of vigilance and care, he was not more
than five miles from land when the sun set, and probably further from
the English coast than when he set forth in the morning; because he had
stood towards the south of west all day, to keep out of sight of the
left wing of the enemy; and as the straight outline of the coast began
to fade, he supposed himself to be about half-way between the mouth of
the Canche and that of the little Authie.

Watching with the eyes of one accustomed to the air the last
communication of the sun, and his postscript (which, like a lady's, is
the gist of what he means), Scudamore perceived that a change of weather
might come shortly, and must come ere long. There was nothing very
angry in the sky, nor even threatening; only a general uncertainty
and wavering; "I wish you well all round," instead of "Here's a guinea
apiece for you." Scuddy understood it, and resolved to carry on.

Having no compass, and small knowledge of the coast--which lay out of
range of the British investment--he had made up his mind to lie by for
the night, or at any rate to move no more than he could help, for
fear of going altogether in the wrong direction. He could steer by the
stars--as great mariners did, when the world was all discovery--so long
as the stars held their skirts up; but, on the other hand, those stars
might lead him into the thick of the enemy. Of this, however, he must
now take his chance, rather than wait and let the wind turn against him.
For his main hope was to get into the track where British frigates,
and ships of light draught like his own dear Blonde, were upon patrol,
inside of the course of the great war chariots, the ships of the line,
that drave heavily. Revolving much grist in the mill of his mind, as
the sage Ulysses used to do, he found it essential to supply the motive
power bodily. One of Madame Fropot's loaves was very soon disposed of,
and a good draught of sound cider helped to renew his flagging energy.

Throughout that night he kept wide-awake, and managed to make fair
progress, steering, as well as he could judge, a little to the west of
north. But before sunrise the arrears of sleep increased at compound
interest, and he lowered his sail, and discharged a part of the heavy
sum scored against him. But when he awoke, and glanced around him with
eyes that resented scanty measure, even a sleepy glance sufficed to show
much more than he wished to see. Both sky and sea were overcast with
do