Loyalty

As I have been reading the Voyage of the Narwhal I have been wondering why does Erasmus keep following Zeke?  Sometimes I feel that Erasmus is the only reason no one else on the ship has mutinied against him.  Is it out of loyalty to his sister, or because he is Zeke's friend?  I don't really understand it, especially because Zeke essentially made him sign Erasmus's findings over to him and blames Erasmus for not bringing enough healthy provisions for them to "winter over."  I don't think Zeke's leadership is any better than Herzog or Blum's, in fact I think its worse.  Yet, neither Herzog or Blum inspired the loyalty (or more aptly the total command) of their crew/group.  Herzog was not in absolute command, and he had plenty of arguments with his fellow climbers, as did Blum, yet neither of them had as many problems with their group as Zeke does and he still gets the final say in what the expedition does.  Is the loyalty he commands because of the militaristic authority he holds over his crew?  These are questions I am having a hard time answering because a). comparing non-fiction to fiction is challenging to me and b). the types of adventures are different.  Maybe this will become easier once we read more about arctic expeditions or finish the book but for now I am routing for the crew of the Narwhal to throw Zeke into the water and sail the fuck home.