Farther Than Any Man by Martin Dugard

Author:Martin Dugard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2001-04-08T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

Ice

Cook was forty-three when his second circumnavigation got under way aboard Resolution. In almost every way, he was still the eager skipper who’d led Endeavour to sea four years earlier. His navigational talents, geographic curiosity, leadership skills, attention to detail, fascination with science, desire to reduce shipboard mortality, benevolent attitude toward indigenous peoples, and self-confidence had been elevated to a new level of excellence during that first voyage. Few men, anywhere, possessed this varied quiver of skills so necessary for a career in exploration.

There had, however, been subtle changes in Cook’s personality. His patience had grown thin after years of round-the-clock responsibility aboard Endeavour. He had become emotionally withdrawn. His constitution was solid and he was still physically fit, but the rigors—fluctuating seas, wild variations in weather, physical confinement, the high level of stress associated with command—of shipboard living and advancing age made him more susceptible to sickness. And his golden dream of visiting the South Pacific was slowly transforming into an obsession with charting every speck of her vast waterways and holding sway over her peoples.

Cook began Resolution’s journey by sailing due south. He maneuvered straight down the African coastline toward the Cape of Good Hope. By sailing around Africa, then east toward New Zealand, Cook hoped to take advantage of the west-to-east direction of prevailing winds, knowing this would speed him toward the South Pacific quicker. Time was of the essence. With every passing day it seemed another rival was attempting to steal Britain’s discoveries and colonial outposts. The French, for instance, were ignoring British claims to Tahiti, saying they were there first. The Spanish were a continual burr. And the Dutch, of course, while focusing more on increasing trade than finding new colonies, were still intrepid sailors. If any of these nations found Antarctica first, England would lose a great number of resources, as well as a good deal of face. Cook needed to push as far south as possible—to the pole itself, if need be—and find the Antarctic continent once and for all. After that, he was free to pursue his secondary— private—goal of ranging across the Pacific in search of new lands.

Because Cook didn’t believe Antarctica existed, he was determined to get the polar plunge out of the way as soon as possible. Ever aware of prior explorers’ footsteps, Cook’s plan was to follow an aggressive version of Tasman’s route to the Pacific: down the coast of Africa, refuel at Cape Town; but instead of sailing east to Mauritius, then Australia, Cook would leave Cape Town and angle due south, heading straight for the South Pole. Once the Antarctic myth had been exposed or confirmed, he could wander over to his Pacific kingdom and cross back and forth between New Zealand and Tahiti at will. Cook would be the foreman surveying the farm, the king casing his kingdom.

Cook had one glaring liability he wasn’t aware of: Adventure’s captain, the seemingly capable Tobias Furneaux. Six years younger than Cook, Furneaux came from good stock, with a family heritage dating to the Norman Conquest.

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