n8 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan. 



have been by steep and lofty hills, we could have obtained 

 only the most local records of climatic conditions, and our 

 meteorological observations would have been comparatively 

 valueless ; but the greatest drawback would have been that 

 we should be completely cut off from travelling over the sea- 

 ice beyond the mouth of our harbour. There can be no 

 doubt that the sea-ice was constantly broken up along this 

 coast in the winter of 1902, and an attempt to travel to the 

 south along the coast without the assistance of the sea-ice 

 would have been beset with such innumerable dangers and 

 difficulties that it is possible we should never have reached 

 even as far south as the spot at which we eventually wintered. 

 It is when one remembers how naturally a decision to return 

 to this place might have been made that one sees how easily 

 the results of the expedition might have been missed. 



When, after a stiff climb, we again came abreast of the 

 ship, we found the swell had increased, and it was only with 

 some difficulty that we regained the ship over the swaying 

 floes. Shortly after midnight we pushed out to sea, satisfied 

 that we had discovered a place which would serve us for 

 wintering in default of a better. 



Turning again to the south, we found an open sea, and 

 crossed the 77th parallel; but early on the 21st the inevitable 

 pack appeared ahead, and we were forced away from the 

 coast in trying to pick the easiest channels. The ice we met 

 with at first was not formidable, but in the afternoon we 

 entered a pack of the hard solid ice which we were now 

 getting to know so well and to associate with the inlets on the 

 coast. The moment of entering this pack could be detected 

 exactly from the astonishing increase in the shocks sustained 

 by the ship. 



At this time I still cherished a hope of being able to find 

 more southerly winter quarters than Granite Harbour, and, 

 searching the coastline with powerful glasses, thought I could 

 detect the promise of such on our starboard bow, and so 

 spent some hours in trying to push throagh the heavy obstruc- 

 tion that now met us. By 4 p.m., however, as we had 



