Page 98 - The Tigris Expedition

Problems Begin

National Geographical Society had chosen him because of his
height. He was supposed to film us even if we sank, and by the looks
of it he would be able to keep on filming with his head above water
while all the rest of us were disappearing under. Until they got used
to his everpresent camera that had the privilege of recording
anything we did or said, the men came to me to find out what kind
of fellow this tall character was. I could not answer the question. All
I knew was that during the previous year he had been sent in the
same manner on an expedition with a fibre-glass double-canoe that
sailed in the wake of the ancient Polynesians from Hawaii to Tahiti.
Another photographer had filmed from an escort vessel, but tall
Norris had sat in cramped quarters inside the canoe, filming all the
way at close range. Nothing had happened on that journey except a
violent psychological storm and a dramatic split between the
Polynesian crew and the foreign leaders on board. Nobody had
tried to hide that they expected he would have to film even worse
mental storms among the mixed lot on board Tigris. The
psychological drama and conflict story had been the theme of the
recently released film of the canoe adventure, and as sails and waves
can only be of interest to the viewers for a few minutes, our eleventh
man obviously had his orders not to miss the moment when we
began to punch each other’s noses. This, I said - and I never tire of
repeating it before every ocean expedition in small craft - this is
what we know as ‘expedition fever’. It is worse than any hurricane
to men sharing cramped quarters for a long time at sea, and is as
certain to come as any shark if one is not ready for it, to shut one’s
mouth the moment the urge to yell at one’s neighbour is felt,
because he has left his fishhook in your mattress or used the
windward side of the raft for his toilet.
The men listened, and I began to suspect that Norris’ ever­
present baby could perhaps become the most effective little device
any expedition leader could dream of to quench expedition fever at
its beginning. Then I was not so sure. After all, Norris had carried
the same baby on his previous trip, and had come back nevertheless
with a record of squabbling on board. And Carlo had already begun
to grumble because Norris was only free to shoot movies while he,
Carlo, as still photographer had to cook spaghetti and store cargo.
When the rest were not listening, I had admitted to Norris that he
was free to behave as a passenger; but for his own sake, I added, so as
not to feel isolated as an outsider, he ought to take the same steering
watches, kitchen cleanings and other routine duties shared by us all.
He could be relieved any time there was something he wanted to
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