BACK TO SPARTIVENTO Ixxxvii 



'June 15. 



f 9.30. The wind has gone down a deal ; but even now there 

 are doubts whether we shall start to-day. When shall I get 

 back to you ? 



' 9 P.M. Four miles from land. Our run has been successful 

 and eventless. Now the work is nearly over I feel a little out 

 of spirits why, I should be puzzled to say mere wantonness, 

 or reaction perhaps after suspense. 



' June 1 6. 



* Up this morning at three, coupled my self-acting gear to 

 the break and had the satisfaction of seeing it pay out the last 

 four miles in very good style. With one or two little improve- 

 ments, I hope to make it a capital thing. The end has just gone 

 ashore in two boats, three out of four wires good. Thus ends 

 our first expedition. By some odd chance a Times of June the 7th 

 has found its way on board through the agency of a wretched 

 old peasant who watches the end of the line here. A long account 

 of breakages in the Atlantic trial trip. To-night we grapple for 

 the heavy cable, eight tons to the mile. I long to have a tug 

 at him ; he may puzzle me, and though misfortunes or rather 

 difficulties are a bore at the time, life when working with cables 

 is tame without them. 



1 2 P.M. Hurrah, he is hooked, the big fellow, almost at the 

 first cast. He hangs under our bows looking so huge and 

 imposing that I could find it in my heart to be afraid of him. 



'June 17. 



' We went to a little bay called Chia, where a fresh-water 

 stream falls into the sea and took in water. This is rather a 

 long operation so I went a walk up the valley with Mr. Liddell. 

 The coast here consists of rocky mountains 800 to 1,000 feet 

 high covered with shrubs of a brilliant .green. On landing 

 our first amusement was watching the hundreds of large fish 

 who lazily swam in shoals about the river ; the big canes on the 

 further side hold numberless tortoises, we are told, but see none, 

 for just now they prefer taking a siesta. A little further on, 



