cliff, the hour was too advanced to hope for seeing much
of the country. We strayed away, however, to look for the church, and
found ourselves, at twilight, near some ghastly deserted out-houses,
approached by a half-ruinous gateway, and a damp dark avenue of trees.
The church was near, but shut off from us by ivy-grown walls. No living
creature appeared; not even a dog barked at us. We were surrounded by
silence, solitude, darkness, and desolation; and it struck us both
forcibly, that the best thing we could do was to give up the church, and
get back to humanity with all convenient speed.

The descent of the High Street of Clovelly, at night, turned out to be a
matter of more difficulty than we had anticipated. There was no such
thing as a lamp in the whole village; and we had to grope our way in the
darkness down steps of irregular sizes and heights, paved with slippery
pebbles, and ornamented with nothing in the shape of a bannister, even
at the most dangerous places. Half-way down, my friend and I had an
argument in the dark--standing with our noses against a wall, and with
nothing visible on either side--as to which way we should turn next. I
guessed to the left, and he guessed to the right; and I, being the more
obstinate of the two, we ended in following my route, and at last
stumbled our way down to the pier. Looking at the place the next
morning, we found that the steps to the right led through a bit of
cottage-garden to a snug little precipice, over which inquisitive
tourists might fall quietly, without let or hindrance. Talk of the
perils of the deep! what are they in comparison with the perils of the
shore?

The adventures of the night were not exhausted, so far as I was
concerned, even when we got back to our vessel.

I have already informed the reader that the cabin of the Tomtit was
twelve feet long by eight feet wide--a snug apartment, but scarcely
large enough, as it struck me, for five men to sleep in comfortably.
Nevertheless, the experiment was to be tried in Clovelly harbour. I
bargained, at the outset, for one thing--that the cabin hatch should be
kept raised at least a foot all night. This ventilatory condition being
complied with, I tumbled into my hammock; Mr. Migott rolled into his;
and Sam Dobbs, Dick Dobbs, and Bob Dobbs cast themselves down
promiscuously on the floor and the lockers under us. Out went the
lights; and off went my friend and the Brothers Dobbs into the most
intolerable con