ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



329 



openings being passed, I issued an order, directing the officer of the 

 deck on being relieved to go to the masthead, and report to me the 

 exact situation of the ice; and this was continued during the re- 

 mainder of our cruise among it. 



In threading our way through the many icebergs, it occurred to 

 me that they might be considered as islands, and a rough survey 

 made of them, by taking their bearings at certain periods, and making 

 diagrams of their positions. This was accordingly done, and every 

 few hours they were inserted on the chart which I was constructing 

 in my progress. 



The following is one of the diagrams. 





h 



This I found to be very useful, and it gave me confidence in pro- 

 ceeding, for I had a tolerable chart to retreat by in case of need, at 

 least for a few hours, during which time I had reason to believe that 

 there was not much probability of the icebergs changing their relative 

 positions. 



The dip observed on the ice was 87° 30', and the variation 12° 46' 

 easterly. The compasses were found to be very sluggish, having but 

 little horizontal directive force. 



About half an hour after we cast off from the iceberg, a thick snow- 

 storm came up, with the wind from the southeast. Although there 

 were very many ice-islands around us, on our way out, I felt that I 

 understood the ground well, having passed over it twice, and knowing 

 I had a space of a few miles, only thinly sprinkled with icebergs, I 

 hove-to with shortened sail. This was the first southeast wind we 

 had had since being on this coast ; I had been disappointed in not 



83 



VOL. II. 



