88 DISCREPANCIES. 



always sleep on deck, to recover ourselves from the heat of 

 the day, a circumstance which occasioned me one night 

 a very unexpected visit. I was awakened by the con- 

 stant motion of a very cold animal at my side, which, 

 when it writhed in my hand, I first took to be a lizard. 

 This, I thought, might perhaps have been brought on 

 board at Chili, with the wood. But, on examining, I 

 found that it was a flying-fish that I had in my hands, 

 and I am probably the first that has caught such a one 

 in bed."* 



The other incident occurred nearer home. 



In the tremendous gale of the 25th October, 1859, 

 which did so much damage on the coast of South Devon, 

 a curious incident occurred to a gentleman whose house 

 was situated close to the water-side. He was sitting with 

 his parlour window open, when an enormous green wave 

 came curling towards the house, and discharged its force 

 full against the window. There was no time to shut the 

 window ; but, retreating as fast as he could, he pulled 

 the door of the room after him, in order to keep the sea 

 as far as practicable from the rest of the house. After 

 some time he returned to see what amount of mischief 

 was done, and, entering the room, found the floor covered 

 with flapping and jumping fishes. The wave had brought 

 forward a shoal of whiting, and had deposited them on 

 the good man's carpet ; where they tossed, much to his 

 amusement and their own chagrin fish out of water. 



* Voyage, i. p. 145. 



