WINTER MONTHS 
eight to twenty miles away north and south/' We noticed this 
day that a considerable change had taken place in our position 
relative to the Rampart Berg. It appeared that a big lead 
had opened and that there had been some differential move- 
ment of the pack. The opening movement might presage 
renewed pressure. A few hours later the dog teams, returning 
from exercise, crossed a narrow crack that had appeared ahead 
of the ship. This crack opened quickly to 60 ft. and would 
have given us trouble if the dogs had been left on the mong 
side. It closed on the 25th and pressure followed in its 
neighbourhood. 
On August 24 we were two miles north of the latitude of 
MorelFs farthest south, and oxer 10° of longitude, or more tliaii 
200 miles, west of his position. From the mast-head no land 
could be seen within twenty miles, and no land of over 500 ft. 
altitude could have escaped observation on om- side of long. 
52"^ W. A sounding of 1900 fathoms on August 25 was further 
evidence of the non-existence of New South Greenland. There 
was some movement of the ice near the ship during the con- 
cluding days of the month. All hands were called out in the 
night of August 26, sounds of pressure having been followed 
by the cracking of the ice alongside the ship, but the trouble 
did not develop immediately. Late on the night of the 31st 
the ice began to work ahead of the ship and along the port 
side. Creaking and groaning of timbers, accompanied by loud 
snapping sounds fore and aft, told their story of strain. The 
pressure continued during the following day, beams and deck 
planks occasionally buckling to the strain. The ponderous 
floes were grinding against each other under the influence of 
wind and current, and our ship seemed to occupy for the time 
beuig an undesirable position near the centre of the disturbance ; 
but she resisted staunchly and showed no sign of water in the 
bilges, although she had not been pumped out for six months. 
The pack extended to the horizon in every direction. I calcu- 
lated that we were 250 miles from the nearest known land to 
the westward, and more than 500 miles from the nearest outpost 
of civilization, Wilhelmina Bay. I hoped we would not have 
to undertake a march across the moving ice-fields. The 
61 
