Quotes About Adversity

The encircling ice fouled the oars, and collisions were unavoidable

after a few minutes Worsley angrily cut it loose.

Thus, while Shackleton was undeniably out of place, even inept, in a great many everyday situations

Yet now that the journey was done, sanctuary was ironically denied them.

Before long the rain turned into sleet, then hail that drummed across the decking.

The Caird's bow was brought up into the wind, and the long wait for daybreak was begun.

Their tongues were swollen with thirst

No choice remained but to hoist sail and try to claw their way offshore into the teeth of this fiendish gale.

The Endurance is crushed between the floes, October 24, 1915 (Royal Geographic Society) Frank Wild surveys the wreck of the Endurance on November 8, 1915, during their last official visit to the wreck (Royal Geographic Society)

so that if the ice closed in against her she would be squeezed up and out of the pressure.

she was not constructed so as to rise out of pressure to any great extent.

The weather continued to deteriorate, which seemed hardly possible.

There was even a trace of mild exhilaration in their attitude. At least, they had a clear-cut task ahead of them. The nine months of indecision, of speculation about what might happen, of aimless drifting with the pack were over. Now they simply had to get themselves out, however appallingly difficult that might be.

consisting of canned vegetables, tapioca, dog pemmican, and jam.

In a tired hand he concluded the entry: "My dogs will be shot tomorrow.

and the Endurance lay in a small pool of open water—truly afloat for the first time since she was beset nine months before.

Shackleton told Macklin that since the party now had a fair supply of meat, his dogs would not be killed

Shackleton wrote, almost timorously, "This may be the turn in our fortune.

It brought the total run since the beginning of the gale to 84 miles—in six days.

Shackleton made the decision on the spot: they would abandon the effort to reach Clarence or Elephant Island

where the stores left in 1902 should still be.

and they would be dragging two of their three boats with them

On February 9, Shackleton wrote: "No seals. Must reduce blubber consumption . . . oh for a touch of dry land under our feet.

All hands were put to the slaughter, bringing in every penguin that could be reached.