be appropriately struck up by the Captain, whose voice is
strong and cheery whenever he exchanges a shout with us.

"6:30 P.M.--A calm and beautiful evening. Boyton sailing with a faint
wind and in slack water. He has by this time crossed two tides. The
flood up channel still. 8 P.M.--The ebb down channel to the Varne, being
carried many miles north and south respectively by each, and is now in
a fair way to reach England, being only four miles from Dover Castle,
according to the encouraging news of Captain Dane. So clear is the air
that Cape Grisnez and the Varne buoy are still in sight. The last
pigeons are now dispatched. Twenty-nine in all have gone during the
day. The longest three miles ever known are now entered upon. Hour
after hour passes and three miles is ever the distance from shore, so
says Captain Dane. The south Foreland lights flash out in our face.
Dover lights shine brightly a little distance to our left. The
interminable three miles are not lessened a jot. The crew of the Royal
Wiltshire Life Boat, specially sent by the National Life Boat
Association, warmly cheer the plucky Boyton. He again asks the
distance.

"Three miles", shouts back Captain Dane.

"Ah," grimly answers Boyton, with a spice of the Mark Twainish humor
peculiar to him, "that's about it. They've just told me from the life-
boat its five miles, and, as your steamer is two miles long, we're right
in our reckoning all around; but I don't care if it's twenty-five,
I'm going to make it."

"Quarter to nine.--Boyton takes supper, lights a cigar and paddles
perseveringly along, although he has now been close on eighteen hours in
the water. Bravo heart! He is now paddling more strongly than he was in
the morning. The three miles shrink, at last into two and three
quarters and about this time the one sensational incident of this voyage
happens.

"Captain Boyton's own words best describe the episode: 'About an hour
before I got on land, I heard a tremendous blowing behind me. It
startled me for the moment, for I guessed it was a shark. I instantly
drew out my knife, but while I was in the act of doing this, a second
snort came closer to my head. I out with my knife and instantly threw
myself into a standing position, ready to strike if I had been
attacked; but simultaneously with this movement of mine a tremendous
black thing leaped completely over me and darted away like
lightning. It was a porpoi