266 



DEPARTURE FROM CUBA. 



during a long passage from the mainland, she always 

 had recourse to this light when she gave her child 

 the breast at night, the captain not allowing any 

 other on board, for fear of pirates. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



Voyage from Cuba to Carihagena. 



Passage from Trinidad of Cuba to Carthagena— Description of the latter 

 — Village of Turbaco — Air- volcanoes —Preparations for ascending tha 

 Rio Magdalena. 



Leaving the island of Cuba, the travellers pro- 

 ceeded in a S.S.E. direction, and on the morning of 

 the 17th approached the group of the Little Cay- 

 mans, in the neighbourhood of which they saw nu- 

 merous turtles of extraordinary size, accompanied 

 by multitudes 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 Cam- 

 boy. The weather was remarkably fine, and the 

 surface of the bay was of an indigo-blue, or violet 

 tint, on account of the medusae which covered it. 

 Haloes of small dimensions appeared round the 

 moon. The disappearance of one of them was fol- 

 lowed by the formation of a great black cloud, 

 which emitted some drops of rain ; but the sky 

 soon resumed its serenity, and a long series of fall- 

 ing-stars and fireballs were seen moving in a direc- 

 tion contrary to the wind in the lower regions of the 

 atmosphere, which blew from the north. During 



