About ten o'clock that morning we passed a little bit of kelp, a glad signal of the proximity of land.
An hour later we saw two shags sitting on a big mass of kelp, and knew then that we must be within ten or fifteen miles of the shore.

These birds are as sure an indication of the proximity of land as a lighthouse is, for they never venture far to sea.

We gazed ahead with increasing eagerness, and at 12.30 p.m., through a rift in the clouds, McCarthy caught a glimpse of the black cliffs of South Georgia, just fourteen days after our departure from Elephant Island.

It was a glad moment.

Thirst-ridden, chilled, and weak as we were, happiness irradiated us.