Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/543

to date. At midnight steam was again put on the engines, the wind and sea having died rapidly and the weather cleared. A sounding was taken in 1435 fathoms and course altered to the S.W. to close S. Victoria Land again.

Bruce in the afternoon watch picked up some snow-capped mountains, and after this more peaks and lower Feb. 22, 1911, 69° 10′ S., 164° 30′ E. land were quickly raised above the horizon, and a large number of icebergs appeared ahead. The ship was brought up by pack at 9.p.m. which stretched between her and the shore and parallel to the coast, as far as could be seen.

Though several attempts had been made, no ship previously had had the good fortune to get in sight of the coast west of North Cape, so the luck of the Terra Nova was in this season.

This new coast-line discovered by Lieutenant Pennell has been christened Oates Land, after Captain L. E. G. Oates of the Inniskilling Dragoons.

The land was tantalisingly covered in cloud. Nothing could be done till the morning, and so the night was spent trawling and swinging for variation. A sounding gave 178 fathoms. The trawl was particularly interesting and made ample amends for the delay. As soon as it was light enough to see, we tried to close the land as the pack did not look especially heavy. Clouds still hid all except the lower land.

An hour and a half showed the futility of attempting to get through, and at 5 a.m. the attempt was given up, the ship being then 8000 yards from the end of a glacier tongue and in 134 fathoms of water. This tongue