NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE 



177 



It was a great disappointment that we could not return to the 

 ship by way of the north coast. The sea breaks furiously on 

 these great basalt-cliffs, wearing them down into fantastic arches, 

 towers, and pinnacles. The Mohican Expedition has written 

 some vivid descriptions of this romantic shore-line. They found 

 in the caves of these cliffs many deposits of human bones — pre- 

 sumably the remains of chieftains which were hidden here to 

 prevent desecration of their bodies by their cannibal enemies. 



The Platform at Tongariki, Easter Island 



Near Image Mountain, constructed of enormous tooled stones fitted together in the 

 manner of the Incas of Peru — at the left can be seen a red tufa hat weighing several tons 

 which has toppled off the head of one of the images when they were overturned. 



It is painful to write of the ride home. In the case of some of us 

 it might be described as a walk! Rain, cold, thirst, rough coimtry, 

 wet saddles, broken stirrups and bridles, mud, barbed-wire 

 fences, unwilling horses — all make it a nightmare in memory. 

 Certainly more than one of us would have preferred to stand up 

 for the evening meal on board! 



The next three days were busy ones indeed. The tent for the 

 magnetic and atmospheric-electric station was pitched ashore, 

 and the intercomparisons of atmospheric electricity and the 

 magnetic elements were carried out day and night. The tent 



