"May 25.--In middle watch felt pressure occasionally. Twilight showed
a scene of chaos all around; one floe about three feet in thickness had
upended, driven under ship on port quarter. As far as can be seen
there are heavy blocks of ice screwed up on end, and the scene is like
a graveyard. I think swell must have come up under ice from seaward
(north-east), McMurdo Sound, and broken the ice, which afterwards
started to move under the influence of the blizzard. Hardly think swell
came from the Sound, as the cracks were wending from north-west to
south-east, and also as the Sound should be getting icebound by now.
If swell came from north-east then there is open water not far away. I
should like to know. I believe the Ross Sea is rarely entirely ice-
covered. Have bright moonlight now, which accentuates everything--the
beauty and loneliness of our surroundings, and uselessness of
ourselves, while in this prison: so near to Cape Evans and yet we might
as well be anywhere as here. Have made our sledging-ration scales, and
crew are busy making harness and getting sledging equipment ready for
emergencies. Temperature -30° Fahr.
"May 26.--If the ship is nipped in the ice, the ship's company
(eighteen hands) will take to four sledges with one month's rations and
make for nearest land.
Pages:
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519