Page:Letters from the Battle-fields of Paraguay (1870).djvu/116



86 FROM RIO DE JANEIRO TO MONTE VIDEO.

the Abrolhos Islands, infames scopulos, soundings even of fifty fathoms cannot be told by the colour. Here the tints shift from light blue^ showing a sandy floor^, to dark blue and sombre brown ; this is the effect of a muddy bottom, the deposit of the Plata following the wind, now sweeping up, then floating down coast.

Happily for the traveller's repose, steam has given old science the go-by. At this rapid pace we are no longer bound in duty to catch gulf- weed and acalephs ; to observe and register the temperature of the atmosphere and the oscillations of the ship; to speculate on the existence of phosphorus in our water, or narrowly to observe the flight of the flying-fish. We may, sound in conscience, eat, drink, and sleep, smoking between whiles pectoral cigarettes, playing ^^ bulF^ or maritime quoits, sleepily watching the companionable gull, or recognising by the parrot-like thrill of their barred wings one's old world friends the Cape pigeons. And the style of the outward-bound companion is here better than that which lands in the Brazil. Our staple consists of '^ gentle shepherds,-" as the slang is ; simple young fellows fi-om the country, many of them Scotch, coming out to become Magyar Esterhazys and Cokes of Holkham, or rather going to the bad in the pursuit of sheep. Some are putting in a first appearance ; others, older hands, are returning to their muttons. With us is a Plenipo., accompanied by Mrs. P. ; there is a gentle- manly person in knickerbockers and poor health; there is the " Mail abroad," wending home to Argentine- land, with a remarkably pretty and pleasing " Mail-ess," who admirably "ryles up;" and there are some nondescripts, many Germans, and a few French, the latter a race that never feels thoroughly at home on board English steamers. Unfortunately, my bete noire is also there â€” a loud, brassy, bumptious, bellowing, blatant manner of being â€” the thing.