But this was not to be. March 5 found us
about forty miles south of the longitude of Paulet Island, but well to
the east of it; and as the ice was still too much broken up to sledge
over, it appeared as if we should be carried past it. By March 17 we
were exactly on a level with Paulet Island but sixty miles to the east.
It might have been six hundred for all the chance that we had of
reaching it by sledging across the broken sea-ice in its present
condition.
Our thoughts now turned to the Danger Islands, thirty-five miles away.
"It seems that we are likely to drift up and down this coast from south-
west to north-east and back again for some time yet before we finally
clear the point of Joinville Island; until we do we cannot hope for
much opening up, as the ice must be very congested against the south-
east coast of the island, otherwise our failure to respond to the
recent south-easterly gale cannot be well accounted for. In support of
this there has been some very heavy pressure on the north-east side, of
our floe, one immense block being up-ended to a height of 25 ft. We
saw a Dominican gull fly over to-day, the first we have seen since
leaving South Georgia; it is another sign of our proximity to land. We
cut steps in this 25-ft. slab, and it makes a fine look-out. When the
weather clears we confidently expect to see land.
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