CAUGHT IN THE ICE 259 



eased up or became heavier, the ship at last got on the north side 

 of the Barrier and into clear water; and during the first watch 

 of the 8th was secured alongside the sea ice at the entrance to 

 what is now called Arrival Bay, about six miles north of Evans 

 Coves. 



The gear and a month's depot for Campbell's party were 

 immediately disembarked, and with hands from the ship to haul 

 a depot sledge, he was left on a moraine about one and a quarter 

 miles from the ship. 



The ship slipped immediately her party returned, and meet- 

 ing a good deal of fog and snow had some difficulty 



Jan. 10, . & . , , . J 



1912, 76 / m working through the pack on the way out, being 

 S., /<5J55 / eventually held up during the forenoon of the loth 



and kept there for thirty-six hours; but in the end 



she arrived off Beaufort Island during the afternoon of the I2th. 



The prospect was not encouraging, as there was nothing 



but heavy pack in the direction of Granite Harbour and across 



the whole entrance to McMurdo Sound. It was, how- 



Jan. 12, 1-111 i 



1912, 76" 42' ever, a glorious day, and the opportunity was taken to 

 S., 167 12' swing ship for magnetic constants, take observations 



for variation on the ice, sound, and try to collect 

 plankton. In the Antarctic seas the water is often so full of 

 diatoms that the fine meshes of the plankton nets choke as soon 

 as they are put over. This, by stopping the passage of water 

 through the net, prevents it catching anything and so renders 

 useless many opportunities for collecting that would otherwise 

 be favourable. 



Till February 4 nothing could be done. On January 13 fast 

 ice was found to extend as far north as the southern end of 



Bird Peninsula; and, when it was possible to work 

 ii9i2~ In through the pack towards Granite Harbour, fast ice 

 or near was found on the 23rd to extend thirty miles from 



the head o f t hi s inlet. 



These three weeks were one long succession of 

 being caught in the pack and struggling to get out again. When- 

 ever there appeared to be any change, the ship would steam over 

 towards Granite Harbour or Cape Evans to look; for often it 

 appeared as if the ice in the strait was really breaking up, but 

 every time in reality it was found that only comparatively little 

 had gone out. 



