tes.

Next day, when pulling along the narrow channel of the beautiful harbour
on our return to the brig, we gazed down over the side with astonishment
at the lovely spectacle the bottom of the sea afforded. It was thickly
covered with a mass of corals, actiniae, and other productions of the
ocean, of vast dimensions, of every possible form, and of the most
brilliant colours. In some places the depth, Mr Hooker said, was fifty
feet, and in others twenty, for the bottom was very uneven. Here
appeared some deep chasm, here a hill rose up, there a valley was seen,
here rocks of every possible shape, the whole covered with a forest of
living vegetables, as I may call them.

"See, see!" cried Emily; "there swims a beautiful fish; there, another;
and there, another. Some are red; there is a yellow one; there is one
spotted and banded; there is another striped in the most curious manner.
See how leisurely they swim, as if admiring the beauty of their
country!"

"Look there! What is that floating by us?" exclaimed Grace; "what a
lovely orange mass!"

"See, there is another, of a beautiful rose colour!" said Emily.

The creatures the girls were admiring were medusae, beautifully
transparent, which were floating along near the surface. We entreated
that the crew might stop rowing, that we might admire them at our
leisure; indeed, we could have gazed at the scene all day long, but I am
very sure, were I to make the attempt, I could not do justice to its
surpassing beauty and interest. There may be coral beds of equal
beauty, but in few places is the water so transparent as in the harbour
of Amboyna; while, from being sheltered from the violence of storms,
there are probably a larger number of marine productions, shells, and
fishes collected in it, than in almost any other spot. While we were
still gazing down into the ocean depths, a strange rumbling noise came
over the land. The trees seemed to rock from side to side, the
buildings shook, the frightened birds flew off from the shore, the land
seemed to rise and fall, and people were seen flying from their houses,
and rushing to their boats; others hurried away into the open country.

"An earthquake!" exclaimed Mr Hooker. "They are pretty well accustomed
to it, though, and I trust no real damage may be done. However, should
it be more severe than usual, we will be ready to take off any poor
people who may wish to find refuge at sea."

In a few seconds, however,