miles’ expanse, which terminates in the peak,
composed of dark grey lava, bare and frightful
to behold. We proceeded towards it, the
plain gradually rising, but the walking was
most fatiguing, over strong rank grass and
fern several feet high, with holes concealed
under the roots in such a way, that no possible
caution could prevent our occasionally falling
down into one or other of them, and entirely
disappearing, which caused a boisterous laugh
amongst the rest; but it frequently happened,
while one was making merry at the expense of
another, down sunk the laugher himself.
A death-like stillness prevailed in these
high regions, and, to my ear, our voices had a
strange, unnatural echo, and I fancied our
forms appeared gigantic, whilst the air was
piercing cold. The prospect was altogether
very sublime, and filled the mind with awe!
On the one side, the boundless horizon, heaped
up with clouds of silvery brightness, contrasted
with some of darker hue, enveloping us in
their vapour, and, passing rapidly away, gave
us only casual glances of the landscape ; and,
on the other hand, the sterile and cindery
peak, with its venerable head, partly capped
with clouds, partly revealing great patches of
red cinders, or lava, intermingled with the
black rock, produced a most extraordinary
and dismal effect. It seemed as though it
were still actually burning, to heighten the
sublimity of the scene. The huge albatross
appeared here to dread no interloper or enemy;
for their young were on the ground completely
uncovered, and the old ones were
stalking around them. This bird is the largest
of the aquatic tribe; and its plumage is of a
most delicate white, excepting the back and
the tops of its wings, which are grey : they
lay but one egg, on the ground, where they
form a kind of nest, by scraping the earth
round i t ; after the young one is hatched, it
has to remain a year before it can fly; it is
entirely white, and covered with a woolly
down, which is very beautiful. As we approached
them, they clapped their beaks, with
a very quick motion, which made a great
noise. This, and throwing up the contents of
the stomach, are the only means of offence
and defence they seem to possess; the old
y 4