THE NORDERNEY CABLE 



151 



are in deep water, and the cable will not stand 

 lifting ! " I tested at once, and by the very first 

 wire found it had broken towards shore and was 

 good towards sea. This was of course very plea- 

 sant ; but from that time to this, though the wires 

 test very well, not a signal has come from Sparti- 

 vento. I got the cable into a boat, and a gutta- 

 percha line from the ship to the boat, and we 

 signalled away at a great rate but no signs of life. 

 The tests however make me pretty sure one wire at 

 least is good ; so I determined to lay down cable 

 from where we were to the shore, and go to Sparti- 

 vento to see what had happened there. I fear my 

 men are ill. The night was lovely, perfectly calm ; 

 so we lay close to the boat and signals were con- 

 tinually sent, but with no result. This morning 

 I laid the cable down to Fort Genois in style ; and 

 now we are picking up odds and ends of cable 

 between the different breaks, and getting our buoys 

 on board, &c. To-morrow I expect to leave for 

 Spartivento.' 



IV 



And now I am quite at an end of journal keeping ; 

 diaries and diary letters being things of youth which 

 Fleeming had at length outgrown. But one or 

 two more fragments from his correspondence may 

 be taken, and first this brief sketch of the laying 

 of the Norderney cable ; mainly interesting as 



