THE EREBUS AND TERROR 321 
ward for a week, were actually farther north than when 
they entered. New ice was forming and it was evident 
that unless the ships could be extricated speedily they 
would run a serious risk of remaining fast for a year. 
Several days’ struggle brought them out in latitude 64° 
S. on the northern side of the pack, and the first part of 
the programme having already consumed six weeks, with 
no result so far as a high latitude was concerned, it re- 
mained to try to carry out the second part, the repeti- 
tion of Weddell’s cruise on the fortieth meridian. 
The expedition accordingly skirted the pack toward the 
east, keeping in the open water, the temperature of which 
was a sure index of the proximity of floating ice even 
in the thickest fog. On February 14th Weddell’s 
track was crossed, but there was no way open to the 
south. The edge of the pack was in latitude 65° 13' S., 
some 75 miles farther south than when D’Urville passed 
that way four years before, but very different from the 
time when Weddell found no ice for 550 miles farther 
south. D’Urville had cast doubt on Weddell’s veracity 
and obviously did not believe that there ever had been 
open sea to beyond the 70th parallel. According to 
McCormick, Ross did not wish to follow in the track of 
Weddell or anyone else and deliberately passed the posi- 
tion, but it is impossible to accept this suggestion for the 
leader himself refers repeatedly to his desire to get south 
on Weddell’s track and nothing but the position of the 
ice prevented him from doing so. He says : 
" ... we must conclude that Weddell was 
favoured by an unusually fine season, and we may re- 
joice that there was a brave and daring seaman on the 
spot to profit by the opportunity.” 
On February 26th, still following the edge of the ice, 
21 
