Some day, perhaps, you would be very thankful if you could only
catch a single one, and be ready to eat it raw." Mrs Clagget's tongue
was apt to run on so fast that she now and then said things, among the
many she uttered, which came true, in which instances she never failed
to boast of her prophetic powers. Shortly afterwards, a number of those
beautiful inhabitants of tropical seas, the little Portuguese
men-of-war, were seen floating round the ship on the crest of the waves,
their out-spread fans sparkling and glistening with the transparent
brightness of crystal; as the wind blew them gently through the sea,
their wings reflected all the colours of the rainbow. As Emily and May
were admiring them, they saw the terrible dismay the ship created among
them, as she passed through their midst. As the ship sailed on, the
sea-gulls of the northern ocean were succeeded by the high towering
tropic-birds, several of which were seen; appearing at first like mere
specks in the blue sky, where, with the wonderful balloon apparatus with
which they are furnished, they floated calmly at their ease, then
suddenly descending like bolts from the skies, they pounced down upon
the nether world, to seize some hapless fish swimming unconscious of
danger near the surface of the ocean. Beautiful creatures they
appeared, with two long streamer-like feathers floating behind their
wide-spreading wings. Now and then a sword-fish of a bright hue shot
with gold darted by, and huge sharks might be seen turning up their evil
eyes with longing glances toward the ship. Bill Windy did not fail to
point them out to the boys who were sky-larking in the rigging, and to
bid them take care not to fall overboard to become a prey of the
monsters. One of the savage creatures continued to follow the ship so
pertinaciously that the mate vowed he would punish him for his audacity.

"Either the brute will be catching some of us, or we must catch him," he
observed, as he prepared a harpoon and line. Descending by the
dolphin-striker, he stood on the bob-stay, watching with keen eye and
lifted arm for the shark, which now dropped astern, now swam lazily
alongside. Bill ordered one of the men to get out to the jibboom end
with a piece of pork, and heave it as far ahead as he could fling. No
sooner did the creature see the tempting bait than he darted forward,
and turning round to seize it exposed the white under side of his body
to a blow from Bill's harpo