722 LOUIS AGASSIZ, 



wind, which now became her ally instead of 

 her enemy, and by its aid she was soon abreast 

 of Borja Bay. Never was there a more sud- 

 den transition from chaos to peace than that 

 which ensued as she turned in from the tu- 

 mult in the main channel to the quiet waters 

 of the bay. The Hassler almost filled the 

 tiny harbor shut in between mountains. She 

 lay there safe and sheltered in breathless calm, 

 while the storm raged and howled outside. 

 These frequent, almost land-locked coves, are 

 the safety of navigators in these straits ; but 

 after this day's experience, it was easy to un- 

 derstand how sailing vessels may be kept wait- 

 ing for months between two such harbors, 

 struggling vainly to make a few miles and 

 constantly driven back by sudden squalls. 



In this exquisite mountain-locked harbor, 

 the vessel was weather-bound for a couple of 

 days. Count Pourtales availed himself of this 

 opportunity to ascend one of the summits. 

 Up to a height of fifteen hundred feet, the 

 rock was characterized by the smoothed, 

 rounded surfaces which Agassiz had observed 

 along his whole route in the Strait. Above 

 that height all was broken and rugged, the 

 line of separation being as defined as on any 

 valley wall in Switzerland. It was again rm- 



