These anomalies—for they were such when considered
      in regard to the latitude—induced Captain Guy to wish for a
      thorough investigation of the country, in the hope of making a
      profitable speculation in his discovery. For my own part, anxious
      as I was to know something more of these islands, I was still
      more earnestly bent on prosecuting the voyage to the southward
      without delay. We had now fine weather, but there was no telling
      how long it would last; and being already in the eighty-fourth
      parallel, with an open sea before us, a current setting strongly
      to the southward, and the wind fair, I could not listen with any
      patience to a proposition of stopping longer than was absolutely
      necessary for the health of the crew and the taking on board a
      proper supply of fuel and fresh provisions. I represented to the
      captain that we might easily make this group on our return, and
      winter here in the event of being blocked up by the ice. He at
      length came into my views (for in some way, hardly known to
      myself, I had acquired much influence over him), and it was
      finally resolved that, even in the event of our finding biche de
      mer, we should only stay here a week to recruit, and then push on
      to the southward while we might. Accordingly we made every
      necessary preparation, and, under the guidance of Too-wit, got
      the Jane through the reef in safety, coming to anchor about a
      mile from the shore, in an excellent bay, completely landlocked,
      on the southeastern coast of the main island, and in ten fathoms
      of water, black sandy bottom. At the head of this bay there were
      three fine springs (we were told) of good water, and we saw
      abundance of wood in the vicinity. The four canoes followed us
      in, keeping, however, at a respectful distance. Too-wit himself
      remained on board, and, upon our dropping anchor, invited us to
      accompany him on shore, and visit his village in the interior. To
      this Captain Guy consented; and ten savages being left on board
      as hostages, a party of us, twelve in all, got in readiness to
      attend the chief. We took care to be well armed, yet without
      evincing any distrust. The schooner had her guns run out, her
      boarding-nettings up, and every other proper precaution was taken
      to guard against surprise. Directions were left with the chief
      mate to admit no person on board during our absence, and, in the
      event of our not appearing in twelve hours, to send the cutter,
      with a swivel, around the island in search of us. At every step we took inland the conviction forced itself upon us
      that we were in a country differing essentially from any hitherto
      visited by civilized men. We saw nothing with which we had been
      formerly conversant. The trees resembled no growth of either the
      torrid, the temperate, or the northern frigid zones, and were
      altogether unlike those of the lower southern latitudes we had
      already traversed. The very rocks were novel in their mass, their
      color, and their stratification; and the streams themselves,
      utterly incredible as it may appear, had so little in common with
      those of other climates, that we were scrupulous of tasting them,
      and, indeed, had difficulty in bringing ourselves to believe that
      their qualities were purely those of nature. At a small brook
      which crossed our path (the first we had reached) Too-wit and his
      attendants halted to drink. On account of the singular character
      of the water, we refused to taste it, supposing it to be
      polluted; and it was not until some time afterward we came to
      understand that such was the appearance of the streams throughout
      the whole group. I am at a loss to give a distinct idea of the
      nature of this liquid, and cannot do so without many words. Although it flowed with rapidity in all declivities where common
      water would do so, yet never, except when falling in a cascade,
      had it the customary appearance of limpidity. It was,
      nevertheless, in point of fact, as perfectly limpid as any
      limestone water in existence, the difference being only in
      appearance. At first sight, and especially in cases where little
      declivity was found, it bore resemblance, as regards consistency,
      to a thick infusion of gum arabic in common water. But this was
      only the least remarkable of its extraordinary qualities. It was
      not colourless, nor was it of any one uniform colour—presenting
      to the eye, as it flowed, every possible shade of purple; like
      the hues of a changeable silk. This variation in shade was
      produced in a manner which excited as profound astonishment in
      the minds of our party as the mirror had done in the case of
      Too-wit. Upon collecting a basinful, and allowing it to settle
      thoroughly, we perceived that the whole mass of liquid was made
      up of a number of distinct veins, each of a distinct hue; that
      these veins did not commingle; and that their cohesion was
      perfect in regard to their own particles among themselves, and
      imperfect in regard to neighbouring veins. Upon passing the blade
      of a knife athwart the veins, the water closed over it
      immediately, as with us, and also, in withdrawing it, all traces
      of the passage of the knife were instantly obliterated. If,
      however, the blade was passed down accurately between the two
      veins, a perfect separation was effected, which the power of
      cohesion did not immediately rectify. The phenomena of this water
      formed the first definite link in that vast chain of apparent
      miracles with which I was destined to be at length encircled. CHAPTER 19


      We were nearly three hours in reaching the village, it being more
      than nine miles in the interior, and the path lying through a
      rugged country. As we passed along, the party of Too-wit (the
      whole hundred and ten savages of the canoes) was momentarily
      strengthened by smaller detachments, of from two to six or seven,
      which joined us, as if by accident, at different turns of the
      road. There appeared so much of system in this that I could not
      help feeling distrust, and I spoke to Captain Guy of my
      apprehensions. It was now too late, however, to recede, and we
      concluded that our best security lay in evincing a perfect
      confidence in the good faith of Too-wit. We accordingly went on,
      keeping a wary eye upon the manoeuvres of the savages, and not
      permitting them to divide our numbers by pushing in between. In
      this way, passing through a precipitous ravine, we at length
      reached what we were told was the only collection of habitations
      upon the island.