THE CABLES CROSS xci 



out our Italian sailors must return to Cagliari to-night, as the 

 little cable will take us nearly to Galita, and the Italian skipper 

 could hardly find his way from thence. To-day Sunday not 

 much rest. Mr. Liddell is at Spartivento telegraphing. We 

 are at Chia, and shall shortly go to help our boat's crew in 

 getting the small cable on board. We dropped them some 

 time since in order that they might dig it out of the sand as 

 far as possible. 



' June 21. 



c Yesterday Sunday as it was all hands were kept at work 

 all day, coaling, watering and making 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 excellent 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 concerning 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. 



' June 23. 



' We contrived to get the two ends of the large cable and 

 to pick the short end up. The long end, leading us seaward, 

 VOL. i. f 



