The earliest mention of the peninsula now called Sierra Leone is supposed to be contained in the Periplus or account of the voyage of Hanno, the Carthaginian traveller in the sixth century b.c. There has been much disputation as to the exact places visited by him, but it seems to be certain that Sierra Leone is the locality whence he carried the skins of the gorillæ—long supposed to be fabulous creatures until their re-discovery by Du Chaillu—and where he witnessed, to his surprise, the burning down of the rank vegetation by the natives in the dry season, a system of agriculture followed to this day, but which he described as burning mountains running into the sea.

The Boltoro Glacier […] The surface of the glacier is rough and uneven, broken by crevasses and covered by seracs and rock debris.

All three mountain-ashes are shrubs of climax and subclimax northern coniferous forest communities, along with speckled alder, Labrador tea, mountain and red maples, yellow birch, and bunchberry.

But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook defiance. After a few moments' vain remonstrance her husband complied. His manner and appearance were suggestive of a satiated sea-lion.