132. Voyage of the Novara. 



severe thunder-storms, with water-spouts, lightning, thunder, 

 and the most tremendous rain-squalls. We could thoroughly 

 realize that we were in the trojoics at the beginning of the 

 rainy season. One day during the prevalence of one of those 

 floods, five tons during the first half hour, and in the course 

 of an hour and a half eight tons, or 32,000 pints of water, 

 were collected by the sailors in buckets and other similar 

 utensils. These storms came now from the coast of Sumatra, 

 now from the Malay peninsula, or yet again from the Straits 

 of Malacca, and gave our jolly tars not a moment of repose. 

 These tempests alternated with calms accompanied by a most 

 oppressive sweltering hot temperature, and if by chance a 

 breeze sprang up, it was sure to come out of the straits dead 

 against us, and, coupled with the strong contrary current, 

 fairly arrested our progress. Thus tacking about for 14 days 

 between the north shore of Sumatra and Junk-Ceylon, we 

 made as much way in that time as a fast steamer would have 

 done in as many hours, and it was but poor consolation to us 

 that several ships close to us, perhaps six or eight, shared 

 the same adverse destiny. 



An incident of a very singular nature suddenly gave us 

 all plenty of excitement. As our deeply respected chaplain 

 was sitting reading one evening in his cabin, he became 

 sensible of a peculiar pressure on his foot ; the servant 

 being called, made his appearance with a candle, and on ex- 

 amining the floor was horror-struck at perceiving a pretty 

 large sea-snake (Chorsi/drus fasciatus), coiled round the foot of 



