NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE 309 



heavy showers came during the day, they offered a chance for a 

 fresh-water bath, and were a source of distilled water for rinsing 

 our chemical apparatus. A small sailing-vessel like the Carnegie 

 must issue water-rations on these long stretches just as it does 

 food — so much per man per day. 



Three things happened on the first to break the monotony of 

 our daily routine. During the night a bo'son-bird struck the main 

 sail with such force as to land stunned on deck. Graham snatched 

 a few moments here and there throughout the day to prepare a 

 suitable skin for museum use. Late in the morning we sighted 

 a steamer, the first sign of human life we had seen for almost a 

 month. Then in the afternoon a handsome brass-bound wooden 

 barrel floated past whose origin caused much speculation. Could 

 it have been that some vessel in distress had floated it with letters 

 inside.? We were riding a squall at the time so that it was not 

 feasible to investigate. 



By this time we were well down toward the equator again, and 

 our clothing was a good indicator of the temperature. Short 

 pants became shorter every day. The photographic dark-room 

 was like an inferno. Parkinson would appear on deck after 

 changing the traces of his recorders, dripping wet and gasping 

 for air. The heat did not discourage Seaton from the tumbling 

 exercises he took daily on the quarter-deck. There was no need 

 to take sun-baths as we were exposed only too much already 

 during the three-or-four-hour oceanographic stations in our ab- 

 breviated costumes. 



As we neared the equator, the neophytes aboard were beginning 

 to show a little uneasiness, for tales of the horrors of a Neptune 

 ceremony were circulating about the ship. But when November 

 5th came around, and the line was crossed, one could hear only 

 the scratching of pencils, the rhythmic buzz of time-signals, and 

 the click of typewriters, as the staff went about the routine that 

 recognized no labor-laws. 



When we had arranged to tow the plankton-nets from the bow 

 of the ship we had dismissed from our minds any possibility of 

 their becoming entangled with the quarter-deck wires. But on 

 November 5 the unexpected happened. We were fortunate in 

 losing only two thermometers and in tearing the nets slightly. 



