THE OCEAN VOYAGE 111 



less observer could not have overlooked. Though small 

 enough to be hidden behind the four smallest stars of the 

 "Great Bear," it shone forth with matchless evenness and 

 splendor. The moon, too, though yet only a crescent at 

 the further edge of the northern horizon, threw out such 

 intense light that the different objects on board would 

 throw their shadow. To give you a correct estimate of 

 the transparent atmosphere in this latitude, I will men- 

 tion the fact that one could actually see the dark part of 

 the disk of the moon with the naked eye; even the differ- 

 ent spots were visible to a keen observer. My description 

 of the thirty-first has been very long-drawn; ought I to 

 apologize for it, my beloved ones? 



This date brought forth to my memory many a cher- 

 ished recollection of the far away home; is it a wonder 

 that I made this day as well as a few others, a sort of 

 holiday of obligation, holding what may be justly termed 

 a Divine Service, in honor of the past? Man needs such 

 moments to gather strength from the recollections of the 

 past, to meet the requirements of a perhaps stormy fu- 

 ture. If one allows one's mind to dwell on similar sub- 

 jects of meditation but twice in three months, is there 

 reason for being placed in the category of dreamers and 

 illusionists? In imagination I dwelt with you on these 

 two days, from early morning till late at night, though 

 I made also a few visits to others. It is a sad privilege, 

 which the great distance from home, however, permits. 

 I can gather around me all those to whom T am drawn in 

 love, and enjoy their company at the same time. But 

 enough of this! 



All that is beautiful comes to an end. 



The 31st of July experienced the same fate and great 

 was our surprise when we awoke the next morning to 

 find a complete calm which had set in after a heavy rain. 

 "We had a little breeze from South Southeast once but it 

 soon changed to South and then slightly West so that, 

 toward nine o'clock in the evening, we could hardly make 

 any headway. The same unfavorable weather, which 

 greeted us on the first day of August, continued almost 



