Then we had to shoot away south to avoid another unbroken floe of large area, but after we had rounded this things became easier; from 6 o’clock we were almost able to keep a steady course, only occasionally hung up by some thicker floe.  The rest of the ice was fairly recent and easily broken.  At 7 the leads of recent ice became easier still, and at 8 we entered a long lane of open water.  For a time we almost thought we had come to the end of our troubles, and there was much jubilation.  But, alas! at the end of the lead we have come again to heavy bay ice.  It is undoubtedly this mixture of bay ice which causes the open leads, and I cannot but think that this is the King Edward’s Land pack.  We are making S.W. as best we can.

What an exasperating game this is!—­one cannot tell what is going to happen in the next half or even quarter of an hour.  At one moment everything looks flourishing, the next one begins to doubt if it is possible to get through.

New Fish.—­Just at the end of the open lead to-night we capsized a small floe and thereby jerked a fish out on top of another one.  We stopped and picked it up, finding it a beautiful silver grey, genus Notothenia—­I think a new species.

Snow squalls have been passing at intervals—­the wind continues in the N.W.  It is comparatively warm.

We saw the first full-grown Emperor penguin to-night.

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 have decided to push west—­anything to get out of these terribly heavy floes.  Great patience is the only panacea for our ill case.  It is bad luck.

We first got amongst the very thick floes at 1 A.M., and jammed through some of the most monstrous I have ever seen.  The pressure ridges rose 24 feet above the surface—­the ice must have extended at least 30 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 ice, 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.

Noon 67 deg. 54.5’ S., 178 deg. 28’ W. Made good S. 34 W. 37’; C. Crozier 606’.  Fog has 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 floes; on the other hand, the one year’s floes, tremendously screwed and doubtless including old floes in their mass, have now enormously increased in area.