For a moment one imagined a return to our bad conditions, but we passed this heavy stuff in an hour and came again to the former condition, making our way in leads between floes of great area.
Bowers reported a floe of 12 square miles in the middle watch.

We made very fair progress during the night, and an excellent run in the morning watch.

Before eight a moderate breeze sprang up from the west and the ice began to close.

We have worked our way a mile or two on since, but with much difficulty, so that we have now decided to bank fires and wait for the ice to open again; meanwhile we shall sound and get a haul with tow nets.

I'm afraid we are still a long way from the open water; the floes are large, and where we have stopped they seem to be such as must have been formed early last winter.