cr own readers

186 A RIVER IN THE OCEAN.
little j elly-fish, floating or swimming near its sur face
in such countless numbers th at at times th e waters
are brown with th em ; graceful flying-fish, which dart
out of the water in shoals; and coun tless myriads
of minu te animals floating about, so tha t th e water
seems to be filled with motes.
4. In point of size, this ocean riv er far excels
th e ri vers of the land. Th e Mississippi near its mouth
is ab out t wo thousand feet wide and one hu ndred feet
J eep. Th e Gulf Strea m, at its narrowest point in th e
Strai t of Florida, is more than two th ousand feet deep,
and over forty miles wide. In point of speed, few
nav igable ri vers equal the Gulf Stream at this part
of its course, as it hurries along at a ra te of four,
five, and sometimes over six miles an hour. Th e
water is of a beau tiful deep blue; and on th e edge
nearest the coast, its line of meeting with th e shore
water is frequently so sharply defined that at one
end of th e vessel you may see th e clear warm water
from th e south, whil e at th e oth er end is th e cold
dark wat er from th e north.
5. When Columbus crossed th e ocean to America
for the first tim e in 1492, he discovered the existence
of the current whi ch enters th e Caribbean Sea, and
helps to form our Gulf Str eam. All th e old Spanish
navigators noticed thi s current, and wondered what
could be its cause, Th e Gulf Stream itself was not
discovered until the famous Ponce de Leon went to
search for the" foun tain of youth." He had been told
of a wonderful well or spring on the island of Bimini ;
and the Spaniards, who were always on the look-out
for remarkable or valuable objects, fitted out an
expedition of discovery.