MY FIRST DREDGING 51 



some sea-worms and sea-urchins, and numerous other 

 still more lowly organised creatures ; and even a 

 beginner could not fail to notice that, both in colour- 

 markings and in form and sculpture, these little 

 lodgers often had a singular resemblance to the host 

 under whose protection they lived. 



On the third day after I joined the ship, Captain 

 Carpenter undertook to initiate me into the mysteries 

 of deep-sea dredging. When we had steamed out a 

 few miles to the east of Port Blair, the ship was stopped 

 and brought head to wind, and a sounding was taken 

 with the deep-sea lead, which showed 244 fathoms and 

 a bottom of slimy, black mud. The temperature at the 

 bottom was not taken on this occasion, but the ship's 

 bearings by the land were noted, so that her position 

 could be afterwards worked out. 



The dredge was then lowered away from the fore- 

 yard, the dredging - rope having been led first 

 through a hawsehole in the bows of the ship, and 

 then through a steel block pendant from the bow- 

 sprit, arranged so that the strain should be borne by 

 the accumulator. As the rope was slowly payed out 

 the ship was kept slowly moving astern by an occasional 

 turn of the paddles, and the same slow movement was 

 continued after the dredge had reached bottom, a very 

 careful watch being all the while kept upon the 

 accumulator. 



After dragging for some time under the eye of 



