"I admired his self-control"

Worsley writing in his 1931 book, Endurance, about his July 13, 1915 conversation with Shackleton and Wild about the ship inevitably sinking...

"Greenstreet, the First Officer, at that moment knocked at the cabin door, and came in."

"The play can begin, Sir," he said to Shackleton, "whenever you are ready."

"We will all be in the 'Ritz'" (our name for the living quarters in the hold of the ship) "in five minutes. You can go back and say so."

I admired his self-control. Greenstreet could never have guessed that a few minutes earlier the great explorer had broken to me the tragic news that in his opinion the ship was doomed, and we should be cast, homeless, upon the dreary wastes of ice from which so few returned. To him, Shackleton was the cheery, happy chief, who was leading his men in a great and successful adventure. And a few minutes later, sure enough, were were in the 'Ritz' watching one of the burlesques that our men had become adept at producing and the three of us who had talked so solemnly were laughing heartily..."