THE TRIUMPH OF LIFE 



gone is the blue crystal beU — high above us 

 arches another blue — fixed and immovable. Un- 

 der its arch stands another picture faimed by 

 the warm tropical wind — an upper surface pic- 

 ture. 



This coral circle also girdles, like th.e sea-weed 

 forest, a strange little island in the ocean. We 

 have come to the surface at its rim. Tliere lies 

 again the boundless heavy dull rolling water 

 surface of the ocean. We recall that it is thou- 

 sands of feet downward along the coral meadow 

 to the radiolarian abyss in the black deep sea 

 night. From above, as already seen, the sea hori- 

 zon appears to indicate something of the enor- 

 mity of the water column in its heavy giant 

 waves and dull color. One feels that this carpet, 

 which possesses the thickness of four miles, re- 

 quires hundreds of square miles of surface in or- 

 der to stretch itself properly. The heavy folds of 

 this carpet are the great sea waves, that one af- 

 ter another roll against this island shore, produc- 

 ing a high white foam wreath. This foam wreath 

 engirdles here not the beisalt pillars of a vol- 

 canic shore. Its steep snow-white mane flutters 

 on a low strand margin almost as white as itself, 

 upon which there lie only a few yellowish white 

 lime stones thrown up by the storm. Lime stone 

 forms its foundation. This island does not rise 

 like a projecting cliff in the o<;;ean, but looks 

 mb>te KKe thfe flat fead o'f a rough pc/st s^k al- 

 90 



