d us about from side to side of the
entrance, in which, unfortunately, no good anchorage is to be found,
owing to the great depth of water and the rocky nature of the ground.
This serious evil of a rocky bottom is now almost entirely obviated by
the admirable invention of iron cables, when the water is not too
deep. The links of the chain merely acquire a polish by their friction
against the coral reefs and other sharp ledges, by which the best
hempen cables of past times would be cut through in ten minutes.

The chain-cable, however, is difficult of management in deep water,
that is to say, when the soundings are more than twenty or twenty-five
fathoms. Nothing is so easy as getting the anchor to the bottom in
such cases; it is the "facilis descensus," with a vengeance! But when
the anchor is to be pulled up again, then comes the tug. I once let
go my anchor with a chain-cable bent to it in forty-five fathoms,
without having calculated on the probable effects of the momentum.
Though the cable was bitted, all the stoppers snapped like packthread;
and the anchor, not content with shooting to the bottom with an
accelerated velocity, drew after it more than a hundred fathoms of
chain, in such fearful style that we thought the poor ship must have
been shaken to pieces. The noise was like that of rattling thunder,
and so loud that it was impossible to hear a word; indeed it was even
difficult to speak, from the excessive tremour caused by the rapid and
violent passage of the links, as the chain leaped, or rather flew, up
the hatchway, flashing round the bits, and giving out sparks like a
firework. Finally, it tore its way out at the hause-hole, till the
whole cable had probably piled itself on the anchor in a pyramid of
iron at the bottom of the sea. The inner end of the cable had of
course been securely shackled round the heel of the mainmast; but the
jerk with which it was brought up, made the ship shake from stem to
stern, as if she had bumped on a rock, and every one fully expected to
see the links fly in pieces about the deck, like chain-shot fired from
a cannon. It cost not many seconds of time for the cable to run out,
but it occupied several hours of hard labour to heave it in again. The
ordinary power of the capstan, full manned, scarcely stirred it; and
at the last, when to the weight of chain hanging from the bows there
came to be added that of the anchor, it was necessary to apply
purchase upon purchase, in order