crab-eater seals sometimes appeared. At one time as
many as a hundred would be counted from the bridge and at other moments
not a single one could be sighted. They were not alarmed, unless the
ship happened to bump against ice-masses within a short distance of
them. A small sea-leopard, shot from the fo'c'sle by a well-directed
bullet from Wild, was taken on board as a specimen; the meat serving as
a great treat for the dogs.

On January 2, when driving through a tongue of pack, a halt was made to
"ice ship." A number of men scrambled over the side on to a large piece
of floe and handed up the ice. It was soon discovered, however, that the
swell was too great, for masses of ice ten tons or more in weight
swayed about under the stern, endangering the propeller and rudder--the
vulnerable parts of the vessel. So we moved on, having secured enough
fresh-water ice to supply a pleasant change after the somewhat
discoloured tank-water then being served out. The ice still remained
compact and forbidding, but each day we hoped to discover a weak spot
through which we might probe to the land itself.

On the evening of January 2 we saw a high, pinnacled berg, a few miles
within the edge of the pack, closely resembling a rocky peak; the
transparent ice of which it was composed appeared, in the dull light,
of a much darker hue than the surrounding bergs. Another adjacent block
exhibited a large black patch on its northern face, the exact nature of
which could not be ascertained at a distance. Examples of rock debris
embedded in bergs had already been observed, and it was presumed that
this was a similar case. These were all hopeful signs, for the earthy
matter must, of course, have been picked up by the ice during its repose
upon some adjacent land.

At this same spot, large flocks of silver-grey petrels were seen resting
on the ice and skimming the water in search of food. As soon as we had
entered the ice-zone, most of our old companions, such as the albatross,
had deserted, while a new suite of Antarctic birds had taken their
place. These included the beautiful snow petrel, the Antarctic petrel,
and the small, lissome Wilson petrel--a link with the bird-life of more
temperate seas.

On the evening of January 3 the wind was blowing fresh from the
south-east and falling snow obscured the horizon. The pack took a
decided turn to the north, which fact was particularly disappointing in
view of the distance we had already traversed