154 



THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



The noise made by this outfit was terrific at times. The tube 

 was held over the side of the vessel amidships, and when the shell 

 exploded it sounded from the cabin as though we had suddenly 

 struck a reef. Occasionally the ship would roll to one side just 

 as the firing-pin was descending the tube, and the explosion would 

 occur just at the surface. 



The failure of the oscillator became a trifling worry when the 

 ominous news was spread on board that Oscar the cook was in 



One of the Islands of the Galapagos Group 



Because of our delay in leaving the Gulf of Panama we were unable to stop at these 

 fascinating islands. 



bed with a steadily rising fever, and with indications that he had 

 contracted typhoid in Panama. Everyone was inoculated who 

 had not been previously. This happened two days before the 

 wind had changed in our favor, and Captain Ault seriously con- 

 sidered turning back to Panama to repair the oscillator and to 

 leave the cook in the hospital. Another possibility was to run 

 in to Guayaquil or to leave the sick man at Galapagos, where he 

 might have to wait six months or a year for transportation to the 

 mainland. But it was not Captain Ault's habit to give up a 

 fight. We kept on pushing our way out of the Gulf until a diag- 

 nosis of typhoid could be definitely established. 



