Таємничий острів

           Whatacontrastbetweenthenorthernandsouthernpartofthecoast!Inproportionasonewaswoodyandfertilesowastheotherruggedandbarren!Itmighthavebeendesignatedasoneofthoseironcoasts,astheyarecalledinsomecountries,anditswildconfusionappearedtoindicatethatasuddencrystallizationhadbeenproducedintheyetliquidbasaltofsomedistantgeologicalsea.Thesestupendousmasseswouldhaveterrifiedthesettlersiftheyhadbeencastatfirstonthispartoftheisland!TheyhadnotbeenabletoperceivethesinisteraspectofthisshorefromthesummitofMountFranklin,fortheyoverlookeditfromtoogreataheight,butviewedfromtheseaitpresentedawildappearancewhichcouldnotperhapsbeequaledinanycorneroftheglobe.

           The"Bonadventure"sailedalongthiscoastforthedistanceofhalfamile.Itwaseasytoseethatitwascomposedofblocksofallsizes,fromtwentytothreehundredfeetinheight,andofallshapes,roundliketowers,prismaticlikesteeples,pyramidallikeobelisks,conicallikefactorychimneys.AnicebergofthePolarseascouldnothavebeenmorecapriciousinitsterriblesublimity!Here,bridgeswerethrownfromonerocktoanother;there,archeslikethoseofawave,intothedepthsofwhichtheeyecouldnotpenetrate;inoneplace,largevaultedexcavationspresentedamonumentalaspect;inanother,acrowdofcolumns,spires,andarches,suchasnoGothiccathedraleverpossessed.