HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES 295 
was greeted with all the noise that both the crews could 
raise, each ship sounding forty-two bells and the men 
joining in with all manner of musical and unmusical in- 
struments, including the surviving pigs, which the sailors 
carried bag-pipe fashion under their arms, squeezing 
them until they became vocal in protest. Both captains 
entered very heartily into the entertainment which ended 
in a great snow-ball fight and left something to talk 
about for many a dreary day to come. After the ball 
was over the ships drifted across the Antarctic circle 
and the polar clothing was issued to the men. By a 
curious coincidence it was on the same day of the pre- 
vious year that the circle had been crossed on the former 
voyage some 1400 miles farther to the west. 
Progress on this occasion was exasperatingly slow. 
On January 4th the pack and the ships with it were driven 
to the northward for twenty miles, so the piece of floe 
was dropped and the two vessels recommenced their un- 
ceasing tacking and wearing in the small pools of open 
water, scarcely a quarter of an hour passing without 
having to go about. Then a gale from the south drove 
them back to 65° 59' S. on the 10th. In such circum- 
stances there was nothing to be done but to hope for a 
favourable change, and Ross was fortunately able to 
interest himself in the opportunities of scientific work 
which abounded. Several of the gigantic penguins first 
seen on Cook’s expedition were killed, the weight of the 
largest specimen being 75 pounds, and the commander of 
the expedition skinned some of them and preserved others 
in pickle with his own hands. The capture of these huge 
birds was a constant delight to the sailors while in the 
pack, and two stalwart tars might sometimes be seen 
marching a solemn penguin in custody toward the ship, 
