Dover will be so
small as not to be worth naming: nay, these fellows will soon repair
damages, and might possibly overtake us themselves. The Speedy is only
half-crippled."

"I see--I see. You've a trick with you, Miles, that makes a few words go a
great way. I see, and I agree. But an idee has come to my mind, that
you're welcome to, and after turning it over, do what you please with it.
Instead of going to the eastward of Scilly, what say you to passing to the
westward, and shaping our course for the Irish Channel? The news will not
follow us that-a-way, for some time; and we may meet with some American,
or other, bound to Liverpool. Should the worst come to the worst, we can
pass through between Ireland and Scotland, and work our way round Cape
Wrath, and go into our port of destination. It is a long road, I know, and
a hard one in certain seasons of the year, but it may be travelled in
midsummer, comfortably enough."

"I like your notion well enough, Marble, and am ready to carry it out, as
far as we are able. It must be a hard fortune, indeed, that will not throw
us in the way of some fisherman, or coaster, who will be willing to let us
have a bend or two, for double wages."

"Why, on that p'int, Miles, the difficulty is in the war, and the hot
press that must now be going. The English will be shy in visiting the
opposite coast; and good men are hard to find, just now, I'm thinking,
floating about the coasts of England, unless they are under a pennant."

"A hand, or two, that can steer, will be an immense relief to us, Moses,
even though unable to go aloft. Call Neb to the wheel, then, and we'll go
look at the chart, so as to lay our course."

All was done, accordingly. In half an hour, the Dawn was steering for the
western coast of England, with everything set we thought it prudent to
carry. Two hours after we began to move away from the spot where they lay,
the frigates had sunk behind the curvature of the earth, and we lost sight
of them altogether. The weather continued good, the breeze steady and
fresh, and the Dawn did her duty admirably. We began to get accustomed to
our situations, and found them less arduous than had been apprehended. The
direction of the wind was so favourable, that it kept hope alive; though
we trebled our distance by going round the British islands, instead of
passing directly up channel. Twenty-four hours were necessary to carry us
as far north as the Land's End, however; and I det