278 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



should turn black. The proof may well be very un- 

 reliable. 



I removed the tough skin from a turbot and hung 

 it up to dry ; passing that way by chance at night I was 

 no little astonished at the fiery outline of my fish. All 

 the cartilaginous parts of the body and the spine, the 

 rays of the tail and fins gave forth a beautiful, clear, 

 phosphoric light. That phosphorus may be had from 

 rotten fish is well known and the luminosity of sea- 

 water has been thus explained. But as yet this skin 

 gave no signs of decay, and it was precisely the firmest 

 parts which were luminous, those that would likely be 

 the last to rot. 



Nor is there any lack here of dangerous and noxious 

 predatory fishes ; the shark is the terror of the Bahama 

 divers and swimmers. The West Indian waters, in 

 which such an unspeakable number of fishes live, sup- 

 port these voracious monsters in great plenty. Not 

 less astounding than true are the stories told of what 

 happened during the last war. They say that three 

 days before the battle between Lord Rodney and the 

 Comte de Grasse, whole schools of sharks followed 

 both fleets, and that the sea was so full of them and 

 they crowded so among the islands, that no one dared 

 bathe the least distance from shore. It is probable 

 that the number of corpses from time to time cast over- 

 board from two such large fleets was what tempted 

 these fishes of prey ; for in that climate many men died 

 even before the battle, stricken by disease. But in the 

 battle itself this gruesome assemblage increased the 

 terror and made worse the fate of the French ship of 

 the line Caesar. When this ship was near sinking and 

 the crew hoping to save themselves or to be saved, 



