from a fire, so I suppose they are
getting quite used to it.

There can be no doubt that the preservation of the yacht from very
serious damage, if not from complete destruction, was due to the
prompt and efficient manner in which the _extincteurs_ were used. It
was not our first experience of the value of this invention; for, not
very long before we undertook our present expedition, a fire broke out
in our house in London, on which occasion the _extincteurs_ we
fortunately had at hand rendered most excellent service in subduing
the flames.

By half-past three all danger was past, and we began to settle down
again, though it took a long time to get rid of the smoke.

At four o'clock we weighed anchor, and once more made a start from
Kobe, and passed through the Straits of Akashi. The wind was dead
ahead, but not so strong as when we made our previous attempts. It was
bitterly cold, the thermometer, in a sheltered place, being only one
degree above freezing, and the breeze from the snowy mountains cutting
like a knife.

We were all disappointed with our sail to-day; perhaps because we had
heard so much of the extreme beauty of the scenery, and this is not
the best time of year for seeing it. The hills are all brown, instead
of being covered with luxuriant vegetation, and all looked bleak and
barren, though the outlines of the mountain ranges were very fine. We
were reminded of the west coast of Scotland, the Lofoden Islands in
the Arctic Circle, and the tamer portions of the scenery of the
Straits of Magellan.

After passing through the Straits, we crossed the Harima Nada--rather
a wider portion of the sea--and then entered the intricate channels
among the islands once more. There are three thousand of them
altogether, so one may take it for granted that the navigation is by
no means easy. The currents and tides are strong, sunken rocks are
frequent, and the greatest care is requisite. Indeed, many people at
Yokohama urged Tom to take a pilot.

[Illustration: Yoken San or Sacred Mountain, Inland Sea]

We had one lovely view in the afternoon of the island of Yoken San,
with its snowy mountain at the back, and a pretty little village, with
a few picturesque junks in the foreground. The yacht passed between
Oki Sama and Le Sama, steering straight for the cone-shaped little
island of Odutsi. Towards dusk we made the light of Nabae Sinaon Yo
Sina, and, steering past it, had to take several sharp and awkward
turns,