VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 199 



rizon was covered with clouds. The top-masts had been lowered 

 for fear of a storm ; in every case prudence was advisable. 



17. — The anticipated storm seemed to be above our heads. 

 A large number of birds few past our ship towards the north, 

 among- them Pelecanus Piscator and the Tern, together with other 

 tropical birds, all of which I knew. It was almost midday before 

 the storm began, and we thought the circumstance of the whole 

 horizon not being dark a good sign, that the weather would not 

 be bad for very long. We had not seen the sun for almost two days 

 and we deemed ourselves on the 8th degree of N. L, and accord- 

 ing to our calculation we were still five degrees of distant from 

 Zeylon, to which our course had originally been directed. 



18. — We had storms from different sides with frequent 

 showers of rain, which lasted for some time. In the evening the 

 sea was very electric, and the ordinary luminous spots, caused by 

 many small infusory animals, were very bright. Also the fish left 

 long furrows of light behind them when they touched the sur- 

 face in swimming. 



19. — The storms and showers were even stronger to-day, 

 and the horizon was covered all around; specially in the evening 

 we had some violent showers which lasted for very long, and 

 there was strong lightning all around. The sea was not as 

 luminous as yesterday. 



20. — Early this morning at 4 o'clock we had the most violent 

 storm which we had hitherto experienced. Our captain was 

 forced to return to where we had come from, because the top 

 part of our ship, which ought to have been repaired long ago, had 

 become quite loose in the fight with the elements and as the 

 whole ship was old, this might have been dangerous. A second 

 circumstance which made him take this decision was that the 

 native sailors, who did not wear any clothes, were in danger of 

 being ill with great fatigue and the continual wet. The wind 

 continued in full force; at 11 o'clock we saw a rainbow round 

 the sun, which had about ten degrees in diameter; we deemed 

 this to be a favourable sign. 



The storm and rain continued; at midday we were eight 

 degrees and two minutes of N. L. Towards evening the rain 

 and wind abated little. A Sterna stolida was caught with the 

 hand as it grew dark. It had a large wound in the middle of the 

 right wing, and must have been attacked by some animal of the 



