CHAPTER XVII.
The "Dolphin" sped on her way, and her passengers enjoyed their voyagewhether the sun shone or the decks were swept by wind and rain; for thesaloon was always a comfortable place of refuge in stormy weather, andby no means an unpleasant one at any time. They were all gathered onthe deck one bright, breezy morning, chatting cheerily, the childrenamusing themselves with their tee-tee pets.
"Father," said Lucilla, "are we not nearing the Caribbean Sea?"
"Yes; if all goes well we will be in it by this time to-morrow," wasCaptain Raymond's reply. "It is a body of water worth seeing; separatedfrom the Gulf of Mexico by Yucatan, and from the Atlantic Ocean by thegreat arch of the Antilles, between Cuba and Trinidad. It forms theturning point in the vast cycle of waters known as the Gulf Streamthat wheels round regularly from Southern Africa to Northern Europe.The Caribbean Sea pours its waters into the Gulf of Mexico on the west,which shoots forth on the east the Florida stream with the computedvolume of three thousand Mississippis."
"But, papa, where does it get so much water to pour out?" asked Elsie."I wonder it didn't get empty long ago."
"Ah, that is prevented by its taking in as well as pouring out. Itgathers water from the Atlantic Ocean and the Amazon and Orinocorivers."
"Papa, why do they call it by that name--Caribbean Sea?" asked Ned.
"It takes its name from the Caribs, the people who were living therewhen Columbus discovered the islands," said the Captain.
"The Gulf Stream is very important, isn't it, papa?" asked Elsie.
"The most important and best known of the great ocean currents," hereplied. "It flows out of the Gulf of Mexico, between the coast ofFlorida on one side and the Cuba and Bahama islands and shoals on theother."
"The Stream is very broad, isn't it, papa?" asked Grace.
"About fifty miles in the narrowest portion, and it has a velocity offive miles an hour; pouring along like an immense torrent."
"But where does it run to, papa?" asked Ned.
"First in a northeasterly direction, along the American coast, thecurrent gradually growing wider and less swift, until it reaches theisland and banks of Newfoundland; then it sweeps across the Atlantic,and divides into two portions, one turning eastward toward theAzores and coast of Morocco, while the other laves the shores of theBritish islands and Norway, also the southern borders of Iceland andSpitsbergen, nearly as far east as Nova Zembla."
"But how can they tell where it goes when it mixes in with otherwaters, papa?" asked Elsie.
"Its waters are of a deep indigo blue, while those of the sea are lightgreen," replied her father. "And as it pours out of the Gulf of Mexicoits waters are very warm and full of fish and seaweed in great masses.Its waters are so warm that in mid-winter, off the cold coasts ofAmerica between Cape Hatteras and Newfoundland, ships beaten back fromtheir harbors by fierce northwesters until loaded down with ice and indanger of foundering, turn their prows to the east and seek relief andcomfort in the Gulf Stream."
"Don't they have some difficulty in finding it, father?" asked Lucilla.
"A bank of fog rising like a wall, caused by the condensation of warmvapors meeting a colder atmosphere, marks the edge of the Stream,"replied the Captain. "Also the water suddenly changes from green toblue, the climate from winter to summer, and this change is so suddenthat when a ship is crossing the line, a difference of thirty degreesof temperature has been marked between the bow and the stern."
"Papa, I know there used to be pirates in the West Indies; was it therethat Kidd committed his crimes?"
"I think not," replied her father. "In his day, piracy on the highseas prevailed to an alarming extent, especially in the Indian Ocean.It was said that many of the freebooters came from America, and thatthey found a ready market here for their stolen goods. The King ofEngland--then King of this country, also--wished to put an end topiracy, and instructed the governors of New York and Massachusetts toput down these abuses.
"It was soon known in New York that the new governor was bent onsuppressing piracy. Then some men of influence, who knew of Kidd as asuccessful, bold and skilful captain, who had fought against the Frenchand performed some daring exploits, recommended him as commander of theexpedition against the pirates. They said he had all the requisitequalifications--skill, courage, large and widely-extended navalexperience, and thorough knowledge of the haunts of the pirates 'whoprowled between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Malacca.'
"A private company was organized, a vessel bought, called the'Adventure,' equipped with thirty guns, and Kidd given command. Hesailed to New York, and on his way captured a French ship off the coastof Newfoundland. He sailed from the Hudson River in January, 1697,crossed the ocean and reached the coast of Madagascar, then the greatrendezvous of the buccaneers."
"And how soon did he begin his piracy, papa?"
"I can't tell you exactly, but it soon began to be reported that hewas doing so, and in November, 1698, orders were sent to all thegovernors of English colonies to apprehend him if he came within theirjurisdiction.
"In April, 1699, he arrived in the West Indies in a vessel called'Quidah Merchant,' secured her in a lagoon on the Island of Samoa,southeast of Hayti, and then, in a sloop called 'San Antonio,' sailedfor the north, up the coast into Delaware Bay, afterward to Long IslandSound, and into Oyster Bay. He was soon arrested, charged with piracy,sent to England, tried, found guilty and hung."
"There were other charges, were there not, Captain?" asked Mr. Dinsmore.
"Yes, sir; burning houses, massacring peasantry, brutally treatingprisoners, and particularly with murdering one of his men, WilliamMoore. He had called Moore a dog, to which Moore replied, 'Yes, I ama dog, but it is you that have made me so.' At that, Kidd, in a furyof rage, struck him down with a bucket, killing him instantly. It wasfound impossible to prove piracy against Kidd, but he was found guiltyof the murder of Moore, and on the twenty-fourth of May, 1701, he washanged with nine of his accomplices."
"Did he own that he was guilty, papa?" asked Grace.
"No," replied the Captain, "he protested his innocence to the last;said he had been coerced by his men, and that Moore was mutinous whenhe struck him; and there are many who think his trial was high-handedand unfair."
"Then I hope he didn't deserve quite all that has been said againsthim," said Grace.
"I hope not," said her father.