Midday
I 've always been opposed to women witnessing scenes of blood , but this is different . It will be a beating . '' `` I hope I do n't break my knuckles on him , '' he added , after a pause . Midday came and went , and they floated on , the center of a narrow sea-circle . A gentle breath of the dying trade-wind fanned them , and they rose and fell monotonously on the smooth swells of a perfect summer sea . Once , a gunie spied them , and for half an hour circled about them with majestic sweeps . And , once , a huge rayfish , measuring a score of feet across the tips , passed within a few yards .