32 EKMAN. ON DEAD-WATER. [norw. pol. exp. 



narrative, which has been kindly sent me by Mr. Salvatore Raineri, secre- 

 tary of the journal "Lega Navale Italiana", Genoa, when somewhat abridged, 

 runs as follows: 



"_ _ _ _ and I must tell you about another deed of the devil, because you must 

 know in how many ways this enemy of mankind works against poor seamen. — — 



"On a voyage from Gaeta to Napoli, the Galley "S. Lucia", when sailing before a 

 fresh wind and being two miles from Port, stopped quite immovable in spite of her sail 

 being strained. The steerman examined the rudder to see whether there was some rope 

 or net fastened to it, and as nothing was found, he commanded the oars to be got out 

 and the galley-slaves to be forced on with hard blows. But the galley did not move from 

 the spot, and when she had been lying motionless for a quarter of an hour and more, the 

 other galleys, which had sailed on, shortened sails, waiting. Then a man named Catelano, 



told the captain to have three monks removed from the deck of the galley and averred 



that the galley would then immediately begin to move; and when the captain had had them 

 removed, the galley certainly did begin to speed like an arrow. 



"Then all the men were about to throw these three poor fellows into the sea, saying 

 that they were excommunicated; but the same man Catelano helped them saying, that this 

 was a stratagem of the devil to the detriment of the monks; and he obtained permission 

 that they should only be taken from the vessel. 



"This occurrence would have caused scientists to suppose that a very small fish, resist- 

 ing the progress of the vessel, had got the better of the force of sails and oars and made 

 the vessel stop. — " 



No. 45. In Tacitus, "Agricola", Chapt. 10 (treating on the geography of 

 Britain), it is said: 



"Thule ' was also seen, previously hidden by snow and winter; but the sea is said 

 to be tough and hard for the rowers (sed mare pignum et grave remigontibus) and to be 

 little stirred by the winds. — — — " 



If search were made all through ancient literature, there is no doubt that 

 a more ample collection of tales would be obtained similar to the few here 

 inserted. There are moreover, stories about submarine, magnetic rocks, or 

 supernatural forces fettering the vessels in certain places on the sea, and 

 possibly, some of these have their real basis in cases of dead-water. 



Probably Norway. 



