Page:Twenty years before the mast - Charles Erskine, 1896.djvu/226

 the mast-head, two points on the weather bow. For several days the weather continued fine. We came across several islands not laid down on any chart. One was named McKean’s Island, for the man who first  saw it. Another was named Hull’s Island, for Commodore Isaac Hull. The last named lies in 4° 29′ south latitude, and is about thirteen miles in circumference. It was a coral island with a lagoon in the center, which was dry, and nearly filled with coral slabs about the size  and thickness of tombstones. These were scattered about, and piled up in a variety of ways. There were many large turtles on this island, and some rats, or a  kind of animal whose tail resembled that of the rat. These little creatures would sit up on their hind legs like squirrels, and stare at us. There were also many birds of beautiful plumage, which were very tame, and did  not flinch when we pulled the bright feathers from their  tails. There were no natives upon this island.

August 25, 26, 27, and 28. We had frequent thunder showers.

September 4. Crossed the line in longitude 169°. Many birds, including the tropical bird, booby, tern, and plover, hovered about the ships. At noon the sun was directly overhead, and there was not a shadow to be  seen.

It is a singular fact that the natives living near the equator are of a lighter complexion than those in higher  latitudes.

On the evening of the 5th we took a light, southerly breeze, which we held until the 8th, when it left us, and  then for one long week we experienced a dead calm,