SUNRISE. 253 



sharply against this line of whiteness, and the dark, 

 gloomy walls of Cape Alexander rose squarely from 

 the sea. Upon the crests of the silent hills, and over 

 the white-capped cape, light clouds lazily floated, and 

 through these the sun was pouring a stream of golden 

 fire, and the whole southern heavens were ablaze with 

 the splendor of the coming day. 



The point of Cape Alexander lay directly south of 

 us, and the sun would appear from behind it at ex- 

 actly the meridian hour, — rolling along the horizon, 

 with only half its disk above the line of waters. We 

 awaited the approaching moment with much eager- 

 ness. Presently a ray of light burst through the soft 

 mist-clouds which lay off to the right of us opposite 

 the cape, blending them into a purple sea and glis- 

 tening upon the silvery summits of the tall icebergs, 

 which pierced the vapory cloak as if to catch the 

 coining warmth. The ray approached us nearer and 

 nearer, the purple sea widened, the glittering spires 

 multiplied, as one after another they burst in quick 

 succession into the blaze of day ; and as this marvelous 

 change came over the face of the sea, we felt that the 

 shadow of the cape was the shadow of the night, and 

 that the night was passing away. Soon the dark-red 

 cliffs behind us glowed with a warm coloring, the hills 

 and the mountains stood forth in their new robes of 

 resplendent brightness, and the tumbling waves melt- 

 ed away from their angry harshness, and laughed in 

 the sunshine. And now the line of the shadow was 

 in sight. " There it is upon the point," cried Jensen. 

 "There it is upon the ice-foot," answered Dodge, — 

 there at our feet lay a sheet of sparkling gems, and 

 the sun burst broadly in our faces. Off went our 

 ;aps with a simultaneous impulse, and we hailed this 



