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Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 154, 25 March 1922, Page 3

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SHACKLETON’S DIARY AND ' THE “LONE STAR”

(From Captain Hussey, Meteorologist to the Shackleton Expedition, to the London “Times. ’) I am sending you extracts from the last diary of Sir Ernest Shackleton. From September 29 till New A ear s Day there was no entry, because bir Ernest Shackleton was much worried about the ship and about the weather. After leaving Rio de Janeiro om December 19 the Quest had bad weather, which grew worse and worse every day until Christmas Eve, December 24, when it culminated in a terrible gale, which Sir Ernest said was the worst storm he had ever known. The following are the extracts from the diary:—

January 1. , Rest and calm after the storm, lhe year has begun kindly for ns. It is curious how a certain date becomes a factor in one’s life. Chris - mas Day in the raging gale seemed out of place. I dared not venture to hope that to-dav would be as it was. t Anxiety has been probing deeply into me, for until the very end of the year thh’.gs had gone awry. Engines were unreliable; water was short; there were heavy gales—all that physically can go wrong has done so, but the spirit of all on board is sound and good. “Thire are two points in the adventure of the diver. one when, a beggar, he prepares ;to plunge: one, when, a be rises witli his pearl.”

January 2. Another wonderful day, and very cheerful for us after these last days of stress and strain. At 1 p.m. we passed our first berg. The old familnr sight aroused in mo memories that the strenuous years had deadened. . , Blue caverns shone with the Fky glow snatched from Heaven Itselfh green spurs showed beneath ’ho waters. Ah. me! The vears that have "one since, in the pride of young manhood. I first went forth to tho fight. I "row old and tired, but must alwavs lend on. January 3. _ x Another beautiful day. Fortune seems to attend us this N"w Year; but so anxious have I been that when thing o are ,go : n" wel’ I wonder what new d’fficultv v-ill spring on me. . I find a difficultv in nettling down to write. lam »o much on the qui vive. “Thankful that I "an be crossed and thwarted as a man.”

Jzntiary 4. At last, after sixteen days of turmoil and anxiety, on a peaceful, sunshiny day, we came to anchor in Gr-tvikcn ( c "uth Georgia). How familin" +he coast seined! As we passed down we saw wifhjull te+crest th" nlaces we struggled over after the. boat journey. (A refrrenre to his erossin" to South Geor"’a in 191(5. when, after tho loss nf the Endurance. Shackleton pressed on with two companions in an open boat, and m»de South Georgia, in his effort to get relief or his comrades.) Now we mil’t speed all we can: but th" prospect is not too bright, or labour is scarce 1

The old familiar smell of whale permeates everything. Tt is a strange nnd curious nlace. Doti"lns and Wilk’ns (geologist nnd naturalist respectively) are at different ends of the island. Tn the darkening twilight I. saw a lone star hover gem-like above the bav.

Here tho dinrv ends. Shackleton died six hours later.