t the wind still hung in the same
quarter as yesterday, or about south-east; after which I turned in
again, the weather being altogether too dismal to tempt me out on deck
at so early an hour. As I did so there was a loud cry or command, the
chorussing at the windlass abruptly ceased, and in the silence that
temporarily ensued I caught the muffled sound of the steam blowing-off
from the tug's waste-pipe, mingled with the faint sound of hailing from
somewhere ahead, answered in the stentorian tones of Mr Murgatroyd's
voice. Then the windlass was manned once more, and the pawls clanked
slowly, sullenly, irregularly, for a time, growing slower and slower
still until there ensued a long pause, during which I heard the mate
encouraging the crew to a special effort by shouting: "Heave, boys!
heave and raise the dead! break him out! another pawl! heave!" and so
on; then there occurred a sudden wrenching jerk, followed by a shout of
triumph from the crew, the windlass pawls resumed their clanking at a
rapid rate for a few minutes longer when they finally ceased, and I knew
that our anchor was a-trip and that we had started on our long journey.

Everybody appeared at breakfast that morning, naturally; there was
nothing to prevent them, for we were still in the river, in smooth
water, and the ship glided along so steadily that some of us were
actually ignorant of the fact of our being under way until made aware of
it by certain remarks passed at the breakfast-table. After breakfast,
the weather being as "dirty" as ever, I donned my mackintosh and a pair
of sea boots with which I had provided myself in anticipation of such
occasions as this, and went on deck to look round and smoke a pipe. A
few other men followed my example, among others the general, who
presently joined me in my perambulation of the poop; and I soon found
that, despite a certain peremptoriness and dictatorial assertiveness of
manner, which I attributed to his profession, and his position in it, he
was a very fine fellow, and a most agreeable companion, with an
apparently inexhaustible fund of anecdote and reminiscence.
Incidentally I learned from him that Miss Onslow was the daughter of Sir
Philip Onslow, an Indian judge and a friend of Sir Patrick O'Brien, and
that she was proceeding to Calcutta under the chaperonage of Lady
Kathleen, the general's wife. While we were still chatting together,
the young lady herself came on deck, well wrapped up in a long tw