ty alive in these three directions, and to know when to trust it as
a true impression.

On the unmistakable sensation that a breeze was coming, the rebound from
inaction and grumbling, lying full-length on deck, to alert excitement
was instantaneous and most pleasing. The anchor was rattled up in a
minute, and it was scarcely stowed away before the genial air arrived,
with ripples curling under its soft breath, once more exactly favourable.

Slowly the two lights above on the cliff seemed to wheel round as we
doubled the Cape. Slowly two little dots in the distance swelled up into
big vessels in full sail, and others rose from the far-off waters, all
converging to the same port with myself; their very presence being
companionship, and their community of purpose begetting a mutual
interest. For these craft deep in the water the navigation here is
rather intricate, though the excellent and uniform system of buoys
employed in France does all that is possible to make the course clear;
but my little boat, drawing less than three feet of water, could run
safely even over the shallows, though, as a rule, I navigated her by the
regular channels, as this gave me much additional interest in the
bearings about every port.

When the lights at Havre hove in sight the welcome flashing was a happy
reward to a long day's toil, and as the yawl sped forward cheerily
through the intervening gloom, the kettle hummed over the lamp, and a
bumper of hot grog was served out to the crew. Soon we rounded into the
harbour, quiet and calm, with everybody asleep at that late hour; and it
was some time more before the Rob Roy could settle into a comfortable
berth, and her sails were all made up, and bed unrolled, and the weary
sailor was snoring in his blanket.

Next day the people on the quays were much amused by the curious
manoeuvres of my little dingey; its minute size, its novel form
(generally pronounced to be like a half walnut-shell), its bright colour,
and the extraordinary gyrations and whirlings which it could perform, for
practice taught some new feat in it almost every day.

At night there was a strange sound, shrill and loud, which lasted for
hours, and marred the calm eve and the quiet twinkling of the stars.
This came from a hundred children collected by a crackbrained stranger
(said to be English). These he gave cakes and toys to by day lavishly,
and assembled them at night on the quay to sing chorus to his incoherent
vers