CHAPTER VIII. 



MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL AND COMORO ISLANDS. 



WE sailed from Cape Town on February 8th, 

 1906, and proceeded to Durban, where a day was 

 spent in coaling. 



After leaving Durban Lord Crawford intended 

 to land on Europa Island, which has only once 

 been visited by a naturalist ; but this idea had 

 to be abandoned, owing to the extremely bad 

 weather encountered throughout the Mozambique 

 Channel. 



Two days after we left Durban, a gale got up, 

 and in two more days this developed into a cyclone, 

 which blew with unabated fury for twenty-four 

 hours. It started about nine o'clock at night ; 

 rain fell in torrents, and for several hours we all 

 stood on deck holding on to the rigging of the 

 mizzen-mast. The sea was terrible, and enormous 

 waves towered above the ship. The " Valhalla " 

 was hove to, and rode out the gale in splendid 

 fashion. 



Distinguished above the roaring of the wind and 

 the tumult of the breaking waves we could hear the 



