r THE DOLDRUMS 39 



out from Steep Head Is a spot called the Dold- 

 rums, the exact position of which varies with the 

 wind. Squalls dart around it, but do not often 

 break into its calm. Fishermen steer a mile to 

 sea in order to avoid the place, because it must 

 be crossed with the help of oars, and because, 

 on emerging from it, one never knows from which 

 side the first squall is coming. Steep Head is 

 bad to pass; I have seen a boat beneath it let 

 the sheet fly half-a-dozen times and haul down 

 twice; but it is then that squalls are at their 

 loveliest. Watched from the top of the Head, 

 they are the winds' playfulness made visible. For 

 men in a boat they are the winds' caprice, and 

 at night the winds' devilry, only half visible — 

 spiteful, tormenting, and uncanny. 



