eck. The watch had
been relieved, the weather also looked brighter, as if it were going to
clear up, and I became still more depressed. Bramble soon followed me.

"It's clearing up," said I, "but I don't think it will last."

"Never a bit," replied Bramble; "in half an hour it will be thicker than
ever, so now I'll go and call the officer, and tell him he had better
get under weigh: that will make him have less suspicion of us."

Bramble did so. The officer came on deck, the men were turned out, and
the windlass was manned; for, although so large a vessel, she had no
capstan. The men hove in the cable in silence, and were short stay
apeak, when, as we had foreseen, it came on thicker than ever. Bramble
pointed it out to the officer, who was perfectly satisfied that nothing
could be done; the cable was veered out again, and the men sent below.

"We hope you'll think of your promise to us, sir," said Bramble to the
officer, as he was going down.

"Yes, I will, I swear," replied he, slapping Bramble on the back.

The morning broke, and the weather continued the same; it was not
possible to see ten yards clear of the ship, and, of course, in such
weather it was not likely that any other vessels would be attempting to
pass through the Channel. At noon it cleared up a little, and the
windlass was again manned; but in a short time the fog became thicker
than ever. The Frenchmen now became very impatient, but there was no
help for it; they walked about the deck, swearing and stamping, and
throwing out invectives against the fog and rain as they looked up at
it. The night closed in; the men were kept on deck until eleven
o'clock, when the flood tide made, and then they were sent down again,
as nothing could be done until the ebb. At twelve o'clock the weather
became worse, the wind freshened considerably, and veered more to the
southward, the rain poured down in torrents, and the men of the watch
sheltered themselves down the hatchway. The officer came up on the
deck, and called Bramble, who had been down below. Bramble told him,
what was very true, that the wind would probably shift and the weather
clear up in a few hours, and that we should be able to weigh with the
coming down of the ebb. He asked Bramble whether he thought it would
blow hard. Bramble could not say, but it would be better that the men
should not turn in, as they might be wanted; and that if the
fore-topmast staysail was hoisted, she would li