98 



SPECTRAL FIGURES. 



thering and sweeping round the summit of the hill, 

 opening and closing here and there, greatly en- 

 hanced the beauty of the view, both of our own island 

 and the neighbouring rocky islets, but effectually 

 hindered all surveying operations. Soon after the sun 

 rose, and while his beams were nearly horizontal, we 

 observed a very curious and interesting phenomenon. 

 Whenever a bank of mist rested on the western 

 brow of the hill, and the eastern one was clear, we 

 could see our own shadows on the mist, surrounded 

 as to the head and shoulders by a faint iris or rain- 

 bow. By watching attentively, all our movements 

 could be discerned in these spectral figures. On 

 extending the arm, I found its shadow reached be- 

 yond the halo that surrounded the head. By get- 

 ting on a rock, the whole figure was perceptible, 

 and each person thus saw his shadow standing in 

 the air, apparently at a distance of about fifty yards 

 from him, with its head surrounded by a halo of 

 glory. I do not exactly recollect, but I believe no 

 one, unless standing very near to another, could see 

 more than his own shadow, which, from the nature 

 of the phenomena, 1 conclude would be the case. 



About seven o'clock we heard native voices below 

 us, and coeyed to them, and shortly perceived in a 

 gully, some hundred feet below us, a party of five 

 men and some women and children. They shouted 

 to us, but did not come up, nor did we get any com- 

 munication with them afterwards. 



At nine o'clock, finding the mists not likely to 



