m., and made
every effort throughout the rest of the day, by endless changes of
sail, to catch each fleeting breath of wind. We did not, however, make
much progress, owing to the extreme lightness of the breeze.
Sorry as we are to lose the scenery of the Straits, it is pleasant to
find the weather getting gradually warmer, day by day, and to be able
to regard the morning bath once more as a luxury instead of a terror.
The change is also thoroughly appreciated by the various animals we
have on board, especially the monkeys and parrots, who may now be seen
sunning themselves in every warm corner of the deck. In the Straits,
though the sun was hot, there was always an icy feeling in the wind,
owing to the presence of enormous masses of snow and ice on every
side.
_Saturday, October 14th_.--Light winds and calms prevailed the whole
day. About 2 p.m. we were off the island of Socorro. In the afternoon
a large shoal of whales came round the yacht. I was below when they
first made their appearance, and when I came on deck they were
spouting up great jets of water in all directions, suggestive of the
fountains at the Crystal Palace. We were lying so still that they did
not seem to be in the least afraid of us, and came quite close,
swimming alongside, round us, across our bows, and even diving down
under our keel.
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