Above us the sun shone in a cloudless sky, its rays were reflected
from a myriad points of tire glistening pack; behind us lay the
lofty snow-clad mountains, the brown sun-kissed cliffs of the Cape,
and the placid glassy waters of the bay; the air about us was almost
breathlessly still; crisp, clear and sun-lit, it seemed an atmosphere
in which all Nature should rejoice;
[Page 45]
the silence was broken only by the deep panting of our engines
and the slow, measured hush of the grinding floes; yet, beneath
all, ran this mighty, relentless tide, bearing us on to possible
destruction. It seemed desperately unreal that danger could exist
in the midst of so fair a scene, and as one paced to and fro on
the few feet of throbbing plank that constituted our bridge, it was
difficult to persuade oneself that we were so completely impotent.'

With the exception of Scott himself only those who were actually
on watch were on deck during this precarious time, for the hour was
early, and the majority were asleep in their bunks below, happily
oblivious of the possible dangers before them. And the fact that
they were not aroused is a proof that a fuss was rarely made in
the _Discovery_, if it could by any conceivable means be avoided.

At last, however, release came from this grave danger, and it came
so gradually that it was difficult to say when it happened. Little
by little the tidal stream slackened, the close-locked floes fell
slightly apart, and under her full head of steam the ship began
to forge ahead towards the open sea and safety. 'For me,' Scott
adds, 'the lesson had been a sharp and, I have no doubt, a salutary
one; we were here to fight the elements with their icy weapons,
and once and for all this taught me not to undervalue the enemy.'