Detail Adam More's journey from his shipwreck to his arrival in the Kosekin world, including the challenges and discoveries he faced.
The Initial Drift and Shipwreck
Adam More's perilous journey began after his ship, the Trevelyan, completed its charter to convey convicts to Van Dieman's Land in 1843 and set forth on its return home on December 17th. Adverse winds forced the vessel well to the south, leading them to sight Desolation Island on January 6th. This island was a desolate spot, characterized by a multitude of smaller, moss-covered islands, no trees, and cold temperatures ranging from 38° to 58° Fahrenheit, even in the middle of the antarctic summer. To escape these dangerous islands, they sailed south and west, reaching south latitude 65°, longitude 60° east, where they found open sea and no ice, despite being within fifteen hundred miles of the South Pole. Here, the wind failed, and they lay becalmed and drifting.
Drifting and Despair
As they drifted, a low line along the horizon to the southeast, initially mistaken for ice, turned out to be a lofty promontory, which they named Trevelyan Peak. Adam More and the second mate, Agnew, decided to go ashore to hunt seals and claim the land, despite Captain Bennet's objections to taking any crew. While ashore, a snowstorm began, and the ship, which had drifted several miles southwest, signaled for their return. They rowed for hours through the storm, guided only by the ship's increasingly faint signal guns, until the ship was lost from sight. They drifted for days, surviving on cooked seal meat and chewing ice and snow for drink
Volcanic Land and a Grim Discovery
One night, they observed a deep red glow on the distant horizon, which they initially could not explain. Upon waking, they discovered the glow originated from two actively erupting volcanoes, confirming Adam's despairing realization that they had reached the Antarctic continent. They drifted through a channel between these volcanoes, where the ice and snow gave way to a land of desolate lava blocks, devoid of vegetation. Landing on a reef, they made a horrifying discovery: the prostrate, emaciated corpse of a sailor, who had evidently starved to death. After burying him, they resolved to continue drifting, as returning was impossible.
The current grew swifter, and the channel narrowed into a dark chasm with precipitous cliffs and continuous volcanic activity. They realized they were drifting steadily south towards the South Pole
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