ftrxdfy adhered to, made in a few days fo fudden; a 'change:
for the better W the poor fellows, who had keen covered,
with ulcers and livid blotches, that eferyCperfon on board;
Was furprifed at it t and, in a fortnight after, when we go t
into port, there was not a man in the feip, though, at the
time we received the water, the gums of fome Of them were
formed into fuch a fungus as pearly to envelope the' teeth;,
hut what had every appearance of health,
ytfe. Dark, cloudy, unpleafant, foltry weather; the wind
fouth by caffe We few many fife, and caught tw o bdriitoesw.
The boatfwain fttuck, with a pair of grains, out o f the cabin;
window, a moft beautiful fife, about ten pounds weight«'.
In feape it a good deal, refembled a felmon* with this difference,
that its tail was more forked. I t was in Colour of &■
lovely yellow; and when fir ft taken out of the water, it had;
two beautiful ftripes o f greenon each fide,which, feme minutes
after, changed to a delightful hkie, and fo continued. In the
internal formation o f this fife I obferved nothing; partieular;
except that its' heart was larger, and its refpirations contracted
and . dilated longer, than I had ever fee® before in any
aquatic animal, a tortoife not excepted. Asw ew e rea t a lo&
| what
What' appellation to give it, having never met with a fifh. of
^ i t fpecfcs, .and it being a nomdefeript,. the feilors gave it
the name t)f the YeEdw Taife
r 8th. The wind ftill S. by E . in lat. 4° 36' N. loxigi 2.30 W.
we few a large veifel Handing to the northward under a
^ipefs of fail. Her qolours, though at a.eonfiderahle diftance, •
‘were judged to be Imperial.' Again few fifh of various kinds
m,chafe of the flying fifh, whofe enemies feem to be innumerable.
In order -to avoid being devoured by their purfuers, '
•they.; frequently fought for flicker in the fhips^but much
oftener. few With fuch force againft their fidd-as. to drop -
lifelefs into the water. We caught three fine bond toes, and
*hereby'rid the fobr flying fife, whofe wings feemed-toaexcite
the enmity, of 411 the larger finny race* o f three Tomfidable.
enemieS.
| 9th and lo th . Caught ^ great number of fifhras -did
the Alexander, who. was near us. At night, in the wake o f
■ the fhip the fea appeared quite luminous ; a phenomenon
we attributed, to the fpawn of the fife which furrounded us.
on alhfidesv
14th. About fife in the evening we. erofled the equator*
without'any- wife’ or. inclination being feewn by ithe feamem
to
*'37
* 787-