200 TIIE OCEAN. 



"The group of wretched Flying-fish, thus hotly 

 pursued, at length dropped into the sea; but we 

 were rejoiced to observe that they merely touched 

 the top of the swell, and scarcely sunk in it ; at 

 least, they instantly set off again in a fresh and even 

 more vigorous flight. It was particularly interest- 

 ing to observe, that the direction they now took 

 was quite different from the one in which they had 

 set out, implying but too obviously that they had 

 detected their fierce enemy, who was following them 

 with giant steps along the waves, and now gaining 

 rapidly upon them. His terrific pace, indeed, was 

 two or three times as swift as theirs, poor little 

 things ! 



" The greedy Dolphin, however, was fully as 

 quick-sighted as the Flying-fish which were trying 

 to elude him; for, whenever they varied their flight 

 in the smallest degree, he lost not the tenth part of 

 a second in shaping a new course, so as to cut off 

 the chase ; while they, in a manner really not un- 

 like that of the hare, doubled more than once upon 

 their pursuer. But it was soon too plainly to be 

 seen that the strength and confidence of the Flying- 

 fish were fast ebbing. Their flights became shorter 

 and shorter, and their course more fluttering and 

 uncertain, while the enormous leaps of the Dolphin 

 appeared to grow only more vigorous at each bound. 

 Eventually, indeed, we could see, or fancied that 

 we could see, that this skilful sea-sportsman ar- 

 ranged all his springs with such an assurance of suc- 

 cess, that he contrived to fall, at the end of each, 

 just under the very spot on which the exhausted Fly- 



