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
* ‘S’ – Joyce meant the Skipper (Mackintosh) should have stayed with Spencer-Smith.
† ‘Auction bridge’ is a variation on the normal game of bridge.
‡ ‘H.U.L. volume on Evolution’ presumably means the book Evolution from the Hull University Library.
§ Why Joyce mentioned only ‘2 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.
Chapter 11
‘HOPE TO REACH BLUFF DEPOT TOMORROW’
29 January 1916
JOYCE, 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 – 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, ‘a small speck on the vast ice shelf’, and when their party had disappeared to the south a week before and ‘the 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 – 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.
‘Praise to God!’ Spencer-Smith wrote: ‘Laus 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: ‘Came 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: ‘Picked 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. – 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 – about ¼ mile wide – 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: ‘The 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 – Laus Deo!’15
30 January 1916
A blizzard stopped them on their first day after picking up Spencer-Smith – they were approximately 320 miles from Hut Point. Wild called the blizzard day a ‘nothing day’,16 and to Hayward it was: ‘Rotten 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: ‘To 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: ‘Snowfall all night and a heavyish southerly blizzard from breakfast-time onwards. So we have not moved – 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
31 January 1916
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: ‘The 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 – quite warm but feeling very weak, with crampy knees.’22
Hayward: ‘Blowing 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 – this is not such a simple operation as it sounds. We call it our ‘hour 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: ‘Didn’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
1 February 1916
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 6–900 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 – fresh meat.
Smith’s bag is wet through & there is no way of drying it. Poor chap but he is a Briton – no complaint from him.28
Spencer-Smith:
A beautiful day with quite a pleasant southerly breeze to help. The mountains are very distinct. – 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 – 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: ‘I 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
2 February 1916
Joyce’s plan was adopted – they went on with only one sledge. Joyce described the day’s effort as ‘a 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: ‘Under 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: ‘A warm day – 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 – great work. Everyone is very kind to wretched me. “O that this, too solid flesh would melt!”’33
Hayward: ‘We 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
2–7 February: The trek from 82˚S to 81˚S
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 ‘rather 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 ‘hoist 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 ‘hoosh’ 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
3 February 1916
Joyce:
Under way 8-20. It takes rather a little longer to get ready on ac of our invalid so shall have to get up earlier 4-45. Had a fair wind so makes all the difference in pulling as the Skipper is not all that is required. Wind keeping up all day, so I carried on until 6-15 I am going to work overtime every night until we get in.
I forgot to add picked up 82° Depot 2-45 + left 2 weeks for the Boss. Distance done during day 17–900. S not very well but he will have to stick it.39
4 February 1916
Spencer-Smith:
Feeling very rocky myself until the afternoon: can’t stand up even for a few seconds now and have to be carried always to and from the sledge – horrible but necessary. Nice and warm during afternoon and feeling rather better, thanks to some strong Bovril (emergency) at lunch. Repeat dose for some days, I think.
Tremendous excitement about an hour after lunch – black objects ahead: not the least bit like a cairn: but it was, with lumps of paper on it.40
Hayward wrote: ‘Poor old S† rotten.’41
Joyce:
Hayward Wild + Richy splendid condition. S – rotten.
Dogs doing splendid. Shall give them a little extra feed now as we are doing so well.
Smith had a little fainting fit this morning. We shall have to put our right foot forward. I am rather afraid we shall not get him in on time – still, no one being could do any more than we are.42
5 February 1916
It was a ‘warm’ day, only six degrees below freezing.
Spencer-Smith:
Anniv. 3. ‘Ne obliviscar.’ Another fine day and a big march of 17 m. 1275 yds. We dipped Shackleton Inlet this morning. The land is rather misty and the sun blazing hot in the afternoon. The temperature at lunch was +26° F.
Very bumpy progress and rather uncomfortable for me but one can’t howl so long as we are making such fine progress. The dogs are doing splendidly – always keen. Passed halfway flag just before lunch.43
At this stage Joyce was still optimistic: ‘Dogs are still in sple
ndid condition + going as well as ever. They are little Marvels. At this rate we shall soon polish off the remainder.’44
6 February 1916
In one of his interviews Richards tells us how Spencer-Smith spent his days on the sledge. He would be down inside his sleeping bag and the other men could not see him. He would have the sleeping bag flap right over his face and part of the time he was unconscious. Richards was close to him on the bows of the sledge and at times he would hear him uttering ‘wandering’ thoughts and at other times he would ‘hear him reciting a prayer in Latin’.45
Spencer-Smith: ‘Been all over London and Althorne with dear old T&U – a dream surely to be realised in July or August of this year, if only the ship is safe: please God she is.’46
Hayward: ‘Good going 10½ m by lunch. Breeze petered out after noon & surface bloody awful could only do 8¼ (18¾) before camping. We are in sight of depot at 81° S, 4½ m distant.’47
Wild: ‘Skipper still as selfish as ever. Letting Smithy lay on a boot while he has got two big bed-fur mitts for pillows. The tent blew inside out like an umbrella the other day. I’ve just been mending the ribs again.’48
Joyce’s watch stopped, much to the annoyance of Mackintosh: ‘After we had done 2 miles and I looked at the watch and found it had stopped. But decided, to S---- disgust, to place it on the wrong side, the consequence was done over 10½ in the forenoon.’49
On Monday 7 February they reached the 81°S depot (209 miles from Hut Point – by Hayward’s diary entry) and picked up a week’s provisions again, to travel the 70 miles onto the next depot, at 80°S.
Shackleton's Heroes Page 23