 Section 4 of Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 1. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 1. The Journals of Robert Falcon Scott, arranged by Leonard Huxley. Second Part of Chapter 2, In the Pack Monday, December 19. On the whole, in spite of many bumps, we made good progress during the night. But the morning, present, outlook, is the worst we've had. We seem to be in the midst of a terribly heavy, screwed pack. It stretches in all directions, as far as the eye can see, and the prospects are alarming from all points of view. I've decided to push west, anything to get out of these terribly heavy flows. Great patience is the only panacea for our ill case. It is bad luck. We first got amongst the very thick flows at 1 a.m. and jammed through some of the most monstrous eye I've ever seen. The pressure ridges rose twenty-four feet above the surface. The ice must have extended at least thirty feet below. The blows given us gave the impression of irresistible solidity. Later in the night we passed out of this into long lanes of water and some of thin, brash eyes, hence the progress made. I'm afraid we have strained our rudder. It is stiff in one direction. We are in difficult circumstances altogether. This morning we have brilliant sunshine and no wind. New, sixty-seven degrees, forty-five point five minutes south, one hundred seventy-eight degrees, twenty-eight minutes west. May good south, thirty-four, west, thirty-seven, see Crociere, six hundred six. Fog is spread up from the south with a very light, southerly breeze. There has been another change of conditions, but I scarcely know whether to call it for the better or the worse. There are fewer heavy old flows. On the other hand, the one year's flows, tremendously screwed and doubtless including old flows in their mass, have now enormously increased in area. A flow which we have just passed must have been a mile across. This argues lack of swell and from that one might judge the open water to be very far. We made progress in a fairly good direction this morning, but the outlook is bad again. The eye seems to be closing. Again patience, we must go unsteadily working through. Five-thirty. We passed two immense bergs in the afternoon watch, the first of an irregular, tabular form. The stratified surface had clearly faltered. I suggest that an uneven bottom to such a berg, giving unequal buoyancy to parts, causes this falting. The second berg was domed having a twin peak. These bergs are still a puzzle. I rather cling to my original idea that they become domed when stranded and isolated. These two bergs had left long tracks of open water in the pack. We came through these making nearly three knots, but alas, only in a direction which carried us a little east of south. It was difficult to get from one track to another, but the tracks themselves were quite clear of ice. I noticed with rather a sinking that the flows on either side of us were assuming gigantic areas. One or two could not have been less than two or three miles across. It seemed to point to very distant open water. But an observation which gave greater satisfaction was a steady reduction in the thickness of the flows. At first they were still much pressed up and screwed. One saw lines and heaps of pressure dotted over the surface of the larger flows, but it was evident from the upturned slopes that the flows had been thin when these disturbances took place. At about 130 we came to a group of six or seven low tabular bergs, some 15 or 20 feet in height. It was such as these that we saw in King Edward's land, and they might very well come from that region. Three of these were beautifully uniform, with flat tops and straight perpendicular sides, and others had overhanging cornices, and some sloped towards the edges. No more open water was poured in on the other side of the bergs, and one wondered what would come next. The conditions have proved a pleasing surprise. There are still large flows on either side of us, but they are not much hummocked. There are pools of water on their surface, and the lanes between are filled with light brush and only an occasional heavy flow. The difference is wonderful. The heavy flows and gigantic pressurized struck one most alarmingly. It seemed impossible that the ship could win her way through them, and led one to imagine all sorts of possibilities, such as remaining to be drifted north and freed later in the season, and the contrast now that the ice all around is little more than two or three feet thick is an immense relief. It seems like release from a horrid captivity. Evans has twice suggested stopping and waiting today, and on three occasions I have felt my own decision trembling in the balance. If this condition holds, I need not say how glad we shall be that we doggedly pushed on in spite of the apparently hopeless outlook. In any case, if it holds or not, it will be a great relief to feel that there is this plane of negotiable ice behind one. Saw two sea leopards this evening, one in the water making sure it lazy dives under the flows. It had a beautiful sinuous movement. I've asked Penel to prepare a map of the pack. It ought to give some idea of the origin of the various forms of flows and their general drift. I much inclined to think that most of the pressure bridges are formed by the passage of bergs through the comparatively young ice. I imagine that when the sea freezes very solid, it carries bergs with it. But obviously the enormous mass of a berg would need a great deal of stopping. In support of this view, I noticed that most of the pressure bridges are formed by pieces of a sheet, which did not exceed one or two feet in thickness. Also, it seems that the screwed ice which we have passed has occurred mostly in the regions of bergs. On one side of the tabular berg, passed yesterday, pressure was heaped to a height of 15 feet. It was like a ship's bow wave on a large scale. Yesterday there were many bergs and much pressure. Last night no bergs and practically no pressure. This morning few bergs and comparatively little pressure. It goes to show that the unconfined pack of these seas would not be likely to give a ship a severe squeeze. Saw a young emperor this morning, and whilst trying to capture it, one of Wilson's new whales with the sabre dorsal fin rose close to the ship. I estimated this fin to be four feet high. It is pretty to see snow petrol and Antarctic petrol diving on to the upturned and flooded flows. The wash of water sweeps the euthosia, footnote, a species of shrimp on which the seabirds feed, end of footnote, across such submerged ice. The Antarctic petrol has a pretty crouching attitude. Notes on nicknames, Evans, Teddy, Wilson, Bill, Uncle, Bill, Uncle, Simpson, Sunny Jim, Pontine, Ponco, Marys, No Entry, Day, No Entry, Campbell, The Mate, Mr. Mate, Penel, Penelope, Renek, Parni, Bowers, Bertie, Taylor, Griff and Cara Hardy, Nelson, Mary and Bronte, Gran, No Entry, Cherry Gerard, Cherry, Wright, Silas Toronto, Priestly, Raymond, Debenham, Deb, Bruce, No Entry, Drake, Francis, Atkinson, Jane, Hellman, Atchison, Oats, Titus, Soldier, Farmer Hayseed, by Bowers, Levick, Toferino, The Old Sport, Lily, Lithley, Hercules, Lithy, footnote, it may be added that in contradistinction to the nicknames of skipper conferred upon Evans and mate on Campbell, Scott himself was known among the after guard as the owner. End of footnote. Tuesday, December 20, noon, 68 degrees, 41 minutes south, 179 degrees, 28 minutes west, mate good south 36 West 58, sea crochet, south 20 West 563. The good conditions held up to midnight last night. We went from lead to lead with only occasional small difficulties. At nine o'clock we passed along the western edge of a big stream, a very heavy Bay ice, such ice as would come out late in the season from the inner reaches and bays of Victoria Sound where the snows drift deeply. For a moment one imagined a return to our bad conditions, but we passed this heavy stuff in an hour and came again to the former condition, making our way and leads between flows of great area. Bowers reported a flow of 12 square miles in the middle watch. We made very fair progress during the night and an excellent run in the morning watch. Before eight, a moderate breeze sprang up from the west and the ice began to close. We have worked our way a mile or two on since, but with much difficulty so that we have now decided to bank fires and wait for the ice to open again. Meanwhile we shall sound and get a haul with toe nets. I'm afraid we are still a long way from the open water. The flows are large and where we have stopped they seem to be such as must have been formed early last winter. The signs of pressure have increased again. Bergs were very scarce last night, but there are several around us today. One has a number of big hops on top. It is curious to think how these big blocks became perch so high. I imagine the Berg must have been calved from a region of hard pressure ridges. Later, this is a mistake. On closer inspection, it is quite clear that the Berg has tilted and that a great part of the upper strata, probably 20 feet deep, has slipped off, leaving the humps as islands on top. It looks as though we must exercise patience again. Progress is more difficult than in the worst of our experiences yesterday. But the outlook is very much brighter. This morning, there were many dark shades of open water sky to the south. The westerly wind, ruffling the water makes these cloud shadows very dark. The barometer has been very steady for several days and we ought to have fine weather. This morning, a lot of low cloud came from the southwest at one time low enough to become fog. The clouds are rising and dissipating and we have almost a clear blue sky with sunshine evening. The wind has gone from west to west southwest and still blows nearly four six. We are lying very comfortably alongside a flow with open water to wind word for 200 or 300 yards. The sky has been clear most of the day. Fragments of low stratus occasionally hurry across the sky and a light cirrus is moving with some speed. Evidently is blowing hard in the upper current. The ice is closed. I trust it will open well when the wind lets up. There is a lot of open water behind us. The Berg describe this morning has been circling round us passing within 800 yards. The bearing in distance have altered so ununiformly that it is evident that the differential movement between the surface water and the Berg driving layers from 100 to 200 meters down is very irregular. We had several hours on the flow practicing ski running and thus got some welcome exercise. Cole is now the great anxiety. We are making terrible inroads on our supply. We have come 240 miles since we first entered the pack streams. The sounding today gave 1,804 fathoms. The water bottle didn't work. The temperatures were got at 1300 and bottom. The temperature was down to 20 degrees last night and kept two or three degrees below freezing all day. The surface for skiing today was very good. Wednesday December 21st. The wind was still strong this morning but had shifted to the southwest. With an overcast sky was very cold and raw. The sun is now peeping through. The wind lessening and the weather conditions generally improving. During the night we had been drifting towards two large bergs and about breakfast time we were becoming uncomfortably close to one of them. The big flows were binding down on one another. But there seemed to be open water to the southeast if we could work out in that direction. Note all directions of wind are given true in this book. A noon position, 68 degrees, 25 minutes south, 179 degrees, 11 minutes west, made good south 26, east 2.5 minute, set of current north 32, east 9.4 minute, made good 24 hours, north 40, east 8 minute. We got the steam up and about 9am commenced to push through. Once or twice we have spent nearly 20 minutes pushing through bad places but it looks as though we are getting to easier water. It's distressing to have the pack so tight and the bergs make it impossible to lie comfortably still for any length of time. Pontine has made some beautiful photographs and Wilson some charming pictures of the pack and bergs. Certainly our voyage will be well illustrated. We find quite a lot of sketching talent. Day, Taylor, Debenham and Wright all contribute to the elaborate record of the bergs and ice features met with. 5pm. The wind has settled to a moderate gale from southwest. We went 2.5 miles this morning then became jammed again. The effort has taken us well clear of the threatening bergs. Some others to Leeward now are a long way off but they are there and to Leeward robbing our position of its full measure of security. Oh but it's mighty trying to be delayed and delayed like this and coal going all the time. Also we are drifting north and east. The pack has carried us nine minute north and six minute east. It really is very distressing. I don't like letting fires go out with these bergs about. Wilson went over the flow to capture some penguins and lay flat on the surface. We saw the birds run up to him then turn with a few feet and rush away again. He says that they came towards him when he was singing and ran away again when he stopped. They were all one-year birds and seemed exceptionally shy. They appear to be attracted to the ship by a fearful curiosity. Footnote from Dr. Wilson's journal Penguins. They have lost none of their attractiveness and are most comical and interesting. As curious as ever they will always come up at a trot when we sing to them and you may often see a group of explorers on the poop singing for she's got bells on her fingers and rings on her toes elephants to ride upon wherever she goes and so on at the top of their voices to an admiring group of Adelaide penguins. Mears is the greatest attraction. He has a full voice which is musical but always very flat. He declares that God save the king will always send them to the water and certainly it is often successful. End of footnote. A chain of birds must form a great obstruction to a field of pack ice largely preventing it stripped and forming lanes of open water taken in conjunction with the effect of birds in forming pressure ridges. It follows that birds have a great influence on the movement as well as the nature of the pack. Thursday December 22nd noon 68 degrees 26 minutes two seconds south 197 degree eight minutes five seconds west sit north five east 8.5 minute no change the wind still steady from the southwest with a clear sky and even barometer it looks as though it might last any time this is sheer bad luck we have let the fires die out there are birds to leeward and we must take our chance of clearing them we cannot go on wasting coal there is not a visage of swell and with the wind in this direction there certainly ought to be if the open water was reasonably close no it looks as though we struck a streak of real bad luck that fortune has determined to put every difficulty in our path we have less than 300 tons of coal left in a ship that simply eats coal it's alarming and then there are the ponies going steadily downhill in condition the only encouragement is the persistence of open water to the east and southeast to the south big lanes of open water can be seen in that position but we cannot get to them in this pressed up pack akinsen has discovered a new tapeworm in the attestants of the edley penguin a very tiny worm one eighth of an inch in length with a propeller shaped head a come of comfort comes on finding that we have not drifted to the eastward appreciably friday december 23rd the wind fell light at about 10 last night and the ship swung round sail was set on the four and she pushed a few hundred yards to the north but soon became jammed again this brought a stead to windward of and close to a large berg with the wind steadily increasing not a very pleasant position but also not one that caused much alarm we set all sail and with this help the ship slowly carried the pack round pivoting on the berg until as the pressure relieved she slid out into the open water close to the berg here it was possible to worship and we saw a fair prospect of getting away to the east and afterwards south following the leads up we made excellent progress during the morning watch and early in the forenoon turned south and then southwest we have made eight and a half minutes south 22 east and about five minutes south southwest by one p.m. and could see a long lead of water to the south cut off only by a broad strip of flow with many water holes in it a composite flow there was just a chance of getting through but we have stuck halfway advance and retreat equally impossible under sail alone steam has been ordered but will not be ready till near midnight shall we be out of the pack by christmas eve the flows today have been larger but thin and very sodden there are extensive water pools showing in patches on the surface and one notes some that run in line as though extending from cracks also here and there close water-free cracks can be seen such flows might well be termed composite flows since they evidently consist of old flows which have been frozen together the junction being concealed by more recent snowfalls a month ago it would probably have been difficult to detect inequalities or differences in the nature of the parts of the flows but now the younger ice has become waterlogged and is melting rapidly hence the pools i'm inclined to think that nearly all the large flows as well as many of the smaller ones are composite and this would seem to show that the cementing of two flows does not necessarily mean a line of weakness provided the difference in the thickness of the cemented flows is not too great of course young ice or even a single season sea ice cannot become firmly attached to the thick old bay flows and hence one finds these isolated even at this season of the year very little can happen in the personal affairs of our company in this comparatively dull time but it is good to see the steady progress that proceeds unconsciously in cementing the happy relationship that exists between the members of the party never could there have been a greater freedom from quarrels and trouble of all sorts i've not heard a harsh word or seen a black look a spirit of tolerance and good humor pervades the whole community and it is glorious to realize that men can live under conditions of hardship monotony and danger in such bountiful good comradeship preparations are now being made for christmas festivities it is curious to think that we have already passed the longest day in the southern year sol whale this morning estimated 25 to 30 feet wilson thinks a new species fine adelie penguins in batches of 20 or so do not remember having seen so many together in the pack after midnight december 23rd steam was reported ready at 11 p.m. after some pushing to and fro we wriggled out of our ice prison and followed a lead to open our waters we have come into a region where the open water exceeds the ice the former lies in great irregular pools three or four miles or more across and connecting with many leads the latter and the fact is puzzling still contain flows of enormous dimensions we've just passed one which is at least two miles in diameter in such a scattered sea we cannot go direct but often have to make longish detours but on the whole in calm water and with a favoring wind we make good progress with the sea even as open as we find it here it is astonishing to find the flows so large and clearly there cannot be a southerly swell the flows have water pools as described this afternoon and on average more than two feet in thickness we have two or three bergs in sight saturday december 24th christmas eve 69 degrees one minute south 178 degree 29 minute west south 22 east 29 minute sea crochet 551 alas alas at 7 a.m. this morning we were brought up with a solid sheet of pack extending in all directions save that from which we had come i must honestly own that i turned in at three thinking we had come to the end of our troubles i had a suspicion of anxiety when i thought of the size of the flows but i didn't for a moment suspect we should get into thick pack again behind those great sheets of open water all went well till four when the white wall again appeared ahead at five all leads ended and we entered the pack at seven we were close up to an immense composite flow about as big as any we've seen she wouldn't skirt the edge of this and she wouldn't go through it there was nothing to do but to stop and bank fires how do we stand any day or hour the flows may open up leaving a road to further open water to the south but there is no guarantee that one would not be hung up again and again in this manner as long as these great flows exist in a fortnight's time the flows will have crumbled somewhat and in many places the ship will be able to penetrate them what to do under these circumstances calls for the most difficult decision if one lets fires out it means a dead loss of over two tons when the boiler has to be heated again but this two tons would only cover a day under banked fires so that for anything longer than 24 hours it is economy to put the fires out at each stoppage one is called upon to decide whether it is to be for more or less than 24 hours last night we got some five or six hours of good going ahead but it has to be remembered that this cost two tons of coal in addition to that expended in doing the distance if one waits one probably drifts north in all other respects conditions ought to be improving except that the southern edge of the pack will be steadily augmenting rough summary of current impact december followed by current followed by wind 11 through 12 south 48 east 12 minute question mark north by west three to five 13 through 14 north 20 west two minute northwest by west zero to two 14th through 15th north two east 5.2 minute southwest one to two 15th through 17th apparently little current variable light 20 through 21 north 32 east 9.4 northwest to west southwest four to six 21 to 22 north five east 8.5 west four to five the above seems to show that the drift is generally with the wind we have had a predominance of westerly winds in a region where predominance of easterly might be expected now that we have an easterly what will be the result sunday december 25th christmas day dead reckoning 69 degree five minute south 178 degree 30 minute east the night before last i had bright hopes that this christmas day would see us in open water the scene is altogether too christmasy ice surrounds us low nimbus clouds intermittently discharging light snowflakes obscure the sky here and there small pools of open water throw shafts of black shadow onto the cloud this block predominates in the direction from once we have come elsewhere the white haze of ice blink is pervading we are captured we do practically nothing under sail to push through and could do little under steam and at each step forward the possibility of advance seems to lessen the wind which has persisted from the west for so long fell light last night and today comes from the northeast by north a steady breeze from two to three in force since one must have hope ours is pinned to the possible effect of a continuance of easterly wind again the call is for patience and again patience here at least we seem to enjoy full security the ice is so thin that it could not hurt by pressure there are no burgs within reasonable distance indeed the thinness of the ice is one of the most tantalizing conditions in spite of the unpropitious prospect everyone on board is cheerful and one foresees a merry dinner tonight the mess is gaily decorated with our various banners there was full attendance at the service this morning and a lusty singing of hymns should we now try to go east or west i've been trying to go west because the majority of tracks lie that side and no one is encountered such hard conditions as ours otherwise there is nothing to point to this direction and all through the last week the prospect to the west has seemed less promising than in other directions in spite of orders to steer to the southwest when possible it has been impossible to push in that direction an event of christmas was the production of a family by kreen's rabbit she gave birth to seventeen it is said and kreen is given away twenty-two i don't know what will we come with the parent or family at present they're warm and snug enough tucked away in the fodder under the four castle midnight tonight the air is thick with falling snow the temperature 28 degrees it is cold and slushy without a merry evening has just concluded we had an excellent dinner tomato soup penguin breast stewed as an entree roast beef plum pudding and mince pies asparagus champagne port and liqueurs a festive menu dinner began at six and ended at seven for five hours the company has been sitting around the table singing lustily we haven't much talent but everyone has contributed more or less and the choruses are deafening it is rather surprising circumstance that such an unmusical party should be so keen on singing on xmas night it was kept up till one a.m. and no work is done without a chanty i don't know if you have ever heard sea shanties being sung the merchant sailors have quite a repertoire and invariably call on it when getting up anchor or hoisting sails often is not they are sung in a flat and throaty style but the effect when a number of men break into the chorus is generally inspiring the men had dinner at midday much the same fare but with beer and some whiskey to drink they seem to have enjoyed themselves much evidently the men's deck contains a very merry band there are three groups of penguins roosting on the flows quite close to the ship i made the total number of birds 39 we could easily capture these birds and so it is evident that food can always be obtained in the pack tonight i noticed a skewer goal settle on an upturn block of ice at the edge of the flow on which several penguins were preparing for rest it is the fact that the latter held a noisy confabulation with the skewer as subject then they advanced as a body towards it within a few paces the foremost penguin halted and turned and then the others pushed him on towards the skewer one after another they jived at being first to approach their enemy and it was only with much chattering and mutual support that they gradually edged towards him they couldn't reach him as he was perched on a block but when they got quite close the skewer who up to that time had appeared quite unconcerned flapped away a few yards and settled close on the other side of the group of penguins the latter turned and repeated their former tactics until the skewer finally flapped away altogether it really was extraordinarily interesting to watch the timorous protesting movements of the penguins the frame of mind producing every action could be so easily imagined and put into human sentiments on the other side of the ship part of another group of penguins were quarreling for the possession of a small pressure block which offered only the most insecure foothold the scrambling antics to secure the point of vantage the ousting of the bird in possession and the incontinent loss of balance and position as each bird reached the summit of his ambition was almost as entertaining as the episode of the skewer truly these little creatures afford much amusement end of second part of chapter two section five of scott's last expedition volume one this is a lever vox recording all lever vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit lever vox.org scott's last expedition volume one the journals of robert falcon scott arranged by lennard huxley third part of chapter two in the pack monday december 26 lobs 69 degrees nine minutes south 178 degrees 13 minutes west made good 48 hours south 35 east 10 minutes the position tonight is very cheerless all hope that this easterly wind will open the pack seems to have vanished we are surrounded with compacted flows of immense area openings appear between these flows and we slide crab like from one to another with long delays between it is difficult to keep hope alive there are streaks of water sky over open leads to the north but everywhere to the south we have the uniform white sky the day has been overcast and the wind force three to five from the east northeast snow has fallen from time to time there could scarcely be a more dreary prospect for the eye to rest upon as i lay in my bunk last night i seem to note a measured crush on the brash ice and today first it was reported that the flows had become smaller and then we seem to know to sort of measured send alongside the ship there may be a long low swall but it is not helping us apparently tonight the flows around are indisputably as large as ever and i see little sign of their breaking or becoming less tightly locked it is a very very trying time we have managed to make two or three miles in the southwest question mark direction under sail by alternately throwing her back thin filling sail and pressing through the narrow leads probably this will scarcely make up for our drift it's all very disheartening the bright side is that everyone is prepared to exert himself to the utmost however poor the result of our labors may show rennet got a sounding again today 1,843 fathoms one is much struck by our inability to find a cause for the periodic opening and closing of the flows one wonders whether there is a reason to be found in tidal movement in general however it seems to show that our conditions are governed by remote causes somewhere well north or south of us the wind may be blowing in some other direction tending to press up or release pressure then again such sheets of open water as those through which we pass to the north afford space into which bodies of pack can be pushed the exasperating uncertainty of one's mind in such captivity is due to ignorance of its cause and inability to predict the effect of changes of wind one can only vaguely comprehend that things are happening far beyond our horizon which directly affect our situation tuesday december 27th dead reckoning 69 degree 12 minutes south 178 degree 18 minute west we made nearly two miles in the first watch half push half drift then the ship was again held up in the middle of the ice was closed around even pressing on us and we didn't move the yard the wind steadily increased and has been blowing a moderate gale shifting in direction to east southeast we are reduced to lower top sails in the morning watch we began to move again the ice opening out with the usual astonishing absence of reason we've made a mile or two in a westerly direction in the same manner as yesterday the flow seemed a little smaller but our outlook is very limited there is the thick haze and the only fact that can't be known is that there are pools of water at intervals for a mile or two in the direction in which we go we commence to move between two flows make 200 or 300 yards and are then brought up bows on to a large lump this may mean a weight of anything from 10 minutes to half an hour whilst the ship swings round falls away and drifts to leeward when clear she forges ahead again and the operation is repeated occasionally when she can get a little way on she cracks the obstacle and slowly passes through it there is a distinct swell very long very low i counted the period is about nine seconds everyone says the ice is breaking up i've not seen any distinct evidence myself but wilson saw a large flow which had recently cracked into four pieces in such a position that the ship could not have caused it the breaking up of the big flows is certainly a hopeful sign i've written quite a lot about the pack ice when under ordinary conditions i should have passed it with few words but you will scarcely be surprised when i tell you what an obstacle we have found it on this occasion i was thinking during the gale last night that our position might be a great deal worse than it is we were lying amongst the flows perfectly peacefully whilst the wind howled through the rigging one felt quite free from anxiety as to the ship the sails the bergs or ice pressures one calmly went below and slept in the greatest comfort one thought of the ponies but after all horses have been carried for all time in small ships and often enough for very long voyages the eastern party footnote the party headed by lieutenant cambell which being unable to disembark on king edwards land was ultimately taken by the taranova to the north part of victoria land and so came to be known as the northern party the western party here mentioned includes all who had their base at cape evans the depots to be laid were for the subsequent expedition to the pole end of footnote will certainly benefit by any delay we may make for them the later they get to king edwards land the better the depot journey of the western party will be curtailed but even so if we can get landed in january there should be time for a good deal of work one must confess that things might be a great deal worse and there would be little to disturb one if one's release was certain say in a week's time i'm afraid the ice house is not going on so well as it might there is some mold on the mutton and the beef is tainted there is a distinct smell the house has been opened by order when the temperature has fallen below 28 degrees i thought the effect would be to harden up the meat but apparently we need air circulation when the temperature goes down tonight we shall probably take the beef out of the house and put a wind sail in to clear the atmosphere if this does not improve matters we must hang more carcasses in the rigging later six p.m the wind has backed from southeast to east southeast and the swell is going down this seems to argue open water in the first but not in the second direction and that the course we pursue is a good one on the whole the sky is clearing but the wind still gusty fours four to seven the ice has frozen a little and we've made no progress since noon nine p.m one of the ponies went down tonight he has been down before it may mean nothing on the other hand it is not a circumstance of good omen otherwise there is nothing further to record and i close this volume of my journal under circumstances which cannot be considered cheerful a fresh ms book 1910 to 11 on the fly leaf and in regions far such heroes bring you forth as those from whom we came and plant on our name under that star not known unto our north to the virginian voyage draten but be the workmen what they may be let us speak of the work that is the true greatness of kingdom and estates and the means thereof bacon still in the ice wednesday december 28th 1910 obs noon 69 degrees 17 minutes south 179 degree 42 minutes west made good since 26th south 74 west 31 minute sea crochet south 22 west 530 the gale has abated the sky began to clear in the middle watch now we have bright cheerful warm sunshine temperature 28 degree the wind lulled in the middle watch and has fallen to force two to three we made one and a half miles in the middle and have added nearly a mile since this movement has brought us amongst flows of decidedly small area and the pack has loosened considerably a visit to the crow's nest shows great improvement in the conditions there is ice on all sides but a large percentage of the flows is quite thin and even the heavier ice appears breakable it is only possible to be certain of conditions for three miles or so the limit of observation from the crow's nest but as far as this limit there is no doubt the ship could work through with ease beyond there are vague signs of open water in the southern sky we have pushed and drifted south and west during the gale and are now near the 180th meridian again it seems impossible that we can't be far from the southern limit of the pack on strength of these observations we have decided to raise steam i trust this effort will carry us through the pony which fell last night has now been brought out into the open the poor beast is in a miserable condition very thin very weak on the hind legs and suffering from a most irritating skin infection which is causing its hair to fall out in great quantities i think a day or so in the open will help matters one or two of the other ponies under the four castle are also in poor condition but none so bad as this one oats is unremitting in his attention and care of the animals but i don't think he quite realizes that wilson the pack the ship must remain steady and that therefore a certain limited scope for movement and exercise is afforded by the open deck on which the sick animal now stands if we can't get through the ice in the coming effort we may get all the ponies through safely but there would be no great cause for surprise if we lost two or three more these animals are now the great consideration balance as they are against the cold expenditure this morning a number of penguins were driving for food around and under the ship it is the first time they have come so close to the ship in the pack and there can be little doubt that the absence of motion of the propeller has made them bold the adeli penguin on land or ice is almost holy ludicrous whether sleeping quarreling or playing whether curious brightened or angry its interest is continuously humorous but the adeli penguin in the water is another thing as it darts to and fro a fathom or two below the surface as it leaps porpoise-like into the air or swims skimmingly over the rippling surface of a pool it excites nothing but admiration its speed probably appears greater than it is but the ability to twist and turn and the general control of movement is both beautiful and wonderful as one looks across the bearing stretches of the pack it is sometimes difficult to realize what teaming life exists immediately beneath its surface a toe net is filled with diatoms in a very short space of time showing that the floating plant life is many times richer than that of temperate or tropic seas these diatoms mostly consist of three or four well-known species feeding on these diatoms are countless thousands of small shrimps euthosia they can be seen swimming at the edge of every flow and washing about on the overturned pieces in turn they afford food for creatures great and small the crab eater or white seal the penguins the Antarctic and snowy petrol and an unknown number of fish these fish must be plentiful as shown by our capture of one on an overturned flow and the report of several seen two days ago by some men leaning over the counter of the ship these all exclaimed together and on inquiry all agreed that they had seen half a dozen or more a float or so in length swimming away under a flow seals and penguins capture these fish as also doubtless the scuas and petrels coming to the larger mammals one occasionally sees the long lithe sea leopard formatively armed with ferocious teeth and doubtless containing a penguin or two and perhaps a young crab eating seal the killer whale orca gladiator unappeasably voracious devouring or attending to devour every small animal is less common in the pack but numerous on the coast finally we have the great browsing whales of various species from the vast blue whale ball noctura sobaldi the largest mammal of all time to the smaller and less common bottle nose and such species as have not yet been named great numbers of these huge animals are seen and one realizes what a demand they must make on their food supply and therefore how immense supply of small sea bees these must contain beneath the plasticized flows and under the calm water pools the old universal warfare is raging incessantly in the struggle for existence both morning and afternoon we have had brilliant sunshine and this afternoon all the after guard lay about on the deck sending themselves a happy carefree group 10 p.m. we made our start at eight and so far things look well we found the ice comparatively thin the flows two to three feet in thickness except we're hummocked amongst them are large sheets from six inches to one foot in thickness as well as fairly numerous water pools the ship is pushed on well covering at least three miles an hour though occasionally almost stopped by a group of hummocked flows the sky is overcast stratus clouds come over from the north northeast with wind in the same direction soon after we started this may be an advantage as the sails give great assistance and the officer of the watch has an easier time when the sun is not shining directly in his eyes as i write the pack looks a little closer i hope to heavens it is not generally closing up again no sign of open water to the south alas 12 p.m saw two sea leopards playing in the wake thursday december 29th no sites alas the change for which i've been so eagerly looking has arrived and we are steaming amongst flows of small area evidently broken by swell and with edges abraded by contact the transition was almost southern we made very good progress during the night with one or two checks and one or two slices of luck in the way of open water in one pool we ran clear for an hour capturing six good miles this morning we were running through large continuous sheets of ice from six inches to one foot in thickness with occasional water holes and groups of heavier flows this forenoon it is the same tail except that the sheets of the ice are broken into comparatively regular figures none more than 30 yards across it is the hopeful sign of the approach to the open sea that i have seen the wind remains in the north helping us the sky is overcast and slight fleeting drizzle is falling the sun is made one or two attempts to break through but without success last night we had a good example of the phenomenon called glazed frost the ship everywhere on every fiber of rope as well as on her more solid parts was covered with a thin sheet of ice caused by a fall of light super cooled rain the effect was pretty and interesting our passage through the pack has been comparatively uninteresting from the zoologist point of view as we have seen so little of the rare species of animals or of birds and exceptional plumage we passed dozens of crab eaters but have seen no raw seals nor have we been able to kill a sea leopard today we see very few penguins i'm afraid there can be no observations to give us our position release after 20 days in the pack friday december 30th ops 72 degree 17 minutes south 177 degree nine minute east made good in 48 hours south 19 west 190 sea crochet south 21 west 334 we are out of the pack at length and at last one breeze again and hopes that it will be possible to carry out the main part of our program but the coal will need tender nursing yesterday afternoon it became darkly overcast with falling snow the barometer fell on a very steep gradient and the wind increased to four six from the east northeast in the evening the snow fell heavily and the glass still galloped down in any other part of the world one would have felt certain of a coming gale but here by experience we know that the barometer gives little indication of wind throughout the afternoon and evening the waterholes became more frequent and we came along at a fine speed at the end of the first watch we were passing through occasional streams of ice the wind had shifted to north and the barometer had ceased to fall in the middle watch the snow held up and soon after 1 am bower steered through the last ice stream at six this morning we were well in the open sea the sky thick and overcast with occasional patches of fog we passed one small bird on the starboard hand with a group of Antarctic petrals on one side and a group of snow petrals on the other it is evident that these birds rely on sea and swell to cast their food up on ice ledges only a few find sustenance in the pack where though food is plentiful it is not so easily come by a flight of Antarctic petrol accompanied the ship for some distance we'll lean to and fro about her rather than following in the wake as do the more northerly seabirds it is good to escape from the captivity of the pack and to feel that a few days we'll see us at Cape Crocier but it is sad to remember the terrible inroad which the fight of the last fortnight has made on our coal supply 2 p.m the wind failed in the forenoon sales were clued up and at 11 we stopped to sound the sounding showed 1,111 fathoms we appear to be on the edge of the continental shelf Nelson got some samples and temperatures the sun is bursting through the misty sky and warm in the air the snowstorm had covered the ropes with an icy sheet this is now peeling off and falling with a clatter to the deck from which the moist slush is rapidly evaporating in a few hours the ship will be dry much to our satisfaction it is very wretched when as last night there is slippery wet snow underfoot and on every object one touches our run is exceeded our reckoning by much i feel confident that our speed during the last two days had been greatly underestimated and so it is proved we ought to be off sea crochet on new year's day 8 p.m our column soon came to an end the breeze is at 3 p.m coming strong from the south southwest dead in our teeth a regular southern blizzard we are creeping along a bare two knots i began to wonder if fortune will ever turn her wheel on every possible occasion she seems to have decided against us of course the ponies are feeling the motion as we pitch in a short sharp sea it's damnable for them and disgusting for us summary of the pack we may be said to have entered the pack at 4 p.m on the 9th in latitude 65 one half south we left it at 1 a.m on 30th in latitude 71 one half south we've taken 20 days and some odd hours to get through and covered in a direct line over 370 miles an average of 18 miles a day we entered the pack with 342 tons of coal and left with 281 tons we have therefore expended 61 tons in forcing our way through an average of six miles to the ton these are not pleasant figures to contemplate but considering the exceptional conditions experienced i suppose one must conclude that things might have been worse 9th loose streams steaming 10th close pack 11th 6 a.m close pack stopped 12th 11 30 a.m started 13th 8 a.m heavy pack stopped 8 p.m outfires 14th fires out 15th ellipsis 16th ellipsis 17th ellipsis 18th noon heavy pack and leads steaming 19th noon heavy pack and leads steaming 20th forenoon banked fires 21st 9 a.m started 11 a.m banked 22nd same 23rd midnight started 24th 7 a.m stopped 25th fires out 26th same 27th same 28th 7 30 p.m steaming 29th steaming 30th steaming these columns show that we were steaming for nine out of 20 days we had two long stops one of five days and one of four and a half days on three other occasions we stopped for short intervals without drawing fires i've asked right to plot the pack with certain symbols on the chart made by penel it promises to give a very graphic representation of our experiences we hold the record for reaching the northern edge of the pack whereas three or four times the open raw sea has been gained at an earlier date i can imagine few things more trying to the patients than the long wasted days of waiting exasperating as it is to see the tons of coal melting away with the smallest mileage to our credit one has at least the satisfaction of active fighting and the hope of better fortune to wait idly is the worst of conditions you can imagine how often and how restlessly we climbed to the crow's nest and studied the outlook and strangely enough there was generally some change to note a water lead would mysteriously open up a few miles away mysteriously open up a few miles away or the place where it had been wood is mysteriously closed huge icebergs crept silently towards or past us and continually we were observing these formidable objects with range finder and compass to determine the relative movement sometimes with misgiving as to our ability to clear them under steam the change of conditions was even more marked sometimes we would enter a lead of open water and proceed for a mile or two without hindrance sometimes we would come to big sheets of thin ice which broke easily as our iron shod prow struck them and sometimes even a thin sheet would resist all our attempts to break it it sometimes we would push big flows with comparative ease and sometimes a small flow would bar our passage with such obscenity that one would almost believe it possessed an evil spirit sometimes we pass through acres of sludgy sodon ice which hissed as it swept along the side and sometimes the hissing ceased seemingly without rhyme or reason and we found our screw churning the sea without any effect thus the steaming days passed away in a never-changing environment and are remembered as an unceasing struggle the ship behaves abundantly no other ship not even the discovery would have come through so well certainly the Nimrod would never reach the south water had she been caught in such pack as a result I've grown strangely attached to the taranova as she bumped the flows with mighty shocks crushing and grinding away through some twisting and turning to avoid others she seemed like a living thing fighting a great fight if only she had more economical engines she would be suitable in our respects once or twice we got among flows which stood seven or eight feet above water with hammocks and pinnacles as high as 25 feet the ship could have stood no chance had such flows pressed against her and at first we were a little alarmed in such situations but familiarity breeds contempt there never was any pressure in the heavy ice and I'm inclined to think there never would be the weather changed frequently during our journey through the pack the wind blew strong from the west and from the east the sky was often darkly overcast we had snow storms flaky snow and even light rain in all such circumstances we were better placed in the pack than outside of it the foulest weather could do us little harm during quite a large percentage of days however we had bright sunshine which even with the temperature well below freezing made everything look bright and cheerful the sun also brought us wonderful cloud effects marvelously delicate tints of sky cloud and ice such effects as one might travel far to see in spite of our impatience we would not willingly have missed many of the beautiful scenes which are sojourned in the pack afforded us Pontine and Wilson have been busy catching these effects but no art can reproduce such colors as the deep blue of the icebergs scientifically we have been able to do something we've managed to get a line of soundings on our route showing the raising of the bottom from the ocean depths to the shallow water on the continental shelf and the nature of the bottom with these soundings with these soundings we have obtained many interesting observations of the temperature of different layers of water in the sea then we have added a great deal to the knowledge of life in the pack from observation of the whales seals penguins birds and fishes as well as the pelagic bees which are caught in toe nets life in one form or another is very plentiful in the pack and the struggle for existence here as elsewhere is a fascinating subject for study we made a systematic study of the ice also both the bergs and sea ice and have got a good deal of useful information concerning it also penel has done a little magnetic work but of course the slight list of activity in the cause of science is a very poor showing for the time of our numerous experts many have had to be idle in regard to their own specialties though none are idle otherwise all the scientific people keep night watch when they have no special work to do and i've never seen a party of men so anxious to be doing work or so cheerful in doing it when there is anything to be done such as making or shortening sail digging ice from flows for the water supply or heaving up the sounding line it goes without saying that all of the after guard turn out to do it there is no hesitation and no distinction it will be the same when it comes to landing stores or doing any other hard manual labor the spirit of the enterprise is as bright as ever everyone strives to help everyone else and not a word of complaint or anger has been heard on board the inner life of our small community is very pleasant to think upon and very wonderful considering the extremely small space in which we are confined the attitude of the men is equally worthy of admiration in the forecastle as in the ward room there is a rush to be first when work is to be done and the same desire to sacrifice selfish consideration to the success of the expedition it is very good to be able to ride in such high praise of one's companions and i feel that the possession of such support ought to ensure success fortune would be in a hard mood indeed if it allowed such a combination of knowledge experience ability and enthusiasm to achieve nothing end of chapter two section six of scott's last expedition volume one this is a libravox recording all libravox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org recording by albatross scott's last expedition volume one the journals of robert falcon scott arranged by lennard huxley chapter three land saturday december 31st new year's eve observed 72 degrees 54 minutes south 174 degrees 55 minutes east made good south 45 west 55 cake crows your south 17 west 286 new year's eve found us in the ross sea but not at the end of our misfortunes we had a horrible night in the first watch we kept away two points and set four and aft sail it did not increase our comfort but gave us greater speed the night dragged slowly through i could not sleep thinking of the source straight for our wretched ponies in the morning watch the wind and sea increased and the outlook was very distressing but at six ice was sighted ahead under ordinary conditions the safe course would have been to go about and stand to the east but in our case we must risk trouble to get smoother water for the ponies we passed the stream of ice over which the sea was breaking heavily and one realized the danger of being amongst loose flows in such a sea but soon we came to a compacter body of flows and running behind this we were agreeably surprised to find comparatively smooth water we ran on for a bit then stopped and lay to now we are lying in a sort of ice bay there is a mile or so packed to winward and two horns which form the bay embracing us the sea is damped down to a gentle swell although the wind is as strong as ever as a result we are lying very comfortably the ice is drifting a little faster than the ship so that we have occasionally to steam slowly to leeward so far so good from a dangerous position we have achieved one which only directly involved the waste of coal the question is which will last longest the gale or our temporary shelter renic has just obtained a sounding of 187 fathoms taken in conjunction with yesterday's 1111 fathoms and Ross's sounding of 180 this is interesting showing the rapid gradient of the continental shelf nelson is going to put over the eight feet agus's troll unfortunately we could not clear the line for the troll it is stored under the fodder unlike dredge was tried on a small manila line very little result first the weights were insufficient to carry it to the bottom a second time with more weight and line it seems to have touched for a very short time only there was little of value in the catch but the biologists are learning the difficulties of the situation evening our protection grew less as the day advanced but saved us much from the heavy swell at 8 p.m we started to steam west to gain fresh protection there being signs of pack to the south and west the swell is again diminishing the wind which started south yesterday has gone to south southwest true the main swell in from southeast by south or south southeast there seems to be another from south but none from the direction from which the wind is now blowing the wind has been getting squally now the squalls are lessening in force the sky is clearing and we seem to be approaching the end of the blow i trust it may be so and that's the new year will bring us better fortune than the old if so it'll be some pleasure to write 1910 for the last time land all at 10 p.m tonight as the clouds lifted to the west a distant but splendid view of the great mountains was obtained all were in sunshine sabine and we're well we're most conspicuous the latter from this view is a beautiful sharp peak as remarkable a landmark as sabine itself matt sabine was 110 miles away when we saw it i believe we could have seen it at a distance of 30 or 40 miles further such is the wonderful clearness of the atmosphere finny 1910 sunday january the first observation 73 degrees five minutes south 174 degrees 11 minutes east made good south 48th west 13.4 cake crows years south 15 west 277 at 4 a.m we proceeded steaming slowly to the southeast the wind having gone to the southwest and fallen to force three as we cleared the ice we headed into a short steep swell and for some hours the ship pitched most uncomfortably at 8 a.m the ship was clear of the ice and headed south with four and aft sail set she's lying easier on this course but there is still a good deal of motion and would be more if we attempted to increase speed oats reports that the ponies are taking it pretty well soon after 8 a.m the sky cleared and we have had brilliant sunshine throughout the day the wind came from northwest this forenoon but has dropped during the afternoon we increased to 55 revolutions at 10 a.m the swell is subsiding but not so quickly as i had expected tonight it is absolutely calm with glorious bright sunshine several people were sunning themselves at 11 o'clock sitting on deck and reading the land is clear tonight cullman island 75 miles west sounding at 7 p.m 187 fathoms sounding at 4 a.m 310 fathoms one day january the second observed 75 degrees three minutes 173 degrees 41 minutes a good south three west 119 cake crosier south 22 west 159 it has been a glorious night followed by a glorious forenoon the sun has been shining almost continuously several of us drew a bucket of seawater and had a bath with saltwater soap on the deck the water was cold of course but it was quite pleasant to dry oneself in the sun the deck bathing habit has fallen off since we crossed the Antarctic circle but bowers has kept going in all weathers there is still a good deal of swell difficult to understand after a day's calm and less than 200 miles of water to windward wilson saw and sketched a new white stomached whale seen by us in the pack at 8 30 we sighted Mount Erebus distant about 115 miles the sky is covered with light cumulus and an easterly wind has sprung up force two to three with all sail set we are making very good progress Tuesday january the third 10 a.m the conditions are very much the same as last night we are only 24 miles from Cape Prozier and the land is showing up well although Erebus is veiled in stratus cloud it looks finer to the south and we may run into sunshine soon but the wind is alarming and there is a slight swell which has little effect on the ship but makes all the difference to our landing for the moment it doesn't look hopeful we have been continuing our line of soundings from the bank we crossed in latitude 71 degrees the water has gradually got deeper and we are now getting 310 to 350 fathoms against 180 on the bank the discovery soundings give depths up to 450 fathoms east of Ross island 6 p.m no good alas Cape Prozier with all its attractions is denied us we came up to the barrier five miles east of the Cape soon after 1 p.m not from the glossary the barrier is the immense sheet of ice over 400 miles wide and of still greater length which lies south of Ross island to the west of victoria land end of nod the swell from the east northeast continued to the end the barrier was not more than 60 feet in height from the crow's nest one could see well over it and noted that there was a gentle slope for at least a mile towards the edge the land of black or white island could be seen distinctly behind topping the huge lines of pressure ridges we plotted the barrier edge from the point at which we met it to the crozier cliffs to the eye it seems scarcely to have changed since discovery days and wilson thinks it meets the cliff in the same place the barrier takes a sharp turn back at two or three miles from the cliffs runs back for half a mile then west again with a fairly regular surface until within a few hundred yards of the cliffs the interval is occupied with a single high pressure ridge the evidences of pressure at the edge being less marked than i had expected potting was very busy with cinematograph and camera in the angle at the corner near the cliffs renek got a sanding of 140 fathoms and nelson some temperatures and samples when lowering the water bottle on one occasion the line suddenly became slack at 100 meters then after a moment's pause began to run out again we are curious to know the cause imagine the bottle struck a seal or whale meanwhile one of the whale boats was lowered and wilson griffith taylor priestly evans and i were pulled towards the shore the afterguard are so keen that the proper boats crew were displaced and the oars manned by oats akinson and cherry garag the latter catching several crabs the swell made it impossible for us to land i had hoped to see whether there was room to pass between the pressure ridge and the cliff a route by which roids once descended to the emperor rockery as we approached the corner we saw that a large piece of sea floor ice had been jammed between the barrier and the cliff and had buckled up till its undersurface stood three or four feet above the water on top of this old floor we saw an old emperor molting and a young one shedding its down the down had come off the head and flippers and commenced to come off the breast in a vertical line similar to the ordinary molt this is an age and stage of development of the emperor chick of which we have no knowledge and it would have been a triumph to have secured the chick but alas there was no way to get at it another most curious sight was the feet and tails of two chicks and the flipper of an adult bird projecting from the ice on the underside of the jammed floor they had evidently been frozen in above and were being washed out under the floor finding it impossible to land owing to the swell we pulled along the cliffs for a short way these cruzier cliffs are remarkably interesting the rock mainly volcanic tough includes thick strata of column nabas salt and one could see beautiful designs of jammed and twisted columns as well as caves with hole and half pillars very much like a miniature giant's causeway bands of bright yellow occurred in the rich brown of the cliffs caused to the geologists think by the action of salts on the brown rock in places the cliff over hung in places the sea had eaten long low caves underneath them and continued to break into them over a shelving beach icicles hung pendant everywhere and from one fringe a continuous trickle of thaw water had swollen to a miniature waterfall it was like a big hose playing over the cliff edge we noticed a very clear echo as we passed close to a perpendicular rock face later we returned to the ship which had been trying to turn into bay she's not very satisfactory in this respect owing to the difficulty of starting the engines either ahead or a stern several minutes often elapsed after the telegraph has been put over before there is any movement of the engines it makes the position rather alarming when one is feeling one's way into some doubtful corner when the whaler was hoisted we proceeded round to the penguin rookery hopes of finding a quiet landing that now almost disappeared footnoted from dr. wilson's journal we were to examine the possibilities of landing but the swell was so heavy in its break among the floating blocks of ice along the actual beach and icefoot that a landing was out of the question we should have broken up the boat and have all been in the water together but i assure you it was tantalizing to me for there about six feet above us on a small dirty piece of the old bay ice about 10 feet square one living emperor penguin chick was standing discontently stranded and close by stood one faithful old emperor parent asleep this young emperor was still in the down a most interesting fact in the bird's life history at which we had rightly guessed but which no one had actually observed before it was in a stage never yet seen or collected for the wings were already quite clean of down and feathered as in the adult also a line down the breast was shed of down and part of the head the bird would have been a treasure to me but we could not rest line for it so it had to remain where it was it was a curious fact that with as much clean ice to live on as they could have wished for these destitute derelicts of a flourishing colony now gone north to sea on floating bay ice should have preferred to remain standing on the only piece of bay ice left a piece about 10 feet square and now pressed up six feet above water level evidently wondering why it was taking so long in starting north with the general exodus which must have taken place just a month ago the whole incident was most interesting and full of suggestions to the slow working of the brain of these queer people another point was most weird to see that on the underside of this very dirty piece of sea ice which was about two feet thick and which hung over the water as a sort of cave we could see the legs and lower halves of dead emperor chicks hanging through and even in one place a dead adult i hope to make a picture of the whole quaint incident for it was a corner crammed full of imperial history in the light of what we already knew and it would otherwise have been about as unintelligible as any group of animate or inanimate nature could possibly have been as it is it throws more light on the life history of this strangely primitive bird we were joking in the boat as we rolled under these cliffs and saying it would be a short-lived amusement to see the overhanging cliff part company and fall on us so we were glad to find that we were rowing back to the ship and already 200 or 300 yards away from the place and in open water when there was a noise like cracking thunder and a huge plunge into the sea and a smother of rock dust like the smoke of an explosion we realized that the very thing had happened which we had just been talking about altogether it was a very exciting role but before we got on board we had the pleasure of seeing the ship shoved in so close to those these cliffs by a belt of heavy pack ice that to us it appeared a toss-up whether she got out again or got forced in against the rocks she had no time or room to turn and get clear by backing out through the belt of packstone first getting heavy bumps under the counter and on the rudder as she did so for the ice was heavy and the swell considerable end of footnote there were several small grounded bergs close to the rookery going close to these we got repeated soundings varying from 34 down to 12 thathams there is evidently a fairly extensive bank at the foot of the rookery there's probably good anchorage behind some of the bergs but none of these afford shelter for landing on the beach on which the sea is now breaking incessantly it would have taken weeks to land at the ordinary stores and heaven only knows how we could have got the ponies and motor slashes ashore reluctantly and sadly we have had to abandon our cherished plan it is a thousand pitties every detail of the shore promised well for a wintering party comfortable quarters for the hut ice for water snow for the animals good slopes for skiing vast tracks of rock for walks proximity to the barrier and to the rookeries of two types of penguins easier scent of mount terror good ground for biological work good peaks for observation of all sorts fairly easy approach to the southern road with no chance of being cut off and so forth it is a thousand pitties to have to abandon such a spot on passing the rookery it seemed to me that we had been wrong in assuming that all the guano is blown away i think there must be a pretty good deposit in places the penguins could be seen very clearly from the ship on the large rookery they occupy an immense acreage and one imagines have extended as far as shelter can be found but on the small rookery they are patchy and there seems ample room for the further extension of the colonies such on new spaces would have been ideal for a wintering station if only some easy way could have been found to land stores i noted many groups of penguins on the snow slopes overlooking the sea far from the rookeries and one finds it difficult to understand why they meander away to such places a number of killer whales rose close to the ship when we were opposite the rookery what an excellent time these animals must have with thousands of penguins passing to and fro we saw our old discovery post office pole standing up as erect as when planted we have been comparing all we have seen with old photographs no change at all seems to have taken place anywhere and this is very surprising in the case of the barrier edge from the penguin rookeries to the west it is a relentless coast with high ice cliffs and occasional bare patches of rock showing through even if landing were possible the grimaced crevast snow slopes lie behind to cut one off from the barrier surface there is no hope of shelter till we reach Cape Royce meanwhile all hands are employed making a running survey i give an idea of the program opposite terror cleared itself of clout some hours ago and we have had some change in views of it it is quite certain that the ascent would be easy the bay on the north side of Erebus is much deeper than shown on the chart the sun has been obstinate all day peeping out occasionally and then shyly retiring it makes a great difference to comfort program bruce continually checking speed with hand log bowers taking altitudes of objects as they come a beam nelson noting results penalt taking verge plate bearings on bound quarter cherry garard noting results evans taking verge plate bearings a beam atkinson noting results Campbell taking distances a beam with rangefinder right noting results renick sounding with tomsen machine drake noting results both fort island looks very black from the south 1030 we find pack off Cape bird we have passed through some streams and there is some open water ahead as i'm afraid we may find the ice pretty thick in the straight at this date wednesday january the fourth one a.m we are around Cape bird and inside of our destination but it is doubtful if the open water extends so far we have advanced by following an open water led close along the land Cape bird is a very rounded promontory with many headlands it is not easy to say which of these is the cake the same grim unattainable ice-clad coast extends continuously from the Cape Crozier Ruckery to Cape bird west of Cape bird there is a very extensive expanse of land and on it one larger and several small penguin ruckeries on the uniformed dark reddish brown of the land can be seen numerous gray spots these are erratic boulders of granite through glasses one could be seen perched on a peak at least 1300 feet above the sea another group of killer whales were idly diving off the penguin ruckery an old one with a very high straight dorsal fin and several youngsters we watched a small part of penguins leaping through the water towards their enemies it seemed impossible that they should have failed to see the sinister fins during their frequent jumps into the air yet they seem to take no notice whatsoever stranger still the penguins must actually have crossed the whales yet there was no commotion whatever and presently the small birds could be seen leaping away on the other side one can only suppose the whales are satiated as we rounded Cape bird we came inside of the old well-remembered landmarks Mount Discovery and the western mountains seen dimly through a hazy atmosphere it was good to see them again and perhaps after all we are better this side of the island it gives one a homely feeling to see such a familiar scene 4 a.m the steep exposed hillsides on the west side of Cape bird look like high cliffs as one gets south of them and for the most conspicuous landmark we pushed past these cliffs into streams of heavy bay ice making fair progress as we proceeded the lanes became scarcer the flows heavier but the latter remain loose many of us spent the night on deck as we pushed through the pack we have passed some very large flows evidently frozen in the strait this is curious as all previous evidence has pointed to the clearance of ice sheets north of Cape Royce early in the spring I have observed several flows with an entirely new type of surface they're covered with scales each scale consisting of a number of little flaky ice sheets superimposed and all dipping at the same angle it suggests to me a surface with sustrugy and layers of fine dust on which the snow has taken hold we are within five miles of Cape Royce and ought to get there Wednesday January the 4th p.m this work is full of surprises at 6 a.m. we came through the last of the straight packs and three miles north of Cape Royce we steered for the Cape fully expecting to find the edge of the pack ice ranging westward from it to our astonishment we ran on past the Cape with clear water or thin sludge ice on all sides of us past Cape Royce past Cape Barn past the glacier on its south side and finally round and past inaccessible island a good two miles south of Cape Royce the Cape itself was cut off from the south we could have gone farther but the last sludge ice seemed to be increasing in thickness and there was no wintering spot to aim for but Cape Armitage footnote the extreme southern point of the island a dozen miles farther on one of whose minor headlands hut point stood the discovery hut and a footnote i have never seen the ice of the sound in such a condition or the land so free from snow taking these facts in conjunction with the exceptional warmth of the air i came to the conclusion that it had been an exceptionally warm summer but at this point it was evident that we had a considerable choice of wintering spots we could have gone to either of the small islands to the mainland the glacier tongue were pretty well anywhere except hut point my main wish was to choose a place that would not be easily cut off from the barrier and my eye fell on a cape which we used to call a skewery a little behind us it was separated from old discovery quarters by two deep bays on either side of the glacier tongue and i thought that these bays would remain frozen until late in the season and that when they froze over again the ice would soon become firm i called a council and put these propositions to push on to the glacier tongue and winter there to push west to the tombstone ice and to make our way to an inviting spot to the northward of the cape we used to call the skewery i favored the latter course and on discussion we found it obviously the best so we turned back close around an accessible island and steered for the fast ice off the cape at full speed after piercing a small fringe of thin ice at the edge of the fast flow the ship stem struck heavily on hard bay ice about a mile and a half from the shore here was a road to the cape and a solid wharf on which to land our stores we made fast with ice anchors wilson evans and i went to the cape which i had now recristened cape evans in honor of our excellent second in command a glance at the land shore as we expected ideal spots for our wintering station the rock of the cape consists mainly of volcanic agglomerate with olivine kenite it is much weathered and the destruction had formed quantities of coarse sand we chose a spot for the hut on a beach facing northwest well protected by numerous small hills behind the spot seems to have all the local advantages which i must detail later for a winter station and we realized that at length our luck had turned the most favorable circumstance of all is the strong chance of communication with cape armitage being established at an early date it was in connection with this fact that i had such a strong desire to go to mount terra and such misgivings if we had been forced to go to cape roids it is quite evident that the ice south of cape roids does not become secure till late in the season probably in may before that all evidence seems to show that the part between cape roids and cape barn is continually going out how i ask myself is our depot party to get back to home quarters i feel confident we can now get to the new spot we have chosen at a comparatively early date it will probably only be necessary to cross the sea ice in the deep bays north and south of the glacier tongue and the ice rarely goes out of there after hitters first form even if it should both stages can be seen before the party ventures upon them after many frowns fortune has treated us to the kindest smile for 24 hours we have had a calm with brilliant sunshine such weather in such a place comes nearer to satisfying my ideal of perfection than any condition that i have ever experienced the warm glow of the sun with the keen invigorating cold of the air forms a combination which is inexpressibly health giving and satisfying to me whilst the golden light on this wonderful scene of mountain and ice satisfies every claim of scenic magnificence no words of mine can convey the impressiveness of the wonderful panorama displayed to our eyes haunting is enraptured and uses expressions which in anyone else and alluding to any other subject might be deemed extravagant end of first part of chapter three