Chapter II 



CURRENTS AND STREAMS 



Ever since man first ventured to embark upon 

 the sea in crude skin boats or hollowed-out 

 logs the ocean has been a thing of mystery. 

 Its vast expanse, its loneliness, its irresistible 

 power and its uncertain, ever-changing moods 

 have always impressed mankind with wonder 

 and a vague fear of the unknown. 



In olden days sailors peopled the sea with 

 mermaids, mermen and strange and impossi- 

 ble sea-monsters and related stories of weird 

 and remarkable adventures. Even to-day, 

 when great steamships plow the oceans in ev- 

 ery direction and every nook and corner of the 

 seas is known, deep-sea sailors spin wonderful 

 yarns and almost yearly some one tells in all 

 seriousness of having seen a sea-serpent. 



We know that many of the stories of the sea 

 are purely imaginary and that mermaids and 

 many other sea-monsters are mere myths, but 



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