440 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
need a long stay in hospital; but since we got out to sea the dysentery 
had made rapid progress, and at the end of very few days all medical 
resources were unavailing.” “We lost in him,” adds M. Dubouzet, 
“one of our best sailors.” The unfortunate man had embarked at Val- 
paraiso on the very day of our departure; since then he had filled 
for nearly two years the post of coxswain of the ship’s boat, to the 
satisfaction of all his superiors. 
That day we were assailed by snow squalls, which increased still 
more the force of the wind. The temperature of the sea had also 
suddenly sunk, and thousands of petrels of all colours surrounded our 
ships. These signs seemed to indicate the approach of pack-ice, as at 
the time of our first attempt to penetrate into the ice: we had scarcely 
reached 58° lat., and already we were all dreading to see our course 
blocked. However, next morning the sea-birds became less numerous 
round our ships, the wind had gone down and the temperature was 
milder. It was two years before, on a similar day and nearly in the 
same latitudes, that our crew had seen for the first time floating ice. 
This coincidence did not escape them, and, in comparing the two 
situations, they expressed the hope of being more fortunate in this new 
enterprise; this hope was to be of short duration. 
Jan. 16.—At 3.25 a.m. the watch signalled the first ice, which was 
quite insignificant. It was a piece of ice (glagon) of small dimensions, 
which was in no way remarkable, and would certainly have passed our 
corvettes unnoticed if it had not pointed to the prubable approach of 
insuperable ice barriers. Shortly after, other masses of ice (glaces) 
showed themselves on the horizon, to the number of five or six. We 
came up very close to the one nearest us; it formed a mass of about 
400 metres broad by about 21 high. The sloping edges showed that 
it had been for a long time in the open sea, where the waves, agitated 
by the wind, had already made large hollows in its sides. For an 
instant the sight of this iceberg (glagon) attracted the attention of the 
crew, but our men had been so long accustomed to this kind of navi- 
gation, that the sight of this floating island did not long keep their 
attention. We had scarcely passed it before they had assumed their 
ordinary occupations and gave free vent to their spirits. We counted 
among us a dozen men who gazed for the first time on these formidable 
masses. They naturally became a subject of merriment to their com- 
rades, and soon, following the example of the others, they showed in 
their turn no sign of wonder at the sight of the floating ice which we 
continually met. 
The appearance of these icebergs (glarons) augured no good for the 
future. At my first attempt we had seen the first ice at 59° lat., and we 
had been unable to pass the 65th parallel; to-day we had only reached 
the 60th degree, and I therefore naturally concluded that we should soon 
reach the same pack-ice (banquises) which had stopped us before. How- 
