Then we went east in the hope of getting better ice, and
five hours later, after some dodging, we rounded the pack and were able
to set sail once more. This initial tussle with the pack had been
exciting at times. Pieces of ice and bergs of all sizes were heaving
and jostling against each other in the heavy south-westerly swell. In
spite of all our care the 'Endurance' struck large lumps stem on, but
the engines were stopped in time and no harm was done. The scene and
sounds throughout the day were very fine. The swell was dashing
against the sides of huge bergs and leaping right to the top of their
icy cliffs. Sanders Island lay to the south, with a few rocky faces
peering through the misty, swirling clouds that swathed it most of the
time, the booming of the sea running into ice-caverns, the swishing
break of the swell on the loose pack, and the graceful bowing and
undulating of the inner pack to the steeply rolling swell, which here
was robbed of its break by the masses of ice to windward.
We skirted the northern edge of the pack in clear weather with a light
south-westerly breeze and an overcast sky. The bergs were numerous.
During the morning of December 9 an easterly breeze brought hazy
weather with snow, and at 4.30 p.m. we encountered the edge of pack-ice
in lat. 58° 27? S.
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