NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE 



137 



joke, for the victim happened to be the only non-American in our 

 party ! He, of all of us, was the most meticulous in his dress, and 

 had absent-mindedly bolted away from the tent on the hill without 

 his coat, and there was no time to return for it. 



Another stir was created one evening in the same dining-room. 

 A real earthquake — the first appreciable shock in the memory of 

 the inhabitants. Pictures on the walls swung slowly from side to 

 side like pendulums. Pillars supporting the upper stories creaked 



Captain Ault Using the Diving-helmet 

 Trying to locate an anchor which was lost in Potomac River. 



and everyone gazed at everyone else in blank amazement. It 

 was so unexpected that the disturbance was over before there was 

 time for panic. No damage was done to the hotel, and everyone 

 remained seated. Human speech had been stilled for several 

 minutes, and it was interesting to note the subdued tone of voice 

 in which the broken threads of conversation were picked up at 

 the tables around us. 



In Barbados we found ideal conditions for trying out our diving- 

 helmet, and we made two expeditions to the reefs. For several 

 of the men it was an entirely new experience. Only a poet could 



