Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-04-09

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as we want.
Here we are at the beach. And here are
the vessels. Catamaran means tied logs, aud
our vessel is just three little logs of wood
tied together. Each will hold two PERSONS
il they do not fall off. Each one has cap
tain who is to sit in front, with paddle
with blade on each end of it. All
thought the girls would he hardly willing TO
go with us this time Well, perhaps they
will some other day. Tom and will try it
to-day. Hold on now over the reef, where the
waves dash. Up aud down we go, but we
cling to the rope that ties the logs, and are
safely over. Now look down, Toni The water
isas clear as glass, and oh, what strange and
beautiful things we can see. Now we will
let our ships float along SLOWLY, and we will
lie down and look over the edge. We are
both silent for time. No one wants TO
talk at first while sailing here. Now and
then we hear an "Oh |" but that is ALL
And we soon give up even that. We cannot
do it justice at all, and we only look and
wonder at the beauty and the grandeur of
the scene beneath us. Yes, Tom is right
There are not words enough in our English
language. We want about thousand more
great adjectives aud about five hundred
more nouns if we are ,oing to try to de-
scribe what we see in an hour from one of
these Ceylon catamarans. Fishes ? Yes, of
all sorts and shapes, and sizes, looking up at
us with great large eyes, or darting by u.s..
Cuttle-fishes or great spiders with legs a
foot long-crabs and eels hiding away among
the sea-weeds. But those other beautiful
the sponges, and the corals, we cannot de-
scribe. Yes the corals are most magnifi.
cent. How that writer in Hdrper's Maya.
zine failed to describe them. Why, he only
called them "trees," and vegetables" aud
"birds aud "fowers," and "seeds," and
rosettes," and said they were cred and
gray, and crimson and piLk and purple "
in color. But he never rode on Ceylon
catamaran, am sure.
Well, Tom, we will have some specimens
of them. We take the paddles and say a
few words to our captains. Each of them
unties little iron bar, that has been
dashed to the logs and is all ready. Tom
points to nice large coral tree down in the
water. 1t is perhaps fifteen or twenty feet
deep here, but that does not matter. Down
head-first the man goes, gets the bar under
it and breaks off its trunk Tom keeps the
boat near by and watches him. There he
comes. He has got it in his arms and is
slowly coming up. 1t is heavy load and
it does seem as if he never would get up
with it. But here he comes shaking his
head like wet dog. Tom helps him lift
his load upon the logs and away the man
goes after his bar, and soon he is ready fol
another. So we load up with coral of all
sorts, until even Tom is satisfied that there
is no room for more, and we turn for home
again.
After we are safe on land we examine
our prizes. The coral we find is covered all
over with a sort of fieshy substance, and on
it we can see a good many little stars. Each
of those stars is an animal, Tom, a real live
animal Not very much of an animal, is it ?
No, and not so much as you think it may
be, either. Why, the fact is, these little star
animals have no heads, or bodies, or eyes, OIL
feet. They have each mouth and some
little arms or feelers coming out all around
it, Mouth and arms-that is all there is tc
him. He lives and dies here, and what We
may call his bones make a little grain Of
lime that is added to this branching cora
tree. This kind that is called mushroom
coral is made of the bones of an animal who
docs not seem " have even mouth or arms
or anything else, and yet is an animal
How it does take all sorts of folks to MAKE
up a world If we only had strong mi
croscope here we would study more of these
ocean animals. They are very strange ami
mails. The one that lives in that shell ha
his eyes in his side. This spotted cowri'
has his out on the ends of his two arms
Here is an animal that has mouth on eacl
of his twelve legs, and he can, if he chooses
eat with all twelve at once. Most of thes,
animals have no lungs or hearts, but one ha
three hearts, and one is said to have hi
lungs in his feet. Very few of them hav,
any eyes, or feet, but some seem to be al
feet. They are strange animals.
But see here, Tom, here is shell that il
called the glory of the seas" Did yol
ever see anything more beautifully painted
But the artist who painted it had no eye o
hands or feet. He used his mouth for tn
brush, and his colors came out of his mouth
too. See the inside of that little horny fe
low. What rich purple Yes, they sa.
the famous purple of the Bible, the Syrial
purple, was made from this shell, and OF
those walls of old Nineveh it has lasted TO
more than two thousand years.
But if we should stay here a year AM
study these strange and beautiful things,
do not think we should get to the end OF tn
wonders.
But the sun is getting hot, and we mus
pay our captains two or three cents each
and then go to the house. But first let u
ask them some questions about these won
derful things, and try to tell them littl
about the great and good God who mad
them all.
Yes, little Nellie, God is the God of tn
mountains. Those old Green Mountains O
Vermont used to make us think of him. Blu
the more we study of it the more we Sc
reason why the Bible twenty-seven time
speaks of the sea, as if it were the place @
Gods greatest works of wonder and G
power. But how hard it is for us TO CIV
this poor heather man any idea of God. w
must 60 to the house and study Samil a
hour or two. We must hurry and lear
how to talk to these poor people.
HumOrsOme Waits.