CHAPTER XII
THE SEA SERPENT
For some days after leaving Cortes' island the weather continued fine
and the sea calm, but a strong breeze then springing up from the
north-west made it necessary to shorten sail. While so engaged we
sighted a number of whales, which swam to meet us. Never before had I
seen so strange a spectacle. Their vast numbers, their great bulk, and
their quick evolutions impressed me with wonder.
The whales in these parts are fearless of man. They have not yet
learned to regard him as an enemy. This fearlessness, however, although
remarkable, was not to our liking, for some of the whales came so close
to us that our decks were often deluged by the water which they spouted
upon them.
One day, some little time after this adventure, the weather having
moderated to a calm, a number of ripples appeared upon the sea, which
at first we took to be a breeze, but on drifting among them we found
the phenomenon to be caused by a number of water snakes, varying in
size from a few inches to many feet in length. Some of them appeared to
be asleep, whilst others reared their heads at us, although they made
no attempt to attack us.
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