# XV: Laying the Depots explained — South!

> Chapter companion for South! by Ernest Shackleton.

## What happens

This chapter details the depot-laying journeys undertaken by Mackintosh's parties during the summer of 1915-1916. Despite severe hardships including frostbite, scurvy, snow-blindness, and exhaustion, the men successfully placed depots for the Weddell Sea party. The narrative, compiled from notes by Joyce, Richards, and others, describes the challenges of sledging, the loss of dogs due to premature use, and the eventual placement of a depot at Mount Hope near the Beardmore Glacier. The chapter also covers the return journey, during which Spencer-Smith became incapacitated and had to be carried on a sledge.

## Themes in this chapter

### Endurance and Perseverance

The men sledged continuously for six months under extreme conditions, enduring frostbite, scurvy, and exhaustion to lay the depots.

### Sacrifice and Duty

Despite physical breakdowns like Spencer-Smith's incapacitation and Joyce's snow-blindness, the party continued their mission, placing the depots as required.

### Leadership and Comradeship

Mackintosh's decisions on sledging arrangements and the mutual support among the men, such as carrying Spencer-Smith, highlight teamwork and leadership.

## Character check-ins

### Aeneas Mackintosh

Leader of the depot-laying parties; made decisions on sledging arrangements and pushed forward with Wild and Spencer-Smith.

### Ernest E. Joyce

Kept detailed notes; led a party of five men, built snow-cairns, discovered a depot from Shackleton's 1908 expedition, and suffered snow-blindness on the return journey.

### Richards

Member of the sledging party; later forced to lay up due to a strained heart; contributed notes to the narrative.

### Spencer-Smith

Traveled with Mackintosh; became unable to walk and was carried on a sledge in his sleeping-bag, yet remained cheerful.

### Frank Wild

Part of Mackintosh's advance party; helped with depot-laying and was noted as feeling fit during the return.

### Hayward

Assisted in taking the depot up the glacier; felt fit during the return journey.

### Gaze

Left at Cape Evans with a sore heel; later participated in skinning specimens and erecting a cross at Spencer-Smith's grave.

## Key lines

> The narrative of the journeys has been compiled from the notes kept by Joyce, Richards, and other members of the parties, and I may say here that it is a record of dogged endeavour in the face of great difficulties and serious dangers.

The story of these journeys comes from the diaries of Joyce, Richards, and others, showing relentless effort despite huge challenges and risks.

_Summarizes the chapter's source material and tone._

> We decided to keep the camp up,” ran Joyce’s account of the work done on January 26 . “Skipper, Richards, and myself roped ourselves together, I taking the lead, to try and find a course through this pressure.

Joyce wrote that they kept camp and then roped up with the Skipper and Richards to find a path through the ice pressure.

_Describes the dangerous navigation through crevasses near the Beardmore Glacier._

> They reached Spencer-Smith’s camp the next afternoon and found him in his sleeping-bag, quite unable to walk.

The party found Spencer-Smith helpless in his sleeping bag, unable to walk.

_Highlights Spencer-Smith's deteriorating condition._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/south_se/chapters/xv-laying-the-depots
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/south_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/south_se/chapters