Chap, v.] BAD WEATHER. 97 



anchor at all. Hence no one of our party was allowed to go 

 for more than half an hour out of sight of the ship, nor for a 

 distance of more than an hour's walk from the settlement. 



I botanized under the cliffs on the lowland in the morning, 

 and intended to reserve the upper plateau and cliff ascent for 

 the afternoon, but as I was making my way up the steep 

 slope above the settlement in the afternoon at about 3 or 4 

 o'clock, suddenly a dark squall came scudding over the sea, 

 and rapidly reaching us, and climbing the hill-side, chilled us 

 to the bone. My guide, a small boy, born and bred in the 

 island, crouched down instantly under the tall grass and fern, 

 lying on his side, drawing up his legs, tucking in his head, and 

 screwing himself down into the grass like a hare into her form. 

 We followed his example, and found that the perfection of 

 the shelter to be thus obtained from such scanty herbage was 

 astonishing. 



The squall being felt at the anchorage, up went the recall 

 flag on board the ship, and as soon as the hail ceased I had 

 to hurry down to the shore, without having ascended the moun- 

 tain side for more than 500 feet. I was only able to secure 

 a specimen of the tree fern {Lomaria boryana), which grows 

 in the islands, and is common also in the Falkland Islands 

 and Fuegia, and at the Cape of Good Hope. 



The boy was peculiarly taciturn, and, like all the islanders, 

 extremely curt in his language, and very independent. Like 

 most of the others he showed a strong Yankee twang in the 

 little I got him to say, and he seemed to have considerable 

 difficulty in understanding what I said to him in ordinary 

 English, and indeed often not to be able to understand at all. 



Having heard that there were penguins in the island, but at 

 some distance, and not to be approached without wading, I 

 had offered a reward of jQi for a pair, with their eggs. I 

 found them ready for me in one of the huts, and I paid for 

 them. Had I known what countless numbers I was so soon 

 to be amongst I should not have made such an offer, but I 

 have found in the long run that, on a voyage like this, where 

 there is so much uncertainty, it is always best to take the very 

 first opportunity, and I always landed on the places we 

 visited with the very first boat, even if it were only for an 

 hour in the evening. It may come on to blow, and another 

 chance may never occur. I strongly advise any naturalist 

 similarly situated to do the same. 



The cottages of the Tristan people are built of huge blocks 

 of a soft red tuff, fitted together without mortar, and are 

 thatched with tussock grass. They are all low one-storied 

 houses, with small enclosures formed with low stone walls 



