r in the
same craft.

Having manoeuvred the ship for close upon two hours, with the view of
testing her speed and handiness in varying circumstances, so far as was
possible under the existing conditions of wind and sea, we bore up and
shaped a course for Cape la Hague, which we made just before nightfall.
Then, as the breeze seemed inclined to freshen a trifle, rendering the
ship more manageable in the strong tides that sweep that part of the
coast, the Captain determined to search the bight at the bottom of which
lies the French port of Saint Malo, just then notorious for the number
of privateers which it fitted out and sent to sea. We accordingly
passed in about half-way between Alderney and the mainland, maintaining
an offing from the latter of about eight miles, and took in our royals
and topgallantsails.

Passing inside the Chausey Islands, breakfast-time the next morning
found us off the town, in the harbour of which we saw a number of small
fishing and coasting craft, but nothing of importance; we therefore
hauled up to the westward, set our topgallantsails, and boarded the fore
and main tacks, in order to work out clear of Brehat and secure a good
offing; for the glass was dropping, the breeze freshening, there was a
"greasy" look about the sky to windward that seemed to portend a blow,
and we were on a lee-shore.

As the morning advanced the portents became more pronounced; the wind
increased to such an extent that we first had to stow our
topgallantsails again and then single-reef the topsails, and a very
nasty short, choppy sea quickly got up, into which the frigate plunged
viciously to the height of her figurehead, sending deluges of spray over
her weather cathead and into the hollow of her foresail until the canvas
was darkened with wet half-way up to the yard, while it thickened up
away to windward until it became impossible to distinguish anything
beyond the distance of a mile, and the wind backed on us until it was
out from about North-North-West, with the result that, when at length we
made the land, it stretched right athwart our hawse and reached away to
windward, as far as the eye could penetrate the mist.

There was nothing for it but to 'bout ship and haul off on the other
tack; the crew were therefore piped to stations and the helm eased down,
when the ship swept grandly up into the wind and went round like a top,
holding her way in a style that delighted as much as it surprised us,
and stay