e had of course no time to lose, and had begun his
journey at the earliest possible hour. We found the sands firm
and level, except the slight wrinkles produced by the ripple of
the waves; but they were still wet, having only just been left
by the sea. The guide appeared to drive with caution, and in no
place went farther than a mile from land. We had a good deal of
conversation, and I found him intelligent and communicative. His
name is Thomas Wilkinson. He is a tall, athletic man, past the
middle age, and bears marks of the rough weather he has been
exposed to in discharging the duties of his post during the
winter months. In stormy, and more especially in foggy weather,
those duties must be arduous and anxious. It is his business to
station himself at the place where the river Keer runs over the
sands to the sea, which is about three miles from Hest Bank, and
to show travellers where they may pass with safety. The bed of
the river is liable to frequent changes, and a fresh of water
after rain may, in a very short time, convert a fordable place
into a quicksand. When we came to the river, he got out of the
gig, and waded over to ascertain the firmness of the bottom, the
water being about knee-deep. Having escorted us a little
farther, till we saw the guide for the Kent at a distance, and
having pointed out the line we should keep, he left us to
return to his proper post. We gave him, as is usual, a few
pence; for though he is appointed by government, his salary is
only L10 a-year, and he is, of course, chiefly dependent on what
he receives from travellers.

"These sands are called the Lancaster Sands, and the guide said
that they were at present eleven miles over, from Hest Bank to
Kent's Bank, but that he had known them when he could pass
directly over in not more than seven miles. The tide forms a
channel in the sand, which has been gradually coming nearer the
shore for some years past, and has obliged persons crossing to
take a longer circuit. It was now the spring-tide, and the
sands we were travelling upon would, at high-water, be
seventeen feet below the surface of the sea.

"The day was exceedingly fine, and the prospects, in crossing
over the sands, were splendid. The whole coast of the bay, from
Peel Castle round to the shore