1902] SOUTHERN EDGE OF PACK 97 



taking to a new meat, and the seal being a very full-blooded 

 animal, his flesh does not look pleasing before it is cooked, and 

 afterwards it has a very dark mahogany colour, which is not 

 attractive. It is almost impossible to describe the taste of a 

 seal ; it has a distinctive flavour in a similar degree to beef and 

 mutton, but it cannot be called ' fishy,' or like anything else 

 that is generally known. It is a very strong meat, and in food 

 value quite equal to the best beef. But the great drawback to 

 the seal is that there is no fat other than blubber, and blubber 

 has a very strong rancid taste and a most penetrating smell. 

 At this time blubber was to us an abomination both in taste 

 and smell, and the smallest scrap that had inadvertently been 

 cooked with the meat was sufficient to put us off our dinner. 

 Later on we grew indifferent to this smell, and to some extent 

 to the taste, but except under the stress of great hunger we 

 have no record of blubber being enjoyed. Later on, moreover, 

 we came thoroughly to enjoy our seal steaks and to revel in the 

 thought of seal liver or kidneys ; whereas I find my diary 

 records very doubtful expressions of pleasure with regard to all 

 these things at this time. 



Early on the morning of the 8th, behind the ice-blink to 

 the south, could be seen a strong water sky, and soon the 

 officer of the watch hailed from aloft the glad tidings of an 

 open sea to the south, the ice-floes became smaller, and we 

 soon entered a belt where the ice lay in comparatively small 

 pieces, closely packed and grinding together on the slight 

 southerly swell. This extended for about 1^ mile, and pushing 

 through it with steam and sail, we at length reached the hard 

 line where the ice abruptly ended, and from whence to the 

 south could be seen nothing but a clear sea. 



Such a well-defined limit to the pack clearly indicates the 

 prevalence of southerly winds at this season ; it is obvious that 

 the wind will get better hold on the floes in loose streams of 

 ice than on those in the main pack, and hurry them along until 

 they join the slower-moving main body. 



Our pleasure in once more reaching open water may be 

 imagined. During the past four days we had made little more 

 vol. 1. h 



