242 Chapter VI. 



the far north I only once saw a hummock of a greater 

 height than 23 feet. Unfortunately I had not the 

 opportunity of measuring this one, but I believe I may 

 say with certainty that it was very nearly 30 feet high. 

 All the highest blocks I measured and they were many 

 -had a height of 18 to 23 feet; and I can maintain 

 with certainty that the packing of sea ice to a height of 

 over 25 feet is a very rare exception.* 



"Saturday, October i4th. To-day we have got on 

 the rudder ; the engine is pretty well in order, and we 

 are clear to start north when the ice opens to-morrow 

 morning. It is still slackening and packing quite 

 regularly twice a day, so that we can calculate on 

 it beforehand. To-day we had the same open 

 channel to the north, and beyond it open sea as far as 

 our view extended. What can this mean ? This 

 evening the pressure has been pretty violent. The rloes 

 were packed up against the Fram on the port side, and 

 were once or twice on the point of toppling over the rail. 

 The ice, however, broke below ; they tumbled back 

 again, and had to go under us after all. It is not thick 



Markham's account gives us to understand that on the north side 

 of Grinnell Land he came across hummocks which measured 43 feet 

 I do not feel at all certain that these were not in reality icebergs but it 

 is no doubt possible that such hummocks might be formed by violent 

 pressure against iand or something resembling it. After our experience, 

 however, I cannot believe in the possibility of their occurring in 

 open sea. 



