THE "UNCONVENTIONAL DISCOURSES" AGAIN. 183 



October 25th. Just off Newfoundland Bank. A whole flock of 

 various gulls are coming quite close to the ship. Yesterday, or 

 rather the day before, we saw many Mother Carey's chickens. 

 Their flight is very curious. They keep close to the surface, 

 wheeling up and down the huge waves in a manner resembling a 

 mixture of the bat and the swallow. This morning was wonderfully 

 quiet, so that the guards were removed from the tables. Now, 

 however, the vessel is rolling as badly as ever. About 5 p.m. we 

 got a taste of the Newfoundland fog, and the horrid fog-horn began 

 to howl. During the last twenty-four hours we ran 283 miles, so 

 that there is, at all events, an improvement. Yesterday the vessel 

 gave a tremendous lurch, and four ladies shot out of their chairs and 

 slid down the deck until brought up by the bulwarks. One of them, 

 who was eating an apple, stuck by her plate manfully. I con- 

 gratulated her on her courage, but she said that it was so sudden 

 that she thought herself still seated in her chair, and that she 

 clutched her plate because there was nothing else to hold by. . . . 



They have such a queer custom. The dessert is laid out on the 

 tables, and as soon as they sit down the Americans lay violent hands 

 on it, so that before you can look round scarcely a pear, apple, 

 orange, or bunch of grapes is to be seen. 



After this date, the weather seems to have changed 

 for the better, so that the dismal prognostications as to 

 delay in arriving were not realised. On the evening of 

 the 26th advantage was taken of the comparative still- 

 ness, and another lecture was delivered the second part 

 of " Pond and Stream," which had been begun two 

 days earlier. The unconventional discourses of the 

 preceding Sunday still seem to have afforded a leading 

 topic of conversation : 



Mr. P (nominated as Governor of one of the States) paid 



me a very pretty compliment. There was a conversation about 



various preachers, and Mr. P turned suddenly on me, and 



" guessed " that no one went out when I preached. The sermons 



