The clearer weather of the morning showed us that the pack was solid and impassable from the south-east to the south- west, and at 10 a.m.on the 4th we again passed within five yards of the small berg that we had passed twice on the previous day.

We had been steaming and dodging about over an area of twenty square miles for fifty hours, trying to find an opening to the south, south-east, or south-west, but all the leads ran north, north-east, or north-west.

It was as though the spirits of the Antarctic were pointing us to the backward track--the track we were determined not to follow.

Our desire was to make easting as well as southing so as to reach the land, if possible, east of Ross's farthest South and well east of Coats' Land.
This was more important as the prevailing winds appeared to be to easterly, and every mile of easting would count.

In the afternoon we went west in some open water, and by 4 p.m.we were making west-south- west with more water opening up ahead.