The surface for ski-ing to-day was very good.

Wednesday, December 21.—­The wind was still strong this morning, but had shifted to the south-west.  With an overcast sky it was very cold and raw.  The sun is now peeping through, the wind lessening and the weather conditions generally improving.  During the night we had been drifting towards two large bergs, and about breakfast time we were becoming uncomfortably close to one of them—­the big floes were binding down on one another, but there seemed to be open water to the S.E., if we could work out in that direction.

(Note.—­All directions of wind are given ‘true’ in this book.)

Noon Position.—­68 deg. 25’ S., 179 deg. 11’ W. Made good S. 26 E. 2.5’.  Set of current N., 32 E. 9.4’.  Made good 24 hours—­N. 40 E. 8’.  We got the steam up and about 9 A.M. commenced to push through.  Once or twice we have spent nearly twenty minutes pushing through bad places, but it looks as though we are getting to easier water.  It’s distressing to have the pack so tight, and the bergs make it impossible to lie comfortably still for any length of time.

Ponting has made some beautiful photographs and Wilson some charming pictures of the pack and bergs; certainly our voyage will be well illustrated.  We find quite a lot of sketching talent.  Day, Taylor, Debenham, and Wright all contribute to the elaborate record of the bergs and ice features met with.

5 P.M.—­The wind has settled to a moderate gale from S.W.  We went 2 1/2 miles this morning, then became jammed again.  The effort has taken us well clear of the threatening bergs.  Some others to leeward now are a long way off, but they are there and to leeward, robbing our position of its full measure of security.  Oh! but it’s mighty trying to be delayed and delayed like this, and coal going all the time—­also we are drifting N. and E.—­the pack has carried us 9’ N. and 6’ E. It really is very distressing.  I don’t like letting fires go out with these bergs about.

Wilson went over the floe to capture some penguins and lay flat on the surface.  We saw the birds run up to him, then turn within a few feet and rush away again.  He says that they came towards him when he was singing, and ran away again when he stopped.  They were all one year birds, and seemed exceptionally shy; they appear to be attracted to the ship by a fearful curiosity._7_

A chain of bergs must form a great obstruction to a field of pack ice, largely preventing its drift and forming lanes of open water.  Taken in conjunction with the effect of bergs in forming pressure ridges, it follows that bergs have a great influence on the movement as well as the nature of pack.

Thursday, December 22.—­Noon 68 deg. 26’ 2’’ S., 197 deg. 8’ 5’’ W. Sit.  N. 5 E. 8.5’.—­No change.  The wind still steady from the S.W., with a clear sky and even barometer.  It looks as though it might last any time.  This is sheer bad luck.  We have let the fires die out; there are bergs to leeward and we must take our chance of clearing them—­we cannot go on wasting coal.