424 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGE 



eight following days were employed in making ready for 

 sea. 



" Before day-light on the 15th, we were surprised with 

 a rumbling noise resembling distant hollow thunder ; and 

 when the day broke we found the decks and sides of the 

 ships covered with a fine dust like emery near an inch 

 thick. The air at the same time continued loaded and 

 darkened with this substance, and, toward the volcano 

 mountain, situated to the north of the harbour, it was so 

 thick and black that we could not distinguish the body 

 of the hill. Along with the cinders fell several small stones 

 which had undergone no change from the action of fire. 

 .In the evening we had dreadful thunder and lightning, 

 which, with the darkness of the atmosphere, and the sul- 

 .phurous smell of the air, produced altogether a most awful 

 -jmd terrifying effect. We were at this time about eight 

 'leagues from the foot of the mountain. 



" The aspect of tha country was now very different from 

 what it had been on our first arrival. The snow had dis- 

 appeared, and the sides of the hills were covered with a 

 beautiful verdure. 



"As it was Captain Clerke's intention to keep as much 

 in sight of the coast of Kamtschatka as the weather would 

 permit, the volcano was still seen throwing up immense 

 volumes of smoke ; and we had no soundings with one 

 hundred and fifty fathoms at the distance of four leagues 

 from the shore. 



" At noon, on the 6th of July, we passed a considerable 

 number of large masses of ice ; and, observing that it still 

 adhered in several places to the shore on the continent 

 of Asia, we were not much surprised to fall in, at three 

 in the afternoon, with an extensive body of it stretching 

 away to the westward. This sight gave great discourage- 

 ment to our hopes of advancing much farther northward 

 this year than we had the preceding. 



" Having little wind in the afternoon, we hoisted out 

 the boats in pursuit of the sea-horses, which were in great 

 numbers upon the detached pieces of ice ; but they soon 

 returned without success, these animals being exceedingly 

 shy, and before they could come within gunshot, always 

 making their retreat into the water. 



" We had sailed by the 9th near forty leagues to the 

 westward, along the edge of the ice, without seeing any 

 opening, or a clear sea to the northward beyond it, and 

 had therefore no prospect of advancing farther north for 

 the present. 



" On the 10th we hoisted out the boats again and sent 

 them in pursuit of the sea-horses, which were in great 



