Civilization After Over Two Years of Isolation

For the first time in two years, Shackleton, Worsley, and Crean had hot baths, new clothes, shaves, and all the food they could eat. They sent a boat called the Samson to pick up the people they had left on the other side of the island, while Shackleton and the commander of the whaling station, Sorrle, discussed how to rescue the rest of the crew at Elephant Island. They sent a ship called the Yelcho, an old whaler. The crew had been expecting a ship to come for them for months, and they went to a lookout point every day, but they had more-or-less lost hope of any ship appearing on the horizon. One day, Marston came sprinting down the path from the lookout point to the campsite. Everyone looked at him, wondering why he was late for lunch and why he was so out of breath. “Don’t you think we should light a signal fire?” He asked nonchalantly. It took a few seconds for them to process his words, but when they did, they dropped everything and sprinted to the seashore to see the ship. They were picked up by a rowboat and taken to the ship, taking nothing with them. Back in Britain, they made the headlines. No one had expected that Shackleton's crew would still be alive. They were made national heroes.