Heavy Weather; the Sargasso Sea.
The gale continued until the end of the fourth day, and we were south of the deep blue waters of the Gulf Stream, when it abated somewhat, and though it continued to blow heavily, the sea was running more regularly, in long, even swells which made the motion of the bark less disagreeable, especially for me.
The studding sails were taken in, and the wind was hauled, in order that the Captain might be given an opportunity to determine our longitude.
The Captain found that we were not far off the course, as the wind had blown mostly from north, and northeast and east. The sails were trimmed, and, by sundown the wind veered around into the northwest and blew steadily, while the sea gradually subsided. We were now about two hundred miles to the eastward of Watling's Island, one of the Bahamas, also known as San Salvador, the first land in the New World discovered by Columbus. The stars shone bright, and the bark, rolling easily, plowed the warm waters of the sub-tropic sea. I remained with Mr. Sargent long on deck that night, watching the phosphorence of the water, which in these latitudes, is sometimes very brilliant.
The morning dawned upon a tropic sea, for the bark had made good progress during the night, and we were well abreast of the larger islands of the Bahamas. The breeze was soft and balmy, and the ocean a deep, crystal blue, of a hue never seen except in these southern latitudes. This is owing partly to the remarkable reflection of the sky but more to the extreme depth of the water. Myriads of flying fish rose in flocks from the water and fluttered away on both sides of the ship as the bark glided through the weeds of the Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso weed is a genus by itself, which, thrust away to the south by the mighty ocean currents, lies in a vast central pool, a great eddy between the Gulf Stream and the Equatorial current; and here it revolves. It is ocean born, and long ages have passed since it lost its habit of growing on the rocky sea-bottom. Forever floating it feeds among its branches whole families of crabs, cuttle-fish and mollusks, which like the plant itself, are found in no other seas.
The flying-fish interested me greatly, for I had read much about them. I noticed that their flight was as perfect as that of some kinds of birds, and that it very closely resembled that of the swallow, in that it was a skimming, circling flight. I had read that the flying-fish rarely leaves the water unless pursued by a shark or some other fish to which it is a prey; and that, on leaving the water it does not really fly, but, instead, emerges from the water on an upward plane, enabling it to skim along for some distance. I had read, also, that the fish is unable to remain in the air only while its wings are wet. This latter statement is undoubtedly correct; but I observed that its flight was perfect, the fish making use of its greatly elongated and highly developed pectoral fins, as wings. I saw them flying singly and in flocks or schools, when they were not pursued by sharks and I was thoroughly convinced that they did actually fly. They gyrated in the air exactly like swallows, and moved their wings very rapidly like birds. There seemed to be no limit to the length of their flight, for they would rise from beneath the bows and fly away in a continuous line until lost to sight in the distance.
Once one dropped upon the deck in the night and the cook broiled it, assuring us that its flesh was very delicate, much like that of a fresh water perch; and indeed, so it proved to be.
The Captain had taken a course much further to the eastward than he would ordinarily. Usually, in going to the Guianas, the route is through the Bahama group, by way of the Crooked Island Channel, thence through the Windward Passage, between Cuba and Haiti and across the Caribbean sea by the east end of Jamaica. But Mr. Sargent wished to go further to the eastward so as to pass among the Leeward Islands, perhaps landing there to await the return of the bark from the coast. This plan could be followed without detriment, as a little delay in reaching Guiana was more than likely to result in an improved market for the cargo. This explains the unusual course of the Ethelyn Hope.
CHAPTER III.
A Terrible Storm; Leaving the Ship.