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shore, caused by the high hills of the island, which prevented the southern breeze from "blowing home.”

Four or five small islands-the commencement of the Sooloo Archipelago-lie to the westward of Basilan. The strait is from six to eight miles wide at its narrowest part, and tolerably free from dangerous points. To the north, the hills of Mindanao, completely mantled with forests, rise grandly to the height of near two thousand feet. The shore presents an almost impenetrable array of cocoa palms. There were two or three cleared spaces on the hills, and as we entered further into the strait, we could see with the glass not only some native huts, but the houses of Spanish residents on the shore. Still further, at the head of a little bight, and protected by a level. island of palms, we saw the Spanish settlement of Sambooangan. There were several large two-story houses, and a white chapel, before which lay half a dozen small craft at anchor. A native proa put out from the shore, some distance ahead of us, and we at first thought she was making for us with a load of fruit. As she came nearer she hoisted a huge yellow flag, with a red ornamental border, and some large red characters in Chinese. There were six persons on board, and he who appeared to be the leader wore a yellow robe. The boat had an outrigger on each side, and was propelled by paddles and a light canvas sail. She came near us, but to our disappointment dropped astern and passed over to Basilan.

The latter island is remarkably picturesque in its appearance, its long, wavy slopes of foliage shooting into tall conical peaks. In passing through the strait, these piles of eternal vegetation on either hand have an enchanting effect. I took sketches of both islands, which preserved their outlines, but

could not give the least idea of their richness and beauty. We had a light westerly wind, with the tide in our favor, and just as the moon arose like a globe of gold, passed the eastern mouth of the strait and entered the Sea of Celebes.

We now experienced a succession of calms and baffling winds for five days, as we stood south by west across the Sea of Celebes, making for the Straits of Macassar. There was an occasional squall of an hour or two, which gave us a "slant" in the right direction. The wind at last shifted, so that we were able to run upon our course close-hauled, and on the afternoon of the 25th we caught a distant and misty view of the Haring Islands. The next morning at sunrise, we saw the lofty headland of Point Kaneoongan, in Borneo, at the western entrance of the straits. Cape Donda, in Celebes, thirty miles distant, appeared for a short time, but was soon hidden by showers. On the 27th, at noon, we were in 05 S., having crossed the Equator about 11 A. M., and thenceforth, for four days, we slowly loitered along through the Straits of Macassar, with light, variable winds, and seasons of dead, sultry calm. The mercury stool at 85 in the coolest part of the ship. The sea was as smooth as a mirror, and as glossy and oily in its darkblue gleam, as if the neighboring shores of Macassar had poured upon it libations of their far-famed unguent. Occa sionally we saw the shores of Celebes, but so distant and dim that it was rather like a dream of land than land itself. We walked the deck languidly, morning and evening, sat under the the awning by day, alternately dozing and smoking and reading, watched the drift-wood floating by-mangrove logs, with companies of sea-fowl making their fishing excursions—ate

PASSING THE THOUSAND ISLANDS.

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for occupation, and slept with difficulty: and thus the days passed.

On the 24 of October a light south wind reached us, and we left the dim, far-off headlands of Celebes-the land of sandal-wood groves and birds of Paradise. We made the twin rocks called "The Brothers," off the southern point of Borneo, and about noon passed between the islands of Moresses and Little Pulo Laut. The latter are noble piles of verdure, rising a thousand feet from the water, in long undulating outlines. The Java Sea is a beautiful piece of water, comparatively free from reefs and shoals, and rarely exceeding forty fathoms in depth, so that vessels may anchor in any part of it. Its surface is as smooth as a lake, and even when making eight or nine knots, there was scarcely any perceptible motion in the vessel. The temperature was delicious, and the south wind so bland, sweet and elastic, after the sultry, surcharged atmosphere of Macassar Straits, that the change was perceptible in the temper and spirits of all on board.

We had light but favorable winds, and for four days more stood across the Java Sea, averaging about 100 miles a day. The water was alive with snakes and flying-fish. Passing the Lubeck Islands and Carimon Java, we approached so near the Javanese shores that on the evening of the 6th the delicious land-breeze came off to us, bringing an odor of moist earth and vegetable exhalations. We expected to have a glimpse of Batavia, but made considerable northing, so that we lost sight of the low Java coast before morning. At noon we made the Thousand Islands, and as they have been but very imperfectly explored, we were obliged to go completely to the northward of them, instead of taking one of the numerous channels be

tween. They are small and low, but thickly covered with trees, among which the cocoa-palm predominates. I counted thirty-three islands within a sweep of a hundred degrees The wind being dead ahead, we stood on the northern tack until we made the North Watcher, and then fetched a S. by E. course, the current setting us to windward. The same evening, however, the wind changed, and before I turned into my berth, we were thirty miles off Angier Point, the last gateway intervening between us and the Indian Ocean. We had been twentyeight days in making the voyage from Whampoa—a distance, as we sailed, of 2,613 miles.

CHAPTER XLII.

AROUND THE CAPE.

Entering the Straits of Sunda-Malay Boats-The Mangosteen-Bargaining with the Natives-Scenery of the Straits-Angier-Passing the Straits-Death on BoardThe Indian Ocean--A Submarine Earthquake-A Tropical Sunset-A Fatal Escape -The Trade Wind-Mozambique Channel-The Coast of Africa-Doubling the Cape Southern Constellations-Distant View of Table Mountain-On the Atlantic -The Trades again-Restoration-A Slaver.

I AROSE at sunrise on the morning of the 8th of October, in time to see the Sea Serpent enter the Straits of Sunda. On our left, five or six miles distant, arose the lofty headland of Point St. Nicholas; in front was the rock called "The Cap," and the island of ""Thwart-the-Way," while the mountains of Sumatra were barely visible far to the west. We were scarcely abreast of the headland when two native prahus, or boats, were seen coming off to us, the boatmen laboring at their sweeps with a sharp, quick cry, peculiar to semi-barbarous people. One of the boats was soon alongside, with a cargo of yams, plantains and fowls, with such fancy articles as shells, monkeys, parroquets and Java sparrows. The captain and crew were Malays, and nearly all spoke English more or less fluently. The former had an account-book, showing his deal