of an Ok cum Hunter, 9 



dark-grey line on the horizon, which I imagined in my 

 want of marine experience to be some passing whale — 

 or, better still, could it not be the long-chronicled and 

 much-exaggerated sea-serpent out for his morning 

 gambol ? This pleasing delusion was quickly dis- 

 pelled when Captain Spratt politely informed me that 

 my wonderful sea-serpent was nothing less than the 

 island called Terceira, one of the Azores, situated in 

 Lat. 38 deg. $7 niin. N., and Long. 2/deg. 13 min. W., 

 furnishing a beautiful semi-tropical retreat for visitors, 

 and a most useful coaling-station in any emergency 

 for vessels crossing the Atlantic. 



The Phantom kept on her course, making for 

 the West Indian island of Barbadoes. The pas- 

 sengers passed the time lounging on deck, smoking, 

 and watching the large flights of flying-fish which 

 rose out of the w^ater at intervals and skimmed along 

 a distance of thirty yards, making their large wing-like 

 fins glisten in the sunshine like burnished silver, and 

 then dipped themselves again into the water to be 

 refreshed after so extraordinary an exertion. Those 

 who have been lone out at sea in fine weather can- 

 not fail to remark the gorgeous spectacle presented 

 by a sunset in a tropical latitude. As the mighty 

 orb sinks slowly behind the distant band of blue, 

 large masses of milky clouds gather around to honour 

 the departure of the king of day, and in return for 



