Difficulty of ai^'proacliing the Island. 557 



more neared the island, under tlie influence of a gentle west 

 wind, having run 15 miles out during the night. Gradually 

 the small wooded or rocky islets hove in sight again, which, 

 stretching northward from the great central mass, 2860 feet 

 in height, surround the lofty island like a ring, inside of 

 the wall-reef, which encompasses it at a distance of from one 

 to two miles. We tacked about during the whole day with 

 light variable winds from the west, and by evening had got 

 sufficiently near our anchorage, that every one expected by a 

 last tack to fetch it ere night set in, when the breeze sud- 

 denly shifted, died away, and once more compelled us to 

 withdraw to a safe distance from the island, and pass the 

 night under easy sail. At length, on 18th September, a 

 fresh leading wind from the westward promised to carry us 

 in without further delay. 



Right in front of us, and with not a cloud to interrupt the 

 view, lay this extinct volcano of an island, densely covered 

 with the most luxuriant verdure. Only at its N.E. corner 

 there sprang suddenly into the air a naked, castellated rock, 

 about 1000 feet high or so, cut off horizontally above, and 

 with perpendicular sides, which we were informed was a small 

 island (Dochokoits), separated by a narrow channel from the 

 main island. Gradually, on either side of the isle, several 

 rocky points became visible, which steadily increased in di- 

 mension, and began to stretch towards each other, till they 

 looked like a row of pearls densely sprinkled in the air above 

 the horizon ; after which a number of thin, small, white 



