THE INLAND SEA REVISITED. 45 



a month afterwards, I found he had hardly recovered 

 from the effects of passing the Naruta. 



" Why did you take that channel ?" I asked him. 



" Because it was recommended on the chart ; but 

 you will never catch me there again. As I neared it, I 

 could see nothing but rocks, breakers, and foam ; wished 

 myself out of it, and put the helm hard down; but 

 although the ship was going twelve knots through the 

 water, she would not answer the helm a bit. In another 

 moment I was through, and being whirled about in the 

 eddies in a most horrible manner. In fact, the ship 

 was out of all command." 



" Well," I said, " I rather expect you never went so 

 fast in a ship before." 



" Ifever," he replied. " Why, I must have been 

 going at least twenty-five knots over the ground." 



Another man, the captain of one of the American 

 mail steamers, I knew well, took his ship once through 

 the Naruta, and but once. He hardly liked to speak 

 about it ; his rudder-chains were carried away when 

 approaching, and the steamer passed the narrows in 

 the most erratic manner, whirling and twisting about 

 entirely at the mercy of the waters, which waters, as 

 I said before, took you through safely enough if you 

 allowed them. After my friend's little " adventure," 



