39 



of sea-meteors, which, as I am told, are pro- 

 duced by the concussion of the waves, while eddy- 

 ing in whirlpools round the rudder ; but still I saw 

 them rise sometimes at so great a distance from the 

 ship, and there appeared to be something so like 

 Will in the direction of their course, — sometimes 

 hurrying on, sometimes gliding along quite slowly 5 

 now stopping and remaining motionless for a minute 

 or two, and then hurrying on again, — that I could 

 not be convinced of their not being Medusae, or 

 some species or other of phosphoric animal: but 

 whatever be the cause of this appearance, the 

 effect is singularly beautiful. As to air, we have 

 not enough to bless ourselves with. I had been 

 led to believe, that when once we should have 

 fallen in with the trade winds, from that moment 

 we should sail into our destined port as rapidly 

 and as directly as Truffaldino travels in Gozzi's 

 farce ; when, having occasion to go from Asia to 

 Europe, and being very much pressed for time, 

 he persuades a conjuror of his acquaintance to 

 lend him a devil, with a great pair of bellows, the 

 nozzle of which being directed right against his 

 stern, away goes the traveller before the stream 

 of wind, with the devil after him, and the in- 

 fernal bellows never cease from working till they 

 have blown him out of one quarter of the globe 

 into another: but our trade winds must "hide 

 their diminished heads" before TrufFaldino's bel- 

 lows. It seems that like the Moors, " in Africa 



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