The solid ice turned away towards the north-west, and we followed the edge for 48 miles N.60ｰ W.to clear it.
Now we were beyond the point reached by the 'Scotia', and the land underlying the ice-sheet we were skirting was new.

The northerly trend was unexpected, and I began to suspect that we were really rounding a huge ice-tongue attached to the true barrier-edge and extending northward.

Events confirmed this suspicion.

We skirted the pack all night, steering north-west; then went west by north till 4 a.m.

and round to south-west.