1SG VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. October 



fortnight somewhat repays us for the previous misty 

 weather. 



' With the sun five degrees below the horizon the 

 Greenland mountains thirty miles distant, lighted with 

 a glorious orange-tinted sky, were distinctly visible. 

 Last night there were flashes of bright colourless 

 aurora bearing S.E. 



This was the first sign of an aurora seen from either 

 the ' Alert ' or ' Discovery.' 



' 27th. — As the spring-tides approach, the ice-hinge 

 formed between the main part of the floe and the 

 grounded ice rises and falls with each tide ; the end 

 resting against the floeberg being forced up higher daily 

 as the water freezes in the ever-breaking joint. 



' Stars were visible to-day at noon.' 



1 31st— Since the 21st there has been no movement 

 in the pack in a line parallel with the shore. The 17th 

 was the last day that any additional floebergs wrenched 

 themselves away from the parent floes and by ground- 

 ing outside contributed to strengthen our position. 

 A few water-pools have been seen lately in the offing 

 and yesterday the increased tidal motion opened two 

 large pools, about one hundred yards in diameter, a 

 quarter of a mile outside of us. To-day they are 

 nearly closed again ; so we may conclude that no great 

 alteration will take place in the pack before it breaks 

 up next season. I am still anxious about the effect of 

 a heavy onshore gale ; it would certainly force the 

 floebergs and the ship high up on the land. The fact 

 that we are wintering on a perfectly open coast, pro- 

 tected only by a line of salt-water ice-pieces, will enable 

 others to realize the heavy nature of the ice better 



