NEW LAND 
what appeared to be the barrier, with a heavy pack-ice foot 
containing nimierous bergs frozen in and possibly agronnd. The 
solid ice turned away towards the nortli-Avest, and we followed 
the edge for 48 miles N. 60"" W. to clear it. 
Now we were beyond the point reached by the Scotia, and 
the land underlying the ice-sheet we were skirting was new. 
The northerly trend was unexpected, and I began to suspect 
that we were really rounding a huge ice-tongue attached to 
the true barrier-edge and extending northward. Events con- 
firmed this suspicion. We skirted the pack all night, steering 
north- west ; then went west by north till 4 a.m. and roimd 
to south-west. The course at 8 a.m. on the 13th was south- 
south-west. The barrier at midnight was low and distant, 
and at 8 a.m. there was merelv a narrow ice-foot about two 
hundred yards across separating it from the open water. By 
noon there was only an occasional shelf of ice-foot. The barrier 
in one place came with an easy sweep to the sea. We could 
have landed stores tliere without difficulty. We made a 
sounding 400 ft. off the barrier but got no bottom at 676 
fathoms. At 4 p.m., still following the barrier to the south- 
west, we reached a corner and foimd it receding abruptly 
to the south-east. Oiu' way was blocked by very hea\y pack, 
and after spending two hours in a vain search for an open- 
ing, we moored the Endurance to a floe and banked fires. 
During that day we passed two schools of seals, swimming 
fast to the north-west and north -north-east. The animals 
swam in close order, rising and blowing like porpoises, and we 
wondered if there was any significance in their journey north- 
ward at that time of the year. Several young emperor penguins 
had been captured and brought aboard on the previous day. 
Two of them were still alive when the Endurance was brought 
alongside the floe. They promptly hopped on to the ice, turned 
round, bowed gracefully three times, and retired to the far 
side of the floe. There is something curiously human about 
the manners and movements of these birds. I was concerned 
about the dogs. They were losing condition and some of them 
appeared to be ailing. One dog had to be shot on the 12th. 
We did not move the ship on the 14th. A breeze came from 
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