the confined waters of the Eastern Archipelago
into the Indian Ocean. It divides the island of Sumbawa, famous for
possessing the most active volcano in the world, from the island of
Lombok. At the eastern end of Lombok, a magnificent peak rises to a
height of 12,000 feet, and overshadows the narrow channel beneath with
its imposing mass. The effects of scenery were enhanced by a sharp
squall, which drove us into the strait at a thrilling speed, under
half-lowered canvas. When the squall cleared away the peak of Lombok
stood forth clear of cloud, in all its majesty and grandeur, backed by
the glorious colours of the evening sky. During the hour of twilight a
massive cloud rested motionless in the sky immediately above the peak.
Beneath this lofty and imposing canopy, and seen more dimly in the
fading light, this solitary mountain presented by turns every feature
that is sublime and beautiful in landscape.

_Saturday, April 23rd._--To-day proved lovely after the rain, but
there was very little wind. At noon we had come 66 miles under steam,
and 62 miles under sail. I have felt wretchedly ill for the last few
days, and seem to have lost both sleep and appetite. The motion, I
have no doubt, has something to do with my indisposition, for we are
going close-hauled to a wind from one quarter, and there is a heavy
swell on the other, so that we roll and tumble about a great deal
without making much progress. Every scrap of the Macassar ice has
melted in these three days, instead of lasting three weeks, as did the
ice from Singapore. This is a terrible blow, though we are consoled by
the thought that the weather will be getting cooler every day now, and
that we shall therefore want it less. Unless exceptionally fortunate
in making a quick passage, I fear, however, that we shall run short of
provisions before reaching our first Australian port, Macassar having
proved a miserable place at which to take in stores.

[Illustration: Our Wind-bob]

At 4.30 P.M. we found ourselves suddenly, without any warning, in a
curiously disturbed stretch of sea. It was like a tidal wave, or a
race off a headland, except that there was no tide and no cape, and we
were many miles from land. I immediately thought of Wallace and the
volcanic waves which he alludes to, especially when I observed that
the water was covered with greenish yellow objects, which at a first
hasty glance I took for spawn of some kind. We soon had buckets and
nets over the