e possessed by a rapturous wonder--the rare thrill
of unreality.

The ice closed in, and shock after shock made the ship vibrate as she
struck the smaller pieces full and fair, followed by a crunching and
grinding as they scraped past the sides. The dense pack had come, and
hardly a square foot of space showed amongst the blocks; smaller
ones packing in between the larger, until the sea was covered with a
continuous armour of ice. The ominous sound arising from thousands
of faces rubbing together as they gently oscillated in the swell was
impressive. It spoke of a force all-powerful, in whose grip puny ships
might be locked for years and the less fortunate receive their last
embrace.

The pack grew heavier and the bergs more numerous, embattled in a
formidable array. If an ideal picture, from our point of view it was
impenetrable. No "water sky" showed as a distant beacon; over all was
reflected the pitiless, white glare of the ice. The 'Aurora' retreated
to the open sea, and headed to the west in search of a break in the
ice-front. The wind blew from the south-east, and, with sails set to
assist the engines, rapid progress was made.

The southern prospect was disappointing, for the heavy pack was ranged
in a continuous bar. The over-arching sky invariably shone with
that yellowish-white effulgence known as "ice blink," indicative of
continuous ice, in contrast with the dark water sky, a sign of open
water, or a mottled sky proceeding from an ice-strewn but navigable sea.

Though progress can be made in dense pack, provided it is not too heavy,
advance is necessarily very slow--a few miles a day, and that at the
expense of much coal. Without a well-defined "water sky" it would have
been foolish to have entered. Further, everything pointed to heavier
ice-conditions in the south, and, indeed, in several places we
reconnoitred, and such was proved to be the case. Large bergs were
numerous, which, on account of being almost unaffected by surface
currents because of their ponderous bulk and stupendous draught, helped
to compact the shallow surface-ice under the free influence of currents
and winds. In our westerly course we were sometimes able to edge a
little to the south, but were always reduced to our old position within
a few hours. Long projecting "tongues" were met at intervals and, when
narrow or open, we pushed through them.

Whales were frequently seen, both rorquals and killers. On the pack,
sea-leopards and