44 cook's second voyage dec. 



ments was pleasing to the eye ; but when we reflected 

 on the danger, the mind was filled with horror ; for, 

 were a ship to get against the weather-side of one of 

 these islands when the sea runs high, she would be 

 dashed to pieces in a moment. Upon our getting 

 among the ice islands, the albatrosses left us ; that is, 

 we saw but one now and then ; nor did our other 

 companions, the pintadoes, sheer-waters, small grey 

 birds, fulmars, &c. appear in such numbers ; on 

 the other hand, penguins began to make their ap- 

 pearance. Two of these birds were seen to-day. 



The wind in the night veered to west, and at last 

 fixed at S. W;, a fresh gale, with sleet and snow, 

 which froze on our sails and rigging as it fell, so 

 that they were all hung with icicles. We kept on to 

 the southward, passed no less than eighteen ice islands, 

 and saw more penguins. At noon on the 13th, we 

 were in the latitude of 54 south, which is the lati- 

 tude of Cape Circumcision, discovered by M. Bouvet 

 in 1739 ; but we were ten degrees of longitude east 

 of it ; that is, near 118 leagues in this latitude. We 

 stood on to the S. S. E. till eight o'clock in the 

 evening, the weather still continuing thick and hazy, 

 with sleet and snow. From noon till this time, 

 twenty ice islands, of various extent both for height 

 and circuit, presented themselves to our view. At 

 eight o'clock we sounded, but found no ground with 

 150 fathom of line. 



We now tacked, and make a trip to the northward 

 till midnight, when we stood again to the southward ; 

 and at half-an-hour past six o'clock in the morning 

 of the 14th, we were stopped by an immense field 

 of low ice ; to which we could see no end, either 

 to the east, west, or south. In different parts of 

 this field, were islands, or hills of ice, like those 

 we found floating in the sea ; and some on 

 board thought they saw land also over the ice, 

 bearing S. W. by S. I even thought so myself; but 

 changed my opinion upon more narrowly examining 



