THE ATI-AXTIC OCEAN. 197 



iron break and crumble in pieces like sealing-wax 

 and pie-crust. Many instances of such accidents are 

 on record, but I never witnessed one. 



" To prevent these frightful rencontres, care is 

 always taken to hoist out the boats in good time, 

 if need be, to tow the ships apart, or, what is gene- 

 rally sufficient, to tow the ships' heads in opposite 

 directions. I scarcely know why this should have 

 the effect ; but certainly it appears that, be the calm 

 ever so complete, or dead, as the term is, a vessel 

 generally yor^es ahead, or steals along imperceptibly 

 in the direction she is looking to ; possibly from the 

 conformation of the hull." * 



But there are indications of our patience being 

 at length rewarded by a breeze from the eastward ; 

 and now it comes, rippling the surface as it ap- 

 proaches, turning that into a deep uniform blue 

 which has so long borne a glassy brightness reflected 

 from the sky. The seamen are joyous and alert, 

 for they know that this is no " cat's-paw," but the 

 " regular trade." Now it strikes the ship ; the sails, 

 gracefully swelling, receive the unwonted impulse ; 

 and the lengthened wake, where the water coils 

 and frets in the newly-cut furrow, tells that the 

 vessel makes way once more. The breeze freshens ; 

 the little waves become larger, and, arching over 

 each other, break with patches of whitening foam ; 

 every sail is speedily set that will draw ; and we 

 run gaily along towards the west, under an eight- 

 knot breeze. We can scarcely stop to notice the 

 amity that subsists between the Shark and the 



* Frag. Voy. and Trav., 2ud Series, i. p. 226. 



