again amid nasty weather, and the master came ashore with a
set of gaudy wooden bowls painted black and red. These he solemnly
presented to the lady of the house. He had run thirty miles against a
northerly sea to bring them.

When I next saw the pilot he had fallen upon very hard times. The system
of keeping "privileged men" had obtained great hold in the north. The
privileged pilot does not need to go out and beat about at sea in search
of vessels; he can lie comfortably in his bed until he is signalled, and
then he steps aboard without any of the trouble of competition. However
good this system may be in a general way, it bears very hardly on the
poor fellows who have to lie off for two or three days together on the
chance of getting a ship. We were passing by Flamborough Head in a large
steamer when the mate came down below and said, "There is a pilot-boat
from our town astern there, sir." The captain shouted, "Tell them to
stop her directly and take the coble in tow." We then blew our whistle,
and the pilot-boat drew up alongside. My friend stepped aboard, and the
captain said, "Come away down and have some breakfast." The pilot tried
to speak, but his voice broke. He said: "No, I can't eat. When you
passed us, we baith started to cry; and when you whistled for us, maw
heart com' oot on its place, an' it'll gan back ne mair." The poor men
had had no food for two days. In spite of his tragic statement, the
pilot recovered, and ate a very good breakfast indeed; and his boat
towed astern of us till he placed us at our moorings.

He met his end like a brave man in the great October gale which all of
us remember. He was down on the pier smoking with his friends in the
watch-house and looking out occasionally for distressed vessels. The
great seas were hurling themselves over the stone-work and shattering
into wild wreaths of foam on the sand. Strong men who showed themselves
outside full in the face of the wind were blown down flat as if they had
been tottering children. The wind sounded as though it were blown
through a huge trumpet, and the sea was running nine feet on the bar. A
small vessel fought through, and appeared likely to get into the
fairway. She showed her port light for a time, and all seemed going
well. Suddenly she opened both her red and her green lights, and it was
seen that she was coming dead on for the pier. Presently she struck
hard, within thirty yards of the stone-work. There was wild excitement