VOYAGE FROM CAPE TOWN TO CHINA. 49 



breezes from the southward and eastward, Egyptian dark- 

 ness prevailed, made more intense by the vivid lightning- 

 which flashed from all parts of the heavens. We continued 

 on towards Flat Cape light until well within the circle of 

 illumination as marked on the chart, when at 1.25 a.m., 

 not seeing the light, and being deluged with heavy rains, 

 I decided to head off shore and await daylight — a wise 

 conclusion, as will be shortly seen. At 6.45 a.m. we 

 sounded in 522 fathoms, lat. 6° 05' 36'' S., long. 104° 15' 

 24'' E. ; coarse gray sand. The weather remained ex- 

 tremely thick, with heavy rain-squalls accompanied by- 

 thunder and lightning. At 8.30 a.m. we sounded in 227 

 fathoms, lat. 6° 08' 54" S., long. 104° 27' 12'' E. — coarse 

 gray sand, mixed with scoriae and pumice ; and at 10.20 

 a.m. again sounded in 200 fathoms, lat. 6° 11' 30'' S., 

 long. 104° 26' 30" E. — coarse gray sand mixed withj 

 scoriae and pumice. 



This completed the line of sounding across the Indian 

 Ocean. Thick rainy weather still continued, but at 1 1. 1 5 

 a.m. it lighted up a moment, revealing Flat Cape light- 

 house bearing north. 



The sea at this time was covered with floating pumice- 

 stone from pulverized dust to blocks of large size. Ex- 

 tensive patches of driftwood, trees of large size, and 

 heavy limbs stripped bare, apparently but recently broken 

 off, were also floating with the current. We were steam- 

 ing through this drift all day, and frequently were obliged 

 to change the course to avoid running into the larger 

 trees. Occasionally nude bodies of white men and 



