Volume I Part 5 (2/2)

The sun was still beneath the horizon; perhaps not yet out of sight fro for the stars; which, one by one, had gone out, like waning lamps after a ball

Now, as the face of acharacter from what it reflects; so in a calm in the Tropics, a colorless sky overhead, the ocean, upon its surface, hardly presents a sign of existence The deep blue is gone; and the glassy element lies tranced; alray firue ellipsis And alike, the Cha in the at was fused into the calm: sky, air, water, and all Not a fish was to be seen The silence was that of a vacuu and brooding of all things seeray chaos in conception

This cal which, but a few cat's-paws of wind varied the scene They were faint as the breath of one dying

At ti like an ignited coal mine Our skin curled up like lint; our vision became dim; the brain dizzy

To our consternation, the water in the breaker becahtly putrescent; notwithstanding we kept our spare clothing piled upon the breaker, to shi+eld it froed the vent, carefully keeping it exposed To this precaution, doubtless, ed ht It was now deemed wise to reduce our allowance of water to the smallest modicu all desire forof the boat began to warp; here and there, cracking and splintering But though we kept it moistened with brine, one of the plank-ends started fro the scorching silence, caused us both to spring to our feet Instantly the sea burst in; but we made shi+ft to secure the rebellious plank with a cord, not having a nail; we then bailed out the boat, nearly half full of water

On the second day of the cal pitched out by the occasional rolling of the vast sues away, after its fierce raging, so waves For as a pebble dropped into a pond ruffles it to its ale operates as if an asteroid had fallen into the brine; , instead of ripples

The great Septehlands, far in advance of the swiftest pilot-boat, carry tidings

And full often, they know the last secret of many a stout shi+p, never heard of from the day she left port Every wave into be done, Jarl and I sheltered ourselves as well as we could under the awning And for the first two days, one at a time, and every three or four hours, we dropped overboard for a bath, clinging to the gun-wale; a sharp look-out being kept for prowling sharks A foot or two below the surface, the water felt cool and refreshi+ng

On the third day a change ca us too much Sullenly we laid ourselves down; turned our backs to each other; and were ihtest casual touch of our persons What sort of expression my own countenance wore, I know not; but I hated to look at Jarl's When I did it was a glare, not a glance I became more taciturn than he I can not tell what it was that ca as the calm lasted, ithout help; that neither could assist the other; and above all, that for one, the water would hold out longer than for two I felt no rehts It was instinct Like a desperado giving up the ghost, I desired to gasp by ood God deliverof the fifth, thanks be to Heaven, there ca the sea, until it struck our sails, previously set at the very first token of its advance At length it slightly freshened; and our poor Chamois seehtful! Onceof the sea under our bow, as our boat, like a bird, went singing on its way

How changed the scene! Overhead, a sweet blue haze, distilling sunlight in drops And flung abroad over the visible creation was the sun-spangled, azure, rustling robe of the ocean, ermined ave crests; all else, infinitely blue Such a cadence ofand frothing in frolicso past; and anon the noise of wings as sea- fowls flew by

Oh, Ocean, when thou choosest to smile, more beautiful thou art than flowery h Spirits, They Push On For The Terra Incognita

There were now fourteen notches on the loom of the Skyeman's oar:--So many days since we had pushed from the fore-chains of the Arcturion

But as yet, no floating bough, no tern, noddy, nor reef-bird, to denote our proxiht not the currents have swept us?

Where ere precisely, we knew not; but according to our reckoning, the loose estimation of the knots run every hour, we must have sailed due west but little ues; for the ht winds, and frequent intered one described But spite of past calms and currents, land there must be to the ard Sun, compass, stout hearts, and steady breezes, pointed our prow thereto

So courage! , and never say drown!

At this ti that our water was i anew that sort of fer, occasionally incident to shi+p water shortly after being taken on board Sometimes, for a period, it is ain, however, beco corew more and more miserly of so priceless a treasure

And here it may be well to make mention of another little circuh-paced tar that he was,was an inordinate consuht along with hi, at bottorohead, fossil- ists It was the last tier of his abundant supply for the long whaling voyage upon which he had e the calm, and for soreeable company To pun: he eschewed his chew I asked him wherefore He replied that it puckered up his rown every way distasteful I was sorry; for the absence of his before ever present wad impaired what little fullness there was left in his cheek; though, sooth to say, I no longer called upon him as of yore to shi+ft over the enormous morsel to starboard or larboard, and so triainlaundress, hung our raiment to dry on oars peaked obliquely in the thole-pins All of which tattered pennons, the wind being astern, helped us gayly on our way; as jolly poor devils, with rags flying in the breeze, sail blithely through life; and are h they are poor!