I was thrilled to return to the Antarctic in F. A. Worsley’s
Endurance. I had heard a great deal
about this fateful voyage lead by Sir Ernest Shackleton, and I was not disappointed. By
now I am thoroughly convinced that Antarctic expeditions are the most daring and
adventurous of them all. In this forgotten corner of the world you never know
what is going to happen. Worsley described it perfectly when he said,
“…You felt as though
you had stepped into a world where the laws of Nature, as you had known them,
were suspended and overruled by some vaster Power, which was making itself
known to you.”
These men got stuck in the pack ice before ever reaching the
continent. Their ship sank and they were forced to live for months on top of
the frozen ocean surface. Here they encountered all sorts of dangers, from being
chased by ravenous sea-leopards (almost 15 feet long), to having massive ice
bergs charge their camp with the power of 40 battleships, to having the very
ice beneath them split open while they were sleeping. Through incredible
hardships, and against incredible odds, they were able to make it to land and
then eventually to safety. In the process however, they suffered hunger,
thirst, fatigue, and most especially, bitter, relentless cold. Shackleton led a
rescue party by boat across 800 nautical miles of Antarctic Ocean, during which
time they were never able to get dry for even a moment. After landing on South
Georgia they were forced to cross the frozen, mountainous landscape on foot to
reach the safety of the whaling port. Their success was nothing short of
miraculous. In fact, Worsley often commented that he believed they were being
helped by a greater power.
For example, there was the time they lost their rudder, and
after six days it inexplicably returned to them.
“After six days’
wandering, with the vast Southern Ocean and all the shores of South Georgia to
choose from, that rudder, as though it were faithfully performing what it knew
to be its duty, had returned to our very feet. This incident strengthened in us
the feeling that we were being protected in some inexplicable way by a Power of
which we were aware but could not aspire to understand.”
Worsley also mentioned that during the trio’s crossing of
South Georgia he had felt that a greater power had been with them all the way.
“There was no doubt
that Providence had been with us. There was indeed one curious thing about our
crossing of South Georgia, a thing that has given me much food for thought, and
which I have never been able to explain. Whenever I reviewed the incidents of
that march I had the sub-conscious feeling that there were four of us, instead
of three. Moreover, this impression was shared by both Shackleton and Crean.”
The thing I loved most about this book, however, was the
sense of honor and dignity showed by these men, and most especially by
Shackleton himself. He felt a profound sense of duty to his crew and as a result,
he was loved and revered by them.
“Shackleton had always
insisted that the ultimate responsibility for anything that befell us was his
and his only... My view was that we were all grown men, going off of our own
free wills on this expedition, and that it was up to us to bear whatever was
coming to us. Not so Shackleton. His idea was that we had trusted him, that we
had placed ourselves in his hands, and that should anything happen to any one
of us, he was morally responsible. His attitude was almost patriarchal.”
I really appreciated reading about the dignity and honor of
this incredible man. There aren’t many men like that these days--men who look
to the well being of their fellows above their own. There are many important
lessons that can be learned from his example of self sacrifice. I am looking
forward to reading about his South Pole attempt in the coming months.
My rating: 9 out of 10
My rating: 9 out of 10
