A FORLORN QUEST, ETC. 229 



know that on the very night of our arrival the 

 tunny shoals had gone off to Porto Santo, forty 

 miles distant. We sat for hours divided between 

 the ridicule of not getting even a bite and the 

 fear that a bite might mean disaster. At length 

 we asked the Reis whether we could not fish drift- 

 ing about, so as at once to cover more ground, a 

 good plan with al] shoa] fish, and slightly to lessen 

 the risk of breakage with the anchor down. Thanks 

 to John's skilful interpreting, our elaborate sug- 

 gestion was construed as an order to return home, 

 but we contrived, much to the disgust of the crew, 

 to make our real meaning unmistakeable, and the 

 Reis, to do him credit, took the correction in good 

 part. Indeed, he was a cheery fellow, and we 

 took a fancy to him from the first, though this 

 was our only outing in his boat. The primitive 

 anchor was once more at the bow, and for two 

 or three hours more we drifted about, fishing at 

 times with as much as 80 fathoms off the reel, to 

 allow for the drift, but with no result. A grampus 

 of great size was cruising about a couple of miles 

 to leeward, and the presence of that cetacean, was, 

 the Reis gave us to understand, the cause of our 

 bad luck. Whatever the cause, the result was 

 undeniable, and eventually, after having sat 

 patiently fishing for quite five hours without a 

 touch, we gave the order to make for home in 

 real earnest, particularly as there was a favourable 



