Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/263

] than it appeared to be when viewed from the distance. It consisted chiefly of small floes of ice, of last winter's formation, with a quantity of hummocky ice of much older date, formed by great pressure into very heavy masses; but it was by no means of so formidable a character as we had been led to expect from the accounts we had received of the southern barrier in those parts where the American and French expeditions had encountered it.

At noon we were in latitude 66° 55′ S., and longitude 174° 34′ E. The clear sea was no longer discernible from the masthead; with nothing but ice around, and fortunately a clear sky above us, we pursued our way through the pack, choosing the clearest "leads," and forcing the interposing barriers as they occurred; the way continued, if not to open before us, still sufficiently so to enable us to navigate freely amongst the ice, without danger or difficulty as we proceeded, at times sustaining violent shocks, which nothing but ships so strengthened could have withstood.

A remarkable appearance of land was reported in the evening, and, continuing for many hours without any alteration of figure, several of the officers imagined it was really land they saw, assuming the appearance of many pointed hills perfectly covered with snow, and so calculated to deceive the inexperienced eye, that had we been prevented proceeding further, they would doubtless have asserted on our return to England that we had discovered