egetation.

Then came a grove of huge cacti, whose fleshy, spiked branches had the
look of so many wooden hands, or glove stretchers, set up on end; and
beyond these again were the more naturally-wooded heights, leading up to
the summit of the mountain peak.

The trees, I noticed, grew more luxuriantly and freely here, appearing
to be of much larger size, as they increased their distance from the
sterile expanse of the lower plain; until, at the top of the ascent,
they formed a regular green crest covering the upper edge of the crater
and sloping side of the outstretching arm of cliff on our right, whose
mantle of verdure and emerald tone contrasted pleasantly with the bright
blue of the sky overhead and the equally blue sea below, the latter
fringed with a line of white surf and coral sand along the curve of the
shore.

This outer aspect of the scene, however, was not all.

Right under my eyes, waddling along the beach, and rearing themselves on
their hind legs to feed on the leaves of the cactus, which they nibbled
off in huge mouthfuls, were a lot of enormous tortoises, or land
turtles, of the terrapin tribe, that were really the most hideous
monsters I had ever seen in my life. Several large lizards also were
crawling about on the lava and basking in the sun, and a number of
insects and queer little birds of a kind I never heard of.

All was strange; for, although I could still catch the cooing of the
doves away in the woods in the distance, there was nothing familiar to
my sight near.

While I was reflecting on all these wonders, and puzzling my brains as
to where we could possibly be, the second-mate, whom I had noticed still
on the poop when I came out from the fo'c's'le, as if he had remained up
there on watch all night, came to my side and addressed me.

"Everyzing's sdrange, leedel boys, hey?"

"Yes, sir," said I. "I was wondering what part of the world we could be
in."

"Ze Galapagos," he replied laconically, answering my question off-hand,
in his solemn fashion and deep voice. "It vas call't ze Galapagos vrom
ze Spanish vort dat mean ze big toordles, zame dat yous zee dere."

"Then Captain Snaggs was right after all, sir, about the ship's course
yesterday, when he said that Mr Flinders would run us ashore if it was
altered?"

"Yase, dat vas zo," said Jan Steenbock. "Dat voorst-mate one big vool,
and he vas loose ze sheep! Dis vas ze Abingdon Islants, leedel boys--
one of ze Galapagos group