54 THE HOME OF THE BLIZZARD

ship happened t0 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 for-
bidding, but each day we hoped to discover a weak spot
through which we might probe to the land itself.

On the evening of ]anuary z we saw a high, pinnacled
berg, a few miles within the edge of the pack, closely resemb-
ling a rocky peak; the transparent ice of which it was com-
posed 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 the 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 ]anuary 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