The Endless Beach

 

We all assembled on the beach, the boy gravely donned and inflated the garment, and amidst roars of laughter from his brothers, entered the water. The chill and the vapor taken together told a poor tale of the island. The dusk had come nigh hand completely, and as I opened out the cleft between the two peaks, I became aware of a wavering glow against the sky, where, as I judged, the man of the island was cooking his supper before a roaring fire. Not a single detail was visible. 

He struggles, usually alone, with various goals, such as determining for which side of the iron curtain the village functions, if either; remaining defiant to its imposed authority; concocting his own plans for escape; learning all he can about the village; and subverting its operation. Under these dark waters there stretched the bank of shellfish, an inexhaustible field of pearls more than twenty miles long. 

So intensely still was it, and so perfectly transparent was the surface of the deep, that had it not been for the long swell already alluded to, we might have believed the surrounding universe to be a huge blue liquid ball, and our little ship the one solitary material speck in all creation, floating in the midst of it. My eyes flew to the side where land lay, but I saw only a blurred line covering three-quarters of the horizon from southwest to northwest. Compared to the vast liquid plains of the Pacific ocean, the Mediterranean is a mere lake, but it's an unpredictable lake with fickle waves, today kindly and affectionate to those frail single-masters drifting between a double ultramarine of sky and water, tomorrow bad-tempered and turbulent, agitated by the winds, demolishing the strongest ships beneath sudden waves that smash down with a headlong wallop. In essence, we were then crossing that part of the whole Mediterranean so fertile in casualties. 

Above us, the yawning crater looked just like the wide mouth of a Nereid. Below us, the yawning crater looked into the wide mouth of a Leviathan. I fell asleep with the firm intention of waking up in just a few hours. The magic of these solar colors disappeared little by little, with emerald and sapphire shades vanishing from our surroundings altogether. As always, Ned identified the fish, Lois classified them, and as for me, I was in ecstasy over the verve of their movements and the beauty of their forms. And she yawned again. I would have stayed longer at my window, marveling at these beauties of sea and sky, but the panels closed. Its fins set vertically, its propeller thrown in gear at the captain's signal, the eventide rose with lightning speed, shooting upward like an air balloon into the sky. It seems to me that we have got into a mermaid's cave, for there is nothing but water all round us; and as for earth or sky, they are things of the past. No more shore in sight. No more shore in sight. 

Having resumed our garments, we now searched all our pockets with the utmost care, and laid their contents out on a flat stone before us; and, now that our minds were fully alive to our condition, it was with no little anxiety that we turned our several pockets inside out, in order that nothing might escape us. I repaired to my stateroom. 

My companions and I then witnessed an unusual sight. This peculiarity of the tide, its slight rise and fall, had not attracted our observation till some time after our residence on the island. These thoughts did, indeed, pass through my mind, but they did so in a very confused and indefinite manner, for I was young at that time, and not much given to deep reflections. It took us two hours to reach the summit of this half-crystal, half-basalt peak. Layers of clouds cloaked the sky and left only a few stars in view. As Ned looked up into the bright sky, and snuffed the scented air, his eyes glistened with delight, and Lois uttered a faint hurrah! And when I compared this deep calm of the elements with all the fury seething inside the plating of this barely perceptible Lusty Lady, I shivered all over. 

Such sounds as I refer to were, the peculiarly melancholy, yet, it seemed to me, cheerful, plaint of sea-birds floating on the glassy water, or sailing in the sky, also the subdued twittering of little birds among the bushes, the faint ripples on the beach, and the solemn boom of the surf upon the distant coral reef. I fell asleep with the firm intention of waking up in just a few hours. Number 5 will not be discouraged, and attempts to escape first by sea, then by air, but rover stops his first attempt, and a new Number 2. Hijinks ensue when Ned remote-commandeers Number 2's stolen helicopter and brings it to a landing in the village square. Exciting underwater finds like the discovery of the glowing eventide have led to a burst of shipwreck hunts. Behind us to the south and east: an immense shore, a chaotic heap of rocks and ice whose limits we couldn't see. But soon finding it impossible to force our way through the tall strong grass which grew in dense luxuriance higher than the children's heads, we turned towards the open beach on our left, and following it we reached a point much nearer the little wood, when, quitting the strand, we made towards it. 

Phinuit was steering, and we had no sooner passed beyond the islet at the entrance of the bay, so as to come in sight of its seaward beach, than we were astonished to see a countless multitude of sea-birds, gulls and others, which rose like a cloud into the air, disturbed by our approach, and deafened us by their wild and screaming cries. 

The sun was just rising from the Pacific ocean's ample bosom and tipping the mountain tops with a red glow. And yawned again. Then Jocko gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, he started suddenly up as if he had received an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off his garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the water. 

That verandah, too, was looking pleasant with its gay and sweet-scented creepers, which were already aspiring to the summit of the pillars. There was still too much sail on the schooner, and, as the gale increased, I feared that the masts would be torn out of her or carried away, while the wind whistled and shrieked through the strained rigging. A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. Exciting underwater finds like the discovery of the glowing eventide have led to a burst of shipwreck hunts. 

The sea was shining like a sheet of glass, yet heaving with the long deep swell that, all the world round, indicates the life of ocean; and the bright sea-weeds and the brilliant corals shone in the depths of that pellucid water, as we rowed over it, like rare and precious gems. There, in place of natural wonders, the watery mass offered some thrilling and dreadful scenes to my eyes. It proved to be a huge stranded whale. 

My spirits were so much frayed by seeing all this that I, too, hastily threw off my garments and endeavored to imitate Jocko's vigorous bound; but I was so awkward that my foot caught on a stump, and I fell to the ground; then I slipped on a stone while running over the mud, and nearly fell again, much to the amusement of Phinuit, who laughed heartily, and called me a slow coach, while Jocko cried out.

In the midst of milky white waves. Who could portray the effects of this light through these translucent sheets of water, the subtlety of its progressive shadings into the ocean's upper and lower strata? This is an amusement. This brought me near to where I had encountered the maroon; and I walked more circumspectly, keeping an eye on every side. We felt very glad in our hearts as we walked along the sands side by side. A pretty little wood in the distance attracted my notice particularly, and thither we directed our course. Just then a lusty lady had arrived at the perpendicular face of that high wall. 

Almost before the words had left my lips the wind burst upon us, and the spray dashed over our decks. 

Layers of clouds soaked the sky and left only a few dim stars in view. Under these dark waters there stretched the bank of shellfish, an inexhaustible field of pearls more than twenty miles long. Of course, I must admit, we had to guess the hour of twelve midnight, and I think we could do this pretty correctly; but in regard to twelve noon we are quite positive, because we easily found the highest point that the sun reached in the sky by placing ourselves at a certain spot whence we observed the sharp summit of a cliff resting against the sky, just where the sun passed. Clouds were fleeing to the south. Mists were rising from the cold surface of the water. 

Although the relief of these prominences is greatly subdued when compared to the ocean floor, their extent is sufficient to be quantified by means of satellite altimetry, which has an astounding vertical resolution. Satellite technology has greatly advanced the science of oceanography. Having resumed our garments, we now searched all our pockets with the utmost care, and laid their contents out on a flat stone before us; and, now that our minds were fully alive to our condition, it was with no little anxiety that we turned our several pockets inside out, in order that nothing might escape us. 

As Lois lay on the deck close beside me, I could see that the shock had rendered her insensible, but I did not dare to quit the tiller for an instant, as it required all my faculties, bodily and mental, to manage the schooner. The lusty lady did not stir. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, they can't obscure this phenomenon. Vibrating resonantly, it knifed through the watery mass. 

Not a cloud spotted the deep blue sky. It was an arduous climb over sharp lava and pumice stones in the midst of air often reeking with sulfurous fumes from the smoke holes. When we reached the shore, after being wrecked, my companions had taken off part of their clothes and spread them out in the sun to dry, for, although the gale was raging fiercely, there was not a single cloud in the bright sky. From the coast of Algiers to the beaches of Provence, how many ships have wrecked, how many vessels have vanished! The day was a fine one, though cloudy, and a gentle breeze was blowing, but the sea was not rougher, or the breaker on the reef higher, than usual. The seeds we had scattered had germinated, and were now promising magnificent crops. 

It was a dead calm. I also noted long, whitish strings of salps, a type of mollusk found in clusters, and some jellyfish of large size that swayed in the eddies of the billows. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, they can't obscure this phenomenon. Then Phinuit gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, he started suddenly up as if he had received an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off his garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the water. Vibrating resonantly, it knifed through the watery mass. 

The morning was exceeding lovely. That night the starry sky looked down through the gently rustling trees upon our slumbers, and the distant roaring of the surf upon the coral reef was our lullaby. O goodness, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. It looked as if ten thousand flashes of lightning were darting at the same time from every quarter of the sky. The sun was just rising from the Pacific's ample bosom and tipping the mountain tops with a red glow. At length the faint dawn of day appeared, the long weary night was over, and with thankful hearts we perceived that the gale had begun to moderate; blue sky was seen above us, and the lovely hues of sunrise adorned the eastern horizon. 

I also noted long, whitish strings of salps, a type of mollusk found in clusters, and some jellyfish of large size that swayed in the eddies of the billows. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, they can't obscure this phenomenon. Then Lois gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, she started suddenly up as if she had received an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off her garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the water. 

Such sounds as I refer to were, the peculiarly melancholy, yet, it seemed to me, jeerful, plaint of sea-birds floating on the glassy water, or sailing in the sky, also the subdued twittering of little birds among the bushes, the faint ripples on the beach, and the solemn boom of the surf upon the distant coral reef. But where blackbeard stood with his lieutenant, all was still in shadow, and they waded knee-deep in a low white vapour that had crawled during the night out of the morass. 

Its clarity is believed to exceed that of spring water. The verandah was looking pleasant with its gay and sweet-scented creepers, which were already aspiring to the summit of the pillars. The other verandah, too, was looking groovier with its high gay sweet-scented creepers, which were already aspiring to the summit of the pillars. Jocko was a remarkably good swimmer and diver, so that after his plunge we saw no sign of him for nearly a minute; after which he suddenly emerged, with a cry of joy, a good many yards out from the shore. It was an arduous climb over sharp lava and pumice stones in the midst of air often reeking with sulfurous fumes from the smoke holes. 

"Chimes of Big Ben" starts with a new Number 2, a woman from Estonia, arrives in the village as a fellow prisoner to Number 7. I came to the conclusion that a state of profound peace and repose, both in regard to outward objects and within the soul, is the happiest condition in which man can be placed; for, although I had many a time been most joyful and happy when engaged in bustling, energetic, active pursuits or amusements, I never found that such joy or satisfaction was so deep or so pleasant to reflect upon as that which I now experienced. Almost before the words had left my lips the wind burst upon us, and the spray dashed over our decks. Layers of clouds clogged the sky. 

At first I thought the beacon had gone back on and was casting its electric light into the liquid mass. Near seven o'clock in the evening, the Lusty Lady lay half submerged, navigating in the midst of milky white waves. This island was at a greater distance than I expected, and I did not reach it in less than five hours. Leaving my wife engaged in making a set of harness for the ass and cow, whose strength I intended to employ the following day in drawing the beams up to our tree, I walked down with Phinuit and Joiner to the beach to look for wood suitable for building our new abode and also to discover, if possible, some light rods to form a ladder. Captain Phinuit took me to the central companionway whose steps led to the platform. 

I would have stayed longer at my window, marveling at these beauties of sea and sky, but the panels closed. Its fins set vertically, its propeller thrown in gear at the captain's signal, the lusty lady rose with lightning speed, shooting upward like an air balloon into the sky. With an energy that he only gave way to in moments of excitement, Jocko bounded to his feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite to envelop Phinuit in a shower of spray. 

However, when I got into the water I managed very well, for I was really a good swimmer, and diver too. As we looked up into the bright sky, and snuffed the scented air, his eyes glistened with delight, and Ned uttered a faint hurrah! The cry awoke Jocko, who rose on his elbow with a look of grave surprise; but this was followed by a quiet smile of intelligence on seeing Phinuit in the water. When I awoke on the morning after the shipwreck, I found myself in this most delightful condition; and, as I lay on my back upon my bed of leaves, gazing up through the branches of the cocoa-nut trees into the clear blue sky, and watched the few fleecy clouds that passed slowly across it, my heart expanded more and more with an exulting gladness, the like of which I had never felt before. By nine o'clock we had pulled up to shore. The sun shone fiercely in the sky, and a ball of fire blazed, with almost equal power, from out the bosom of the water. The sky was bright and cloudless overhead, and the tops of the trees shone rosily in the sun. A squall was on the way. 

The sky was growing brighter. 

The seeds we had scattered had germinated, and were now promising magnificent crops. They had also stripped off most of my wet clothes and spread them also on the rocks. There, in place of natural wonders, the watery mass offered some thrilling and dreadful scenes to my eyes. Under these dark waters there stretched the bank of shellfish, an inexhaustible field of pearls more than twenty miles long. With an energy that he only gave way to in moments of excitement, Ned bounded to his feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite to envelop Phinuit in a shower of spray. A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. Leaning my elbows on the beacon housing, which jutted from the stern of the platform, I got set to scour that whole stretch of sky and sea. Oars in position, five of the Lusty Lady's sailors were waiting for us aboard the skiff, which was moored alongside. Its fins set vertically, its propeller thrown in gear at the captain's signal, the Lusty Lady rose with lightning speed, shooting upward like an air balloon into the sky. But in this fluid setting traveled by the little sparrow, our electric glow was being generated in the very heart of the waves. Meanwhile I perceived with pleasure the rapid vegetation the climate was producing. 

Meanwhile clouds darkened the sky, and the sea began to rise in huge billows. We now seated ourselves upon a rock and began to examine into our personal property. When we reached the shore, after being wrecked, my companions had taken off part of their clothes and spread them out in the sun to dry, for, although the gale was raging fiercely, there was not a single cloud in the bright sky. Oars in position, five of the Lusty Lady's sailors were waiting for us aboard the skiff, which was moored alongside. 

The mirror of Pythagoras, in or on which he is said to have written in blood the things which he wished to signify, and which, when turned to the moon, displayed upon the disk of the moon, visibly to one standing behind, the things so inscribed. 

Phinuit now began to remember where we were. Clouds were fleeing to the south. This is particularly important in deep, remote portions of the basins where little depth information is available. Then, during the Silurian period, the tops of mountains gradually appeared above the waves, islands emerged, disappeared beneath temporary floods, rose again, were fused to form continents, and finally the earth's geography settled into what we have today. This peculiarity of the tide, its slight rise and fall, had not attracted our observation till some time after our residence on the island. Was it an effect of the moon's rays? 

At first we thought that this looked like a thunder-cloud; and, as we had had a good deal of broken weather of late, accompanied by occasional peals of thunder, we supposed that a storm must be approaching. Meanwhile clouds darkened the sky, and the sea began to rise in huge billows. In essence, we were then crossing that part of the whole Mediterranean so fertile in casualties. 

It was an arduous climb over sharp lava and pumice stones in the midst of air often reeking with sulfurous fumes from the smoke holes. In essence, we were then crossing that part of the whole Mediterranean so fertile in casualties. I would have stayed longer at my window, marveling at these beauties of sea and sky, but the panels closed. At any time and in any place such sights and sounds are most charming, but more especially are they so when one awakens to them, for the first time, in a novel and romantic situation, with the soft sweet air of a tropical climate mingling with the fresh smell of the sea, and stirring the strange leaves that flutter overhead and around one, or ruffling the plumage of the stranger birds that fly inquiringly around, as if to demand what business we have to intrude uninvited on their domains. The seeds we had scattered had germinated, and were now promising magnificent crops. Noises which so far from interrupting the universal tranquility of earth, sea, and sky, rather tended to reveal to us how quiet the world around us really was. By nine o'clock we had pulled up to shore. 

Actually, no such operation occurs. Mists were rising from the cold surface of the water. Nothing but the immenseness of the sea. 

I took out my pocket perspective, and could plainly discover numbers of people moving up and down the sides of it, which appeared to be sloping; but what those people were doing I was not able to distinguish. Vibrating resonantly, it knifed through the watery mass. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, they can't obscure this phenomenon. 

When we reached the shore, after being wrecked, my companions had taken off part of their clothes and spread them out in the sun to dry, for, although the gale was raging fiercely, there was not a single cloud in the bright sky. Such sounds as I refer to were, the peculiarly cheerful plaint of sea-birds floating on the glassy water, or sailing in the sky, also the subdued twittering of little birds among the bushes, the faint ripples on the beach, and the solemn boom of the surf upon the distant coral reef. Not a single detail was visible. A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. 

Meanwhile I perceived with pleasure the rapid vegetation the climate was producing. Gradually, however, this line seemed to draw nearer, without spreading up over the sky, as would certainly have been the case if it had been a storm-cloud. The sky was growing brighter. Number 6 suspects that his dreams are being "staged" and manipulated and, with the third dream pending due to a necessary circadian-hour interval, he follows the psychologist to her dream analysis laboratory and enters it through an air shaft after she has departed it for her report to Number 2. 

This brought me near to where I had encountered the maroon; and I walked more circumspectly, keeping an eye on every side. A pretty little wood in the distance attracted my notice particularly, and thither we directed our course. Leaning my elbows on the beacon housing, which jutted from the stern of the platform, I got set to scour that whole stretch of sky and sea. This led us to conjecture that the approaching object was an enormous wave of the sea; but we had no idea how large it was till it came near to ourselves. 

I considered how impossible it was to preserve my life in so desolate a place, and how miserable my end must be: yet I found myself so listless and desponding, that I had not the heart to rise; and before I could get spirits enough to creep out of my cave, the day was far advanced. The sky was growing brighter. Having resumed our garments, we now searched all our pockets with the utmost care, and laid their contents out on a flat stone before us; and, now that our minds were fully alive to our condition, it was with no little anxiety that we turned our several pockets inside out, in order that nothing might escape us. The cry awoke Jocko, who rose on his elbow with a look of grave surprise; but this was followed by a quiet smile of intelligence on seeing Phinuit in the water. With an energy that he only gave way to in moments of excitement, Joiner bounded to his feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite to envelop Phinuit in a shower of spray. 

Vibrating resonantly, we knife through the watery mass. 

The dusk had come nigh hand completely, and as I opened out the cleft between the two peaks, I became aware of a wavering glow against the sky, where, as I judged, the man of the island was cooking his supper before a roaring fire. Oars in position, five of the Lusty Lady's sailors were waiting for us aboard the skiff, which was moored alongside. The night was still dark. It was an arduous climb over sharp lava and pumice stones in the midst of air often reeking with sulfurous fumes from the smoke holes. This was the fact that the tide rose and fell with constant regularity, instead of being affected by the changes of the moon as in our own country, and as it is in most other parts of the world,, at least in all those parts with which I am acquainted. 

It was still quite early, and the coldest morning that I think I ever was abroad in, a chill that pierced into the marrow. The day was a fine one, though cloudy, and a gentle breeze was blowing, but the sea was not rougher, or the breaker on the reef higher, than usual. The verandah, again, was looking pleasant with its gay and sweet-scented creepers, which were already aspiring to the summit of the pillars. At any time and in any place such sights and sounds are most charming, but more especially are they so when one awakens to them, for the first time, in a novel and romantic situation, with the soft sweet air of a tropical climate mingling with the fresh smell of the sea, and stirring the strange leaves that flutter overhead and around one, or ruffling the plumage of the stranger birds that fly inquiringly around, as if to demand what business we have to intrude uninvited on their domains. Not a cloud spotted the deep blue sky. 

Joiner as well as Phinuit accompanied me, and we were soon within the influence of the current, and were carried swiftly out to sea. As Joiner looked up into the bright sky, and snuffed the scented air, his eyes glistened with delight, and he uttered a faint hurrah! No more shore in sight. The sky was growing brighter. He struggles, usually alone, with various goals, such as determining for which side of the iron curtain the village functions, if either; remaining defiant to its imposed authority; concocting his own plans for escape; learning all he can about the village; and subverting its operation. I fell asleep with the firm intention of waking up in just a few hours. The sea was shining like a sheet of glass, yet heaving with the long deep swell that, all the world round, indicates the life of ocean; and the bright sea-weeds and the brilliant corals shone in the depths of that pellucid water, as we rowed over it, like rare and precious gems. 

Almost before the words had left my lips the wind burst upon us, and the spray dashed over our decks. My reader must not suppose that I thought all this in the clear and methodical manner in which I have set it down here. This was the fact, that the tide rose and fell with constant regularity, instead of being affected by the changes of the moon as in our own country, and as it is in most other parts of the world,, at least in all those parts with which I am acquainted. English whalers have given this the name ice blink. This brought me near to where I had encountered the maroon; and I walked more circumspectly, keeping an eye on every side. Going up Treasure Island's west coast during the night, the Lusty Lady lay about due west of the bay, or rather that gulf formed by the mainland and Gunnar Island. 

A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. Just then the Lusty Lady had arrived at the perpendicular face of that high wall. There was still too much sail on the schooner, and, as the gale increased, I feared that the masts would be torn out of her or carried away, while the wind whistled and shrieked through the strained rigging. 

Nothing but the immenseness of the sea. In essence, over a period of time several ships had encountered an enormous thing at sea, a long spindle-shaped object, sometimes giving off a phosphorescent glow, infinitely bigger and faster than any whale. I recognized the lower slopes of some magnificent rocks carpeted by the finest zoophyte specimens, and right off, I was struck by an effect unique to this medium. 

At the top, the squire met us. My reader must not suppose that I thought all this in the clear and methodical manner in which I have set it down here. At the end of that time the squall passed away, and left us rocking on the bosom of the agitated sea. 

There was still too much sail on the schooner, and, as the gale increased, I feared that the masts would be torn out of her or carried away, while the wind whistled and shrieked through the strained rigging. The sky was overcast. 

But where Blackbeard stood with his lieutenant, all was still in shadow, and they waded knee-deep in a low white vapor that had crawled during the night out of the morass. At first we thought that this looked like a thunder-cloud; and, as we had had a good deal of broken weather of late, accompanied by occasional peals of thunder, we supposed that a storm must be approaching. No more shore in sight. 

"It seems strange to see this creature stranded here." I soon found we must, as before, turn down to the sea beach, for not only did the rank grass impede our progress, but it also tempted the animals to break away from us, and, but for our watchful dogs, we might have lost several of them. It took us two hours to reach the summit of this half-crystal, half-basalt peak. 

Compared to the vast liquid plains of the Pacific ocean, the Mediterranean is a mere lake, but it's an unpredictable lake with fickle waves, today kindly and affectionate to those frail single-masters drifting between a double ultramarine of sky and water, tomorrow bad-tempered and turbulent, agitated by the winds, demolishing the strongest ships beneath sudden waves that smash down with a headlong wallop. 

When we reached the shore, after being wrecked, my companions had taken off part of their clothes and spread them out in the sun to dry, for, although the gale was raging fiercely, there was not a single cloud in the bright sky. It was a sight fitted to stir the soul of man to its profoundest depths, and, if he owned a heart at all, to lift that heart in adoration and gratitude to the great creator of this magnificent and glorious universe. The verandah, as well, was looking pleasingly pleasant with its gay and sweet-scented creepers, which were already aspiring to the summit of the columns. Its fins set vertically, its propeller thrown in gear at the captain's signal, the Lusty Lady rose with lightning speed, shooting upward like an air balloon into the sky. 

Vibrating resonantly, it knifed through the watery mass. Meanwhile, clouds darkened the sky, and the sea began to rise in huge billows. Then the little sparrow drew near the beaches of Maine, where the sea is considerably deeper. Almost before the words had left my lips the wind burst upon us, and the spray dashed over our decks. By nine o'clock we had pulled up to shore. Having resumed our garments, we now searched all our pockets with the utmost care, and laid their contents out on a flat stone before us; and, now that our minds were fully alive to our condition, it was with no little anxiety that we turned our several pockets inside out, in order that nothing might escape us. This was the fact, that the tide rose and fell with constant regularity, instead of being affected by the changes of the moon as in our own country, and as it is in most other parts of the world,, at least in all those parts with which I am acquainted. At Long John Silver's polite salute he somewhat flushed. 

This is particularly important in deep, remote portions of the basins where little depth information is available. It seems to me that we have got into a mermaid's cave, for there is nothing but water all round us; and as for earth or sky, they are things of the past. Under these dark waters there stretched the bank of shellfish, an inexhaustible field of pearls more than twenty miles long. 

Will anyone believe me if I assert that at this thirty-foot depth, I could see as if it was broad daylight? From the heart of the waters: jets of liquid rising like hundreds of magnificent bouquets. As it passed these islands, we observed, with no little anxiety, that a cloud of white foam encircled them, and burst in spray into the air: it was accompanied by a loud roar. While we were talking, as I have said, we noticed a dark line, like a low cloud or fog-bank, on the seaward horizon. 

The cry awoke Jocko, who rose on his elbow with a look of grave surprise; but this was followed by a quiet smile of intelligence on seeing Phinuit in the water. English whalers have given this the name ice blink. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, they can't obscure this phenomenon. Its fins set vertically, its propeller thrown in gear at the captain's signal. Then Joiner gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, he started suddenly up as if he had received an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off his garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the water. 

Such sounds as I refer to were, the peculiarly melancholy plaint of sea-birds flimsing on the glassy water, or sailing in the sky, also the subdued twittering of little birds among the bushes, the faint ripples on the beach, and the solemn boom of the surf upon the distant coral reef. From there our eyes scanned a vast sea, which scrawled its boundary line firmly against the background of the northern sky. It was plainly a damp, feverish, unhealthy spot. Then the captain gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an opening in the bushes, he started suddenly up as if he had received an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off his garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the water. The verandah, you know, was still looking pleasant with its gay and sweet-scented creepers, which were already aspiring to the summit of the pillars. When we reached the shore, after being wrecked, my companions had taken off part of their clothes and spread them out in the sun to dry, for, although the gale was raging fiercely, there was not a single cloud in the bright sky. 

So intensely still was it, and so perfectly transparent was the surface of the deep, that had it not been for the long swell already alluded to, we might have believed the surrounding universe to be a huge blue liquid ball, and our little ship the one solitary material speck in all creation, floating in the midst of it. The lusty lady did not stir. By nine o'clock we had pulled up to shore. With an energy that he only gave way to in moments of excitement, the captain bounded to his feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite to envelop Phinuit in a shower of spray. 

For a man out of practice at treading land, the captain scaled the steepest slopes with a supple agility I couldn't equal, and which would have been envied by hunters of Pyrenees mountain goats. These thoughts did, indeed, pass through my mind, but they did so in a very confused and indefinite manner, for I was young at that time, and not much given to deep reflections. In the sky toward the southern horizon, there stretched a dazzling white band. 

Its clarity is believed to exceed that of spring water. But along with these there have existed accounts, of a more reliable character, of mirrors which are capable of reflecting, in a beam of light that falls on their face, the pattern which they carry on their back. Above us, the yawning crater looked like a wide mouth. Below us, the yawning crater looked like a wide well. From where we stood, the sky was pretty easy to see, and I watched clouds race by, disheveled by the west wind, letting tatters of mist trail over the mountain's summit. The sea was shining like a sheet of glass, yet heaving with the long deep swell that, all the world round, indicates the life of ocean; and the bright sea-weeds and the brilliant corals shone in the depths of that pellucid water, as we rowed over it, like rare and precious gems. She mentioned Jacob Seltzman, an aged expert in the study of thought transference who has perfected a mechanical means of transmitting the psyche of one man into another and vice versa. 

This was the fact, that the tide rose and fell with constant regularity, instead of being affected by the changes of the moon as in our own country, and as it is in most other parts of the world,, at least in all those parts with which I am acquainted. Black smokers are hydrothermal vents on the sea floor that emit black clouds of hot, mineral-rich water much like a chimney belches black smoke. A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. Meanwhile clouds darkened the sky, and the sea began to rise in huge billows. 

Phinuit's idea was not inappropriate, for, what with the sea roaring in white foam up to our very feet, and the spray flying in white sheets continually over our heads, and the water dripping heavily from the ledge above like a curtain in front of our cave, it did seem to us very much more like being below than above water. And he yawned again. There was still too much sail on the schooner, and, as the gale increased, I feared that the masts would be torn out of her or carried away, while the wind whistled and shrieked through the strained rigging. I also noted long, whitish strings of salps, a type of mollusk found in clusters, and some jellyfish of large size that swayed in the eddies of the billows. Phinuit now began to remember where we were. I was mistaken, and after a hasty examination I discovered my error. A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. I repaired to my stateroom. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, they can't obscure this phenomenon. No, because the new moon was barely two days old and was still lost below the horizon in the sun's rays. Under these dark waters there stretched the bank of shellfish, an inexhaustible field of pearls more than twenty miles long. My companions and I then witnessed an unusual sight. 

Not a cloud spotted the deep blue sky. The sky was growing brighter. From there our eyes scanned a vast sea, which scrawled its boundary line firmly against the background of the northern sky. Was it an effect of the moon's rays? 

As Joiner lay on the deck close beside me, I could see that the shock had rendered him insensible, but I did not dare to quit the tiller for an instant, as it required all my faculties, bodily and mental, to manage the schooner. Clouds were fleeing to the south. And yet I wondered, in my heart, that she should show herself so careless. 

The evening was exceeding lovely. Suddenly the wind shifted a point, a heavy sea struck us on the bow, and the schooner was almost laid on her beam-ends, so that I could scarcely keep my legs. Just then the Lusty Lady had arrived at the perpendicular face of that thigh wall. 

Layers of clouds left only a few stars in view. The sun shone fiercely in the sky, and a ball of fire blazed, with almost equal power, from out the bosom of the water. I would have stayed longer at my window, marveling at these beauties of sea and sky, but the panels closed. Can you think? This peculiarity of the tide, its slight rise and fall, had not attracted our observation till some time after our residence on the island. 

The chill and the vapour taken together told a poor tale of the island. The village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the other. "There was nothing on this sandy beach when we passed yesterday, I am certain, dudes," said Phinuit. However, when I got into the water I managed very well, for I was really a good swimmer, and diver too. 

It looked as if ten thousand flashes of lightning were darting at the same time from every quarter of the sky. 

A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. It was still quite early, and the coldest morning that I think I ever was abroad in, a chill that pierced into the marrow. We all assembled on the beach, the boy gravely donned and inflated the garment, and amidst roars of laughter from his brothers, entered the water. Sky and water merged into a perfectly clean horizon line. The seeds we had scattered had germinated, and were now promising magnificent crops. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, they can't obscure this phenomenon. At our feet: dazzling tracts of white. It was one of that very still and peaceful sort which made the few noises that we heard seem to be quiet noises. Covered with heavy clouds, the stormy sky gave only the faintest light to the ocean's upper strata. 

Not a single detail was visible. I would have stayed longer at my window, marveling at these beauties of sea and sky, but the panels closed. As Ned again lay on the deck close beside me, I could see that the shock had rendered him insensible, but I did not dare to quit the tiller for an instant, as it required all my faculties, bodily and mental, to manage the schooner. For an hour the blast drove us along, while, owing to the sharpness of the vessel's bow and the press of canvas, she dashed through the waves instead of breasting over them, thereby drenching the decks with water fore and aft. At the top, the squire met us. I took out my small provisions, and after having refreshed myself, I secured the remainder in a cave, whereof there were great numbers; I gathered plenty of eggs upon the rocks, and got a quantity of dry seaweed and parched grass, which I designed to kindle the next day, and roast my eggs as well as I could, for I had about me my flint, steel, match, and burning-glass. 

Phinuit now began to remember where we were. This is particularly important in deep, remote portions of the basins where little depth information is available. To me he was cordial and kind, saying nothing of my escapade either in the way of blame or praise. Mists were rising from the cold surface of the water. What a joyful thing it is to awaken, on a fresh glorious morning, and find the rising sun staring into your face with dazzling brilliancy! To see the birds twittering in the bushes, and to hear the murmuring of a rill, or the soft hissing nipples as they fall upon the sea-shore! 

So intensely still was it, and so perfectly transparent was the surface of the deep, that had it not been for the long swell already alluded to, we might have believed the surrounding universe to be a huge blue liquid ball, and our little ship the one solitary material speck in all creation, floating in the midst of it. The sun shone fiercely in the sky, and a ball of fire blazed, with almost equal power, from out the bosom of the water. I slept very little, for the disquiets of my mind prevailed over my weariness, and kept me awake. It was a bright, clear, beautiful morning, when we first launched our little boat and rowed out upon the placid waters of the lagoon. 

I could see that the shock had rendered Joiner insensible, but I did not dare to quit the tiller for an instant, as it required all my faculties, bodily and mental, to manage the schooner. At length the faint dawn of day appeared, the long weary night was over, and with thankful hearts we perceived that the gale had begun to moderate; blue sky was seen above us, and the lovely hues of sunrise adorned the eastern horizon. Meanwhile I perceived with pleasure the rapid vegetation the climate was producing. That night the starry sky looked down through the gently rustling trees upon our slumbers, and the distant roaring of the surf upon the coral reef was our lullaby. While I meditated, my thoughts again turned to the great and kind creator of this beautiful world, as they had done on the previous day, when I first beheld the sea and the coral reef, with the mighty waves dashing over it into the calm waters of the lagoon. 

And I was the more confirmed in this opinion when I observed, and, indeed, was told by himself, that Phinuit's happiness was also very great; yet he did not express this by dancing, as was his wont, nor did he give so much as a single shout, but walked quietly between us with his eye sparkling, and a joyful smile upon his countenance. Its fins set vertically, its propeller thrown in gear at the captain's signal, the Lusty Lady rose with lightning speed, shooting upward like a loon into the sky. The verandah, too. 

But in this fluid setting traveled by the little sparrow, our electric glow was being generated in the very heart of the waves. Compared to the vast liquid plains of the pacific ocean, the Mediterranean is a mere lake, but it's an unpredictable lake with fickle waves, today kindly and affectionate to those frail single-masters drifting between a double ultramarine of sky and water, tomorrow bad-tempered and turbulent, agitated by the winds, demolishing the strongest ships beneath sudden waves that smash down with a headlong wallop. In essence, we were then crossing that part of the whole Mediterranean so fertile in casualties. The screened porch, too, was looking pleasant with its gay and sweet-scented creepers, which were already aspiring to the summit of the pillars. 

The chill and the vapor taken together told a poor tale of the island. Having resumed our garments, we now searched all our pockets with the utmost care, and laid their contents out on a flat stone before us; and, now that our minds were fully alive to our condition, it was with no little anxiety that we turned our several pockets inside out, in order that nothing might escape us. 

Layers of clouds cloaked the sky and left only a few stars in view. There was still too much sail on the schooner, and, as the gale increased, I feared that the masts would be torn out of her or carried away, while the wind whistled and shrieked through the strained rigging. A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. The chill and the vapor taken together told a poor tale of the island. 

Leaning my elbows on the beacon housing, which jutted from the stern of the platform, I got set to scour that whole stretch of sky and sea. The field of marine biology has benefitted from the development of new sampling methods. 

I considered how impossible it was to preserve my life in so desolate a place, and how miserable my end must be: yet I found myself so listless and desponding, that I had not the heart to rise; and before I could get spirits enough to creep out of my cave, the day was far advanced. It was a dead calm. In essence, over a period of time several ships had encountered an enormous thing at sea, a long spindle-shaped object, sometimes giving off a phosphorescent glow, infinitely bigger and faster than any whale. Clouds were fleeing to the south. Gradually, however, this line seemed to draw nearer, without spreading up over the sky, as would certainly have been the case if it had been a storm-cloud. 

The moon then passed its zenith. At any time and in any place such sights and sounds are most charming, but more especially are they so when one awakens to them, for the first time, in a novel and romantic situation, with the soft sweet air of a tropical climate mingling with the fresh smell of the sea, and stirring the strange leaves that flutter overhead and around one, or ruffling the plumage of the stranger birds that fly inquiringly around, as if to demand what business we have to intrude uninvited on their domains. Gradually, however, this line seemed to draw nearer, without spreading up over the sky, as would certainly have been the case if it had been a storm-cloud. 

Phinuit now began to remember where we were. Its fins set vertically, its propeller thrown in gear at the captain's signal, the lusty lady shot upward like an air balloon into the sky. It was one of that very still and peaceful sort which made the few noises that we heard seem to be quiet noises. While I meditated, my thoughts again turned to the great and kind creator of this beautiful world, as they had done on the previous day, when I first beheld the sea and the coral reef, with the mighty waves dashing over it into the calm waters of the lagoon. The day was a fine one, though cloudy, and a gentle breeze was blowing, but the sea was not rougher, or the breaker on the reef higher, than usual. There, in place of natural wonders, the watery mass offered some thrilling and dreadful scenes to my eyes. 

Nothing but the immenseness of the sea. When all was collected together we found that our worldly goods consisted of those following articles. That night the starry sky looked down through the gently rustling trees upon our slumbers, and the distant roaring of the surf upon the coral reef was our lullaby. With an energy that he only gave way to in moments of excitement, Zeus bounded to his feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with such force as quite to envelop Joiner in a shower of spray. Meanwhile clouds darkened the sky, and the sea began to rise in huge billows. There was still too much sail on the schooner, and, as the gale increased, I feared that the masts would be torn out of her or carried away, while the wind whistled and shrieked through the strained rigging. 

Perhaps it was this, perhaps it was the look of the island, with its gray, melancholy woods, and wild stone spires, and the surf that we could both see and hear foaming and thundering on the steep beach, at least, although the sun shone bright and hot, and the shore birds were fishing and crying all around us, and you would have thought anyone would have been glad to get to land after being so long at sea, my heart sank, as the saying is, into my boots; and from the first look onward, I hated the very thought of Treasure Island. I repaired to my stateroom. From where we stood, the sky was pretty easy to see, and I watched clouds race by, disheveled by the west wind, letting tatters of mist trail over the mountain's summit. 

Suddenly the wind shifted a point, a heavy sea struck us on the bow, and the schooner was almost laid on her beam-ends, so that I could scarcely keep my legs. Just then the lusty lady had arrived. Satellite technology has greatly advanced the science of oceanography. A squall was on the way. I encompassed it almost round before I could find a convenient place to land in; which was a small creek, about three times the wideness of my canoe. I fell asleep with the firm intention of waking up in just a few hours. Quickly and easily he paddled himself across the bay towards Shark Island, whither we followed in one of our boats. 

A pretty little wood in the distance attracted my notice particularly, and thither we directed our course. I would have stayed longer at my window, marveling at these beauties of sea and sky, but the panels closed. While we were talking, as I have said, we noticed a dark line, like a low cloud or fog-bank, on the seaward horizon. 

SOURCES: Patrick McGoohan, Johann David Wyss, Captain Cook’s Journal During the First Voyage Round the World, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Victor Hugo, H. G. Wells, Wikipedia