2 4 8 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [FEBRUARY' 



be done till the morning, and so the night was spent trawling and 

 swinging for variation. A sounding gave 178 fathoms. The 

 trawl was particularly interesting and made ample amends for 

 the delay. As soon as it was light enough to see, we tried to close 

 the land as the pack did not look especially heavy. Clouds still 

 hid all except the lower land. 



An hour and a half showed the futility of attempting to get 

 through, and at 5 A.M. the attempt was given up, the ship being 

 then 8000 yards from the end of a glacier tongue and in 134 

 fathoms of water. This tongue appeared to run down from 

 snow-covered rounded hills, while behind it a rugged 

 1911, 69 29' range of hills ran down to a point, apparently form- 

 S., 162 49' ing the eastern point of a large bay, as away to the 

 west could be seen high cliffs with outcroppings of 

 rock, but everything in that direction was much obscured by mist 

 or haze. The ship's position, fixed by sun and moon, was 69 

 43' S, 163 i/E. 



Forty-seven icebergs could be counted from this spot, all 

 being in the pack and probably mostly aground. This trend of 

 the land to the northward would well account for the hang of 

 the pack and icebergs north of North Cape. 



At 8 A.M. the ship started to skirt the pack to the westward, 

 noting what details could be made out of the coast, which were 

 not many. The routine now was for Rennick to sound every 

 forenoon and middle watch, and if in comparatively shallow 

 water, as often as time could be spared. The sounding-machine 

 was worked by hand, and on many nights was a cold and patience- 

 trying job. 



As she worked westward the pack pressed the ship out from 



the land, and in the afternoon a light fog and snow 



1911, 69 4' came down again. In the middle watch it blew a 



S., 161 19' strong wind from the S.E., with thick snow, and she 



E ' was hove to. 



The snow stopped about 8 A.M., but the day was dull and 

 one could not see far. Course was shaped S.S.W. and by 2 

 the Terra Nova was stopped by pack with what ap- 

 1911, 68 so' peared to be a miniature archipelago close to the 

 S., 159 n' southward. These turned out to be icebergs, prob- 

 ably aground, and some of large size, but when this 

 was discovered the weather brightened and a cliffy coast-line was 



