1911] CAUGHT IN’ THE, ICE 249 
seen to the S.W. Following the pack along towards the land, it 
was soon seen that there was clear water inside the pack. This 
water extended, apparently, up to the land, and at one place the 
line of pack was not more than a mile broad. After sounding in 
154 fathoms the ship was worked into the pack with high hopes 
of finding another place like Robertson Bay, which is often clear 
of pack, though the entrance is usually more or less guarded 
by it. 
: At 5 P.M., after an hour’s struggle, the attempt was seen to 
be hopeless, the ship was only a third way through, and the pack 
grew heavier as she advanced. A light wind had sprung up and 
this had closed the pack, so that the ship was caught and unable 
to move at all. This was very disappointing and the position 
was not free from anxiety as, undoubtedly, there is a fair tidal 
stream in these waters, and grounded icebergs do not make pleas- 
ant neighbours in such circumstances. 
As the sun got low, the day improved, the clouds broke, and 
in the sunshine we had a good view of the land, though the upper 
parts of it were always shrouded in cloud. The ship appeared 
to be off a point (or angle) in the coast, apparently forming the 
western end of a large bay to the east of us. The coast was steep 
and rugged, half bare rocky points separated by glaciers being 
the chief features. The hills behind did not appear to be very 
high, but this is only guess-work, as the higher land was ob- 
scured in clouds all the time and only occasionally a glimpse could 
be got when the clouds partially lifted in one spot or another. 
There was no movement in the ice in respect to the ship till 
5 A.M., when Cheetham reported a general easing up, and shortly 
after the ship was able to turn and work out to the northward 
without unusual difficulty. 
After taking bearings and making sketches from the edge of 
the pack we ran to the northward and northwestward, with pack 
A on the port hand and the coast beyond the pack till 
eb. 206, 
ror1, 68° 57' +2 P.M., when the coast made a sharp bend to the west- 
S., 158° 53' ward, though the edge of the pack still continued to 
trend to the northward. While one of the soundings 
was being taken on this day a rorqual fouled the sounding wire 
in a most extraordinary manner, and for a short time there was 
quite an exciting and very novel sport of playing whale, which 
naturally ended by the wire parting. 
