DEPARTURE FROM CUBA. 309 
CHAPTER XXII. 
Voyage from Cuba to Carthagena. 
Passage from Trinidad of Cuba to Carthagena—Description of the 
latter—Village of Turbaco—Air-volcanoes—Preparations for 
~ ascending the Rio Magdalena. 
Leaving the island of Cuba the travellers proceed- 
ed in a S.S.E. direction, and on the morning of the 
17th approached the group of the Little Caymans, 
in the neighbourhood of which they saw numerous 
turtles of extraordinary size, accompanied by mul- 
titudes of sharks. Passing a second time over the 
great bank of Vibora, they remarked that the colour 
of the troubled waters upon it was of a dirty-gray, 
and made observations on the changes of temperature 
at the surface produced by the varying depth of the 
sea. On quitting this shoal they sailed between 
the Baxo Nueva and the lighthouse of Camboy. 
The weather was remarkably fine, and the surface 
of the bay was of an indigo-blue or violet tint, on 
account of the meduse which covered it. Haloes 
of small dimensions appeared round the moon. 
The disappearance of one of them was follow- 
ed by the formation of a great black cloud, which 
emitted some drops of rain; but the sky soon re- 
sumed its serenity, and a long series of falling-stars 
and fire-balls were seen moving in a direction con- 
trary to the wind in the lower regions of the atmo- 
