April 10, 1916 - Orde-Lees' Journal - excerpts
In this journal entry, Lees comments on a rare moment of pessimism from Frank Wild about escaping the pack unscathed...
We were now on the very outskirts of the pack and proceeded to coast along a pack edge in a N.E. direction. It was a grand feeling in know that, to all intents and purposes, we were
once more in the open Atlantic untrammeled by the everlasting pack that had harassed us so long. The greatest of all our prospective dangers - the actual exit from the pack was now a
thing of the past and moreover we had come through the ordeal unscathed, not a man injured, not so much as even an oar injured; and the ocean had received us kindly enough on its heaving bosom. ...
At "Patience Camp", in discussing our chances, Mr. Wild had expressed the opinion that our one and only danger was the possibility of the boats getting damaged when leaving the pack and that he, therefore, hoped we should "break out" in the quieter waters to the South of Joinville Island and so reach Paulet Island.
If then, in the opinion of so experienced a sailor as Mr. Wild, there was a likelihood of grave danger, we have all the more reason to congratulate ourselves and to thank God that we had emerged from the ordeal with so little embarrassment.