THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. 199 



see one of tliose aquatic chases, of which our friends 

 the Indiamen had been telling us such wonderful 

 stories. We had not long to wait; for tlie -ship, 

 in her progress through the water, soon put up 

 another shoal of these little things, which, as the 

 others had done, took their flight directly to wind- 

 ward. A large Dolphin, which had been keeping 

 company with us abreast of the weather gangway, 

 at the depth of two or three fathoms, and, as usual, 

 glistening most beautifully in the sun, no sooner 

 detected our poor, dear little friends take wing, than 

 he turned his head towards them, and, darting to 

 the surface, leaped from the water with, a velocity 

 little short, as it seemed, of a cannon-ball. But, 

 although the impetus with which he shot himself 

 into the air gave him an initial velocity greatly 

 exceeding that of the Flying-fish, the start which his 

 fated prey had got, enabled them to keep ahead of 

 him for a considerable time. 



"The length of the Dolphin's first spring could 

 not be less than ten yards; and, after he fell, we 

 could see him gliding like lightning through the 

 water for a moment, when he again rose and shot 

 forwards with considerably greater velocity than at 

 first, and, of course, to a still greater distance. In 

 this manner the merciless pursuer seemed to stride 

 along the sea with fearful rapidity, while his bril- 

 liant coat sparkled and flashed in the sun quite splen- 

 didly. As he fell headlong on the water, at the end 

 of each huge leap, a series of cireles were sent far 

 over the still surface, which lay as smooth as a 

 mirror. 



