HISTORY OF DISCO VERY. 109 



north-west, though in the higher latitudes it was situated 

 considerably farther east than in the middle of the month 

 on the voyage south. As it was, the westernmost point 

 of the pack reached longitude 180° W. in latitude 70° S. 



After this point had been reached Ross steered 

 directly northward, for he had resolved to approach 

 Cape Horn along the 6o° parallel, if possible, and then 

 to round it and make for the Falkland Islands with the 

 object of wintering there. This course had the ad- 

 vantage of being the shortest, and of affording Ross the 

 opportunity of completing his magnetic observations in 

 high latitudes. On the 6th of March the Antarctic circle 

 was recrossed on meridian 170° W., after a period of 

 sixty-four days within it, a period that must be regarded 

 as exhibiting one of the most heroic and difficult achieve- 

 ments in the whole history of south polar navigation. 

 Three days later the 60th parallel of southern latitude 

 had been nearly reached on meridian 156° W., and as 

 little or no ice had been seen for some days, Ross, 

 thinking the vessels safe, and anxious to gain time,, 

 ventured upon running all night. The whole expedi- 

 tion came within an ace of perishing in consequence 

 of this sense of security, for during the night, from the 

 1 2th to the 13th of March, just as Ross, warned by 

 small driving blocks of ice, had made every arrangement 

 for rounding to during the night, a large iceberg was 

 seen through the heavy snow shower ahead of the Erebus 

 and close to it. The vessel was immediately turned, 

 but the next moment it was seen that a collision with 

 the Terror was unavoidable. The Erebus lost her 

 bowsprit and topmast through the shock, and the two 

 ships, entangled by their rigging, were violently dashed 

 against each other in the huge breakers raging and 

 foaming against the berg. At length the Terror got 

 clear, and finally the Erebus was extricated, by an ex- 

 tremely hazardous expedient, from her perilous situation, 



