ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
if not sleep soundly, at least rest my weary bones for a 
few hours at night. That had now gone, and I was be¬ 
ginning to feel the strain of the hard work, constant 
mental exertion, and the total lack of rest. 
We had passed a great number of islands in the 
morning: one, 2,000 metres long, Melusine Island; an¬ 
other, 300 metres, Janus Island; a third, 3,000 metres, 
Midas Island, by the side of which was another enormous 
island, some 6,000 metres in length, Miranda Island. 
Then little islets 200 and 250 metres long, and another big 
island, 2,000 metres from end to end, A. Maso Island. 
Most beautiful sandy beaches were now constantly 
seen, mostly, like the one on which we had landed, com¬ 
posed of singing sand. (Some of those beaches were 200 
and 300 metres long.) The beach on which we had landed 
for lunch was at the southern end of a great island, 5,700 
metres long, which I named Queen Mary Island. 
We left again that afternoon, travelling fairly speedily, 
chiefly in west-northwest and south-southwest directions, 
varying from 290° to 230° bearings magnetic. When 
we came to the end of Queen Mary Island, after passing 
some really remarkable beaches on which we found a great 
many turtles’ eggs, we came to a large basin, 1,800 metres 
across, with numberless rocks scattered on the north and 
south sides of it. The river there flowed due west; in 
fact, those rocks formed a kind of corona all around the 
great circle. A crescent-shaped island, 2,800 metres long, 
Giselle Island, was next passed. The channel through 
which we went was full of dangerous rocks, and had a 
width of 280 metres. 
Soon after another basin, 1,600 metres broad, was 
reached, with a formidable barrier of islets and rocks 
spreading from south to north. The river there flowed in 
a perfectly straight course for ten kilometres to 310° 
bearings magnetic. A most extraordinary-looking islet 
with a circular terrace of rock on the east side of it, which 
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