"In all the world there is no desolation more complete than the polar night. It is a return to the Ice Age--no warmth, not life, no movement."
It has been frigid in the last few days of the expedition. There is ice everywhere and the crew sees a rare sighting of a seal. It has been so cold that people have been walking around the ship aimlessly. They call it the "madhouse promenade."
"The men's thoughts began to turn to spring, the return of the sun and warmth when the Endurace would break out of her icy prison and they could make a new assault on Vahsel Bay."
The men are excited, and their mood has improved. After the brutal winters in the month of June, the sun is in the sky longer. The sailors used to not see the sun for quite some time during the course of the day, sometimes not even at all. This turn to Spring, gives the sailors a boost of moral in their quest to get to Antarctica. The men meet warmer waters, but not for long. The ice starts to come back and is endangering to the ship. Just then the ship is hit with a chuck of ice, and the ship is pierced with a frozen blade. Frank Wild, one of the sailors notices that "it's time to get off."
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