the very acme of disappointment. Of this
fact I am quite certain, that ever after this
painful sojourn, I shall look on ordinary vexations
and troubles with the greatest and most
philosophic composure!
On the 11th, the weather being apparently
settled, and all their potatoes being planted,
Glass determined to have a grand goat hunt
on the summit of the mountain ; and pur-
suaded me, notwithstanding my determination
not to go far from home, to join the party.
All our fire-arms, ammunition, and dogs were
put in requisition for this formidable event.
At daybreak we started, and at about twelve
o’clock reached the top of the mountain ; we
had just gained a glimpse of three gangs of
goats, and were laying down our plan of
attack, when suddenly a cloud came over us,
which completely enveloped us, and we were
at once struck, like the men of Sodom and
Gomorrah, blind and helpless, groping and
stumbling like men in the dark! From the
hour of the day, we knew there was no chance
of its clearing off; we were in a moment wet
to the skin, and left on the summit of this
horrid precipice. We had to grope and feel
our way, for we could not distinguish three
yards around us, till we came to that part
where we generally had descended, every
instant running the hazard of being precipitated
down the rocks, which are several
hundred feet in depth. After wandering
several hours, cold, wet, and hungry, we at
length reached the plain in safety, and the
only game we had obtained, were some young
albatrosses. These birds I had seen five
months before, sitting on their nests, and they
had never moved away from them. They
remain there for a year before they can fly,
and during that long period they are fed by
the mother. They had greatly increased in
size and beauty since my first visit to them.
The semblance of the young bird, as it sits
on the nest, is stately and beautiful. The
white down, which is its first covering, giving
place gradually to its natural grey plumage,
leaves half the creature covered with down;
the other half is a fine compact coat of
feathers, composed of white and grey; while
the head is of a dazzling, silvery white.