August 30th 1916: The Yelcho is in the distance

August 30 dawned clear and cold. All hands worked at removing snow drift, but stopped at 11 a.m., to take advantage of the low tide and calm sea to catch limpets for the evening mean. At 12.45, most of men turned in for 'hoosh oh," a lunch of boiled seal's backbone, while Marston and Hurley remained outside, shelling limpets.

Wild was just serving the mean when the sound of Marston's running steps was heard outside -- undoubtedly he was late for lunch. Moments later, he stuck his head into the hut, panting.

"Weild, there's a ship," he said, excitedly. "Shall we light a fire?"

"Before there was time for a reply there was a rush of members trembling over one another," Lees reported, "all mixed up with mugs of seal hoosh making a simultaneous dive for the door-hole which was immediately torn to shreds."

Outside, Hurley, ever resourceful, ignited paraffin, blubber, and sennegrass, creating an explosive blaze, but little smoke. It did not matter; the ship was headed for Cape Wild.

"There she lay," wrote Lees, "barely a mile off, a very little black ship, apparently a steam tug, not at all the wooden polar ice-breaking craft we expected to see." While they gazed in wonder, Macklin ran to the "flagpole" and hoisted his Burberry jacked as high as the running gear permitted, which was about half-mast. Meanwhile, Hudson and Lees carried Blackborow outside, and arrived in time to see the mystery ship raise, to their bewilderment, the Chilean naval ensign.

Cheering loudly, the men watched in excitement as the ship draw closer. Anchoring within 500 feet of the shore, the small tug lowered a boat; and in her the men recognized the sturdy, square-set figure of Shackleton, and then Cream.

"I felt jolly near bulbbing for a bit and could not speak for several minutes," wrote Wild.

"Then there was some real live cheering given" recalled Backwell. Breathlessly, the men waited as Shackleton approached. When he was in hearing distance the called out in unison, "All well!"

Worsley had been with Shackleton on the deck of the 'Telcho' when they firsrt spotted the island. Their hearts had sunk when they saw a flat at half-mast, but gazing with painful intensity through his binoculars, Shackleton had made out the twenty two figures on shore.

"He put his glasses back in their case and turned to me, his face showing more emotion than I had ever known it show before," wrote Worsley. "Cream had joined us, and we were all unable to speak... It wounded trite, but years literally seemed to drop from him as he stood before us.

In one hour, the entire company of Elephant Island and their few possessions were abroad the 'Endurance'. Shackleton, ever mindful of the treacherous ice, resisted invitation to come ashore to examine the Snuggery; he was eager to be out beyond the pack line as quickly as possible.

Lee was the last to leave; he had been standing by the hut in readiness to give the Boss a tour of the premises. Only after the last boat trip had been made did he appear on the beach, frantically waving his arms, and practically diving into the boat when it put around.

'2.10 All well!' he recorded in his log. "At last! 2.15 full speed ahead."

The advent was over; and almost immediately it seemed as if things had not really been so bad. Somehow, in the day-to-day running the camp, Wild had managed to make their predicament seem merely uncomfortable rather than desperate.

"I am not very susceptible to emotions....." Hurley wrote. "Yet as those noble peaks faded away in the mist, I could scarce repress feelings of sadness to leave forever the land that had rained on us its bounty and been salvation. Our hut, a lone relic of our habitation, will become a centre around which coveys of penguins will assemble to gaze with curiosity and deliberate its origin. Good old Elephant Isle.

Shackleton had much to tell both his men and the outside world. But the letter he dashed off to his wife on landing again in Punta Arenas stated only the essentials.

I have done it. Damn the Admiralty.... Not a life lost and we have been through Hell." ~ Page 184 /185