i 9 02] NATURE OF THE COASTLINE 53 



and my angles, roughly computed, gave a height of 1,800 feet 

 between their base and the white snow-line on top, and they 

 were so impressive even in the distance that I cannot believe 

 them to have been much under. In many places the rock- 

 face must have been sheer to this great height, for where it fell 

 away a white splash showed where the snow had found lodg- 

 ment. 



Even at a distance of ten miles these cliffs were magnificent, 

 and how grand they would have appeared had we been able to 

 get close beneath them we could well imagine. In colour they 

 were a rich, deep red, though a little farther to the south this 

 rock was confusingly bedded with a darker, almost black one ; 

 this alternation of black and red occurred along the whole coast 

 south of our position at this time, always in the same irregular 

 fashion, but always with a definite line between the red and 

 the black. At this time we were all under the impression that 

 these rocks were of the same recent volcanic nature as those 

 about the ship, but later on, after my visit to the western hills, 

 I came to doubt this belief. It is possible that if at this time 

 we had known more of the structure of the mainland to the 

 north we should have been able to note points of similarity or 

 difference which threw more light on this southern land, but it 

 is doubtful whether in any case we could have discovered 

 much that was definite at the distance from which we saw it. 



It can be imagined that as we travelled onward our eyes 

 were most frequently lifted towards the south. It is always 

 bewildering to look along a coastline at such an oblique angle. 

 Shortly before this the south had meant a long succession of 

 dark rock-masses and hazy snow-capes, but during the last few 

 days we had ' risen ' a feature of noticeable distinction, and now 

 we knew that we looked on a lofty mountain whose eastern 

 slopes fell to the long snow-cape which for the present bounded 

 our view. 



The very gradual unfolding of its details told us that this 

 mass of land was both distant and lofty, and as we approached 

 the limit of safe endeavour we knew that here was an object 

 that we could not hope to reach ; though we might approach 



