SHACKLETON'S DAIRY

Hokitika Guardian, 3 February 1922, Page 1

SHACKLETON'S DAIRY

INTERESTING EXTRACTS. his east ,wi'i;nr,EN wpm“THE TIMES'” SEKVfOE. LONDON..- February 1 - Captain Hussey lias fouiverded from Rio, extracts from Sir Ernest' Shackleton’s last diary. One, made on 'lst. January, deelar-j ed fhe gale on Christmas BoXi-ng Days was the worst lie ffiajl ever ,k.BP w adding that there was calm after the storm. The year has begun -kindly, for it ,is c'lrious how -a cqr.tain ffitte ( beoomes a tfAqtor in opejs life. (Christmas Day in a raging gale seemed out-’ of .place, h e <fa,red ,ppt . to '. day would he as it is. Anxiety 'lias 1 probed me deeply, till the end of the year. Things had gone awry, the (engines were unreliable! and water short; heavy gales and all that can physically go wrong has done so, -hut the spirit .of all aboard is sound and good. On January 2nd he wrote:—Another .wonderful day, yery cheerful after the stress and strain- We passed the first iceberg. The old familiar sight roused jinempries of strenuous years that had pot deadened. Blue caverns shone with a .sky-glow, snatohed from H°a(ven ftsolf, and green spurs showed beneath .the waters. AL me, the years that have gone since in the pride of young .manhood I first went forth. I, grow old and tired, ; and must always -lead.”

,Qn January 3rd ,he wrote: —“Another beautiful day. Fortune seems to attend this .new year, but I wond e r .what -pew .difficulty will ,sP r ing ‘ on ,pie.”

jF-hen Follows the quotation : “Thankful, I can he crossed and ,thwarted as a map.”

Qn January 4th., lie made his last entry and ,wrote : —“After sixteen days’ of turmoil and anxiety, we came to anchor aft iGrytviken on ,n peaceful sunshiny day. How familiar the coast •seemed. As we .passed down we saw .places full of interest, over which we struggled in 1916, after a boat journey. Now uve .must speed all we can, but .the prospects are none too bright for labour is scarce. The old familiar smell of whale permeates everything. Douglas and ,W-ilkins are at different ends of the island in a darkening sky. I saw a lone star hover like a gem over the hay.” The diary ends here. Sir- Ernest 1 Shackleton died six .hours later.