392 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
latter were aground, and on the western side of the bay extended about 
five miles to the northward of our position. 
While we stood on in this direction the gale increased, and our room 
became so circumscribed that we had not time on any one tack to reduce 
our canvass before it became necessary to go about. In this way we 
approached within half a mile of the dark volcanic rocks, which appeared: 
on both sides of us, and saw the land gradually rising beyond the ice to 
the height of 3000 feet, and entirely covered with snow. It could be 
distinctly seen extending to the east and west of our position fully 
60 miles. I make this bay in longitude 140° 02’ 30" E., latitude 66° 45'S. ; 
and, now that all were convinced of its existence, I gave the land the 
name of the Antarctic Continent. Some of the officers pointed out the 
appearance of smoke, as if from a volcano, but I was of opinion that this 
was nothing but the snow-drift caused by the heavy squalls. There was 
too much wind at this time to tack; I therefore had recourse to luffng 
the vessel up in the wind, and wore her short round on her heel. At 
the same time we sounded, and found a hard bottom at the depth of no 
more than 30 fathoms. I made a rough sketch of this bay, which I 
have called Piner’s Bay, after the signal-quartermaster of that name. 
It was impossible to lower a boat or to remain longer; indeed, I felt it 
imperative on me to clear its confined space before the floating ice might 
close it up. 
At 10.30 we had gone round, and in an hour more we cleared the 
bay. At noon the wind had increased to a gale, and by 1 o’clock p.m. 
we were reduced to storm-sails, with our top-gallant yards on deck. The 
barometer had again declined rapidly, proving a true indicator, but 
giving little or no warning. To run the gauntlet again among the ice- 
bergs was out of the question, for a large quantity of field-ice would 
have to be passed through, which must have done us considerable 
damage, if it did not entirely disable us. The clear space we. occupied 
was retained until 5 or 6 o’clock, when I found the floe-ice was coming 
down upon us; I then determined to lay the ship for a fair drift through 
the channel I had observed in the morning, and which I had every 
reason to believe, from the wind (south-east) blowing directly through 
it, would not be obstructed until the floe-ice came down. It was a con- 
solation to know that if we were compelled to drift, we should do so 
faster than the ice; I therefore thought it as wel! to avoid it as long as 
possible. Another reason determined me to delay the drifting to the 
latest moment. J did not believe that the extent of the channel we had 
seen in the morning was more than 10 miles in extent, and at the rate 
we drifted the end of it would be reached long before the gale was over. 
This, like the former gale, was an old-fashioned snow-storm. All the 
canvass we could show to it at one time was a close-reefed main-topsail 
and fore-storm-staysail. It blew tremendously, and the sea we expe- 
rienced was a short, disagreeable one, but vothing to be compared tu 
