The Worst Journey in the World · Chapter
The Polar Journey (Continued) explained
This chapter details the return journeys of the supporting parties after leaving Scott's polar team.
What happens
This chapter details the return journeys of the supporting parties after leaving Scott's polar team. Cherry-Garrard recounts the First Supporting Party's difficult trek back, including a harrowing day when Keohane fell into crevasses repeatedly and Atkinson suffered a severe fall. Lashly's diary entries describe the Last Supporting Party's struggle through treacherous pressure ridges below the Cloudmaker, with Teddy Evans suffering snow blindness and the party narrowly escaping disaster to reach a depot. The chapter highlights the physical and psychological toll of the return journey, the reliance on dog teams for cairn building, and the shared hardships of all parties.
Themes in this chapter
Human Endurance and Suffering
The chapter vividly portrays the physical and mental strain of the return journey, with repeated crevasse falls, snow blindness, and the constant threat of disaster.
Companionship and Loyalty
The mutual support among party members is evident: Lashly reassures Evans after leading into danger, and the team works together to navigate treacherous ice.
Tragedy and Futility
The chapter foreshadows the tragic fate of the polar party, as the supporting parties struggle with their own hardships, and the immense effort seems to lead only to more suffering.
Characters to notice
- Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Narrates the First Supporting Party's return, describing the monotony and dangers of the journey, including Keohane's repeated crevasse falls and Atkinson's head-first fall.
- Edward Atkinson
Commander of the First Supporting Party; suffered a severe crevasse fall head-first but was saved by his harness straps.
- Patrick Keohane
Member of the First Supporting Party; fell into crevasses to the full length of his harness eight times in twenty-five minutes.
- Charles S. Wright
Member of the First Supporting Party; suggested going west to escape the pressure above the Cloudmaker, which proved correct.
- William Lashly
Diary author for the Last Supporting Party; describes the harrowing pressure ridges, Teddy Evans' snow blindness, and the desperate push to reach the depot.
- Teddy Evans
Leader of the Last Supporting Party; suffered from snow blindness and was disheartened by leading the party into dangerous pressure, but was reassured by his companions.
- Tom Crean
Member of the Last Supporting Party; became snow-blind while leading, forcing Lashly to take over the lead.
- Cecil Meares
Returned with dog teams from the bottom of the Beardmore Glacier; built up cairns obliterated by the December blizzard, aiding all returning parties.
Key passages
“It was a sad job saying goodbye. It was thick, snowing and drifting clouds when we started back after making the depot, and the last we saw of them as we swung the sledge north was a black dot just disappearing over the next ridge and a big white pressure wave ahead of them.”
Saying farewell was heartbreaking; as the First Supporting Party turned north, the polar party vanished into the snowy haze, a tiny black speck against the vast white pressure ridges.
Cherry-Garrard captures the emotional weight of parting from Scott's team, knowing the immense challenge ahead.
“He fell into crevasses to the full length of his harness eight times in twenty-five minutes. Little wonder he looked a bit dazed.”
Keohane plunged into crevasses up to his harness eight times in just 25 minutes, leaving him understandably stunned.
Highlights the extreme danger and frequency of crevasse falls during the return journey.
“My God! what a day this have been for us all. I cannot describe what we really have today come through, no one could believe that we came through with safety, if we had only had a camera we could have obtained some photographs that would have surprised anyone living.”
Lashly expresses the unimaginable horror of the day, wishing they had a camera to capture the unbelievable terrain they survived.
Illustrates the extreme pressure ridges and the party's miraculous survival.
