or him that he so
little dreamed of what that son was destined to pass through before they
two again should meet! Little, as they lost sight of her, did the
light-hearted throng on board the _Victoria_ guess at the horrors of
which that noble ship was to be the theatre.

On clearing the Bill of Portland, and once more getting the true breeze,
it was found by those on board the _Flying Cloud_ that the wind had
veered some points further to the westward, and was now almost dead in
the teeth of their course down channel. There was a red-hot ebb tide
running, however, which was so much in their favour, and Captain Blyth
held on upon the same tack, pushing out toward mid-channel so as to get
the full benefit of it. The ship was heading well up to windward of the
Channel Islands, so that she was not doing at all badly; and the wind
having veered so far, the skipper was in hopes it would veer still
further, and so give him a favourable slant down channel after his next
reach in for the land. Nor was he disappointed; for tacking at six
o'clock to avoid the flood, which he knew would soon be making, he found
himself, at ten o'clock that night, some four miles to the westward of
Beer Head, the wind heading him more and more as he drew in with the
land. On again tacking, it was found that the ship was heading well up
for the Start, which was passed about four bells in the morning watch;
when, feeling themselves at length safe for a fair run out of the
channel, the ship's departure was taken, together with a small pull upon
the weather braces. A course was given the helmsman which would carry
the ship well clear of Cape Finisterre, and away went the _Flying Cloud_
to the southward and westward, reeling eleven knots off the log with all
three skysails set. By three o'clock in the afternoon, Captain Blyth's
reckoning placed the ship off Ushant. They now began to feel the
regular Atlantic roll, and shortly afterwards the wind, continuing to
veer, worked round so far to the northward of west, that they were not
only enabled to get another good pull upon the weather braces, but also
to set studding-sails on the starboard side, when away went the ship
plunging and rolling across the Bay of Biscay at a pace which amply
justified her name, and sent all hands into ecstasies of delight. And
the climax of their happiness was reached when, just about sunset, a
large steamer, which had been in sight ahead since noon, was
triumphantly o