and every mile we advanced added some agreeable idea to the ani- -
mating anticipation of my feelings on first setting foot on the land of
Africa. I now perceived that all the pictures which imagination previously
forms of acountry,make but faint impressions in comparison with
those presented by the country itself: we indulge the more freely in all
the speculations of curiosity, whenever the prospect of its immediate
»ratification b a n i s h e s the fear of disappointment: we feel an increased
desire to ascertain whether the notions we had previously acquired,
correspond with things themselves; and our fancy redoubles its
activity in pourtraying a thousand delightful objects, ready to pour
fresh knowledge into our mind.
Anticipated ideas continued to interest and amuse me during
the remainder of the day; and the dawn of daylight the next
morning found us on deck, ready to catch the appearance of
the long-wished-for land. Nothing, however, was to. be seen:
the haziness of the atmosphere was not dissipated till the sun
had risen high ; when the land again came in view*, presenting
* See 'the Vignette. - This r e p r e s e n t s a first «ew of * e lm d of the Cape of Good
Hope, as seen from a distance of about thirty miles m the direction of E .N .E. Cape
Point, or the Cafe of Good Hope proper, was at this
and therefore could not be distinguished; but on comparing die " g ^ t t e m * themap,
it will be easily seen how much farther to the right the land should extend, io toe
left the Lion’s Head, appearing as a conical mountain, terminates the view;toe
of Blauwbenr &c not having yet risen above the horizon. The Lion Mountain is seen
foreshortened, and therefore the Rump appears only as a point. of less
close under the Head on the left. The large flat mountain next Mowmg is « 1 « ® »
T a lk Mountain, presenting its steep rocky western side to the ocean ¡ i f I S
stands on its northern side, and no part of ft can be seen till the
to the other side of the Lion Mountain. Over the low gorge, or kloof, between these
two mountains, passes the road from the Town to Camp's Bay. Through the next kloof
S S s s E S f t is a horse-road from Camp’s B a , to Hoot Bay, which lies behind he
♦ • f«11owino- next to Table Mountain; and the entrance to this iR K W i» ® fife bay is lound the darkly) sometimes called toe HangHp
from its resemblance to a mountain similarly situated at the south-eastern point of False
Z Th e next large mountain, less shaded than toe others J called W d g U m
tStony Mountains); behind which, and constituting a part of it, is Muisenlerg (Mouse
north-western comer of False Bay. The and winch next follows
ft not to reality so low as ft here appears to be, but is a contu.uat.on of toe same ra. ge of
mountains, receding below the horizon of the sea. The abrupt termination of the range
is where the haze concealed toe remaining part of it.
from afar a range of faint blue mountains, at the northern end
of which Table Mountain and Lion’s Head were very easy to be
recognized by the peculiarity of their form. The weather became
fine; and the wind, which had continued to blow from the south-east,
increased to a gale ; so that by noon we were within two leagues of
the shore: and soon after getting under the lee of the mountains, the
vessel was nearly becalmed, scarcely making any way through the
water. This slow progress gave me a favourable opportunity for
making several drawings, and for observing the remarkable cloud
which covered the top of Table Mountain, resting upon it with
all the appearance of a ponderous substance: every other part of the
sky was perfectly clear, and the wind, which was evidently blowing
there with great violence,- seemed unable to dislodge it from its situation.
Its thin misty skirts no sooner rolled over the edge of the precipice,
than thev were rarefied into air and vanished. The western
part of Table Mountain, with its rocky precipitous side cleft in deep
ravines, rose majestically out of the ocean. Between this and the
mountains, which form the western side of Hout Bay (Wood
Bay), stands the False Lion's Head, a mountain of subordinate
elevation. The true. Lion’s Head is much higher than the False, but
considerably lower than Table Mountain.
As we advanced nearer along the shore, the mountains displayed
an imposing grandeur, which mocked the littleness of human works:
buildings were but white specks; too small to add a feature to the
scene; too insignificant either to adorn or to disturb the magnificence
of nature. We had left behind us the deep blue waters of the ocean,
and, sheltered by the land, were sailing on the calm surface of
waters of a greener tinge, from which the seals sometimes raised their
dripping heads to view us as we passed, Baffling winds frequently
impeded our progress, and put the sailors’ patience to trial; but the
novelty of the scene, and the interesting objects before me, absorbed
the whole of my attention. Eager to become acquainted with the
details of what I saw, I long occupied myself in scrutinizing, with a
telescope, every rock and ravine; though as yet we were too far off
to allow my impatient curiosity to be gratified.
B 2