208 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
extremity of the plain over which we have lately 
been travelling; for where we pitched our tents this 
evening, there are two or three eminences not 
covered with snow. : | 
Tuesday, 6th. — We started again at four o’clock 
this morning, and in less than half an hour got to 
the top of one of the eminences just mentioned, 
where, very much to our surprise, we found the 
land descend rapidly, as near as we could judge, 
between three and four hundred feet; from the 
foot of this declivity it sloped more gradually for 
the space of three or four miles, where it termi- 
nated in a large plain, of which we could see no 
end to the northward. 
This was the impression we received when the 
prospect opened first to our view, but after a few 
minutes’ observation, we were satisfied that this 
plain could be nothing else but the sea, for, on view- 
ing it with a telescope, we could make out several 
pools of water on its surface, and along the edge 
of it there were hummocks of ice thrown up on 
the beach, the same as on the south coast of the 
island ; in fact, nothing now remained to convince 
us of its being the sea, except tasting the water, 
and that test we were determined to add also as 
soon as we reached it. Before we could accom- 
plish this, however, the weather became thick, and 
it began to rain a little, with afresh breeze of wind 
from the southward. In order, therefore, to secure 
a dry spot to pitch our tents upon, we were ob- 
liged to stop at six o’clock, being then, as near as 
we could judge, about two miles from the coast. 
To shelter ourselves from the wind, which was, as 
19 
