THE BIG CABLE 123 



to get something rigged which may help us ; I 

 wanted a little difficulty, and feel much better. 

 The short length we have picked up was covered 

 at places with beautiful sprays of coral, twisted 

 and twined with shells of those small, fairy animals 

 we saw in the aquarium at home ; poor little things, 

 they died at once, with their little bells and delicate 

 bright tints. 



' 12 o'Clock. Hurrah, victory ! for the present 

 anyhow. Whilst in our first dejection, I thought 

 I saw a place where a flat roller would remedy the 

 whole misfortune ; but a flat roller at Cape Sparti- 

 vento, hard, easily unshipped, running freely ! 

 There was a grooved pulley used for the paying-out 

 machinery with a spindle wheel, which might suit 

 me. I filled him up with tarry spunyarn, nailed 

 sheet copper round him, bent some parts in the 

 fire ; and we are paying-in without more trouble 

 now. You would think some one would praise me ; 

 no, no more praise than blame before ; perhaps 

 now they think better of me, though. 



' 10 P.M. We have gone on very comfortably 

 for nearly six miles. An hour and a half was spent 

 washing down ; for along with many coloured polypi, 

 from corals, shells and insects, the big cable brings 

 up much mud and rust, and makes a fishy smell 

 by no means pleasant : the bottom seems to teem 

 with life. But now we are startled by a most 

 unpleasant, grinding noise ; which appeared at first 



