mainland, the Spanish town; to
the left the snow-white town of Algeciras, famed for its bull fights.
Behind all the great towering, rugged mountains of Spain.

We lost two hours here waiting for orders, but by 10 we had turned our
head for the Atlantic, and were soon going full steam ahead. The 970
miles from Naples we covered in forty-eight hours, at economical
speed. Our speed and size dwarf everything we come up against.

Before sunset we passed a small tramp steamer which halted, as we also
did, and for long signals were carried on between the two of us. The
passengers were unable to read these, but they must have been very
important when a ship like the "Aquitania" came to a dead halt.

At Gib. we had been told that a rumour had reached England, and
appeared in the "Daily Mail," that the "Aquitania" had been torpedoed.

_December 2nd._--The air is soft and balmy, a few drops of rain have
fallen, but the lower clouds fly fast as if a breeze was brewing.

6 p.m.--We have had a stormy afternoon, a driving rain and a 50-mile
gale as reckoned by the captain. As I came along a passage a cupboard
door flew open and scores of dishes fell out with a crash. In the
wards bottles and tables are flying all over the place. As I was
steadying myself on deck the ship's whistle gave a blast that seemed
unending. There was a rush from below to the boat deck, but as there
was a thick haze we decided it was only a fog signal. "Fog signal,"
said the captain, "I call it a d----d fool's signal. This boy,"
pointing to a very guilty looking little chap, "placed his back
against the whistle lever, and the d----d fool never noticed he was
raising hell."

_December 3rd._--All last night the rolling had been particularly bad,
so much so that the ship is pronounced to be much too top-heavy. I had
slept straight on till 5 and did not feel a particularly heavy roll at
2 a.m., which every one is talking about, and which had tumbled a lot
of people out of bed. One old sailor says he got a terrible fright, he
thought the ship would be unable to right herself from her great
weight, and he fled on deck expecting the worst.

4.45 p.m.--A revolving light can be seen through the mist but must be
many miles off. At 3 we had all been warned off the deck as a message
had been received that we were again in a danger zone. We are now near
our haven, and if that light is from the Needles another hour should
take us there.

_Later._--We anchored of