dogs harnessed 8.30
Camped 12.30 Lunch
Finished 1.30
Packed 2pm away.
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Mackintosh:
Very cold wind playing on the nose, which waters and then a thick coating of ice hangs down from that protuberance.
Had been awakened by a policeman who had been moving me off from the side of the tent I was lying on and was struggling in the bag to get to the other, when on coming in contact with Joyce's bag I realised I was not in Piccadilly!
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Wild: âHooray 12 miles today. Just had that lot. We are making our Southern Depot here for this year â Rocky Mountain Depot.
Joyce set fire to his brandy when he was trying to warm it. Excitement reigned supreme (I don't think).'
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Joyce:
After breakfast Wild + I trekked with dog team making a course due East. The other flag 5 Miles + 15 feet high. We left directions where to find the main depot.
On our return after 5 hours out we built the main depot â a base of 10 feet with 15 feet bamboos 3 flags 25ft high. On a clear day this depot could be sighted at a distance of 12 miles and almost impossible to miss coming from the South.
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Mackintosh:
As soon as breakfast was over, Joyce and Wild went off with a light sledge and the dogs to lay out the cairns and place flags to the eastward, building them at every mile. The outer cairn had a large flag and a note indicating the position of the depot.
I have remained behind to get angles and fix our position with the theodolite. The temperature was very low this morning, and handling the theodolite was not too warm a job for the fingers. The arc and the view getting frozen over with the moisture from one's breath. This I had to clear or rather thaw out before I could get a reading. My whiskers froze to the metal while I was taking a sight.
After five hours the others arrived back. They had covered ten miles, five miles out and five miles back. During the afternoon we finished the cairn, which we have built to a height of 8 feet. It is a solid square erection which ought to stand a good deal of weathering, and on top we have placed a bamboo pole with a flag, making the total height 25 feet.
Building the cairn was a fine warming job, but the ice on our whiskers often took some ten minutes thawing out.
I write this sitting up in my bag, while the primus is going as an extra luxury the heat from this keeps the interior quite warm but we shall suffer in the morning owing to the freezing of the condensed water in the tent. Minus 8 degrees outside. We are snug and warm inside though, in fact hot!
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Mackintosh:
Except for an occasional peep at the howling âpea soup' weather outside we really have to hibernate & it is extraordinary how we sleep the time away. â whilst it remains warm. It's a great feeling of security to be sheltered here, It's wonderful
too to consider that only a thin sheet of cloth separates us from all that is misery and worse to safety and comfort.
The other two are snoring peacefully alongside of me. When not doing this I lie down again, toggle up, and then court sleep which eventually comes, in waking you build castles, go through your whole life â past, present and future, and then probably drift off to sleep again, all this while the bag remains dry, fortunately now it is.
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The first part of their mission had been accomplished â two depots had been laid, at Minna Bluff (79°S) and the Rocky Mountain Depot (80°S). Mackintosh, Joyce and Wild and their dogs were now on their way back to Hut Point. Cope's team (including Hayward and Richards) was still to finish depot-laying near to the edge of the Barrier.
