The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-07-12
CHAPTER II.
A GREAT STEP TAKEN.

A GREAT STEP TAKEN.
In the midst of the Antarctic ocean, little
offthe route from New York to Australia, there
lies large island named Kerguelen's Land, or
las Capt. Cook called 1.-THE Island OF Desola-
ton.
It was discovered Just 3 hundred years ago,
Tin 1172,) by the French naval officer whose
name it bears. It was uninhabIted then, and
is to-day as deserted as ever.
The smallest school-boy among our readers
can find it upo his map Of the world, about
midway between the south end OF Africa and
Australia, well up toward the South Pole.
It is hundred miles in length by fifty in
breadth, and is consequently three or four
times as large as Rhode Island.
Its coasts are so wild and dangerous that its
made to it, did not once bring his ships to an
Choir in any of its bays and harbors.
Its shape is very irregular, but something
like that Of an hour-glass, it being nearly cut
in two by couple of large bays but these two
divisions are unequal in size, the northern PEN
insula being much larger than the southern.
Its coast line is wildly broken and Jagged, its
innumerable CULTS being long and narrow, and
it's promontories are correspondingly sharp and
slender, reaching out into the ocean like fin
gers.
The body of the island indeed resembles that
of some huge monster of the antediuvian world
even as its capes and headlands resemble such
A more terrific solitude than this isle of Desc
ation does not exist upon our wrecked planet.
Neither the SHOWS of Himalaya nor the sands
of Sahara can outvie its terrors.
No inhabitant is there, not even savage-no
house, no tree, no shrub, no fence nor road, no
field nor garden, no morse, no dog-not even .
snake or a wolf.
Lone, blasted and barren, it looks like the
skeleton of q land that has persisted.
1t may indeed be that Desolation is the relic
the surviving fragment-of . continent that
went down here ages ago, with hosts of inhabi-
tants, in some vast CONFUSION OF nature.
1t has certainly undergone dreadful vista
tions been rent by earthquakes, pulverized by
frosts dashed and wasted by fierce tempests.
It's mountains are only of moderate height,
but are capped eternally with snow.
Its vegetation is limited to a few dwarfish
plants, including some moses, species oil
! fichen, a coarse grass, plant resembling a
small cabbage, and sort OF cress.
It's winds are raw and piercing, it summers
cold and frosty, its winters those OF the Polar
Circles. n.
The interior OF the island fs occupied by I'm
menss boggy swamps, where the ground sinhl
at every step.
in their season, and the island 10 accordingly
veined with numerous torrents Of fresh water,
some of which have worn out OF the solid rocl
tremendous cavities and gullies. The only
other season than that OF the rains Is one Of
almost constant snow.
The fogs Of that CHASTITY region are well
worthy of, the rains, being of cloud-ike dem
sit and lowering almost continually over the
VIII, 9 face of the island.
The sun of Desolation is usually hidden BY
q canopy Of lead-colored clouds, and appears,
on the rare occasions when it is visible, scarce.
ly brighter than the moon in other attitudes.
As to the moon itself, and the stars, the clouds
and fogs rarely permit them to betray their
existence.
No fish worthy Of note, not even fishes Of
prey, abound in the adjacent waters, by rea-
son, perhaps, Of their containing poisonous
minerals or deadly calculations from the vol
canic fires beneath them.
Yet the dark grim sea inclosing Desolation
has done something to repair the sterility Of
the island.
Peguins, ducks, gulls, oormorants and Other
marine birds are plentiful in some OF its har.
bors.
Seals also abound.
Strange and terrible landi
Not . single human being, 90 far Is Is known,
has ever lived there, save as Is now to be re-
corded 1t these pages.
Near TIA middle Of dull, dismal afternoon,
some eleven weeks later than the date Of the
preceding events, the good ship Flying Childers
drew near to the island of Desolation, shaping
her course toward its northernmost bay, called
by Captain Cook, Christmas Harbor.
A fair breeze was blowing from the North,
and the ship was carrying every stItch Of hes
canvas. including studding sails.