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despairing men and to reward his un- 

 paralleled faith and courage. The 

 excitement of seeing San Salvador had 

 barely subsided when we were informed 

 that we were about to cross the 

 Tropic of Cancer. It was intensely 

 interesting to realize the moment we 

 were crossing that imaginary line, and 

 we marveled that man had been 

 enabled to formulate accurate rules by 

 which sailors could locate their position 

 at any time upon the trackless deep. 

 After a most gorgeous sunset, with 

 such forms of clouds and such bril- 

 liant colors as can never be witnessed 

 elsewhere than far out at sea, dark- 

 ness following soon without the linger- 

 ing twilight of the North, we were 

 gazing for the first time upon the 

 Southern Cross Poets and writers of 

 romance had so inflamed our imagina- 

 tions regarding this constellation that, 



