When the darkness was complete I sat in the stern with my hand on the painter, so that I might know if the other boat broke away, and I kept that position during the night.

The rope grew heavy with the ice as the unseen seas surged past us and our little craft tossed to the motion of the waters.

Just at dusk I had told the men on the 'Stancomb Wills' that if their boat broke away during the night and they were unable to pull against the wind, they could run for the east side of Clarence Island and await our coming there.

Even though we could not land on Elephant Island, it would not do to have the third boat adrift.
It was a stern night.

The men, except the watch, crouched and huddled in the bottom of the boat, getting what little warmth they could from the soaking sleeping-bags and each other's bodies.