Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/355

] to the westward from Cape North, and without the appearance of any water amongst it, so firmly was it packed together: from this position several small islands appeared to the right of Cape North, which will probably prove to be the tops of mountains connected with it, but from their great distance we could not ascertain their continuity, nor could we get any nearer to them owing to the solid intervening pack.

We had in the afternoon a good view of the coast. The whole of the land being perfectly free from cloud or haze, the lofty range of mountains appeared projected upon the clear sky beyond them beautifully defined; and although of a spotless white, without the smallest patch of exposed rock throughout its whole extent to relieve it, yet the irregularities of the surface, the numerous conical protuberances and inferior eminences, and the deeply marked valleys, occasioned many varieties of light and shade that destroyed the monotonous glare of a perfectly white surface, but to which it is so very difficult to give expression either by the pencil or description. It was a most interesting scene to us, as it was truly the best view we had of the northern shore and mountains of Victoria Land, and of which the western extremity was by no means the least remarkable feature.

The prospect now before us, and the but too evident approach of winter, impressed upon my mind the necessity of abandoning any further attempt to penetrate to the westward, and as there