THE CABLES CROSS 127 



a futile attempt to pull the cable from the shore 

 on board through the sand. This attempt was 

 rather silly after the experience we had gained 

 at Cape Spartivento. This morning we grappled, 

 hooked the cable at once, and have made an excel- 

 lent start. Though I have called this the small 

 cable, it is much larger than the Bona one. Here 

 comes a break down and a bad one. 



' June. 22. 



' We got over it however ; but it is a warning to 

 me that my future difficulties will arise from parts 

 wearing out. Yesterday the cable was often a 

 lovely sight, coming out of the water one large 

 incrustation of delicate, net-like corals and long, 

 white curling shells. No portion of the dirty black 

 wires was visible ; instead we had a garland of 

 soft pink with little scarlet sprays and white enamel 

 intermixed. All was fragile however, and could 

 hardly be secured in safety ; and inexorable iron 

 crushed the tender leaves to atoms. This morning 

 at the end of my watch, about 4 o'clock, we came 

 to the buoys, proving our anticipations right con- 

 cerning the crossing of the cables. I went to bed 

 for four hours, and on getting up, found a sad mess. 

 A tangle of the six-wire cable hung to the grapnel 

 which had been left buoyed, and the small cable 

 had parted and is lost for the present. Our hauling 

 of the other day must have done the mischief. 



