strong's knob — CLOTH CAP. 195 



of water, and they incapable, from sea-sickness and fright, of 

 making any further exertion for their safety. Had they used ordi- 

 nary diligence in the morning, they might easily have reached the 

 island before the storm commenced, and saved themselves much 

 suffering and their companions no less anxiety. The loss of the 

 skiff is severely felt — the nature of the shore being such that the 

 large boat, when loaded, cannot, in many places, approach within 

 two or three miles of the land, and the lighter vessel is therefore 

 indispensable. I was rejoiced that no lives were lost, which there 

 was, at one time, serious reason to apprehend. 



We found that the hail had killed a large number of the young 

 pelicans, as, upon the approach of the gust, they had been deserted 

 by their parents, who had betaken themselves to the protection of 

 the neighbouring rocks, leaving their tender offspring to " bide the 

 peltings of the pitiless storm." So much for the ancient fable of 

 their feeding their young from their own veins ! 



Sunday^ June 2. — Last night the wind was from the south- 

 east, which induced me to hope that the skiff might have been 

 drifted somewhere into our neighbourhood, and a man was de- 

 spatched to the top of one of the cliffs, with a glass, to look out for 

 her. He soon returned, and reported that he had made out what 

 he believed to be the boat, four or five miles to the southward. 

 This was joyful intelligence, and we immediately started after her. 

 We found her in the spot indicated, nearly full of water, but with 

 all the baggage undisturbed. After picking her up, we directed 

 our course still farther to the southward, toward a high peak, 

 which appeared to be either an island or a peninsula. We found 

 it to be the latter, connected by a broad sandbar with a broken 

 rocky range, which forms the northern termination of the ridge 

 bounding Spring Valley on the west, and which I had crossed in 

 November last, on my reconnoissance of the western shore of the 

 lake. We gave it the name of <•<• Strong's Knob." 



After strolling a couple of miles on the sand-flat of the main 

 shore, beneath high, broken, perpendicular cliffs of black lime- 

 stone, being desirous of obtaining a view of the south-western 

 portion of the lake, we ascended one of the highest peaks, from 

 the summit of which rose a perpendicular oblong mass of rocks, 

 which, from its singular resemblance to that article of dress, we 

 called ''Cloth Cap." The day was warm, and the mountain up 

 which we clambered from eight hundred to a thousand feet in 

 height. With considerable labour we reached the top, and were 



