EXPLORING ANTARCTIC SEAS 



met with disaster on March 9th. The ships were en- 

 tangled in icebergs, and in the attempt to avoid one 

 of these monsters, the ''Terror" colhded with the 

 ''Erebus." We may quote Captain Ross's own words. 

 "Our bowsprit, foretopmast and other smaller spars 

 were carried away, and the ships hanging together 

 entangled with their rigging, and dashing against each 

 other with fearful violence were falling down upon 

 the weather face of the lofty berg under our lee, 

 against which the waves were breaking and foaming 

 to near the summit of its perpendicular cliffs." After 

 extricating themselves the ships just managed to pass 

 between tw^o giant bergs and gained comparative safety 

 in their lee. On April 6th they reached the Falkland 

 Islands. 



Ross made a third voyage to the Antarctic in the 

 following summer, this time to the south of America. 

 He cruised off the end of Graham Land and Hooker 

 made some valuable collections of plants, but the at- 

 tempt to follow Weddell w^as unsuccessful. Ross pene- 

 trated to 71° 30', where he was no great distance from 

 Coats Land, but he there turned north and the ships 

 ultimately reached England after their long cruises 

 in September, 1843. 



