14 
INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 
and was curving round the low Pole-star ; the Moon 
and Jupiter had set. Presently Venus rose from 
the sea, enveloped in a slight haze, and looking, 
when a few degrees above the horizon, exactly like 
a light-house, but glowing like a torch as she rapidly 
mounted up the sky. About six o’clock I went 
aloft and sat in the maintop to see the sun rise 
free from distraction. It was a splendid sight : the 
gradual lighting up of the eastern quarter of the 
heavens, and the refulgent gilding of the few clouds 
that gathered there, were most gorgeous, and went 
on increasing in splendour every moment; till at 
length the sun leaped up “ in his clearness,” and 
irradiated the solitary ocean far and wide. The whole 
scene was indescribably beautiful; and though its 
elements are common to all parts of the earth, yet 
the effect was something new, and produced a peculiar 
emotion of delight ; a sort of thrilling feeling, some- 
what like that which the deep tones of a fine band of 
music will often excite. 
There is not a more pleasant situation on board 
a ship than the maintop in fair weather. To take 
a hook up for an hour’s quiet reading, or to sit with 
our hack against the topmast shrouds, and enjoy our 
own meditations ; or to gaze upon the vast expanse 
of ocean all spread out around and beneath us ; or 
to mark under the lifting sail the double hillock of 
foam tossed off by the vessel’s prow breasting the 
waves ; or to watch the curling of the dark eddies 
beneath the stern till they subside into the long 
wake, which, like a line of silver, we leave behind 
upon the sea, — all these are delightful to a passenger 
