126 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
get round the edge of the pack, which was followed for 
a distance of 380 miles, and just when the end of it 
seemed to be reached and open sea appeared to south 
and east, allowing a southerly course to be set, a frightful 
storm came on. To add to the misery of the gale and 
the darkness the wild rolling of the ships shook masses 
of frozen snow from the rigging which fell on the decks 
making it doubly dangerous to attempt to move about. 
The pet birds brought from the tropics were dying daily, 
but the denizens of the region of ice and storm came 
round the ships in increasing number, always renewing 
the hope of land not far beyond the barrier ice. On 
December 24th the vessels for the fourth time succeeded 
in getting within the Antarctic circle in 164° 34' W. ; but 
the high latitude could only be maintained for two days 
a dense pack set with gigantic bergs put a stop to all ad- 
vance, one of the ice-islands being found to measure over 
eleven miles in length. A wide northward curve had to 
be made keeping outside the edge of the pack through 
the same part of the ocean where Cook nearly a fortnight 
later in the same month of 1773 had sailed for thirteen 
degrees of longitude south of the circle. Bellingshausen 
just managed to get round the pack without going north 
of 6o°S., and on the meridian of I35°W., where Cook had 
been driven north with his exhausted crew, he succeeded 
in getting south again. On Christmas day (Russian 
calendar) 244 icebergs were sighted, and the com- 
mander congratulated himself that both crews were en- 
joying the best of health, far better than in the tropics. 
On January nth the circle was crossed for the fifth time 
to 67 50 in 120 0 W. Here the pack again presented too 
formidable a front to face, and the two war ships had 
once more to make an honourable retreat, but not for 
