Narrative of Bahama Expedition. 219 



The next two days were spent in beating our way against a 

 head- wind along the east coast of Eleuthera, our object being 

 to see what could be found b\- dredging across the shallow 

 ridtre between the northeast end of Eleuthera and Little Cat 

 Island. The delay was particularly vexatious, as our time 

 was getting short, and the thoughts of the party were turning 

 homeward. After ten weeks of the cramped quarters and 

 necessarv discomforts of sea life, it was but natural that the 

 romance of the situation should have been pretty well dis- 

 pelled, and that there should be a longing for the fresh meat 

 and roomv, clean beds of home. The captain, too, was get- 

 ting anxious to have his responsibilities come to an end. He 

 had given up the comfortable cabin, to which he was used, to 

 make room for the ladies of the party, and he was obliged, 

 moreover, to put up with many little annoyances and discom- 

 forts which must at times have severely tried his patience. It 

 was eas}' to see that most of the part}' would have been glad 

 to tind the bowsprit pointed north instead of experiencing this 

 continual beating against a head-wind, and the monotonous 

 crv of •• Hard-a-lee !" as the vessel came about on another 

 tack. It seemed best, however, to make the most of our 

 opportunities, and use the vessel as near the limit of our char- 

 ter as possible; and so we stuck it out until the desired spot 

 was finally reached, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon of July 

 1 8th. our schooner having sailed along the entire coast of 

 Eleuthera. a distance of about eighty miles. This island is 

 exceedingly narrow, averaging only about three miles, and 

 extends northwest and southeast. About twenty-four miles 

 east of its southern extremitv is the northwest end of '"Cat 

 Island," as it is known to sailors, although the world- at large 

 calls it by the more euphonious name of San Salvador. The 

 two main islands are connected bv a string of rock}- islets, the 

 westei^nmost of which Is Little San Salvador, or ''Little Cat." 

 Between this and Eleuthera, a distance of about ten miles, 

 there is a submarine ridge, rising at one point to within nine 

 fathoms of the surface, and sinking rapidlv to a great depth 

 on either side. i.\t one place there is a drop from thirteen to 

 nine hundred fathoms within a mile. 



