EXPLORATION OF ANTARCTIC LANDS, 467 
eight o’clock, we felt a sudden shock, which seemed to lift the ship twice ; 
rushing on deck, we found that a thick fog made it impossible to see 
any distance, but on the starboad side there was a large mass of ice, 
here and there vague forms of icebergs loomed up ahead, and quite close 
to us we saw the rock on which the ship was fast. The fog lifting a 
little, let us see that we were surrounded by rocks. Some of the large 
blocks of ice were aground, others afloat. On deck no one spoke; nothing 
was to be heard, although the weather was calm, but the roar of the 
breakers on the rocks and the cracking of the ice. The engine went 
astern, and after a few moments we wereafloatagain. Splinters of wood 
torn from the keel rose to the surface, and helped us to realise the gravity 
of the danger we had escaped. 
The splendid spectacle of the icebergs, however, made us forget all 
else. One of these was like a tower cut out of a great block of sugar ; 
another, a mountainous island, with a bay in which the billows broke 
in foam; yet these were mere fragments of icebergs, broken and of 
fantastic outline. 
At eleven o’clock more ice appeared, and also more rocks, which gave 
an anxious time to Lecointe, who was on watch. The fog lifted about 
noon, and for a few minutes we could see a low land covered with great. 
fields of snow, which terminated in the sea as perpendicular cliffs of ice ; 
this was probably Snow island. Other land could be seen further to. 
the east, with summits bare of snow. Several large bare rocks rose. 
abruptly in front. 
On Saturday, January 22, the number of the ship’s company was 
unhappily reduced to eighteen, poor Wiencke being carried overboard 
by a wave and drowned. It was terrible to be quite near a man who 
was fighting with death, and yet to be unable to help him. All our 
efforts were in vain; twice he was almost saved, but Fate willed 
otherwise. 
Bad weather commenced atnight; all day the wind had been blowing 
in heavy squalls, and the sea was rough. The fog continued, and in 
the afternoon snow began to fall. Since morning icebergs had always 
been in sight, looming up vaguely through the fog, or appearing in all 
their splendour during the short clear intervals. Many of them were 
tabular ; complicated forms were less common, for they had come from 
no great distance, doubtless originating in the land which was in sight. 
The ship had at length to be laid-to, and, the gale increasing still further, 
it was necessary to seek the shelter of an island, which no doubt was 
Low island. At 6 p.m. the weather cleared, and allowed us to see the 
island, which is extensive and surrounded by large bare rocks, but 
itself completely covered with a thick mantle of ice and snow, which 
hides all irregularities under a uniform surface, and descends to the 
sea in perpendicular cliffs of ice. Bird-life was very abundant in the 
“rookeries” which we saw round the island, full of penguins, and 
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