TURTLE - CATCHING. 315 



was about the last place I would choose in which to settle ; 

 but soon had occasion to change my mind, as a view and 

 slight inspection of the island of Ascension made me 

 regard St. Helena as a perfect paradise in comparison. 



Ascension might well be compared to a Brobdignag 

 coal-fire suddenly put out. All is black, or reddish 

 brown ; only one spot of green is seen on the island, and 

 this is distinguished as the Green Mountain. On walking 

 inland, large bits of rock, that apparently weigh 100 Ibs., 

 may be kicked along like footballs ; they are really but 

 like cinders. The curiosities of the island are gannet and 

 wide-awake fairs, so called from the enormous swarms of 

 these two birds a species of gull that there build and 

 reside. The whole ground is covered with the eggs and 

 guano of these birds, while they themselves fly around the 

 heads of the visitor in thousands, uttering threatening 

 cries. I found the wide-awakes anything but correctly 

 named, as I knocked over two or three with my stick, and 

 could have done so to many more had I wished. The 

 great thing at Ascension is turtle ; swarms are there found, 

 and the commonest sailor has more than he can eat. 

 Two large ponds, of about 100 feet square, are crammed 

 with the fish, lying two and three deep ; the turtle are 

 regularly fed and looked after, ships being supplied with 

 them when required. There are two or three look-out 

 stations in the island, where men watch for the turtle to 

 crawl on shore. Immediately that one is seen, a party is 

 sent out who turn the unwieldy gentleman on his back, 

 where he reposes, flapping his finny legs about until a cart 

 takes him to the prison pond. We had about a dozen 



