Who can
describe these wonderful gardens of the deep, on which we now gazed
through ten and twenty fathoms of crystal water? Who can enumerate or
describe the strange creatures moving about and darting hither and
thither, amid the masses of coral forming their submarine home? There
were shells of rare shape, brighter than if they had been polished by
the hand of the most skilful artist; crabs of all sizes, scuttling and
sidling along; sea-anemones, spreading their delicate feelers in
search of prey; and many other kinds of zoophytes, crawling slowly
over the reef; and scarlet, blue, yellow, gold, violet, spotted,
striped, and winged fish, short, long, pointed, and blunt, of the
most varied shapes, were darting about like birds among the coral
trees.
At last, after frequent stoppages, to allow time for admiration, we
reached the outer reef, hauled the boat up and made her fast, and, in
bathing shoes, started on a paddling expedition. Such a paddle it was,
too, over the coral, the surf breaking far above our heads, and the
underflow, though only a few inches deep, nearly carrying me and the
children off our legs! There were one or two native fishermen walking
along the reef, whipping the water; but they appeared to have caught
only a few small rock-fish, pretty enough to look at, but not
apparently good to eat.
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