Deliverance by James Dickey (in 2001, named as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century, as chosen by the editorial board of the Modern Library.)
... the South Pole less than one month after Amundsen, but died on the return voyage
Scylax of Caryanda[?] - a Greek explorer sent by the king of Persia to sail down the Indus ...