It had the elusiveness of a light at sea, that is best seen (at
a distance) by gazing a little on one side of it. It lay, a black
mass, and whether it was a vast huddle of weeds, or a great whale
killed by the earthquake, or solid land uphove by the volcanic
rupture, was not conjecturable. It hung, still and not very tall,
for I could not see that it put out any stars, and was about a mile
distant. Whatever it might prove, I could not be worse off near
or on or amid it than i was here; so, setting my face toward it,
I began to strike out with my legs and arms.
The water was so fiery, it chipped in flashes to every blow of my
hands. I swam in the utmost terror, never knowing but that the next
moment I should be feeling the teeth of a shark upon my legs, for
the sparkling of the sea to my kicks and motions was signal enough
for such a beast if it was a league distant; but I may as well say
here that there is no doubt the shock of earthquake and the flame
effectually cleared the sea in its neighbourhood of every kind
of fish that floated in it, though the hope of such a thing could
yield me but very little comfort while I swam.
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