perhaps that he would "catch one of us
napping," but no one was unwary enough to get within reach of his
voracious maw; and Mr Shark "caught a tartar" instead and got a taste
of cold steel for his pains, much to our delight, though the captain was
chagrined at the loss of the harpoon, the shark parting the line
attached to it in his death struggles, and carrying it below with him
when he sank. The brute, to end the story, was eaten up at once by his
affectionate comrades, the sea being dyed red with his blood.

We had not all leisure, though, thus hanging about the Equator under the
scorching sun, now at noon precisely perpendicular over our heads, the
heat at night too being almost as stifling and the stars as bright as
moons; for Captain Gillespie took advantage of our inaction to "set up"
the rigging, which had slackened considerably since we entered the
tropics, the heat making the ropes stretch so that our masts got loose
and the upper spars canted.

While doing this, of course, I had another practical lesson in
seamanship, learning all about "double luffs" and "toggles," "salvagee
strops" and "Burton tackles," and all the rest of such gear, whose name
is legion.

But I must go on now to a more important incident.

One morning, about a week after the wind left us, with the exception of
an occasional cat's-paw of air which came from every point of the
compass in turn, we ultimately drifted to the Line; accomplishing this
by the aid of the swell ever rolling southward and the eddy of the great
south equatorial current, setting between the African continent and the
Caribbean Sea. This meets the Guinea current running in the opposite
direction in the middle of the Doldrums, and helps to promote the
pleasant stagnation, of wind and water and of air alike, of this
delightful region so dear to mariners!

I recollect the morning well; for the night was unusually oppressive,
the heat between the middle watch and eight bells having been more
intense than at any period, I thought, during the week.

So, after tossing about my bunk, unable to get to sleep I was only too
glad when the time came to turn out for duty, the task of washing decks
and paddling about in the cool water--for it was cool at the earlier
hours of the morning if tepid at noon--being something to look forward
to.

I forgot, however, all about the terrible rites of Neptune for those
crossing the Line for the first time, and neither Tom Jerrold nor We