On reaching the plateau above, which is reached by a narrow, steep, and in many places rather fatiguing path, from the settlers' huts on the north side of the basin of the crater, we came to a breeding-place of the yellow-tufted "Crested or Hopping-Penguin"[61] (apterodytes chrysocome) in which we found at the lowest estimate from 500 to 600 of these singular creatures, which are adorned with grey-yellow tufts of feathers arranged in a semicircle above the eyes, and which, as was well remarked by the naturalist attached to the Lion, with the peculiar plumage and the almost scaly covering of their fin-like wings, suggest a remote resemblance to the form of a fish. Living part of the year in the water, and passing most of the remainder on land, Nature has, in a manner, adapted them for these widely differing modes of life. The dirty greyish-brown attire of the young contrasts so strongly with the gay plumage of the old penguin, that at the first glance they hardly seem to belong to the same species. The females lay only one or two eggs, usually in October, so that at the time of our visit, the young were only about a month-and-a-half or so old. These penguins, so graceful and nimble in the water, as if it were their proper element, are very awkward on land, so as to be easily caught, or knocked down with a stick. Only in so doing it is necessary to be on one's guard against a blow from their long sharp bills, with which they can inflict on their pursuer a by no means trifling wound. In the course of centuries, during which they have paid undisturbed visits to this island, they have trodden a well-marked path from their breeding-place to the edge of the sea; and it is a proof of the wonderful instinct of this creature, that this place is almost the only point on the entire island, at which it would be possible for it to reach the sea. A flock of these hopping penguins presents an odd and peculiar appearance, as, after leisurely bathing in the sea, and providing a sufficient supply of food for their young, their elegant heads emerge from the water, when carefully calculating the effect of the breakers, they ride their crest and allow themselves to be deposited on the beach; or, after hopping from stone to stone, the plumes on their heads nodding to and fro, suddenly plunge headforemost into the sea, like so many somersault-throwers! Not less diverting are the movements of these animals when, returned from their laborious wanderings, which they undertake two or three times a day in search of food for their young, they bend their tottering steps back to the roosting-place, waddling in their walk like ducks. One always leads the way as guide and forager-in-chief, and the rest, usually from ten to fifteen in number, follow him in a column; on reaching the roosting-place, a piece of level winding ground, they give a shrill cry, and comport themselves anything but peaceably towards their neighbours, especially if these have possessed themselves of their accustomed seats. Continual squabbling and disputing go on, and their croaking and screaming are prolonged far into the silence of night. They show much tenderness for their young, shelter them with great care, and defend them with extraordinary courage and pertinacity against the southern hawk gull[62] (stercorarius antarcticus), which frequently swoops upon the breeding-ground, and even ventures within reach of man, from whom it defends itself by violently striking and biting with its beak. Always at war under ordinary circumstances, they are nevertheless the most faithful of allies in moments of common danger or necessity. The flesh of the old penguin has so rank a smell that it is only used by those frequenting the island in case of the most extraordinary necessity; that of the young, on the other hand, has a far more agreeable flavour.
[61] Called also the "Jumping Jack" by the English sailors, from its custom of jumping quite out of the water, like a porpoise, on its encountering the slightest obstacle.
[62] Called by the English sailors "Port Egmont Hens" from their frequenting Port Egmont in the Falkland Isles. They seem to be identical in species with the "skua," or "bonxie" of the Shetlands.
The breeding-place of the penguin is about 300 feet above the level of the water in the basin of the crater.[63] Four hundred feet more of laborious, steep scrambling, brings the adventurer to the plateau at last, from the highest peaks of which he readily obtains a view of the greater part of the island, which is utterly treeless. At many places we found the ground quite warm, and at one slimy tract, about 600 feet wide, which was noticed by the naturalists on board the Lion, there was positive danger of sinking several feet into the hot, yielding soil, if we did not advance with great care. On the other hand, the fierce tongues of flame, which Lord Macartney alleged were visible at night from the deck of the ship, and which greatly resembled the celebrated nocturnal fires of Pietra Mala, in the mountains between Florence and Bologna, were nowhere visible, at least during the time we were on the island.
[63] A second breeding-place, somewhat larger, but much more inaccessible than that described, occurs on the north-west side of the island. There among rugged fantastically broken masses of rock, these extraordinary creatures can sun themselves undisturbed, and have hardly anything to dread from the destroying hand of man, who could only get thither with much difficulty, and not without peril to life, by clambering along the face of a precipitous wall of rock.
On the north-west side of the islands, facing the sea, two lofty pinnacles of scoriæ, with truncated summits, rise in cones of such exquisite regularity of form as speedily attracted the attention of our geologist, and became somewhat later the chief scene of his activity. In the immediate vicinity, many traces of lava-streams are visible, which plainly show the direction in which their currents had flowed. From the upper edge of the great basin of the crater the ground slopes gradually to the sea, ending abruptly in a precipice, descending sheer 150 or 200 feet into the sea.
In order to avoid retracing our steps by the same path, we directed our guide, the ever active Ferdinand, to conduct us back to the shore by some other track than that by which we had clambered up to this point; whereupon he stopped at a point of the upper rim of the crater, where the ground fell suddenly away quite perpendicular, grasped the rich luxuriant grass hand over hand, and having proceeded a few steps, invited us to follow. At the first glance we involuntarily recoiled at the bare idea of descending into the abyss by such a route, but presently we found our advance less dangerous and appalling than had at first appeared, when it was found we might, without any misgiving, let ourselves down by the long tough grass, the strong stalks of which supplied a safe means of descent.
In less than three-quarters of an hour we had descended from the upper margin of the crater to the settlement, and at once proceeded on our return to the frigate. A pretty fresh N.W. breeze had sprung up in the meantime, which rendered our re-embarkation in our small short boats, totally unsuited to the tremendous swell of the Indian Ocean, exceedingly uncomfortable. Arrived at the ship's side, the sea ran so high, and had so increased the difficulty of laying the boats alongside, that we at first endeavoured to reach the deck by the Jacob's ladders suspended at the poop. When, however, one of the sailors (who confessedly have much greater readiness in clambering than ordinary mortals), while holding on to one of the ladders, was reached by a tremendous wave, and half his body being in the water, ran a risk of being carried off by a shark, the scientific gentlemen in the boats preferred making for the starboard side of the ship, whence they reached their haven of refuge by the man-ropes.
Although this accident sufficiently manifested the impracticability of our original plan of returning every evening on board, and of being able to remain beside the ship during the carrying out of the objects of our visit, no man supposed as yet that, at this season, the summer of St. Paul's, the weather might suddenly become so stormy and generally unfavourable, as thus early to necessitate our re-embarkation, and that the ship would be compelled, with all speed, to leave her anchorage, and put to sea for a week under most uncomfortable circumstances.
On 20th November, about 6 a. m., the officers and naturalists, together with a portion of the crew, 32 in all, left the frigate with a large quantity of instruments, scientific apparatus, and baggage. This little expedition was supplied with provisions and water for six days, there being no springs of fresh water on the island, the frequenters of which are compelled to depend for their whole supply of drinking-water, partly on the rain-fall, partly during long-continued dry seasons on the water of one of the hot brackish springs which occur on the north side of the lower circuit of the crater. Long accustomed to these fluids and to their peculiar taste, the inhabitants feel no evil results from their employment, which very probably would not be the case with those persons who visit the island for the first time, and whose arduous exertions necessitate their drinking daily large quantities of water.