70 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
Cape Circumcision, and as the weather was absolutely 
clear so that high land could be seen 70 miles away 
Cook was justified in assuming that Cape Circumcision 
was not a part of a continent. Moreover the ice was 
drifting freely to the north which it could not well do if 
a continent were there to block the way. Taking 
these facts into consideration Cook came to the con- 
Cook's Tracks Near Bouvet Island. 
elusion that Bouvet had mistaken a great iceberg for land. 
This is perhaps evidence that Cook did not know Bou- 
vet’s own report of his work, for it is difficult to see how 
any sailor could keep in sight of an iceberg for twelve 
days without detecting its nature. 
On January 2nd, 1773, the ships were once more turned 
