December 13 (cont.).—­67 deg. 30’ S. 177 deg. 58’ W. Made good S. 20 E. 27’.  C. Crozier S. 21 W. 644’.—­We got in several tons of ice, then pushed off and slowly and laboriously worked our way to one of the recently frozen pools.  It was not easily crossed, but when we came to its junction with the next part to the S.W. (in which direction I proposed to go) we were quite hung up.  A little inspection showed that the big floes were tending to close.  It seems as though the tenacity of the 6 or 7 inches of recent ice over the pools is enormously increased by lateral pressure.  But whatever the cause, we could not budge.

We have decided to put fires out and remain here till the conditions change altogether for the better.  It is sheer waste of coal to make further attempts to break through as things are at present.

We have been set to the east during the past days; is it the normal set in the region, or due to the prevalence of westerly winds?  Possibly much depends on this as concerns our date of release.  It is annoying, but one must contain one’s soul in patience and hope for a brighter outlook in a day or two.  Meanwhile we shall sound and do as much biological work as is possible.

The pack is a sunless place as a rule; this morning we had bright sunshine for a few hours, but later the sky clouded over from the north again, and now it is snowing dismally.  It is calm.

Wednesday, December 14.—­Position, N. 2’, W. 1/2’.  The pack still close around.  From the masthead one can see a few patches of open water in different directions, but the main outlook is the same scene of desolate hummocky pack.  The wind has come from the S.W., force 2; we have bright sunshine and good sights.  The ship has swung to the wind and the floes around are continually moving.  They change their relative positions in a slow, furtive, creeping fashion.  The temperature is 35 deg., the water 29.2 deg. to 29.5 deg..  Under such conditions the thin sludgy ice ought to be weakening all the time; a few inches of such stuff should allow us to push through anywhere.

One realises the awful monotony of a long stay in the pack, such as Nansen and others experienced.  One can imagine such days as these lengthening into interminable months and years.

For us there is novelty, and everyone has work to do or makes work, so that there is no keen sense of impatience.

Nelson and Lillie were up all night with the current meter; it is not quite satisfactory, but some result has been obtained.  They will also get a series of temperatures and samples and use the vertical tow net.

The current is satisfactory.  Both days the fixes have been good—­it is best that we should go north and west.  I had a great fear that we should be drifted east and so away to regions of permanent pack.  If we go on in this direction it can only be a question of time before we are freed.