ped, and to go down amid the
turmoil, with scarcely a possibility of any of the hapless crew
escaping. During south-westerly gales, and with an ebb tide, the race
runs the highest; but sometimes, even in moderate weather, without any
apparent cause, there is a strange chopping and leaping of the sea,
which makes it dangerous for a small vessel to pass through. The faint
outline of the well-known headland was now seen on our larboard bow, and
it was pretty evident that the lugger was getting her starboard tacks
aboard, to haul off round the outside of the race, if not to stand away
towards the French coast. We, accordingly, had to alter our course
after her; but I suspected that there was no very great chance of our
being able to overtake her. Still we stood on, our main hope being that
another cruiser might fall in with her, and turn her again towards us.
After the fog had disappeared, the sky overhead became beautifully
clear; but, as the day drew on, clouds began to gather, and by the time
I went down to dinner they were coming up pretty thick from the
south-west and south, rather an unusual circumstance after the sort of
morning we had had. While we were discussing our meal, the cutter
heeled over, and nearly sent our scanty dinner-service away to leeward.

"Hillo, what's the matter now?" I asked.

"Matter! why the breeze is freshening, to be sure," said old Growl, our
acting master. "Look out for your plates, and when you go on deck it
will be time enough to learn all about it."

Old Growl was in many respects not dissimilar to Hanks. He was of the
same age, if not older; as fond of spirits, if not fonder; and as
addicted, indeed I think more so, to grumbling. He was not a gentleman
by birth, education, or manners; but he was kind of heart, and I liked
him very well. I think I remarked that all the officers were very old
for their standing. Growl's hair was white, and so was Scriven's, the
clerk in charge. I was young enough to be the son of any of them, in
fact, and was treated almost as such. Fortunately, my uncle did his
best to throw responsibility on my shoulders, so that, in spite of the
pains they took to spoil me, I gradually learned to think and act for
myself. Dinner was over, for the best of reasons--that we had eaten up
all our boiled beef and potatoes, and the greater portion of our last
cheese, and I was thinking how much pleasanter it was to be sitting
there quietly, and nibbling biscu