CLEAR OF THE PACK 301 



The seals, which to the south of the ice had been 

 following us in decreasing numbers, had now disap- 

 peared almost entirely, and curiously enough we saw 

 very few seals in the pack. Luckily, however, Lieu- 

 tenant Gjertsen's watch got three seals, and for a 

 week we were able to enjoy seal-beef, popularly known 

 as " crocodile beef," three times a day. Seal-beef and 

 fresh whortleberries — delicioso ! 



We went comparatively well through the ice, though 

 at night — from eleven to one — we had to slacken speed, 

 as it was impossible to steer clear on accoimt of the 

 darkness, and towards morning we had a heavy fall of 

 snow, so that nothing could be seen, and the engine had 

 to be stopped. When it cleared, at about 9 a.m., we 

 had come into a dam, out of which we luckily managed 

 to turn fairly easily, coming out into a bay. This was 

 formed by over a hundred icebergs, many of which lay 

 in contact with each other and had packed the ice close 

 together. On the west was the outlet, which we steered 

 for, and by 10 p.m. on February 23 we were already 

 out of the ice and in open water. Our latitude was 

 then 69° S., longitude 175-5° E. 



It is very curious to find such calm weather in 

 Ross Sea; in the two months we have been here we 

 have hardly had a strong breeze. Thus, when I was 

 relieved at 2 a.m. on the 25th, I wrote in my diary: 

 "... It is calm, not a ripple on the water. The 

 three men forming the watch walk up and down the 



