1876 'ALERT' NIPPED BY THE ICE. 129 



side our barrier line, the inner edge of the pack was 

 guided more towards our position, and at last two 

 floebergs wedged themselves against the ship, and after 

 forcing her very close to the shore, nipped her to 

 such an extent that she was raised bodily three feet. 

 She stood the great strain remarkably well, the cabin 

 doors opening and shutting almost as easily as usual. 

 A heavy piece of ice having grounded outside of the 

 ship, prevented our moving until we had lightened it. 

 Accordingly the fires were put out, the boilers run 

 down, and all hands employed cutting down the 

 stranded floeberg. 



Rawson and his two men returned to the ' Dis- 

 covery.' Feilden and Parr, walking to the southward, 

 found another large flock of geese, but they were 

 unable to shoot any for want of a boat. 



In the afternoon there was less wind. Polaris Bay 

 was observed to be free of ice, and a few cracks had 

 opened in the otherwise close pack. 



The northerly gale experienced in Eobeson Channel 

 between the 6th and the 8th was also felt by Sir Allen 

 Young at Cape Isabella, where, after so zealously 

 keeping his position under very trying circumstances, 

 surrounded by ice on a lee snore, it finally forced him 

 to proceed to Hartstene Bay. 



On the 9th the weather was fine. In the middle of 

 Hall's Basin the pack had opened slightly, but was in 

 no way navigable for a ship, even had the ice in our 

 neighbourhood permitted our moving. 



A shooting party, with the dingy and Frederick's 

 kayak, went to the southward to look for the brent 

 geese seen the day previously. They returned with 



VOL. II. K 



