io8 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan. 



hour, and as we continued to lose ground we got into a more 

 choppy sea, which sent the spray over us in showers to freeze 

 as it fell. As evening approached we drove down on a line of 

 pack and amongst several small bergs, raising clouds of spray 

 in the driving gale. Our situation was not pleasant ; to avoid 

 one berg we were forced to go about, and in doing so we ran 

 foul of another. As we came down on it our bowsprit just 

 swept clear of its pinnacled sides, and we took the shock broad 

 on our bows ; it sent us reeling round, but luckily on the 

 right tack to avoid further complications, and we rebounded 

 clear of our dangerous neighbour. The night which followed 

 was dismal enough ; again and again small bergs appeared 

 through the blinding spray and drift, and it was only with 

 great difficulty that our unmanageable ship could be brought 

 to clear them. Meanwhile, in spite of our continuous steaming 

 we were being driven farther and farther to leeward. But 

 even gales must have an end, and towards morning there was 

 a visible moderation in the wind, when we were able to creep 

 up towards the island once more. In the afternoon an arch 

 of clear sky appeared in the south and the wind fell rapidly. 

 We were able to steam up close to the island once more ; and 

 there, between two high tongues of ice off Cape Wadworth, we 

 landed on the steep rocks and erected a staff bearing a tin 

 cylinder with a further record of our voyage. 



By the time this was accomplished the wind had fallen 

 completely, and the sun shone forth with great brilliancy. 

 We entered the strait between the island and the mainland 

 and found it to be considerably narrower than was expected, 

 so that we soon approached the high land of Cape Jones on 

 the other side. At this time, although there was a quantity of 

 pack in the southern Hmits of the strait, from our crow's-nest it 

 looked as if it would not be difficult to find clear leads to the 

 open sea beyond, and thus to pass completely through the 

 strait, but when we attempted this some hours later we found 

 the pack closely locked in the entrance. 



To the southward of Cape Jones the land recedes abruptly 

 and sweeps round, forming a long bay, behind which we now 



