Quarantine-The sparkling of the sea-' -The grassy sea-A storm and a calm-A sail at a sea-port-Rowing-A French galley -An Algerine galley boarding a merchant-ship-Sailor's funeral-Ship-lanterns-Lighthouses-The Bell-rock-The Casket lights-The Dudgeon light-The Eddystone-Lizard Point-The needles-Portland-St. Anne's and South Foreland lights-Salutes-Brailing up and hauling down a maintop-mast-stay-sail-Making a good board-Making sail. "CAPTAIN! Captain! what a fire and a smoke you are making! Why, we saw the flame from the bottom of

the hill; and the smoke went up narrow at first, and then broader, like a waterspout; and at one time the unionjack could not be seen."

"The ship ahoay!"

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Hailing us again! Do you take us for pirates, or for an enemy under false colours?"

"Whence come ye? Where are ye bound? How can I tell but you set sail from Grand Cairo, or Constantinople? What say you to perform quarantine, boys?"

What is quarantine, Captain ?"

"All ships coming from foreign stations are bound to lie at anchor a certain time, in places appointed for them, without holding communication with the shore, except for such provision as is wanted. This is done

to prevent the spread of any infection that a ship may bring from a foreign shore. And now you know what quarantine is.”

"That is a very good regulation!"

"Well, I suppose you can give us a clean bill of health, and, therefore, I must admit you into harbour. Yes, I am making a pother to-day, sure enough, burning all the weeds that have been pulled up in the garden. I warrant the flame put you in mind of a burning mountain."

"We said it was the lighthouse of the old sea Captain !"

"In that case, you should have stood on another tack, and not run on the rocks of Cape Come-again. What cheer messmates? what cheer?"

"We are come on the old errand, to hear a little more about sea affairs."

"What is in the wind, then? What do you want to know now ?"

"Anything, Captain! Anything that you have not described to us."

"Have I ever told you, that the sea sometimes sparkles as though ten thousand lights were moving about in all directions under the waters ?"

"No, Captain! what makes the sea sparkle so?" "Different causes: myriads of small insects that live in the sea, and decayed animals, vegetables, and other things, give a phosphorus light that is reflected on all sides. I have sailed through the grassy sea, not hundreds, but thousands of miles. I never told you of that." "No. What is the grassy sea?"

Swarms

"A part of the Atlantic ocean, which on each side the equator is covered with a kind of grass. of insects and vermin live there. No wonder that sailors call it the grassy sea, for in some places it looks as though a man might walk upon it.'

"But did you say, thousands of miles, Captain?"

"I did, boys. I have been in many a storm, when the ship at one moment seemed as if she was boring her way to the bottom of the ocean, and then again, in another, rising up as if she had a mind to mount into the air. And I have been, too, in a calm, when the vessel lay on the water as still as if she had rested on the land, with her sails as motionless as though they had been fastened against the sky."

U

"But is there no way of making a ship sail in a calm ?"

"A steam-vessel can pursue her course in a calm; but how a sailing ship is to do it I cannot tell. A calm teaches us the value of the winds, which are servants of the Almighty, and obey his bidding. None but God has gathered the winds in his fists. I have been becalmed in a warm latitude, the deck almost as hot as an oven, the sun right over head, and the scuttle-butt empty."

"What is the scuttle-butt ?"

"A cask that stands on the deck, containing fresh water. The sailors lade out the water with a leaden can. You may get a little pleasant sailing, if you should ever go to a sea-port, without running much risk of a storm or a calm. A sailing boat, and a skilful hand or two to manage her, are always to be had. The sea shining like burnished gold upon the waters; the tide rolling along majestically; the sea, green, purple, greyish, and blackish, just as the fleecy clouds may happen to scud away the sky; the white, silvery, sparkling foam with which the waves are fringed, together with the fishing smacks, and the gulls, and the sea breezes, will give you great pleasure; and, perhaps, you may try your hands at rowing a boat yourselves.

"Is it hard to row a boat? It seems to be very easy."

"Almost every thing is hard, till we are a little used to it. I have seen many a young hand, when his oar has lost hold of the water, pitch backwards into the

boat, with his heels high enough over his head. A little practice makes it easy."

"Yes! Practice makes perfect,' is written in many a copy book in Cape Academy."

"I dare say it is. If you learn to row, there is a little rowing lingo to make yourselves masters of: 'To get your oars to pass,' is to prepare them for rowing. To 'ship your oars,' is to put them in the row-locks ready for rowing. To lie on your oars,' is to stop rowing for a time, when you want to speak to any one, or to pay respect to a superior. To feather your oar,' is to turn the blade of it cleverly, so that it shall not hold the wind. To unship your oar,' is to heave it from the row lock if you did not do this at times, in passing close to a vessel, your oar might break short. And to boat your oar,' is to give over rowing, and to place your oar in the boat. I warrant now that you will make tolerable freshwater sailors."

6

"You told us that a galley was rowed with oars." "Like enough, boys; for so it is. Many of the French galleys used to have fifty banks of oars, twentyfive on each side, with six or seven slaves chained to every oar.'

"What is a bank of oars ?"

"A seat, or bench of rowers, is called a bank. The oars of the galleys that I spoke of were fifty feet long; thirteen feet in the vessel, and thirty-seven outside. If the slaves did not put out their strength, down came the lash upon their shoulders. Sad work, boys, for a heavyladen merchantman to be chased by such an enemy.'