120 SIEGE OF TEIE SOUTH POLE 
vapour. A landing was made, and the ground half way up 
the mountain was found to be quite hot. One side of the 
island was free from snow in consequence and was en- 
tirely covered with penguins which seemed to be revelling 
in so genial a nesting place. 
Bellingshausen employed a considerable part of his 
time in making scientific experiments, he tested a new 
deep-sea water-bottle with an enclosed thermometer and 
satisfied himself that the water at 200 fathoms was colder 
and salter than on the surface ; he sent out boats to chip 
off pieces of the floating ice and melted it to see if the 
resulting water could be used for making tea; and as 
the nights grew colder he studied the formation of ice 
in salt and fresh water. 
The Russian ships made their way southward just to 
the east of the Sandwich group recognising Candlemas, 
Saunders and Montague Islands, which Cook had seen 
from the west, and favoured by a solitary day of brilliant 
sunshine the snow-swathed mountains made a splendid 
spectacle. Fogs and snow-squalls speedily reasserted 
their sway and the icebergs became more numerous and 
the sea was so rough that on January 12th, the officers 
of the Mirni were unable to come on board the Vostok 
to celebrate the Russian New Year’s Day. Next day 
Southern Thule was seen and just after crossing the par- 
allel of 6 o° S. the ships were confronted by the edge of a 
solid ice-pack which compelled them to turn west and 
then north, passing the islands of the South Sandwich 
group again on the west side and so enabling the positions 
to be fixed. It was a trying experience, the first of many 
in which the ships had to beat against a gale through a 
sea encumbered by ice-islands, and the relief of being 
able to hold a steady course for a few hours on January 
