Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/262

176 the arctic regions, and sometimes even in our own country. It did not exceed two degrees of altitude when the sun's centre was on the horizon.

In approaching the pack we had passed a great many bergs, but after midnight comparatively few were seen. The wind freshened to a strong breeze from the north-westward, and carried us rapidly to the southward. At 8 we again came in sight of the main pack, and ran several miles along the edge of it to examine it. From the mast-head it seemed sufficiently open to admit of our penetrating as far as we could see to the southward; and although other circumstances were not so favourable for taking the pack as I could have wished, owing to the unsettled state of the weather and the wind blowing so directly upon the ice as to preclude our regaining the open water if thought desirable, I nevertheless determined to make the attempt, and push the ships as far into it as we could get them. The signal was made to the Terror, and we bore away before the wind, selecting the most favourable point to break through the outer edge of the pack, which, as usual, was formed of much heavier ice than the rest, and which we accomplished without sustaining any serious injury, although necessarily receiving some very heavy blows.

After about an hour's hard thumping, we forced our way into some small holes of water, connected by narrow lanes, for which we had purposely steered; and, closely followed by the Terror, we found the ice much lighter and more scattered