MARVELS OF THE CORAL FORMATION. "Ye build! ye build! but ye enter not in, Like the tribes whom the desert devoured in their sin; 137 "The vegeta One marvel ceases here, and another commences. tion of the sea, cast on its surface, undergoes a chemical change; the rains assist in filling up the little cells of the dead animals; the fowls of the air and the ocean find a resting-place, and assist in clothing the rocks; mosses carpet the surface; seed brought by birds, plants carried by the oceanic current, animalculæ floating in the air live, propagate, and die, and are succeeded through the assistance their remains bestow by more advanced animal and vegetable life; and thus generation after generation exist and perish, until at length the coral island becomes a Paradise, filled with the choicest exotics, the most beautiful birds, and delicious fruits." Here is a glowing theme for the imagination to dwell upon ! How wonderful to think that the surface of the globe is being changed by these diminutive living agents; that in tropical climates they are encircling islands with belts of coral, enlarging their coasts, forming stupendous reefs, and working out the plans and the will of the great Architect of the Universe! "We feel surprised," observes Mr. Darwin, in his "Journal of Researches," "when travellers tell us of the vast dimensions of the Pyramids and other great ruins; but how utterly insignificant are the greatest of these when compared to the mountains of stone accumulated by the agency of various minute and tender animals!" "Millions of millions thus from age to age, With simplest skill and toil unweariable, No moment and no movement unimprov'd, Laid line on line, on terrace terrace spread, To swell the heightening, brightening, gradual mound, CHAPTER XII. PERILS OF THE CORAL REEFS. "Five hundred souls, in one instant of dread, Are hurried o'er the deck; Becomes a hapless wreck. Her keel hath struck on a hidden rock, Her planks are torn asunder, And down comes her mast with a reeling shock, And a hideous crash like thunder. Her sails are draggled in the brine That gladden'd late the skies, And her flag that kiss'd the fair moonshine, WILSON. HE vast coral reefs, which have been described in the preceding chapter, are often the source of great dangers to navigators; and numberless instances have occurred of entire or partial destruction of ships and heavy losses of life in consequence. One case, that happened some years ago in the Indian Seas, nearly proved fatal to the whole crew of a fine large ship called the "Cabalve." The story of this shipwreck, as related in a letter to a friend by one of the surviving officers, is deeply interesting. The vessel was bound for Bombay, and was proceeding on its way at a quick rate, with every feeling of security in those on board, when one morning, between four and five o'clock (the weather being dark and cloudy), an alarm was given of "breakers ahead!" Every effort was instantly made to free the vessel from SHIPWRECK ON THE CORAL REEF. 139 her dangerous position, but in vain, for she struck on the coral reef, and the shock was so violent that every person was instantly on deck, with horror and amazement depicted upon every countenance at what appeared to be certain destruction. The vessel soon became fixed on the coral reef, and the sea broke over her with tremendous violence, staving in the exposed side, washing through the hatchways, and tearing up the decks. "We were now," observes the officer alluded to, "uncertain of our distance from a place of safety: the surf broke over the vessel in a fearful cascade; the crew despairing and clinging to her sides. to avoid its violence, while the ship was breaking up with a rapidity and crashing noise, which, added to the roar of the breakers, drowned the voices of the officers. The masts were cut away to ease the ship, and the cutter cleared and launched in readiness. When the long-wished-for dawn at length broke upon us, instead of alleviating, it rather added to our distress. We found that the ship had run on the south-east extremity of a coral reef, surrounding on the eastern side those sand-banks or islands in the Indian Ocean, called by the natives Carajos: the nearest of these was about three miles distant, but not the least appearance of verdure could be discovered, or the slightest trace of anything on which we might hope to subsist. In two or three places some rocks in the shape of pyramids appeared above the rest like distant sails, and were repeatedly cheered as such by the crew, until it was perceived that they had no motion, and the delusion vanished. The masts had fallen towards the reef, the ship having fortunately canted in that direction, and the boat was therefore protected in some measure from the surf. Our commander, whom a strong sense of misfortune had entirely deprived of presence of mind, was earnestly requested to get into the boat, but he would not, thinking it unsafe. He maintained his station on the mizzen-topmast that lay among the wreck, the surf which was rushing round the bow and stern continually overwhelming him. I was myself close to him on the same spar, and in this situation we saw many of our shipmates meet an untimely end, being either dashed against the rocks or swept away by the breakers. 140 BREAKING-UP OF THE VESSEL. "The large cutter full of officers and men now cleared a passage through the mass of wreck, and being furnished with oars, watched the proper moment and pushed off for the coral reef, which she fortunately gained in safety, but they were all washed out of her in an instant by a tremendous surf; yet out of more than sixty persons whom she contained, only one man was drowned. Our captain, seeing this, wished he had taken advice which was now of no use. Finding I could not longer maintain myself on the same spar, and seeing the captain in a very exhausted state, I entreated him to return to the wreck; but he replied that since we must all inevitably perish, I should not think of him, but seek my own preservation. An enormous breaker now burst on us with tremendous violence, so that I scarcely noticed what had occurred to him afterwards, being washed down by successive seas. "At length, after most desperate efforts, I was thrown on the reef, half drowned and severely cut by the sharp coral, when I silently offered up thanks for my preservation, and crawling up the reef, waved my hand to encourage those who remained behind to make an effort. The captain, however, was not to be seen, and most of the others had returned to the wreck, and were employed in getting the small cutter into the water, which they accomplished, and safely reached the shore. About noon, when we had all left the ship, she was entirely broken up. The whole of the upper works—from the after-part of the forecastle to the break of the poop-deck-had separated, and was driving in towards the reef. Most of the lighter cargo had floated out of her: bales of cloth, cases of wine, puncheons of spirits, barrels of gunpowder, hogsheads of beer, and other articles, lay strewed on the shore, together with a chest of tools. Finding the men beginning to commit the usual excesses, we stove in the heads of the spirit-casks to prevent mischief, and endeavoured to direct their attention to the general benefit. The tide was flowing fast, and we saw that the reef must soon be covered; we therefore conveyed the boats to a place of safety, and filling them with all the provisions that could be collected, proceeded to the highest sand-bank, as the only place which held out the remotest chance of safety. ESCAPE TO A DESERT ISLAND. 141 66 Our progress was attended with the most excruciating pain I ever endured, my feet being cut to the bones with the rocks, and my back blistered by the sun, exhausted by fatigue, up to the waist -sometimes to the neck-in water, and being obliged frequently to swim. Seeing, however, that several had reached the highest sandbank, lighted a fire, and were employed in erecting a tent from the cloth and small spars which had floated up, I felt my spirits revived, and had strength sufficient to reach the desired spot, when I was invited to partake of a shark which had just been caught by the people. Having set a watch to announce the approach of the sea, lest it should cover us unawares, I sank exhausted on the sand, and fell into a sound sleep. I awoke in the morning, stiff with the exertions of the previous day, yet feeling grateful to Providence that I was still alive. "The people now collected together to ascertain who of the crew had perished, when sixteen were missing: the captain, surgeon's assistant, and fourteen seamen. We divided our men into parties, each headed by an officer: some were sent to the wreck and along the beach in search of provisions, others to roll up the hogsheads of beer and butts of water that had floated on shore; but the greater number were employed in hauling the two cutters up, which the carpenters were directed to repair. "By the time it was dark we had collected about eighty pieces of salt pork, ten hogsheads of beer, three butts of water, several bottles of wine, and many articles of use and value, particularly three sextants and a quadrant. Four live pigs and five live sheep had managed to swim ashore through the surf. We first began upon the dead stock, serving out two ounces to each, and half a pint of beer for the day. Nothing but brackish water could be obtained by digging in the sand. We collected all the provisions together near the tent, and formed a store-house, setting an officer to guard them from plunder, to which, indeed, some of the evil characters were disposed, but as they were threatened with instant death if detected, they were soon deterred. The second night was passed like the first, all being huddled together under one large tent; the more robust, however, soon began to make separate |