s, but the result was the same as if we had sunk or
crippled the hostile fleet. At the flash and sound of the cannon, with
black smoke rolling across the water towards them, the savages turned
and fled, driving their canoes back to the place whence they had come
at a pace which sent the foam flying from the paddles. But the most
unexpected part of our interference was that the savages on board the
king's canoes appeared to be as terrified as were the enemy, for they
also turned and fled towards the shore. So we had the satisfaction of
seeing the opposing fleets flying from each other without blood being
shed.

Having thus brought matters to a satisfactory conclusion, and fulfilled
our agreement with the young king to drive off the enemy fleet, we
continued our voyage, well satisfied with our first transaction.

CHAPTER XII

THE SEA SERPENT

For some days after leaving Cortes' island the weather continued fine
and the sea calm, but a strong breeze then springing up from the
north-west made it necessary to shorten sail. While so engaged we
sighted a number of whales, which swam to meet us. Never before had I
seen so strange a spectacle. Their vast numbers, their great bulk, and
their quick evolutions impressed me with wonder.

The whales in these parts are fearless of man. They have not yet
learned to regard him as an enemy. This fearlessness, however, although
remarkable, was not to our liking, for some of the whales came so close
to us that our decks were often deluged by the water which they spouted
upon them.

One day, some little time after this adventure, the weather having
moderated to a calm, a number of ripples appeared upon the sea, which
at first we took to be a breeze, but on drifting among them we found
the phenomenon to be caused by a number of water snakes, varying in
size from a few inches to many feet in length. Some of them appeared to
be asleep, whilst others reared their heads at us, although they made
no attempt to attack us. Suddenly they disappeared, as though scared
by the approach of a common enemy.

We had now been for some days becalmed, and at length we began to fear
we had drifted into a dead sea, where the wind never rose, and the
currents ran in a circle. The sun by day blistered the decks so that
the tar bubbled in the seams. The nights were more tolerable, but the
air below had become so foul that the cabins were deserted for the
open. A musty smell rose out of the water,