96 THE VOYAGE : PASSING IMPRESSIONS 



of the shore, a grapnel was dropped and the boat was 

 then backed to the rocks, a bowman carefully paying out 

 the rope ; then taking advantage of a lull another sea- 

 man with a lead Hne jumped ashore and made it fast ; a 

 third was stationed at this hne in the boat, then, as the 

 surf rose, the grapnel line was held tight and the lead line 

 paid out, thus preventing the boat from being cast ashore ; 

 when the reflux came the contrary was done. In the 

 intervals we jumped ashore and the instruments were 

 handed out after us. To gain the beach from this we 

 had to walk along a ledge of rock up to our middles in 

 water, carrying the instruments by turns, both men and 

 officers. . . . 



After ascending about 600 feet of a shelving debris we 

 found ourselves at the foot of a continuous precipice, that 

 shut us in completely. The rocks were in most places 

 perpendicular and smooth, without a sign of vegetation 

 but a few lichens ; in other places the rocks were broken 

 up into quadrangular blocks, which when moved came 

 tumbling down and bringing others with them, which con- 

 tinued their course till they reached the Captain's instru- 

 ments on the beach where he was conducting his [magnetic] 

 experiments. These were materially affected by the iron in 

 the rocks. 



As bearing on the problem of distribution, the population 

 of this lonely island is carefully noted. Besides the sea-birds. 

 Noddy and Tern, whose eggs were sought by the Grapsus 

 crab, ' of insects I saw a Hemerobius, a small fly, cockroaches 

 from the wreck of a vessel, common house-fly, and some 

 spiders.' The land crab was as much in evidence then as to 

 more recent visitors to the island — * a very short, strong, 

 thick-set animal,' with * an enormous mouth and large savage 

 black eyes. When threatened he takes up his post under a 

 stone, and commences opening his claws, and putting them 

 to his mouth in a menacing attitude, evidently expressing a 

 desire to eat you, opening his formidable mandibles at the 

 same time.' 



Arrival at St. Helena was the more welcome because of 

 the slowness of the voyage. 



