312 



A MOVING SAND COLUMN. 



[1829. 



of water, sandy bottom. The passage between the island and the 

 main is entirely clear of dangers two cables' length from either shore. 



This island was formerly the resort of fur-seal ; but at present pen- 

 guins and gannets " possess it merely," if we except the men who occa- 

 sionally visit it for the purpose of robbing them of their eggs and feathers, 

 for the Cape market. Indeed, I was told by several respectable per- 

 sons at Cape Town that the feathers of the penguin were considered 

 superior to those of the goose. 



April 30th. — We continued on our passage to the north, with strong 

 southerly winds, and hazy weather, touching at different rocks which 

 lay in our way, and taking from them a few fur-seal, until Thursday, 

 the 30th of April, when we arrived at Angra Pequena, or Santa Cruz, 

 where we anchored on the east side of Penguin Island, at four, A. M., 

 in five fathoms of water, clay bottom. 



At about ten, A. M., the sand-winds came off ; and to my great satis- 

 faction I had an opportunity of witnessing, for the first time in my life, 

 one of those moving pillars of sand which have been so frequently 

 spoken of by the celebrated Mr. Adamson. It rose about five miles 

 inland from the head of the bay, and moved in the direction of the wind 

 towards the south-west, increasing in magnitude as it advanced, until 

 it left the shore, when it began gradually to diminish as it crossed 

 the bay. 



This moving column of sand passed within a cable's length of the 

 Antarctic, at which time I should judge that it would measure fifteen 

 or eighteen feet in circumference, of a conic form, and about two hun- 

 dred feet in nearly a perpendicular height from the water, leaning a 

 little to the south-west. Its heat, in passing the vessel, was sensibly 

 felt, while it emitted a strong odour, not unlike that of sulphur, which 

 was soon dissipated, however, by the strong gusts of wind which came 

 off from the shore, raising the thermometer to 113°. The column 

 finally fell into the water, nearly half-way between Penguin Island and 

 Seal Island, the latter being about two hundred fathoms to the north 

 of the former. 



This startling phenomenon induced me to waver in my former opin- 

 ion respecting the visitation of a plague or pestilence on the unfortunate 

 seals, mentioned in a former chapter. Is it not more probable that 

 they were overwhelmed and suffocated by one of these sand-spouts 

 bursting upon them, accompanied by the sultry, stifling sand-winds 

 which created it? Such a cause would be more than sufficient 

 to produce the effect alluded to, — the simultaneous destruction of mil- 

 lions of these amphibious animals, assembled on the surface of the 

 two islands at the head of this bay, which are literally covered with the 

 decaying carcasses of the victims, with their skins still about them. 



The effects of these sand-winds are sometimes very disastrous and 

 fatally destructive when occurring on the borders of the sandy deserts. 

 In one of my inland excursions in this country I had the misfortune to 

 encounter a tornado of this description, which impressed me with a 

 full conviction of their wonderful effects. The wind raised the sand 

 so as to completely fill the atmosphere, obscuring the sun at noonday, 

 and concealing every thing from view at the distance of two hundred 



