pleasant tempting things,--tropical fruits, tropical beverages,
tropical mountain-breezes, tropical women It is a time for
dreams--those day-dreams that come gently as a mist, with
ghostly realization of hopes, desires, ambitions.... Men sailing
to the mines of Guiana dream of gold.

The wind seems to grow continually warmer; the spray feels warm
like blood. Awnings have to be clewed up, and wind-sails taken
in;--still, there are no white-caps,--only the enormous swells,
too broad to see, as the ocean falls and rises like a dreamer's
breast....

The sunset comes with a great burning yellow glow, fading up through
faint greens to lose itself in violet light;--there is no gloaming.
The days have already become shorter.... Through the open ports, as
we lie down to sleep, comes a great whispering,--the whispering of the
seas: sounds as of articulate speech under the breath,--as, of women
telling secrets....



V.


Fifth day out. Trade-winds from the south-east; a huge tumbling
of mountain-purple waves;--the steamer careens under a full
spread of canvas. There is a sense of spring in the wind to-
day,--something that makes one think of the bourgeoning of
Northern woods, when naked trees first cover themselves with a
mist of tender green,--something that recalls the first bird-