72 EXTRAORDINARY WINDS. 



to be suspended in the air, some feet above the 

 ocean's level.* 



A continued course to the southward of west 

 brought us in sight of the islands Oby Latta 

 and Ceram, and close to the low but picturesque 

 island of Gomona. At night, the breeze from off 

 the land wafted to us a sweet odour, like that 

 of flowers ; and the surrounding waters con- 

 tained such vast numbers of that curious fish, 

 the Leptocephalus, or " small-head,"-}- that my 

 tow-net was constantly filled with them. 



On the following day, when in sight of the 

 islands Booro, Xully Bissy, and Lassamatula, a 

 bark was seen standing towards us, with Eng- 

 lish colours flying. Extraordinary as it may 

 appear, although the strange sail was steering 

 due west, and the Tuscan due east, both ships 

 approached with the wind "dead aft" and stud- 

 ding sails set, until within two miles of each 

 other, when they were alike baffled by calms and 

 light airs. The stranger proved to be the 

 Bombay bark Soubrou, Captain Smith, bound 

 to Lombock and Bally, for a cargo of rice for 

 the China market. 



* On a previous occasion, and owing to the same cause, 

 we had seen the setting sun assume the form of the hull of 

 a ship, and change, in a few moments, to a perfectly square 

 shape. 



f See Illustrations of Natural History, Fish. 



