114 



SHIP AHOY! 



He was living at the time on one of the islands in the West 

 Indies, and used to go in bathing every morning. One morning 

 he had been swimming about for nearly an hour in the clear warm 

 water, watching all the strange and beautiful creatures which were 

 also taking a morning swim, and thinking how pleasant it must be 

 to be a fish. At last he floated on his back, and let a great, 

 curling, white-crested wave carry him to the shore. IvTow, this 

 same wave was bringing a whole fleet of " galleys," as the natives 

 call the Physalie, in from the open sea, and just as Mr. La Blond 

 touched the shore one of the galleys touched his arm, and instantly 

 grappled it, flinging round his shoulder its beautiful streamers of 

 crimson, pink, and pale blue. He felt a thousand sharp, darting 

 pains, so intense that he grew dizzy. Exerting all his strength, 

 he tore the Physalie ofi" and flung it into the sea; but some of the 

 thread-like tendrils remained glued to his arm, and he nearly 

 fainted away with the pain. He managed to get some oil, and 

 swallowed some, and rubbed his arm with the rest; but it was 

 some hours before the pain left him, and he was not well until the 

 next day. 



So you see the tiny man-of-war is not so innocent as it looks ; 

 and if it can so powerfully affect a man, just think what a hard 

 time the little fishes must have, when they meet a fleet, or even a 

 single vessel! They just curl up their little tails and die in despair, 

 and the heartless crew of the galley make a meal of them. 



