THE AURORA'S DRIFT 
about twenty birds had been there. No pieces of egg-shell were 
seen, but the petrels and skuas had been there in force and 
probably would have taken all scraps of this kind. The floey 
were becoming soft and rotten/' and walking was increasingly 
difficult. Deep pools of slush and water covered with thin 
snow made traps for the men. Stenhouse thought that a stiff 
bHzzard would break up the pack. His anxiety was increasing 
with the advance of the season, and his log is a record of deep 
yearning to be free and active again. But the grip of the pack 
was inexorable. The hands had plenty of work on the Aurora, 
which was being made shipshape after the bufEeting of the 
winter storms. Seals and penguins were seen frequently, and 
the supply of fresh meat was maintained. The jury-rudder 
was ready to be shipped when the ship was released, but in the 
meantime it was not being exposed to the attacks of the ice. 
" No appreciable change in our surroundings/' was the note 
for December 17. " Every day past now reduces our chance 
of getting out in time to go north for rudder, anchors, and coal. 
If we break out before January 15 we might get north to New 
Zealand and down to Cape Evans again in time to pick up the 
parties. After that date we can only attempt to go south in 
our crippled state, and short of fuel. With only nine days' 
coal on board we would have little chance of working through 
any Ross Sea pack, or of getting south at all if we encountered 
many blizzards. Still there is a sporting chance and luck may 
be with us. • . . Shackleton may be past the Pole now. I 
wish our wireless calls had got through." 
Christmas Day, with its special dinner and mild festivities, 
came and passed, and still the ice remained firm. The men were 
finding some interest in watching the moulting of emperor 
penguins, who were stationed at various points in the neighbour- 
hood of the ship. They had taken station to leeward of hum- 
mocks, and appeared to move only when the wind changed or 
the snow around them had become foul. They covered but a 
few yards on these journeys, and even then stumbled in their 
weakness. One Emperor was brought on board alive, and the 
crew were greatly amused to see the bird balancing himself on 
heels and tail, mth uptmned toes, the position adopted when 
327 
