The Terror

At the same time as the remaining ship is abandoned, Dr. Goodsir is at the new “Terror Camp” on the coast south of Victory Point, where the men from both ships are convening. Goodsir’s primary concern is the worsening state of the sick, particularly those suffering from advanced scurvy. The medical tent is overwhelmed, and many of the men are dying.

That night, Fitzjames invites Goodsir to join him for a walk along the beach. He explains the difference between the boats that have been hauled from the ships to the camp, highlighting which can be dragged across ice, which are better suited for open water or river navigation, and which will be left behind. Fitzjames notes that they will divide men into boats by lottery, raising fears about who will be chosen for what.

Crozier continues to lead the sledge haul across the ice on their three-day journey toward Terror Camp. As he calculates their journey, he recalls an earlier attempt by some of the men to test whether a direct route toward Fury Beach might be viable. The effort ended in near-disaster as, though all the men returned alive, they suffered from exhaustion, frostbite, and damage to their sledge. Worse, they were shadowed the whole time by the creature. Their failure cemented the decision to abandon the ships and commit to the longer, slower journey south.

The men pass a hole in the ice that hadn’t been present the week before, and Crozier suspects that the creature may have emerged from it. Soon after, the rear guards report that something is following them. Crozier confirms through his telescope that a massive white figure is moving across the ice toward them. He adjusts their plans, orders the men to eat while marching instead of stopping, and ensures that weapons are readied without informing the entire group of what’s happening.

On April 24th, 1848, Irving leads a small scouting team across the desolate interior of King William Land alongside fellow officer George Hodgson. The scouting and hunting teams have split up, and Irving’s party travels lightly, with only one firearm among them and their supplies stored in makeshift canvas packs.

Irving separates from his men after their midday rest to explore further on his own, needing solitude and a better vantage point. After climbing a ridge, he spots a group of 10 people crossing a valley in the distance. Using his telescope, he sees they are people dressed in heavy fur parkas and pulling a small sledge with a team of dogs. He realizes that they are Inuit, and that if they are friendly, they could offer the expedition lifesaving food or guidance. Deciding they will have to risk it, Irving approaches the strangers.

Crozier leads the men on the final leg of the crossing to Terror Camp. They are hit by high winds and snowstorms that obscure the nearby sledges. Several men collapse along the way, including one who vomits blood, and others are so ill they must be carried on the sledges. Crozier himself suffers from chronic insomnia and recurring nightmares. Despite his worsening condition, he continues to lead by example, taking a harness himself alongside Lieutenant Little to help haul the sledges.

The group nearly misses their stop at Sea Camp Two due to poor visibility and would have walked past it if not for Manson noticing it. They find the camp almost destroyed by the wind, and the 46 men cram themselves into only five remaining tents.

On the final day of travel, the wind dies down, but the temperature plummets. They spot the creature again, though it keeps its distance. By nightfall, the party is still four miles from their destination, and many of the men are unconscious. Crozier considers abandoning the loads to save the men, but realizes that doing so would destroy both morale and his authority. He helps lift the sledges over the final ice barrier, and they cross onto land.

When Crozier and the others arrive at camp, they are greeted by officers and men who appear solemn rather than relieved, and Crozier realizes something happened in his absence.

Irving makes contact with the group of Inuit: Seven men, two women, and a child. Though the language barrier makes communication difficult, Irving gives them his telescope as a gift and, in return, they offer him seal meat and blubber from their sled. Introductions follow with each member of the group, including an older man named Asiajuk, who appears to be a shaman and remains suspicious of Irving.

Irving spots one of his own men arriving on a nearby ridge. Believing the rest of his party is catching up, Irving prepares to leave the Inuit, leaving his satchel behind to show he’ll return, and climbs over the ridge. There, he finds Hickey dancing naked around a pile of clothing. Before Irving can react, Hickey slashes his throat with a boat knife, and Irving dies.

Crozier learns about Irving’s death and visits the medical tent, where Dr. Goodsir performs a postmortem examination on the body. Irving had his throat cut, and was also castrated and disemboweled. Crozier gives orders for a burial the following day, then meets with Fitzjames, who tells him that, under the leadership of Second Lieutenant Hodgson and Sergeant Tozer, the men attacked the Inuit group they believe was responsible. Crozier begins an impromptu court-martial-style inquiry, starting with Tozer.

Tozer recounts the ambush and slaughter of the Inuit, though he says two of them escaped. Crozier questions the wisdom of the attack, but Tozer is unable to grasp the implications. Next, Crozier interrogates Hodgson. Hodgson admits he made the decision to follow the Inuit and attack, fueled by anger. He tells Crozier that Hickey witnessed the murder and claimed the Inuit stole Irving’s belongings. Despite having intended to question at least one person, they ended up killing nearly all of them. Hodgson takes responsibility for the event and the chaos that followed.

Crozier, disturbed by the inconsistencies in the story, especially concerning Hickey, decides to examine the site himself. He orders Hodgson and Farr to join him later on a return to the location of the attack, then calls in Hickey for questioning.

Though emotionally affected by the killing, Goodsir proceeds with his full postmortem examination of Irving’s body. He notes a lack of defensive wounds, suggesting Irving was caught by surprise.

While preparing the body for burial, Goodsir opens Irving’s stomach and is surprised to find it full of seal meat, blubber, and sealskin. This contradicts the narrative that the Inuit attacked him. Goodsir speculates on the discrepancy, questioning if there was a betrayal or cultural misunderstanding, or that the Inuit were not responsible at all.

Determined to get to the bottom of the matter, Goodsir finishes preparing Irving’s body for burial and goes to ask Crozier if he can go with him to the site of the attack.

Peglar, Crozier, Dr. Goodsir, several lieutenants and mates, and a handful of armed Marines return to the site of Irving’s murder. When they arrive, they find the scene mostly undisturbed, with Irving’s frozen entrails and other remnants of the killing still scattered around.

Captain Crozier questions Hodgson and Farr about what they saw the day prior, pressing them as to whether the Inuit showed signs of violence before the ambush. Hodgson confirms they had not seen any infighting. The group then descends into the valley where the skirmish took place and finds the bodies of the Inuit. Crozier and Goodsir inspect them and find that all of them had eaten a large meal of seal meat shortly before their deaths, the same as Irving.

Crozier instructs Goodsir to share the news that Irving had dined with the Inuit before being murdered with the entire group. He then warns the men not to speak of the discovery under threat of severe punishment. Peglar, however, resolves to talk with Bridgens about it.

The men hold a funeral service for Irving just outside Terror Camp. A makeshift wooden pallet is used to carry his body, now wrapped in canvas, to a shallow grave, and stones are prepared to cover it since the ground is too frozen for a deeper burial.

As Fitzjames reads the service, Crozier reflects on his interrogation of Hickey. Crozier had forced Hickey to strip in the cold, looking for wounds or other evidence of the fight, and questioned why he’d singled out Irving for his mutinous comments in the past. Hickey denied everything, and Crozier dismissed him from the tent.

The burial service continues, with the officers lowering Irving’s body into the grave. Tokens are buried with him, including his handkerchief, which Silence returned earlier.

As the burial concludes and the men begin to return to camp, Crozier and Fitzjames remain behind and set out together for Victory Point. Crozier intends to update the message left in the cairn the previous year with the news of their current situation.

After Irving’s burial, Peglar walks through the fog with Bridgens. Peglar estimates that only 10 of the 18 boats will be taken south. Bridgens then informs Peglar of a potential mutiny brewing within the ranks, which he heard about because stewards were often overlooked. Aylmore and Hickey were encouraging others to turn against the officers and take control of the food supplies, perhaps even return to the abandoned ships. Peglar, who hadn’t heard this before, is shocked. Bridgens adds that the captains likely already know.

Their conversation shifts to the grueling realities of the journey ahead and the low likelihood of reaching safety. Peglar argues that attempting the journey gives them a sliver of hope, which is better than dying at Terror Camp. Bridgens, however, muses that it might be better to stay behind in relative comfort and wait to die.

The two men say goodbye, recognizing that the situation is worsening and they may not see each other again. Peglar gives the diary he’s been working on to Bridgens and asks him to return it to England if he survives. They embrace, then Peglar begins the walk back toward camp. When he turns to look for Bridgens, he’s already gone.

Crozier and Fitzjames head to the cairn at Victory Point. Crozier is so exhausted that he falls asleep while walking, and Fitzjames wakes him by asking about the things Crozier mumbled in his sleep. After wandering in the fog, they locate the cairn, though they note it wasn’t where it should have been. They take out and update the note, adding information about the ships’ abandonment, the location of the new camp, and the number of deaths to date.

As the fog thickens, they sense something circling them. At first, Crozier thinks it’s the creature, but it turns out to be a young polar bear. Crozier fires a warning shot to scare it off. The tension breaks into an uncontrollable fit of laughter for both men. Once they recover, Crozier jokes about buying Fitzjames a drink, and Fitzjames says he’s grateful for Crozier’s leadership. Crozier adds a final line beneath his signature in the note that they will begin their march toward the Great Fish River the next day: April 26th.