Shackleton's Heroes (24 page)
Read Shackleton's Heroes Online
Authors: Wilson McOrist
Joyce, Mackintosh and Richards rejoined Hayward and Wild at their camp, arriving back at three in the afternoon, and then they moved camp closer to where the depot was to be laid. Richards had thoughts that the Mount Hope region could even be gold-bearing. In an interview many years afterwards he tells us he went to the land at the side of the glacier and picked up some quartz, and he noticed it was very much like the quartz found near his home town of Bendigo, a mining town in Victoria. He remembered saying to the others at the time: âWell look, we've been wandering over this Barrier which has got nothing to offer. Next year, if the ship is not back, what about coming out to these mountains and having a look at what's there?'
28
The final task was to lay the depot, which Wild, Hayward and Joyce duly completed later that day. They were very tired when they retired for the night and their sleep was disturbed by âheavy cracks like pistol shots' in the ice beneath them; in Richards's mind no doubt due to the intense stresses to which all the ice in the area was subjected. However, he recalled that they all experienced a sense of peace knowing that they had placed all the depots for Shackleton, in spite of considerable difficulty.
29
Wild:
Have made the Mt Hope depot at last, 7 miles from where we were last night. 2 weeks provisions & 2 full tins of oil so they ought to be alright. We found two sledges here that had been left by Scott's party. The depot is 2 miles from here. Joyce, Hayward & myself laid it & came back here for supper. The ice pressure around here is tremendous. The B Glacier looks very rough from the Gap.
30
Hayward: âImmediately after pitching tent Joyce, Wild & self dropped off ½ one of aforesaid sledges & put on 2 weeks provisions for depoting which we three laid 2 miles up glacier running between Mt Hope & the mainland. Took photo.'
31
Joyce:
Wild, Hayward + myself then took the depot up the Glacier a fortnights provisions.
We left it lashed to a broken sledge + put a large flag up. I took 2 photos of it. We did not arrive back until 10-30. It was rather a heavy pull up.
I was very pleased to see our work completed at last. We had dinner when we arrived back the Skipper telling us how good it was of us to bring him along.
This is his first acknowledgement of the work we done. Still I don't want his praise. All I wanted to see was the work carried out what men are depending on. As I said when we started sledging I would do this + so with the help of 2 good pals
§
we carried it out.
Turned in 12 o'clock. Dist we done during day 22 Miles.
32
Hayward was thinking of Spencer-Smith and Mackintosh: âSmith will in all probability have to be put in the sledge. The Skipper is quite lame & I contend has hindered far more than he has advanced our main objective of laying these depots to 83.30 for Shacks support.'
33
Spencer-Smith wrote of a person, âT', possibly to write down the comedy skit he mentioned in his diary two days ago:
26 Jan: By the sun it is nearly 6 a.m. â I didn't have lunch until nearly 2, expecting the others any minute. I suppose Sunday and Monday delayed them by making it imposs to choose the spot for the depot. Knees no better. Sleeping bag, 2 mats and floor-cloth sopping wet under me.
Mind very active â if only I had T. here as secretary. Northerly wind all day: land partly obscured; sun shining brightly. Had a bit of a âdish-up' effort and washed.
34
It was now late January and a blizzard on the first morning for the men
returning from Mount Hope was an indicator of what was to come. In such circumstances they felt it was dangerous to attempt their way back through the maze of crevasses and ice pressure, but during the day conditions eased somewhat so they began the long haul back to Hut Point.
35
Richards tells us they were all anxious because they had left Spencer-Smith, obviously a sick man, with no one closer than 300 miles away to the north, and only their party to the south. They were naturally âchaffing at any circumstances' that caused a delay. They thought Spencer-Smith would be alright and that he would be able to resume his journey, but Richards remembered that he was worried because they had to find him, which might be difficult if the weather was poor. They had to locate a little conical-shaped tent in a wilderness of ice and snow that was completely featureless; and there was nothing to guide them.
36
Joyce was now suffering severely from snow blindness. He had to go off the lead position and bind his eyes with a piece of cloth, which meant he often fell and stumbled because of the uneven surface. Richards recalled Joyce saying he was falling down like a âjumping jenny'.
37
Slivers of cocaine were used to help with snow blindness and if they could get any water they would dissolve them and put them in their eyes, but if they couldn't they would stick the cocaine in raw just to relieve the pain. Richards describes the pain when snow blind as being like coal dust in your eye from a steam train: âvery unpleasant'.
38
Joyce:
Found it snowing â good job we laid the Depot last night. Had breakfast at noon, cleared up 3-30, so got underway got through all the crevasses by about 6 o'clock then I turned the steering over to the Skipper as I had a very nasty attack of S. Blindness. Camp 7 o'clock. Dist 4¾ miles.
We are now Homeward Bound. 360 miles to go. I think with the help of Good Old Provi we ought to be in by the 27th of Feb.
39
Wild:
I thank God â on the back trail. They say âenough is as good as a feast' well I have had my feast of sledging this season. Now for a good run back to the Bluff where
I hope to find some bacco. Joyce is stone blind with snow blindness. He has been hanging onto the Skipper's trace. I used it as a guide rope.
40
27 January 1916 was day five for Spencer-Smith, tent bound and alone. He was completely isolated, 300 miles out on the Great Ice Barrier of Antarctica. He was living in complete silence apart from the noise of the wind and occasional sounds from movements of the snow and ice refreezing and splitting due to changes in temperature, but he makes no mention of this solitude in his diary. He does not write copious diary notes of what went through his mind hour after hour, day by day. He does not give us any reflections on his relationships with any of the other men. He, like many others in Antarctica at those times, seems to simply accept the situation as it was. Douglas Mawson on his 1911â14 Antarctic expedition was alone for over thirty days after losing his two comrades when exploring the coastline to the north-west of McMurdo Sound. To while away the time he thought of topics such as how to fix his cooker and trusting in Providence to pull him through.
41
From his diary notes Spencer-Smith was much the same; mending his clothes and reading â but (surprisingly) making no reference in his diary on his religious beliefs to guide the others back safely. He pens no long diary entries which might be expected from a man with his background and education.
27 Jan: Strong southerly and drift kept me at home, apart from other things â but later in the day the weather became calm and bright. Spent part of the time in (1) delivering a lecture, (2) a sermon, both in execrable French.
No sign of the others. Two meals.
42
On the 28th Joyce, Richards, Hayward, Mackintosh and Wild made over 16 miles for the day, so they were then only 11 miles from Spencer-Smith
and expected to be at his camp the following day. The dogs were pulling strongly as they only had a few days' food and fuel on the sledge.
Joyce:
Under way as usual. I am now absolutely blind, hanging on to harness for guidance, but still pulling my whack which is little as the dogs are going well + we have only a couple of days provisions on.
Lunched as usual. Skipper still weak on the pins. Distance during day 16½ miles.
43
Hayward:
Picked up our outward trail after travelling an hour and a half, after which going good tracks being easily followed. Total distance for the day 16½ miles, this puts us 20 odd miles on the homeward trail. We shall pick Smith up at lunch as he is approx. 11m on.
44
On 28 January Spencer-Smith made calculations on the distances from his tent back to the 82°S and 81°S depots, to determine the distance the men had to travel to Mount Hope, surmising that their absence could be accounted for:
28 Jan: Felt very rotten this morning: fine with a gentle northerly, and mountains half-covered in mist.
Â
The mileage since the “80° Depot is as follow:
81° Depot 64m 972 yds.
82° Depot 68m 666 yds.
(this spot): 44m 319 yds.
Total: 176 m 1957 yds.
Â
If these figures are roughly correct and the 80° Depot is truly laid, then this spot is still 35 m. 71 yds from Mt. Hope. But if, as I have always supposed, the so-called 80° Depot is 8 miles north of true 80°, then this spot is 43 miles from Mt. Hope. In
either case the long absence of the party is fairly accounted for. But if we are 10 m. ahead of dead reckoning, then there's a problem! Perhaps however they laid up all the 23rd and 24th.
The mountains to the west are tremendous this evening. No sign of the others at p.m.
45
1.
Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
2.
Richards letter to A. J. T. Fraser, 9 July 1961
3.
Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
4.
Ibid.
5.
Spencer-Smith diary, 22 January 1916
6.
Joyce field diary, 22 January 1916
7.
Hayward diary, 22 January 1916
8.
Wild diary, 22 January 1916
9.
Spencer-Smith diary, 22 January 1916
10.
Joyce field diary, 23 January 1916
11.
Hayward diary, 23 January 1916
12.
Wild diary, 23 January 1916
13.
Spencer-Smith diary, 23 January 1916
14.
Ibid., 24 January 1916
15.
Richards,
The Ross Sea Shore Party
16.
Ibid.
17.
Joyce field diary, 25 January 1916
18.
Hayward diary, 25 January 1916
19.
Wild diary, 25 January 1916
20.
Spencer-Smith diary, 25 January 1916
21.
Wilson,
Antarctic Notebooks
22.
Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
23.
Richards,
The Ross Sea Shore Party
24.
Ibid.
25.
Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
26.
Hayward diary, 26 January 1916
27.
Joyce field diary, 26 January 1916
28.
Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
29.
Richards,
The Ross Sea Shore Party
30.
Wild diary, 26 January 1916
31.
Hayward diary, 26 January 1916
32.
Joyce field diary, 26 January 1916
33.
Hayward diary, 26 January 1916
34.
Spencer-Smith diary, 26 January 1916
35.
Richards,
The Ross Sea Shore Party
36.
Richards, interview with L. Bickel, 1976
37.
Ibid.
38.
Ibid.
39.
Joyce field diary, 27 January 1916
40.
Wild diary, 28 January 1916
41.
Mawson,
Antarctic Diaries
42.
Spencer-Smith diary, 27 January 1916
43.
Joyce field diary, 28 January 1916
44.
Hayward diary, 28 January 1916
45.
Spencer-Smith diary, 28 January 1916
*
âS' â Joyce meant the Skipper (Mackintosh) should have stayed with Spencer-Smith.
â
âAuction bridge' is a variation on the normal game of bridge.
â¡
âH.U.L. volume on Evolution' presumably means the book
Evolution
from the Hull University Library.
§
Why Joyce mentioned only â2 good pals' is not clear. He possibly meant Richards and Hayward, who he usually shared his tent with, although he laid the final depot with Wild and Hayward.
J
OYCE, RICHARDS, HAYWARD
, Mackintosh and Wild came up to Spencer-Smith's tent in the early afternoon of 29 January. They had sighted his tent at midday but it was 3.15 before they arrived.
1
They found that he was still in his sleeping bag so they realised then that there was only one thing to do â they had to put him on the sledge.
2
His condition had deteriorated and it was obvious he could not walk. But Spencer-Smith was cheerful, and very glad to see them back as he had experienced a very trying time.
3
Richards felt for the man, writing later that he had been left alone, âa small speck on the vast ice shelf', and when their party had disappeared to the south a week before and âthe great silence of the Barrier had settled down' he must have been very lonely indeed.
4
Spencer-Smith complained of pains in the back of his knee, and he put it down to tears in his windproof clothing. If they had a hole or a tear in their clothing they would get a sore not unlike frostbite â the flesh would
become quite red because of the wind that came in. This is what Spencer-Smith thought had happened. Joyce was not sure if Spencer-Smith had scurvy; however, Richards recalled in an interview that when he saw the state of Spencer-Smith he realised that he did.
5
They placed Spencer-Smith on a sledge, wasting no time, and by four o'clock were moving north again. They made him as comfortable as possible in his sleeping bag and arranged the load on the second sledge so as to give him the best ride possible. (From this day Spencer-Smith was never on his feet again.)
6
The six men were back together, with Joyce, Richards and Hayward again sharing one tent and Mackintosh, Spencer-Smith and Wild the other. The layout of the party still had Joyce in the lead on a long rope, but now followed by the dog Con and then Gunner, these two dogs in single file behind Joyce. Then followed Towser with Wild one side of him and Mackintosh the other, and then Oscar the last dog closest to the sledges, flanked by Richards and Hayward. Spencer-Smith was on the sledge.
7
It now dawned on the five men that they were going to be rather up against it because they had Spencer-Smith on a sledge and they had to pull him through 325 miles.
8
They were all worried how they would now travel.
âPraise to God!' Spencer-Smith wrote: âLaus Deo! The others arrived at about 3.30, just as I was thinking of having lunch. It is strange but cheery to hear men and dogs again.'
9
Joyce: âCame on Smith's camp 3 o'clock. Found him in his sleeping bag unable to walk + black limbs swelled up. It may be scurvy but I do not think so as his gums + eyes do not shew it.'
10
Wild was philosophical: âPicked up Smithy this afternoon. He is still crook and we had to put him on the sledge. I'm afraid that will make us rather longer getting back. Still it can't be helped.'
11
Hayward:
Picked up Smith, one hour after moving on, found him very crook indeed & we had to put him on the sledge in his bag, needless to say this extra weight has pulled down our speed considerably & we did 3 miles before camping.
I think it will be too optimistic to imagine that we shall be able to do more than 12 miles a day under these circs unfortunate but que routes runs.
*
12
Joyce:
The Skipper is in his usual panic. As I said after we left 80° that we should have the both of them on the sledge as they have been both useless from that date. If it had not been for their primus I should have sent them back.
Now you see we have about 300 miles to go, provisions rather short & a sick man & one that is nearly as bad. Now comes one of the trials of the Antarctic. Well one cannot do more than their best.
The dogs are still keeping fit if they will only last to 80° we shall then have enough food to take them in. I guarantee they will live in comfort the remainder of their days.
13
Spencer-Smith jotted down a summary of the others' depot-laying at Mount Hope:
They laid up on the 23rd and 24th and reached Mt. Hope on Wed. 26th. â it is the biggish rounded mountain in the distance. They found terrible crevasses, open some of them, and huge pressure. A party had to rope up to find a way to place the depot and found a narrow passage â about ¼ mile wide â and two of Scott's sledges.
They left 2 weeks grub there and have pelted back, their outward distance being about 33 miles.
14
He added: âThe Skipper gave my knees a fierce massaging tonight which was very painful but I hope beneficial. I do hope to be all right before we get back. Again â Laus Deo!'
15
A blizzard stopped them on their first day after picking up Spencer-Smith
â they were approximately 320 miles from Hut Point. Wild called the blizzard day a ânothing day',
16
and to Hayward it was: âRotten luck. Blizzard laid up.'
17
We can visualise the scene inside their tent from Mackintosh's words, when tent bound in similar circumstances a year before.
Mackintosh:
Still blowing, the door of the tent is covered high with drift so to get out we have to shovel the snow away, so our only place is the bag.
What a weird scene this is inside the tent on such an occasion, here lie 3 forms stretched out with a hand and perhaps a book and a portion of the face appearing out of the bag, around our feet lie the cooker, various bags, finneskoe, all this enclosed in a small green tent.
What queer places and positions man will place himself. The drift outside has heaped to about 4 feet in height and there is a regular lane through which we can walk out from the door being banked up on either side.
18
Joyce: âTo our utter disgust found it snowing hard & blizzarding. So are obliged to wait until it subsides. Told the Skipper we would only have to have 2 meals a day, the 1st at noon + 2nd about 8 o'clock. That will save a little food.'
19
Spencer-Smith: âSnowfall all night and a heavyish southerly blizzard from breakfast-time onwards. So we have not moved â and had no meal till noon. Left knee feels a little better: right knee unchanged. Another meal at 6. Weather very slightly improved. Feel rather rotten.'
20
Joyce may now have taken over as leader; or at least Mackintosh was now looking to him for more advice. The weather cleared but they were slow to get under way with Spencer-Smith being carried to the sledge (and from it when they camped). They covered only 8 miles for the day but Joyce was not unhappy.
Joyce:
Skipper came in our tent and asked if we would travel by night. I told him no. Carry out the usual routine as we have over 300 miles to go + if once you break your routine it is hard to pick it up again.
He seems properly scared. I also told him that he ought to have known about the condition of Smith. He made the usual silly excuses.
Put Smith on the rear sledge & covered him up with a floor-cloth made him pretty comfy. It is very warm and the drift is covering everything with water + melting into water. All our gear very wet. After sailing all the time we have done 8 miles. Turned in very wet but cheerful.
As the dogs are the factor I am going to study them above everything as I am almost certain we shall have the Skipper on the sledge.
21
Spencer-Smith: âThe blizzard went on all night, but it was sufficiently calm (!) for us to start off for a half day at noon. I was carried in my bag to the sledge and spent a mis. 4¼ hours â quite warm but feeling very weak, with crampy knees.'
22
Hayward: âBlowing like hell. Got under way however (11.30). It took us an hour & a half to dig out sledges before starting. Poor old Smith seems very sick indeed, & we had to carry his body in order to get him on to sledge.'
23
Here's Mackintosh, a note from a year before:
Getting away in the mornings is our bitterest time. The putting on of the finneskoe is a nightmare, for they are always frozen stiff, and we have a great struggle to force our feet into them. The iced sennegrass round one's fingers is another punishment that causes much pain.
24
We had to get our boots on â this is not such a simple operation as it sounds. We call it our âhour of discontent' for getting into these frozen boards takes anything for ¼ to ½ hour's hard struggle and pain, especially if one happens to have a chapped heel, which I have.
25
Wild: âDidn't start till after 12 o'clock & stopped at 8 o'clock. We had a fair wind with drift & I'm wet through. Can't shift clothes, haven't got any. End of fifth month sledging. I hope another month will finish it.'
26
They managed 13 miles for the day.
Joyce:
Starting a new month with a fair wind. Under way 9 o'clock as I overslept myself. 2nd time since Oct, not a bad record.
Set sail going very soft snow in spite of our patient on the sledge we have done 6â900 miles in the forenoon. I went on until 6 o'clock to make up a little lost time. Dist for the day 13 Miles. Very good going.
I told the Skipper he would have to do away with the 2nd sledge he is making a lot of excuses about it but I shall travel tomorrow with only the 1 sledge. We must make our 13 or 14 miles a day.
Smith is no better he is quite useless & we have to lift him + carry him about we ought to be in by the end of the month. Skipper is still not pulling a damn.
27
Skipper black like Smith & his gums are badly swollen. It is a miracle to me how he gets along; his ankles are twice the size. There is one thing he has plenty of pluck.
Hayward's gums are black and protruding, and he is slightly black at the back of the knees.
Wild, Richy & Self gums turning black.
I think the scurvy has got us & only one thing for it â fresh meat.
Smith's bag is wet through & there is no way of drying it. Poor chap but he is a Briton â no complaint from him.
28
Spencer-Smith:
A beautiful day with quite a pleasant southerly breeze to help. The mountains are very distinct. â the cocoa-coloured bit is abaft to the beam now and we are opening up Shackleton Inlet. I spent the afternoon rather more comfortably than the morning â enthroned and encushioned on the front sledge.
So tomorrow we will go on with only one sledge and with good weather shall not be long.
29
Wild did not elaborate on something Mackintosh said: âI have just been out
and put the primus and oil boxes on the other sledge & the canvas tank. We want to keep the speed up if poss. The Skipper is evil minded: about Oscar and the pemmican.'
30
Joyce's plan was adopted â they went on with only one sledge. Joyce described the day's effort as âa really good performance'.
31
They had travelled over 13 miles by his reckoning (15 by Spencer-Smith's diary) and were now within 280 miles of Hut Point. The next day they would reach the 82°S depot, replenish their food supplies and push on.
Joyce: âUnder way as usual but a little late owing to doing away with a sledge. Found it rather difficult to stow but managed very well. Stowed Smith very well on top. I am afraid his heart is very badly affected his lips very bloodless.'
32
Spencer-Smith: âA warm day â almost too warm this afternoon even for me on the sledge. A full day's work was done and the result is 15 m. 800 yds â great work. Everyone is very kind to wretched me. “O that this, too solid flesh would melt!”'
33
Hayward: âWe depoted a sledge this morning & carried on with everything including Smith stowed on one only, good scheme, going good 15½ M for day. Camped 6 o/c. Skipper could hardly put his foot to the ground.'
34
They managed to cover 17 and 18 miles a day to reach the 81°S depot because they travelled long hours.
35
Richards remembered that at the time he felt they were ârather fantastic distances' to do in a day considering the loads and everything else that was against them. Their progress would depend on the weather and the surface. If a blizzard was blowing with a strong southeasterly, which was the prevailing direction of the wind, they would âhoist a sail' and the wind would give them some assistance.
36
The time taken to pack up after a stop was now becoming a major issue.
The men also found the morning, that is the forenoon march, always more tiring than the afternoon one, and the last hour before lunch particularly so. But lunch seemed to work a miracle of revival and they stepped out afterwards with more energy, which they attributed to the sugar they put in their tea.
37
The well-being of the dogs was now paramount and wherever they could they gave them a hot âhoosh' meal a day of about a pound in weight. Richards remembered that they watched them with a zealous care because just one bite on a foot might have meant a significant loss to the whole party. They could not afford to lose a quarter of the pulling power of the dogs, even though they weren't pulling as much as a man.
38
Joyce: