CIIAPTEE III. 



ON THE OUTER REEF. 



Wonders of the ocean garden — The angel-fish— Living sponges 



Cigars afloat— The growth of a coral key— The shark and sting- 

 ray—Gigantic coral heads— The remora— The malthea— Living 

 sleeve-buttons — Drifting over the reef— The box-crab — The 

 black squall — Making the five-foot — A narrow escape. 



HE sun rose upon a glorious 

 day. There was not a cloud 

 in the sky; the water was as 

 smooth as glass, save where the 

 flapping tail of some big fish 

 splashed the surface. The sub- 

 ■ : - dued roar on the outer reef 

 sounded like far-off music, the 

 white keys and the azure of the 

 bright sky were reflected again 

 and again in the water, the whole 

 scene seeming to the boys a dream of enchant- 

 ment. 



Old Busby led the way in the dinghy, with 



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