THE OCEAN VOYAGE 117 



beautifully silver-grey on the back, while head, neck and 

 breast were snow white; the long grey wings ended in 

 black tips. They were undoubtedly the most beautiful 

 swimming fowls we had thus far seen; though dreadfully 

 stupid and greedy, and therefore easy to catch. We only 

 came across this species once more during our voyage 

 and that was on the other side of Patagonia, in nearly the 

 same latitude. 



Saturday, the 30th, we discovered what the sailors call 

 "fat geese," which, though yet at a great distance, dis- 

 closed to us the proximity of the Falkland Islands; and 

 the 3d of September we were surprised by seeing a tre- 

 mendous whale. Toward evening of the same day we 

 caught a little land-bird, which, tired from its long flight, 

 had fallen on our fore-deck. We all enjoyed the wonder- 

 fully clear moon-light and unusual quiet, and remained 

 on deck till late in the night. 



Thursday, the fourth of September, was destined to 

 mark another epoch in our voyage. 



Under a lively West-wind we were able to approach the 

 high coast-mountains of the Fireland (terra del fuego) 

 towards four o'clock in the morning. It forms a large 

 bay between the 66th and 67th degree West longitude. 

 When at last the sun arose it was half-past six. We were 

 within four German miles of land and, as the morning 

 was really beautiful, we greatly enjoyed the sight. The 

 ship now changed its course to the East, following the 

 coast-line. The sight was one of the most beautiful that 

 had ever been presented to my view, and it made upon me 

 a deeper impression than it perhaps would have done, had 

 this not been the first land we had seen in fully two 

 months, or since we left Madeira. 



The coast of Fireland arises out of the ocean with un- 

 usual steepness, resembling a two to three-hundred foot 

 wall, at the base of which the mighty breakers were roar- 

 ing. Further upward its perpendicular aspect appears 

 to modify slightly, though losing little of its former ab- 

 ruptness. Slowly it seems to join the wild, rooky e<>ast- 

 mountams, the horn-like peaks of which often are prob- 



