Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/182

158 southerly gale which succeeded, blew without intermission during the whole of the 8th and 9th, sweeping us away back to the northward with the pack, in spite of all our efforts to maintain our southing.

The 10th was a comparatively fine day, and the wind being moderate from the southward, we were able to regain some of the ground we had lost, but at noon had the mortification to find ourselves in latitude 65º 59′. The ice had spread more out in the afternoon, and we passed a great quantity, or rather allowed it to drift past us; for although, according to our reckoning, we had made at least twenty miles, by beating to windward amongst the ice, we found by our observations at noon the next day, that instead of having increased our latitude, we were actually a mile to the northward of our position of yesterday. We had, however, the consolation of knowing that we should have twenty miles less of the pack to pass through before reaching the clear water, which must have opened out to the southward.

During the last few days we saw many of the great penguins, and several of them were caught and brought on board alive; indeed it was a very difficult matter to kill them, and a most cruel operation, until we resorted to hydrocyanic acid, of which a table spoonful effectually accomplished the purpose in less than a minute. These enormous birds varied in weight from sixty to seventy-five pounds. The largest was killed by the Terror's