376 
A DISAGREEABLE QUESTION. 
resolved itself into three separate masses of towering 
rock. 
The passage looked smooth and beautiful from the 
masthead at first; hut, as Ave approached it with our mad 
velocity, a suspicious-looking streak of foam and hroKen 
water was gradually discovered to connect the extreme 
right of the hlack-logking rocks with tlie mainland. 
Should this prove to be a reef ^but bah! Avhy hunt up 
unpleasant subjects for thought? 
Any one who has ever watched the flying landscape from 
the window of a railroad-car can form a very fair idea ot 
the appearance AAdiich the receding objects here jiresented 
to us. Trees, rocks, patches of snow, dark and gloomy- 
looking caves, Avith here and there a huge boulder, suoaa^- 
fed torrent, or Avandering bear, rushed by us in their con- 
stant flight, separate and distinct at first, but finally 
melting into one conglomerate mass of unrecognisable 
objects, over \Adiich the momentarily-withdrawn eye 
ranged in vain for its former resting-place. Tliis Avas the 
velocity AAuth AAdiich \vq were going over ground noAV for 
the first time passed o\’cr to our knowledge, — tliirteen 
miles to the hour probably, certainly not less than twelve: 
where would we all be in one minute of time should the 
‘‘old John” suddenly find a reef or sunken rock under 
her already leaky boAv? 
Some such question as this was drifting lazily through 
my midAvatch-AVorn mind, when I Avas startled by tlie 
voice of the captain, aa’Iio, from his look-out on the top- 
sail-yard, ordered our course changed so as to pass outside 
of the rocks, as the streak of broken Avater before alluded 
to Avas evidently a reef. This discovery was no sooner 
