on visited me. On board we had of
course maps with every house marked, however small, and who lived in
it, and so on. We do things thoroughly, even though at the moment
there may not be any apparent reason for some of the details. I
blessed our system now, for suddenly in my mind's eye I saw a certain
group of farm buildings marked "ruinous and uninhabited." And now
where the devil was it?

My own pocket map of course had no such minute details and I had to
work my memory hard. And then in a flash I saw the map as distinctly
as if it had really been under my eye instead of safely under the
Atlantic. "I have a chance still!" I said to myself.

By the light of my torch I had a careful look at my small map, and then
I set forth pushing my lifeless cycle. To get to my refuge I had to
turn back and retrace my steps (or perhaps I should rather say my
revolutions) part way to the shore till I came to a road branching
southwards, roughly parallel to the coast. It ascended continuously
and pretty steeply, and I can assure you it was stiff work pushing a
motor-cycle up that interminable hill, especially when one was clad for
warmth and not for exercise. Dimly in the waxing moonlight I could see
low farm buildings here and there, but luckily not a light shone nor a
dog barked from one of them. Glancing over my shoulder I saw the sea,
now quite distinct and with a faint sheen upon its surface, widening
and widening as I rose. But I merely glanced at it enviously and
concentrated my attention on the task of finding my "ruinous and
uninhabited" farm. I twice nearly turned off the road too soon, but I
did find it at last--a low tumble-down group of little buildings some
two hundred yards or so off the road on the right, or seaward side.
Here the cultivated fields stopped, and beyond them the road ascended
through barren moorland. My refuge was, in fact, the very last of the
farms as one went up the hill. It lay pretty isolated from the others,
and there was a track leading to it that enabled me to push my cycle
along fairly comfortably.

"I might have come to a much worse place!" I said to myself hopefully.

Though there was not a sign of life about the place, and not a sound of
any kind, I still proceeded warily, as I explored the derelict farm. I
dared not even use my torch till I had stooped through an open door,
and was safely within one of the buildings. When I flashed it round me
I saw then that I stood in a