^0 California 



as town smoke from mountain air. I could see 

 the bottom as distinctly as one sees the ground 

 when riding over it. It seemed strange that 

 our ship should be upborne in such an ethereal 

 liquid as this, and that we did not run aground 

 where the bottom seemed so near. 



One morning, while among the Bahama dots 

 of islands, we had calm sky and calm sea. The 

 sun had risen ya cloudless glory, when I ob- 

 served a large flock of flying fish, a short dis- 

 tance from us, closely pursued by a dolphin. 

 These fish-swallows rose in pretty good order, 

 skimmed swiftly ahead for fifty or a hundred 

 yards in a low arc, then dipped below the sur- 

 face. Dripping and sparkling, they rose again 

 in a few seconds and glanced back into the lucid 

 brine with wonderful speed, but without appar- 

 ent terror. 



At length the dolphin, gaining on the flock, 

 dashed into the midst of them, and now all or- 

 der was at an end. They rose in scattering dis- 

 order, in all directions, like a flock of birds 

 charged by a hawk. The pursuing dolphin also 

 [ i8i ] 



