CAPE HORN. 



Meanwhile the sun set, and our anxiety lest 

 we should not discover land before night, increas- 

 ed every moment ; but towards the end of the 

 long summer twilight, the looked-for Cape, to 

 our great joy, appeared in the western horizon ; 

 where the outline of the land, distant about fifty 

 or sixty miles, was for a short time distinctly pen- 

 cilled on the sky, still lighted up by the last rays 

 of the setting sun ; but was soon lost sight of in 

 the darkness. 



The night had scarcely closed in, when a new 

 and unexpected object engaged our attention : a 

 brilliant light in the north-western quarter, shin- 

 ing at regular intervals. At first of a bright red, it 

 became fainter and fainter, till it disappeared al- 

 together ; when, after the lapse of four or five 

 minutes, its brilliancy was suddenly restored, and 

 it seemed as if a column of burning materials had 

 been projected into the air. This bright appear- 

 ance lasted from ten to twenty seconds, fading by 

 degrees as the column became lower, till at length 

 only a dull red mass was distinguishable for about 

 a minute, after which it again vanished. Many 

 conjectures were raised as to the cause of this in- 



