CHAP. VI. J INVALIDS CHEER. 431 



beamed on every countenance, at the long 

 wished for liberation that now quickly broke 

 upon us. Our invalids became animated; and, 

 even the few who were seriously affected, and 

 had long worn the sallow livery of disease, 

 raised their feeble frames from their beds, and, 

 with a smile, once more thought of home. 

 Snow appeared to be still lingering on the high 

 land from Terra Nieva to the East Bluff, the 

 denuded parts of which were strangely striated 

 by the refracted ice clinging close along the 

 sinuosities of the coast. One of the lower 

 savage islands, alone, was seen dark and solitary 

 in the opening ; and beyond it, in colour not 

 much deeper than the sky, was the bulky form 

 of Resolution, the Calpe of the Strait. 



With more or less obstruction from adverse 

 tide or current, we pursued our joyous course, 

 until on August 6th calm and rain for a while 

 checked it; soon, however, a light air again 

 sprang up, and at noon we were hastening on- 

 wards. We now hauled up more for the land, 

 in order to clear the extreme point of some 

 stream ice, but were puzzled at seeing only 

 four hills to the north, instead of Resolution 

 Island ; the latter, however, was at length 

 discovered in the shape of a narrow horizontal 

 line far up in the clouds, on the dispersion of 

 which we found ourselves nearly opposite to 

 Hatton's headland. Every sail that could be 



