THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. \ii{i 



" Shortly after observing a cluster of Flying-fish 

 rise out of the water, we discovered two or three 

 Dolphins [Coryphenes] ranging past the ship, in all 

 their beauty ; and watched with some anxiety to 

 see one of those aquatic chases, of which our friends 

 the Indiamen had been telling us such wonderful 

 stories. "We had not long to wait ; for the ship, 

 in her progress through the water, soon put U}» 

 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, 

 gliriening 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, althoucrh 

 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 Dolphins 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 a\ 

 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 



