eads
were popped out of staterooms, and "What's the matter?" was in every
mouth. We had run into a small schooner, which had imprudently tried to
cross our bows. For an hour there was noise overhead,--men running
across the deck; and then all was still, only the thump, thump of our
engine; so we went to sleep, thanking our Heavenly Father that no worse
thing had happened to us.

"Aunty," said Harry, "what became of the poor schooner?"

We gave her one of our boats, and the captain thought he could get her
into port; but she leaked badly, and I afterwards heard he had to run
her ashore on some beach just out of New York.

Next morning, in my forgetfulness, I attempted to sit up in my berth,
and gave my head a great bump on grandma's berth. On the third night out
we had a heavy gale, and one of our sails was blown away with a noise
like that of a cannon.

"Aunty," said little Alice, "do steamers have sails?"

Yes, we always had a sail on the foremast; it steadies the ship, and if
the wind is right helps the vessel. Almost every body was sea-sick
during that gale, for it lasted two days. We went scarcely a hundred
miles, and were off Savannah when it cleared up.

"Oh, I know where Savannah is," said Harry; "it was in my last geography
lesson."

When Sabbath came, it was very rough, so we could not have preaching. We
sung a few hymns, but were rather quiet, when the cry, "Porpoises!
porpoises!" made us run to the side of the vessel; and sure enough,
there was a whole school of them rolling along in great glee. They are
light brown fishes, varying in shade, some four feet long, some less.
The female and young keep side by side, and leap out of the water at the
same time. They jump out of the white crest of one wave into the next,
racing along, seeming to try and keep up with the ship. It was very
exciting, and the passengers shouted; for, excepting a few birds, they
were the first living thing out of the ship we had seen for six days.
All the rest of that day we were running so near the Florida coast that
we could see the green trees on shore. We could hardly believe it was
mid-winter. The water looked shallow, and we grazed the end of a
sand-bank, after which they kept the vessel farther from the shore. We
saw some great green sea-turtles that day; they were about three feet
long. Our wheel turned one over on his back. I wanted to watch him; but
we soon left him far, far behind.

We went round by the west of Cuba,