I had laid the course for Elephant Island and we were making good progress.

The 'Dudley Docker' ran down to me at dusk and Worsley suggested that we should stand on all night; but already the 'Stancomb Wills' was barely discernible among the rollers in the gathering dusk, and I decided that it would be safer to heave to and wait for the daylight.

It would never have done for the boats to have become separated from one another during the night.

The party must be kept together, and, moreover, I thought it possible that we might overrun our goal in the darkness and not be able to return.

So we made a sea-anchor of oars and hove to, the 'Dudley Docker' in the lead, since she had the longest painter.