On the whole the view was rather
bleak and uninteresting. The only inconvenience I suffered during
my walks was from the impetuous winds. One day I noticed a curious
circumstance: standing on the edge of a plain, terminated by a
great cliff of about a thousand feet in depth, I saw at the
distance of a few yards right to windward, some tern, struggling
against a very strong breeze, whilst, where I stood, the air was
quite calm. Approaching close to the brink, where the current
seemed to be deflected upwards from the face of the cliff, I
stretched out my arm, and immediately felt the full force of the
wind: an invisible barrier, two yards in width, separated perfectly
calm air from a strong blast.
I so much enjoyed my rambles among the rocks and mountains of St.
Helena that I felt almost sorry on the morning of the 14th to
descend to the town. Before noon I was on board, and the "Beagle"
made sail.
On the 19th of July we reached Ascension. Those who have beheld a
volcanic island situated under an arid climate will at once be able
to picture to themselves the appearance of Ascension. They will
imagine smooth conical hills of a bright red colour, with their
summits generally truncated, rising separately out of a level
surface of black rugged lava.
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