250 
GREENLAND VOYAGE. 
quently required considerable deliberation before 
a second step could be attempted. A slip of the 
foot here, might have been fatal, as the bottom 
of the chasm opeued on a precipice of 400 or 500 
feet, over which, whenever I moved, a large shower 
of the loose stones about me, were immediately pre- 
' cipitated. At the top, I expected to find at least 
some portion of fiat surface, that I hoped would re¬ 
pay me by its productions, for the hazardous ex¬ 
ploit into which my anxiety for specimens of mi¬ 
nerals, plants, and animals, had unexpectedly be¬ 
trayed me. But, to my surprise, the top proved 
to be a ridge (with the sea on both sides) narrower 
and sharper than the top of the highest pitched 
roof. Here I rested for a few minutes, seated on 
the ridge, with a leg over each side, pointed to 
the water, under two terrific vertical pinnacles, 
between two and three hundred feet in elevation. 
These actually vibrated with the force of the wind, 
and appeared altogether so shattered and unstable, 
that it was astonishing how they remained erect, 
I was far from being at ease in such a threatening 
situation, and therefore made a hasty retreat, by 
sliding down the side opposite to that by which I 
had ascended, a good deal rejoiced to find that 
this, being less steep, and not so dangerously in¬ 
terrupted by precipices, afforded a much safer de¬ 
scent than the other. 
