Sunk at Sea | Page 7

of things, as a natural
consequence, causes commotion in the sea. The commotion is
moreover increased by the millions of shell-fish that dwell there. These
creatures, not satisfied with their natural skins, must needs have shells
on their backs, and they extract lime from the sea-water for the purpose
of makin' these shells. This process is called secretin' the lime; coral
insects do the same, and, as many of the islands of the south seas are
made by coral insects, you may guess that a considerable lot of lime is
made away with. The commotion or disturbance thus created produces
two great currents--from the equator to the poles and from the poles to
the equator. But there are many little odds and ends about the world
that affect and modify these currents, such as depth, and local heat and

cold, and rivers and icebergs, but the chief modifiers are continents.
The currents flowin' north from the Indian Ocean and southern seas
rush up between Africa and America. The space bein'
narrow--comparatively--they form one strong current, on doublin' the
Cape of Good Hope, which flies right across to the Gulf of Mexico.
Here it is turned aside and flows in a nor'-easterly direction, across the
Atlantic towards England and Norway, under the name of the Gulf
Stream, but the Gulf of Mexico has no more to do with it than the man
in the moon, 'xcept in the way of turnin' it out of its nat'ral course. This
Gulf Stream is a river of warm water flowing through the cold waters
of the Atlantic; it keeps separate, and wherever it flows the climate is
softened. It embraces Ireland, and makes the climate there so mild that
there is, as you know, scarcely any frost all the year round--"
"Blissin's on it," broke in Larry, "sure that accounts for the purty green
face of Erin, which bates all other lands in the world. Good luck to the
Gulf Stream, say I!"
"You're right, Larry, and England, Scotland, and Norway have reason
to bless it too, for the same latitudes with these places in America have
a rigorous winter extendin' over more than half the year. But what I was
comin' to was this--there are, as you know, eddies and stagnant places
in ornary rivers, where sticks, leaves, and other odds and ends collect
and remain fixed. So, in this great ocean river, there are eddies where
seaweed collects and stagnates, and where the air above also stagnates
(for the air currents are very much like those of the sea). These eddies
or stagnant parts are called sargasso seas. There are several of them, of
various sizes, all over the ocean, but there is one big one in the Atlantic,
which is known by the name of the `Doldrums.' It has bothered
navigators in all ages. Columbus got into it on his way to America, and
hundreds of ships have been becalmed for weeks in it since the days of
that great discoverer. It is not very long since it was found out that, by
keeping well out of their way, and sailing round 'em, navigators could
escape the Doldrums altogether."
The captain paused at this point, and Larry O'Hale took the opportunity
to break in.

"D'ye know, sir," said he, "that same Gulf Strame has rose a lot o'
pecooliar spekilations in my mind, which, if I may make so bowld,
I'll--"
Here the mate's voice interrupted him gruffly with--
"Shake out a reef in that top-gall'n s'l; look alive, lads!"
Larry and his comrades sprang to obey. When they returned to their
former place in the bow, the captain had left it, so that the cook's
"pecooliar spekilations" were not at that time made known.
CHAPTER FOUR.
A STORM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
In course of time the Foam, proceeding prosperously on her voyage,
reached the region of Cape Horn--the cape of storms. Here, in days of
old, Magellan and the early voyagers were fiercely buffeted by winds
and waves. In later days Cook and others met with the same reception.
In fact, the Cape is infamous for its inhospitality, nevertheless it shone
with bright smiles when the Foam passed by, and a gentle fair-wind
wafted her into the great Pacific Ocean. Never, since that eventful day
when the adventurous Castilian, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, discovered
this mighty sea, did the Pacific look more peaceful than it did during
the first week in which the Foam floated on its calm breast. But the
calm was deceitful. It resembled the quiet of the tiger while crouching
to make a fatal spring.
Will Osten reclined against the top of the mainmast, to which he had
ascended in order to enjoy, undisturbed, the quiet of a magnificent
evening.
The sun was setting in a world of clouds,