ESCAPE FROM THE ICE 
men bent to the oars. I noticed little fragments of ice and 
frost falling from arms and bodies. At eight o'clock a decent 
floe appeared ahead and we pulled up to it. The galley was 
landed, and soon the welcome steam rose from the cooking 
food as the blubber-stove flared and smoked. Never did a 
cook work under more anxious scrutiny. Worsley, Crean, and 
I stayed in our respective boats to keep them steady and 
prevent collisions with the floe, since the swell was still running 
strong, but the other men were able to stretch their cramped 
limbs and run to and fro " in the kitchen," as somebody put it. 
The sun was now rising gloriously. The Burberry suits were 
drying and the ice was melting off oiu: beards. The steaming 
food gave us new vigom', and within three-quarters of an hour 
we were off again to the west with all sails set. We had given 
an additional sail to the Stancomb Wills and she was able to 
keep up pretty weU. We could see that we were on the true 
pack-edge, with the blue, rolling sea just outside the fringe of 
ice to the north. White-capped waves vied with the glittering 
floes in the setting of blue water, and countless seals basked 
and rolled on every piece of ice big enough to form a raft. 
We had been making westward with oars and sails since 
April 9, and fair easterly winds had prevailed. Hopes were 
running high as to the noon observation for position. The 
optimists thought that we had done sixty miles towards our goal, 
and the most cautious guess gave us at least thirty miles. The 
bright sunshme and the brilhant scene around us may have ia- 
fluenced our anticipations. As noon approached I saw Worsley, 
as navigating officer, balancing himself on the gunwale of the 
Dudley Docker with his arm around the mast, ready to snap the 
sun. He got his observation and we waited eagerly while he 
worked out the sight. Then the Dudley Docker ranged up along- 
side the James Caird and I jumped into Worsley's boat in order 
to see the result. It was a grievous disappointment. Instead 
of making a good run to the westward we had made a big 
drift to the south-east. We were actually thirty miles to the east 
of the position we had occupied when we left the floe on the 
9th. It has been noted by sealers operating in this area that 
there are often heavy sets to the east in the Belgica Straits, 
181 
