I was amazed at my own tranquillity under
these disappointments, but I was not really half so fussy as about
getting a cab. Well, there was nothing for it but grappling again,
and, as you may imagine, we were getting about six miles from
shore. But the water did not deepen rapidly; we seemed to be on
the crest of a kind of submarine mountain in prolongation of Cape
de Gonde, and pretty havoc we must have made with the crags. What
rocks we did hook! No sooner was the grapnel down than the ship
was anchored; and then came such a business: ship's engines going,
deck engine thundering, belt slipping, fear of breaking ropes:
actually breaking grapnels. It was always an hour or more before
we could get the grapnel down again. At last we had to give up the
place, though we knew we were close to the cable, and go further to
sea in much deeper water; to my great fear, as I knew the cable was
much eaten away and would stand but little strain. Well, we hooked
the cable first dredge this time, and pulled it slowly and gently
to the top, with much trepidation.
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