flashing in the sun so that they
resembled animated gems; and lizards of various kinds, including an
immense iguana, could be seen lying stretched out at full length on some
far-reaching branch, basking in the broiling sun. It was all very
beautiful; and I should have liked nothing better than to spend a week
with my gun and sketch-book in so charming a spot, but this was of
course impossible; and it was also impossible for me, posted as I still
was at the tiller, to take more than a hasty glance now and then, for
the water was extremely shallow everywhere but in the channel, which was
so intricate that, with the fresh breeze then blowing, it taxed me to
the full extent of my ability to follow Carera's quick motions and keep
the little hooker from running bodily ashore with us.

This novel species of inland navigation lasted until four bells in the
forenoon watch, by which time we had cleared the second group of
islands. The channel then became wider, deeper, and less difficult to
follow; the land receding on either hand so far that all details were
lost; the trip consequently began to grow somewhat monotonous; so I
resigned the tiller to Manuel, the mate, and joined Courtenay below for
a quiet chat. At one o'clock Carera called down through the sky-light
that we were about to make for the open sea again, whereupon we
proceeded on deck to watch the passage of the felucca out through the
northern channel. This was simply a pleasant repetition of our
morning's experience for a run of about three miles; after which we
found ourselves at sea again, indeed, but with still a very awkward
passage of some nine miles to make over an extensive shoal before we
could reach deep water. We had a most disagreeable time of it for the
first half-hour, for, though we were under the lee of a couple of
islands, a heavy swell was setting in from seaward, the white water was
all round us in every direction, and a very sharp eye was needed at the
con, and an equally quick hand at the tiller, to prevent the little
craft from beating her bottom in on the coral. After that, however, the
water gradually deepened; and about two o'clock, to everybody's intense
relief, we found ourselves once more in open water, with no sign of the
frigate, or indeed of a sail of any kind, anywhere within sight.

For the remainder of that day and during the ensuing night our course
led us to the northward and westward close along the northern edge of
the grea